Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia PDF

Preview

Summary

Theology of Mission Vol. 59 (2020): 169-206 https://doi.org/10.14493/ksoms.2020.3.169 Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia Jan Mathys De Beer Professor, Woosong University 한글 초록 This study departs from the premise that the modern church is di...

Description

Theology of Mission Vol. 59 (2020): 169-206 https://doi.org/10.14493/ksoms.2020.3.169

Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia

Jan Mathys De Beer Professor, Woosong University

한글 초록 This study departs from the premise that the modern church is different from the biblical ecclesia. Different crises in the church are analyzed and described as a missional crisis of credibility for the Christian faith. In search of a way out of this crisis, the question is asked whether it is desirable to use “church” as a translation of the New Testament word ecclesia (ἐκκλησία). On the grounds of inconsistency and anachronism, the validity of “church” as a translation in the Bible is questioned. The usage of “assembly” as a more appropriate alternative translation of ecclesia and qahal in the Bible is proposed as a way to differentiate between the biblical ecclesia and the contemporary church. The implications of this differentiation are discussed for the current missiology and as a possible solution to the missional crisis of credibility.

170 선교신학 제59집

Ⅰ. Introduction In a previous study,1) the form, functioning, and purpose of the biblical ecclesia2) have been defined to show how it differs from the formal or institutionalized definition of church today. The ecclesia is the sum total of people living in a special relationship with God and being connected to both the heavenly and earthly realities of life. The people of the ecclesia have received the revelation that Jesus (Hebrew: Y’shua) of Nazareth is the Messiah, and they live in different locations while they form a united collection of worshipers all over the world. That is the form of the biblical ecclesia. The way they function is by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, connected to Christ, similar to a body that receives instructions from its head, and in this way they are not guided by any human authority. The purpose of this group of people is to “house” the Spirit of God in the world and the work of Christ keeps them together like the cornerstone of a metaphorical “temple.” On the other hand, from our experience of more than 20 years’ involvement with churches, modern churches are made

1) Jan M. De Beer, “Participating in the Missio Dei - A Missional Focus on the Form, Functioning, and Purpose of the Ecclesia,” Theology of Mission [선교신학] 56 (2019): 343–378. 2) Placed on a continuum line, “modern church” refers to institutional churches functioning with a strong (human) organizational structure, while “biblical ecclesia” refers to assemblies functioning under impulse of the Spirit with minimal or no institutionalized organization.

Jan Mathys De Beer, Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia 171

up of members that either joined the church voluntarily or were born as children of church members and were incorporated into the church later in life. Churches are most often governed by pastors or church councils, church traditions, church doctrines, and church polity. They are formed by constitutions and required to register as “churches” at their respective governmental authorities. They function through different means, for

example, large

gatherings,

bible

studies,

fundraisers, and many social events. Churches need money to survive since they have expenses like salaries, building maintenance, and many other, depending on the different ministries they support. Churches are either individualistically independent from other churches, or they are connected with some other churches through denominational structures. However, there is no visual unity among different churches in one location and there is no uniform structure, functioning, or purpose among the thousands of churches across the globe. This differs greatly from the biblical ecclesia. An analysis of the way the “C/church” and the biblical concept of ἐκκλησία (ecclesia) are perceived in ecclesiological publications has shown the importance of our understanding of the “modern church” in relation to the “church as described in the New Testament” for missiology.3) Ecclesiological

3) Jan M. De Beer, “The Implications of Ecclesiology’s Understanding of Church and Ἐκκλησία for the Current Missiology,” Missionalia 46, no. 1 (2018): 76.

172 선교신학 제59집

publications follow one of three trends to differentiate (or not) between the New Testament concept ecclesia (ἐκκλησία) and the church: ·“The ἐκκλησία in the New Testament is discussed and called the ‘church’ without any real connection to modern-day churches.”4) This trend speaks about an entity, i.e. the early church, that, seemingly, does not exist anymore. The church, as we know and experience it today, is the only remnant of the ecclesia referred to in the Bible. Our objection to this approach is that there are still faith communities existing today that correspond with the descriptions of ecclesia found in the New Testament. · “Attributes of ἐκκλησία in the New Testament are used to evaluate and criticize the modern church.”5) This often failed attempt to identify current congregations with the biblical

ecclesia makes it difficult to distinguish between the biblical ecclesia and the modern church. Such an approach leaves us with a never-ending program to reform the modern church to become the biblical ecclesia, and history has shown that it has not been successful. · “The modern church is discussed without a real connection to the ἐκκλησία in the New Testament.”6) This approach assumes that the New Testament ecclesia has historically

4) Ibid. 5) Ibid. 6) Ibid.

Jan Mathys De Beer, Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia 173

evolved into the modern church today and these two entities are essentially the same. However, the many differences between modern churches and the biblically described ecclesia are to be attributed to historical changes in context. Our objection to this kind of approach is that the existence of faith communities that function similar to the biblical ecclesia are completely ignored. A fourth possibility proposed by the above-mentioned study is to acknowledge the co-existence of and differences between the modern church and the biblical ecclesia. Our study aims to explore this fourth option further by 1) identifying a missional crisis of credibility, 2) discussing the biblical translations of

ecclesia both exegetically and historically to determine a possible way out of the crisis of credibility, and lastly, 3) discussing the missiological implications of distinguishing between the church and the biblical ecclesia as a solution to the missional crisis of credibility.

Ⅱ. Identifying a Missional Crisis of Credibility The important missiological question that flows from the conflict between the self-image of the modern church and that of the biblical ecclesia is: how can the modern Christian church be involved in the missio Dei7) and how can “God’s people in local congregations…be transformed into mission-

174 선교신학 제59집

shaped co-workers with God” in a concursus Dei8) if that church does not identify itself with the ecclesia entity that both the Old and New Testaments refer to? In other words, how can a church that ignores many portions of the Bible about what it is supposed to do and does not function like the biblical

ecclesia as described in the New Testament,9) participate meaningfully in God’s mission in the world? This means that if we want to engage in a meaningful discussion about the mission of the church today, we need to clarify the way “church” and ecclesia are perceived by the ecclesiology of any given church, by modern Christians, and by non-Christians.10) A common approach is to view the church as synonymous to the biblical ecclesia and argue that the church should become what it already is. Dreyer, for example, says: …in Trinitarian approaches to ecclesiology, the most important 7) David J Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (New York: Orbis, 1991), 494. Darren Sarisky, “The Meaning of the Missio Dei : Reflections on Lesslie Newbigin’s Proposal That Mission Is of the Essence of the Church,” Missiology: An International Review 42, no. 3 (2014): 257–270. 8) Christopher Duraisingh, “From Church-Shaped Mission to MissionShaped Church,” Anglican Theological Review, no. 92/1 (2004): 28. 9) George Barna and Frank Viola, Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices, Revised and Updated (USA [no city given]: Tyndale Momentum, 2002). 10) 이후천, “선교적 교회론과 한국 교회 선교, Missional Church and Church Mission in Korea,” Theology of Mission 43 (2016): 137–160. De Beer, “The Implications of Ecclesiology’s Understanding of Church and Ἐκκλησία for the Current Missiology,” 74.

Jan Mathys De Beer, Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia 175

of these metaphors are the church as the people of God, the family of the Father, the body of Christ, and the community of the Spirit. The question is: how could the church visibly embody God’s people, the body of Christ, a community of the Spirit which it already is? How does the invisible become visible? It is only possible when the church itself lives with a deep consciousness of its own nature and its continual reformation to be what it already is.11)

It is obvious that Dreyer is speaking in this quote about what we refer to as the biblical ecclesia and the argument “its continual reformation to be what it already is” is somewhat confusing except if we understand it as the “modern church” that should become more like the “church” entity as described in the Bible. This is confirmed by Dreyer’s following statement: “The real crisis of the church is its inability to ‘be church’ – sometimes not even conscious of what the church is or should be and sometimes deliberately ignoring it for personal gain.”12) For Dreyer, the solution to the crisis of the church is to keep on reforming. Two issues arise from the position of Dreyer. Firstly, the question of the real identity of the church. This is relevant for our study since the question about the biblical ecclesia is in essence the same as the real identity of the church. Secondly, Dreyer speaks about the “real crisis of the church”. 11) Wim Dreyer, “The Real Crisis of the Church,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 71, no. 3 (2015): 4. 12) Ibid.

176 선교신학 제59집

For him, the church finds itself today in a crisis, more specific, an identity crisis. In this study we would like to elaborate on this concept of crisis from a missional perspective. We will now first discuss the question of the identity of the church and then move on to the idea of a “missional crisis of credibility.”

1. The Question of the Identity of the Church Trebilco makes the important point that by using ecclesia, “the Hellenists could express their continuity with the OT ‘assembly’ of the people of God and could also distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, without making the claim that they alone were the heirs of that people.”13) This means that the ecclesia in the New Testament understood themselves as historically connected to the people of God that was assembled at Sinai and received His commandments through the leadership of Moses. However, they did not (blindly) accept the traditions of rabbinical Judaism as a means of salvation or as a way of life (halacha). This self-understanding is evident in Paul’s letter to the Galatians where he refers to his previous life in Judaism that was in stark contrast with his understanding of the message from God after he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:13-17). Paul’s words strikingly emphasize his new 13) Paul Trebilco, “Why Did the Early Christians Call Themselves ἡ Ἐκκλησία?,”

New Testament Studies 57 (2011): 440.

Jan Mathys De Beer, Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia 177

approach, away from consulting the “traditions of” his “fathers” (v.14) or conferring “with flesh and blood” (v.16), instead he went away into Arabia (v. 17b) which can be understood as a return to Mount Sinai (see 4:25). Paul’s view of ecclesia illustrates both a continuity with the Old Testament ‘assembly’ at Sinai and a distinction from rabbinical Judaism. The way the early Christians viewed themselves differs distinctively from many Christian churches today. Contemporary Christianity views the church as a totally new entity, divorced from any continuity with the Old Testament ecclesia as found in the LXX and as a complete replacement of the Old Testament ecclesia as a result of Judaism’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah, as can be seen in the following examples: 1) Catholic theology interprets the Old Testament, and often also the New Testament, typologically in order to make it relevant for the modern church. An example of this kind of approach is found in the writings of Hans Küng.14) The Catholic Encyclopedia defines the “Church” as “[a] body of men united together by the profession of the same Christian Faith, and by participation in the same sacraments, under the governance of lawful pastors, more especially of the Roman Pontiff, the sole vicar of Christ on earth.”15) In other

14) Hans Küng, The Church (New York: Burns and Oates, 1968). 15) C. G. Herbermann et al., The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International

Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine,

178 선교신학 제59집

words, there is no connection between the “church” and Jerusalem, or Sinai. The only acknowledged “Church” is that governed by the Roman Pontiff. 2) The theology of the German church, as presented by Gerhard von Rad, are interpreted within the socio-political crisis context in the history of the German nation in the 1930s and 1940s. The following quote explains how some churches deliberately distanced themselves from the Old Testament

ecclesia: The drive to free the Church from any taint of Jewish influence included the call to eradicate anything related to Jewish belief or practice. The German Christians denied the Jewish ancestry of Jesus and erased Hebrew words like hosanna and hallelujah from church creeds and hymns. The German Christians also launched virulent attacks against the Old Testament.16)

These two examples are not isolated but represent a large section of Christian theology today. A major portion of the modern church has a very different self-understanding from the New Testament ecclesia and therefore it has become apparent that “church” and the biblical “ecclesia” cannot be equated.

Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912), 745. 16) Bernard M Levinson, “Reading the Bible in Nazi Germany: Gerhard von Rad’s Attempt to Reclaim the Old Testament for the Church,” Interpretation 62, no. 3 (2008): 88.

Jan Mathys De Beer, Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia 179

2. The Church in Crisis The fact that churches all over the world are experiencing crises has been discussed by many. The problem is amplified by the difference between church doctrine, practice, and policy on the one hand, and the biblical message on the other. As is the case with Von Rad’s theology,17) Christian churches tend to interpret the Bible in a way that does not conflict with their own praxis and ethos. This crisis of the church has been identified within different contexts and for different reasons, for example, the Catholic Church in Ireland as result of sexual abuse scandals,18) the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma as a result of social justice abuses,19) the church in Europe as result of modernity,20) and the churches in Africa, Asia, and South Africa as a result of a variety of reasons.21) We propose that these crises of churches can also be viewed as a missional crisis of credibility

17) Ibid. 18) Thomas O’Loughlin, “The Credibility of the Catholic Church as Public Actor,” New Blackfriars 94, no. 1050 (2013): 129–147. Ethna Regan, “Church, Culture and Credibility: A Perspective from Ireland,” New Blackfriars 94, no. 1050 (2013): 160–176. 19) James S Bhagwan, “Social Credibility and Transformational Mission: Case Study of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma” (Unpublished Masters Thesis: Northern Illinois Conference, 2011). 20) G Heitink, Een Kerk Met Karakter. Tijd Voor Heroriëntatie (Kampen: Uitgeverij Kok, 2007), 21. 21) Dreyer, “The Real Crisis of the Church,” 2-3.

180 선교신학 제59집

- not only as a result of a misplaced self-image of the church, but also because of an inconsistency between church praxis and the biblical message. The examples mentioned above have this inconsistency in common and the following examples should further illustrate this point, since empirical studies on this issue do not exist to the best of our knowledge: ·Firstly, the author will present a personal experience with a church in Korea as a case study. The author, a foreigner in South Korea, was once invited to a church “retreat” weekend. This event was part of the concerned church’s outreach program and it had a missionary agenda. For this reason, some international students and foreigners were also invited even though they were not necessarily Christian or members of the church. Some of these attendees came from Muslim countries. The meals served at this “retreat” was insensitive of these people’s dietary requirements with the result that they felt offended by the camp menu. In a conversation with the author, one of these students had serious concerns about the practice of this church, since “the Bible clearly states that God forbids the consumption of pork.” In this way, the church practice resulted in a missionary crisis of credibility, not only because of their lack of dietary theology but also because of their lack of loving sensitivity towards outsiders. To the author’s knowledge, this student and her friends never attended any of the concerned church events again.

Jan Mathys De Beer, Moving Beyond a Missional Crisis of Credibility by Differentiating Between Church and Ecclesia 181

· The Belhar Confession provides an excellent example of the missional dilemma that is created by church policy and practice that contradict biblical teaching. During the

apartheid-era in South Africa, some churches supported the government’s racial discrimination, some churches opposed it, and others found a way of silently protesting.22) In the family of Dutch Reformed Churches (DRC) in South Africa, a crisis of credibility developed,23) not only because this church family was divided on the basis of ‘racial’ classification, but also because the ‘white’ section of the DRC supported the government policy while the other sections opposed

the

apartheid-regime or

attempted

‘silent

diplomacy.’24) Although the ‘white’ DRC provided biblically based support for the policy of segregation in South Africa, the Belhar Confession was born in 1982 from a status

confessionis – a position that required a correction of church policy and praxis.25) The Belhar Confession had a great impact

22) Tobias Masuku, “Prophetic Mission of Faith Communities during Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1994: An Agenda for Prophetic Mission Praxis in the Democratic SA,” Missionalia: Southern African Journal of Missiology 42, no. 3 (2015): 151–167. 23) Jan Mathys De Beer, “Die Missionere Waarde van Die Belhar Belydenis Vir Die NG Kerk-Familie: Instrument Tot Inheemswording” (University of Pretoria, 2009), 66-88. 24) P Meiring, “In Die Konteks van Afrika,” in Storm-Kompas...