Review of Chapter 6 Ecclesiology The Church as Communion and Mission - Essay Example

Review of Chapter 6 Ecclesiology The Church as Communion and Mission There is no doubt that the chapter that is d The Mission of the Church – Transforming the World can be summarized with a simple statement: the goal of every Christian nowadays is to spread the good news to the people of the world about Lord Savior Jesus Christ, adjusting promotion of religion to the contemporary realities. Indeed, more than two thousand years have passed after the earthly life of Son of God and foundation of the Church, but the message that it sends has remained the same. It is important to keep it unchanged on the fundamental level; however, the way people are affected with it should be adjusted with regard to the contemporary situation in the world. If one draws a connection between this particular chapter and the course, one will be able to see that it might serve as a valuable source for it. Thus, the reading contains a broad perspective on the role of the Church in the contemporary social environment and shows the audience ways in which the modern technological progress many be harmonized with the eternal ideas that are promoted by the Church of Christ. In addition to that, the chapter in question contains valuable insights into the ways modern Christians should behave themselves and the manner in which they should promote their faith in order to be understood as well as accepted by other people. Other than broad recommendations it contains several practical recommendations that can be easily implemented by a person in one’s daily life. It may be particularly important to recall some of the major points that are brought up by the author in the course of the chapter. To begin with, it is suggested that Christians should not view their faith is something secluded and reserved for religious life only. In other words, going to Church or praying at home is not the only suitable way to manifest oneself as a Christian. This means that faith might be expressed through various small activities which are performed by a person on a daily basis. The author puts emphasis that the ideas which were crucial in the times of foundation of the Church have not lost their significance at the present day as well. The author uses different parts of the New Testament in order to prove that one of the main goals of Christians is to spread the word of God and make sure that every person who suffers from difficult conditions of life is relieved. The author provides the reader with quotes from Luke and John in order to prove the validity of his words. The next major point that is being discussed in the chapter is the place of the Church in the global as well as social environment. The most significant idea focuses on the fact that the above mentioned institution should be see in the world, but not of the world. In spite of the fact that this seems to be a simple linguistic difference, the author claims that it has an important impact on the way the image of Church is perceived. Thus, it is suggested that the latter should become an active actor in the social environment, making sure that all the parts of the population are affected by its message. However, the Church should not adopt some of the values that are being promoted by the contemporary cultures, this way staying outside the scope of the modern world. In order to make this distinction clear the author quotes extracts from different documents that were designed to explain the role of the Church in the contemporary social environment. Every claim that is made by the author is always supported by a related passage from writing of other scholars or religious actors. It would not be a mistake to suggest that I found the discussion about the peculiarities of the modern world to be the most interesting part of the chapter. I was delighted to learn that the author was able to fully express the Christian worldview and maintain the sufficient level of objectivity. In other words, I could see the way a person who have developed a broad outlook is able to combine it with religious belief that guides one’s life. It was quite interesting to see how the author engaged different perspectives on the definition of the world: the ideas of the Church fathers as well as contemporary scholars were engaged in order to provide the reader with an objective account of this notion. The important lesson that I learned while reading the chapter is that Christianity should not be seen as a rigid system that reflects the world view which was developed two thousand years ago, but rather a dynamic system which guides people in different aspects of everyday life. Indeed, this means that every Christian should reevaluate one’s life and see if values that are being promoted by the Church and recognized as universal are applied on a daily basis. In this case, being a Christian becomes a question that is performed every day and involves a considerable number of actions, not only those which are traditionally associated with religion. In addition to that, it was quite significant for me to read a detailed analysis of some values and check whether I understand them in the same way. Speaking of the most difficult part of the chapter, I should note that it is surely the one which deals with a distinction between the place of the Church in the world, but not of the world. I had to reread this part several times in order to understand the gist of the message of the author. I believe that the latter was quite creative in the way he grasped and explained the difference between these two seemingly equal expressions. However, it was a great pleasure for me to finally understand the peculiarities of this contradiction: I was able to see the fundamental role of the Church and will not lose sight of this notion in the future. Finally, it may be suitable to dwell on perspectives of using the chapter in the future. Thus, I will surely recommend to my colleagues because of several reasons. First of all, it will make their outlook wider and allow them to incorporate new idea that will enrich their spiritual life. Secondly, the chapter also contains some practical recommendations which can be implemented by any Christian on a daily basis and contribute to one’s personal spiritual development. There is no doubt that the author was able to effectively formulate some of the guidelines that are valuable for a person who has faith in heart. That is why everyone who is willing to read literature which will help in his or her spiritual quest should read this particular chapter. What is more important is that the message that is sent by this chapter might also be used in ministry. It is essential to make sure that preaching is able to follow the pace of the modern life and the Church is not seen as some kind of an old fashioned institution. Indeed, there are might be aspects that are deeply rooted in history, but they do not define the way the Church as well as minister should address the modern people. The chapter in question teaches Christians to combine the eternal values such as faith and compassion with the worldview that is being promoted in the modern society. That is why one might find this article to be extremely useful. Read More