Church, World and the Christian Life
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Review
'Healy's book has many good insights and analysis of different models.' Theology
'This is a marvellously open and generous book that seeks to move ecclesiology away from the deceits of idealistic portrayals and towards the concrete reality of a sinful and erring community …'. Journal of Theological Studies
'…a considered scholarly and innovative study of the methodological issues that confront current ecclesiology.' International Journal of Systematic Theology
'This is a marvellously open and generous book that seeks to move ecclesiology away from the deceits of idealistic portrayals and towards the concrete reality of a sinful and erring community …'. Journal of Theological Studies
'…a considered scholarly and innovative study of the methodological issues that confront current ecclesiology.' International Journal of Systematic Theology
Product Description
This book, first published in 2000, argues that modern ecclesiology exhibits two unfortunate tendencies: it describes the church in ideal terms, rather than directly addressing the problems of its everyday, sinful activity; and it undermines the distinctiveness of the church and its way of life. The book analyzes the impact of pluralism and inclusivism upon ecclesiology, and draws upon Balthasar's theodramatic theory, MacIntyre's theory of traditional inquiry, postmodern critiques of humanism, and postmodern ethnography to develop a more flexible and concrete ecclesiology that can better address the practical and pastoral needs of the church. This alternative ecclesiology strongly affirms the need for the church to debate with those who challenge its claims and their embodiment, both from within and externally. The book concludes by discussing how the church may construct its own theological forms of historical, sociological and ethnographic analysis of both the church and society.
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This book is about ecclesiology, about the kind of critical theological reflection that is centered upon the nature and function of the Christian church. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This book is about ecclesiology, about the kind of critical theological reflection that is centered upon the nature and function of the Christian church. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nicholas Healy questions the wisdom of using blue print ecclesiologies to assess the Church. This has been a common approach taken by the likes of Avery Dulles who would suggest that the church can be viewed as an institution, mystical communion, herald and so forth. Healy's approach breaks free of applying a specific criteria to the church and sees it in terms of the role of discipleship and mission. As long as these two functions are fulfilled the particular shape or form the church takes is no longer the most essential means of measuring its success. In these days of megachurches, emergent churches, fresh expressions and so forth, Healy introduces a fresh and liberating way of understanding what the church of Christ should be about.
Unfortunately, Healy is not an easy writer and his constructions can sometimes be laborious.
Another related book and one easiler to read would be Guder and Barrett - Missional Church : A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Missional Church: a Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America
Unfortunately, Healy is not an easy writer and his constructions can sometimes be laborious.
Another related book and one easiler to read would be Guder and Barrett - Missional Church : A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Missional Church: a Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
First Book of New Era in Ecclesiology
31 Oct 2000
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Healy argues that traditional 'blueprint' ecclesiologies fail both church and scholarship through over-rationalization and judgmentalism which fail to help the church live more faithfully. He offers an interpretation of Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar's 'theo-dramatic' model of divine-human interaction, which contrasts the epic view of life with the (interactive) narrataive view, and uses this insight to develop concepts of church that are, in his view, of better service to the church in issues of inclusivity, pluralism and the 'practical-prophetic'. The book serves as a good introduction (although this is not its purpose) to the 'radical orthodoxy' movement of Milbank et al, and will be most useful to those seeking to develop their thinking along those lines. For me (a mainstream protestant), chapters 1 (blueprints) and 7 (practical-prophetic ecclesiology) were most useful, chapters 2 through 6 engaged Roman Catholic scholarship and utilized 'liberalism' as something of a foil. Healy engages epic academics rather than liberal narrative (there is one), and his vision of what is the faithful church is spelled out with insufficient clarity, indeed, it seems to be presumed. An engagement with H. Richard Niebuhr's ¨Meaning of Revelation' and'Radical Monotheism' would broaden his argument, which is more restricted than Healy realizes. This does not diminish my excitement for the treatise, which certainly is to be added to the 'must read' list in ecclesiology.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Where ecclesiology needs to go
14 Nov 2001
Format:Paperback
Healy has written a book with sensitivity, depth and great theological prescience. He first describes much of the problems with current ecclesiological "blueprints": People of God, Body of CHrist, etc., saying that they are all fine as blueprints, but all suffer from a dualist essence. By using Balthazar's theodramatic horizon, he addresses the realities of a concrete chuch in a hypermodern and postmodern age.
His section of plurality is a breath of fesh air, after having read the writings of peopel like Hick who really just want to force a totalizing system uponall religions, really rendering them incapable of making any truth claims without being branded as "parocial" or "fundamentalist". He exposes the ultimately liberal underpinnings of this view, which is really roots in another kind of tradition.
The theodramatic horizon in name is new to me, but uts idea has been seen in authors such as Brian Walsh, who espouse seeing Christianity as havings its own "metanarrative" that must engage with faithfulness with other traditions. This is not only honest ecclesiaology, but it addresses the reality of a sinful church that must be corrected, often from the outside.
This is a must for anyone concerned about where the church is headed.
Read and enjoy!
A more wholistic approach
13 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback
Nicholas Healy questions the wisdom of using blue print ecclesiologies to assess the Church. This has been a common approach taken by the likes of Avery Dulles who would suggest that the church can be viewed as an institution, mystical communion, herald and so forth. Healy's approach breaks free of applying a specific criteria to the church and sees it in terms of the role of discipleship and mission. As long as these two functions are fulfilled the particular shape or form the church takes is no longer the most essential means of measuring its success. In these days of megachurches, emergent churches, fresh expressions and so forth, Healy introduces a fresh and liberating way of understanding what the church of Christ should be about.
Unfortunately, Healy is not an easy writer and his constructions can sometimes be laborious.
Another related book and one easiler to read would be Guder and Barrett - Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (The Gospel and Our Culture Series)
Unfortunately, Healy is not an easy writer and his constructions can sometimes be laborious.
Another related book and one easiler to read would be Guder and Barrett - Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (The Gospel and Our Culture Series)
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