Table of Contents
PREFACE TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION
The Dimensions of a Doctrine of the Church Today
1. The Church and the Difference between Faith and Experience
(ii) The Anticipation of Hope?
(iii) Sacramental Identification?
2. The Church in the History of the Holy Spirit
(i) The Meaning of the History of Christ
(ii) In the Power of the Holy Spirit
3. The Church under the Spell of ‘the Signs of the Times’
(ii) The Apocalyptic Orientation towards the ‘Signs of the End’
(iii) The Messianic Orientation towards the ‘Signs and Wonders’ of the Spirit
(iv) Christ as ‘the Sign of Hope’ is also the Sign of Crisis
4. The Church in the Trinitarian History of God
(i) The Sending of the Son and the Spirit by the Father
(ii) The Origin and Future of the History of Christ
(iii) The Glorifying of the Father and the Son through the Spirit
(vi) The Participation of the Church in the History of God
2. The Messianic Mission of Jesus and the Community of the Exodus
(iii) Conversion to the Future
(iv) From the Proclamation of Jesus to the Preaching of Christ
(v) The Messianic World Mission
3. The Passion of Jesus and ‘the Community of the Cross’
(i) Liberation from the Compulsion of Sin
(ii) Liberation from the Idols of Power
(iii) Liberation from Godforsakenness
4. The Lordship of Jesus and the Brotherhood of the Kingdom
(i) Christ’s Resurrection and Exaltation
(iii) ‘The Revaluation of Values’
(iv) Liberated Church—a Church of Liberation
5. The Glory of Jesus and the ‘Feast without End’
(i) The Transfiguration of Christ
(iii) Life—a ‘Feast without End’
7. The Place of the Church in the Presence of Christ
(i) Christ’s Presence in the Apostolate
(ii) Christ’s Presence in the Poor
The Church of the Kingdom of God
3. Christianity and the World Religions
(ii) The Absolutism of the Church
(iv) The Relativism of the Enlightenment
(vii) Profile in the Context of Dialogue
4. Christianity in the Processes of the World’s Life
(ii) The Will to Live in the Face of Destruction
(iii) Christianity in the Processes of Economic Life: Symbiosis
(iv) Christianity in the Processes of Political Life: Human Rights
(v) Christianity in the Processes of Cultural Life: Open Identity
5. The Kingdom of God in the Future and the Present
(i) The Fulfilment of the Lordship of God
(ii) The Anticipation of the Kingdom of God
(vii) The Limits of the Possible
(viii) The Messianic People of the Coming Kingdom
The Church in the Presence of the Holy Spirit
1. The Sending of the Spirit as the Sacrament of the Kingdom
(iii) The Christian Tradition in Universal Historical Intention
(iv) The Gospel and the Messianic Era
(v) The Gospel and the Messianic Fellowship
(i) Protestant Baptismal Practice and Baptismal Theology
(ii) The Christian Meaning of Baptism
(iii) The Fundamentals of Baptismal Theology
(iv) Suggestions for a New Baptismal Practice
(ii) The Sign of Remembered Hope
(iii) The Presence of the One Who is to Come
(iv) The Sign of the Trinitarian History of God’s Dealings with the World
(i) Worship as a Messianic Feast
(iii) The Feast in the Modern Workaday World
(iv) The Feast of the History of God
(v) ‘The Messianic Intermezzo’
(ii) Born again to a Living Hope
(iii) The Meaningful History of the Individual Life
The Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit
1. The Community in the Process of the Holy Spirit
2. The Charge to the Community and the Assignments within the Community
3. The Form of the Church as Fellowship
(i) The Task: a Fellowship of Friends
(ii) The State Church and the Sects
(iii) The World Church and the Religious Communities
(iv) Double Strategies and the Community Principle
1. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
3. Catholicity and Partisanship
5. The Apostolate in Suffering
Preface to the Paperback Edition
Preface
I The Dimensions of a Doctrine of the Church Today
1. The church of Jesus Christ
2. The missionary church
3. The ecumenical church
4. The political church
II The Church in History
1. The church and the difference between faith and experience
(i) Paradoxical identity?
(ii) The anticipation of hope?
(iii) Sacramental identification?
2. The church in the history of the Holy Spirit
(i) The meaning of the history of Christ
(ii) In the power of the Holy Spirit
3. The church under the spell of ‘the signs of the times’
(i) The signs of the times
(ii) The apocalyptic orientation towards the ‘signs of the end’
(iii) The messianic orientation towards the ‘signs and wonders’ of the Spirit
(iv) Christ as ‘the sign of hope’ is also the sign of crisis
4. The church in the trinitarian history of God
(i) The sending of the Son and the Spirit by the Father
(ii) The origin and future of the history of Christ
(iii) The glorifying of the Father and the Son through the Spirit
(iv) The ‘union’ of God
(v) The ‘experience’ of God
(vi) The participation of the church in the history of God
III The Church of Jesus Christ
1. Jesus and the church
(i) Founder of the Christian religion?
(ii) Founder of the church?
(iii) Author of faith?
(iv) Is the church ‘the other Christ’?
(v) Christ as the eschatological person
2. The messianic mission of Jesus and the community of the exodus
(i) The herald of joy
(ii) The gospel for the poor
(iii) Conversion to the future
(iv) From the proclamation of Jesus to the preaching of Christ
(v) The messianic world mission
3. The passion of Jesus and ‘the community of the cross’
(i) Liberation from the compulsion of sin
(ii) Liberation from the idols of power
(iii) Liberation from Godforsakenness
4. The lordship of Jesus and the brotherhood of the kingdom
(i) Christ’s resurrection and exaltation
(ii) God’s redeeming kingdom
(iii) ‘The revaluation of values’
(iv) Liberated church—a church of liberation
5. The glory of Jesus and the ‘feast without end’
(i) The transfiguration of Christ
(ii) The feast of freedom
(iii) Life—a ‘feast without end’
6. In the friendship of Jesus
(i) The concept of friendship
(ii) Jesus the friend
(iii) The divine friendship
(iv) Open friendship
7. The place of the church in the presence of Christ
(i) Christ’s presence in the apostolate
(ii) Christ’s presence in the poor
(iii) Christ’s parousia
IV The Church of the Kingdom of God
1. Hope in relationships
2. The church and Israel
(i) Israel’s special calling
(ii) Israel like all nations?
(iii) Jews and Gentiles
(iv) New appraisals of Israel
(v) ‘The land of Israel’
3. Christianity and the world religions
(i) The new world situation
(ii) The absolutism of the church
(iii) The absolutism of faith
(iv) The relativism of the Enlightenment
(v) Nature and supernature
(vi) The critical catalyst
(vii) Profile in the context of dialogue
4. Christianity in the processes of the world’s life
(i) Necessary differentiation
(ii) The will to live in the face of destruction
(iii) Christianity in the processes of economic life: symbiosis
(iv) Christianity in the processes of political life: human rights
(v) Christianity in the processes of cultural life: open identity
5. The kingdom of God in the future and the present
(i) The fulfilment of the lordship of God
(ii) The anticipation of the kingdom of God
(iii) Messianic mediation
(iv) Anticipation
(v) Resistance
(vi) Representation
(vii) The limits of the possible
(viii) The messianic people of the coming kingdom
V The Church in the Presence of the Holy Spirit
1. The sending of the Spirit as the sacrament of the kingdom
2. The gospel
(i) God and his Word
(ii) Kerygma and existence
(iii) The Christian tradition in universal historical intention
(iv) The gospel and the messianic era
(v) The gospel and the messianic fellowship
3. Baptism
(i) Protestant baptismal practice and baptismal theology
(ii) The Christian meaning of baptism
(iii) The fundamentals of baptismal theology
(iv) Suggestions for a new baptismal practice
4. The Lord’s supper
(i) The open invitation
(ii) The sign of remembered hope
(iii) The presence of the one who is to come
(iv) The sign of the trinitarian history of God’s dealings with the world
(v) The open feast
5. Worship
(i) Worship as a messianic feast
(ii) The feast as ritual
(iii) The feast in the modern workaday world
(iv) The feast of the history of God
(v) ‘The messianic intermezzo’
6. The messianic way of life
(i) The façon de vivre
(ii) Born again to a living hope
(iii) The meaningful history of the individual life
(iv) Creative tensions
VI The Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit
1. The community in the process of the Holy Spirit
(i) The order of peace
(ii) The order of freedom
(iii) The rule of Christ
(iv) The charismatic fellowship
2. The charge to the community and the assignments within the community
(i) The charge to the community
(ii) The assignments within the community
(iii) The genetic connection
(iv) The variable and the essential
(v) The unity of the charismatic community in space and its synodical leadership
(vi) The unity of the charismatic community in time and its apostolic succession
3. The form of the church as fellowship
(i) The task: a fellowship of friends
(ii) The state church and the sects
(iii) The world church and the religious communities
(iv) Double strategies and the community principle
VII The Marks of the Church
1. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church
2. Unity in freedom
3. Catholicity and partisanship
4. Holiness in poverty
5. The apostolate in suffering
Abbreviations
Index of names