The Contemporary Church and the Early Church

by Hartog, Paul A.

• ISBN13: 9781606088999
• ISBN10: 1606088998
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-01
• Publisher: Pickwick Pubns

Summary

As "evangelicals" face future challenges, many are turning back to the ancient church for inspiration. But these ancient-future approaches remain diverse and sometimes even at odds with one another. This volume demonstrates and analyzes the complexity of such contemporary church-early church engagements. Six scholars share diverse insights from the Patristic period, including lessons on evangelism and discipleship, community formation and maintenance, use of the "rule of faith," the preaching of social ethics, responses to cultural opposition, and Christological development. The volume closes with two critical responses, from confessional Lutheran and Baptist perspectives. These collected essays will remind contemporary readers of the importance of a reflective and responsible ressourcement of Patristic wisdom.

Author Biography

Paul Hartog is Associate Professor at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary where he teaches New Testament and Early Christian Studies. He is the author of Polycarp and the New Testament (2002) and various articles and essays.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. x
List of Contributors	p. xi
The Complexity and Variety of Contemporary Church-Early Church Engagements	p. 1
Learning from Patristic Evangelism and Discipleship	p. 27
Learning from Patristic Community Formation	p. 50
Learning from Patristic Use of the Rule of Faith	p. 76
Learning from Patristic Responses to Cultural Opposition	p. 100
Learning from Patristic Preaching of Social Ethics	p. 131
Learning from Patristic Christology	p. 155
Evangelicals and the Quest for the Historical Church-A Lutheran Response	p. 180
Evangelicals and the Tensions of Ressourcement-A Baptist Response	p. 201
Bibliography	p. 229
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