The Church
Do we need Church at all? That is the first question , which comes into my mind when I think of the issue from our (post)modern perspective. The most striking feature of a secularised society is the distance between church and society. The earlier generation had a appreciation of/for the Church even though if it was false sometimes and it was very much determined by the Enlightenment. This false evaluations of the Church mainly surrounded of the social duty ( national, cultural, politics, economy, social position etc.) of the Church as primary task. The main emphasise was on her social status and the religious aspect often reviled secondary. The growing individualism questions the need of the Church from the religious aspects as well. One can be a good singer without participating in a coir or music band just as somebody can be a "good" believer without being part of a congregation. The secularism took the consequences of this view when questionned the need of the institutional Church. Modern theology also supported the secularist view whit its subjective - anthropological view. We have to take seriously this phenomenon. It is not so "negative" as it appear
What do we understand then under the notion of the Church? Do we really mean the building of the Church, some serious and strict looking man and woman in black gown, series of cultic events, etc? When we are looking for the answer we should turn our attention to the Heidelberg Catechism 54th question and answer: Q. In one sentence the Church is nothing else then the obedient means of the One and Holy Triune God. The very essential element is that the Son of God is acting from the very beginning of creation. Today we can say that there is a growing need towards religious matters. To be able to come closer to our task as a Church we have to take very seriously that the Church is not the result of our human effort. He is defending and preserving his beloved ones. : I believe that the Son of God, out of the whole human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself, by His Spirit and Word, in the unity of the true faith, a church chosen to everlasting life. The importance is : What we believe. : What do you believe concerning the holy catholic Christian church?A. God alone is able to show the mysterious reality of the Church. The Church herself is unable to reveal anything from this reality. Gods reality is present in our worldly institution: called Church. Our experience underlines the fact that if we are able to proclaim the Gospel faithfully then we will always find people who are interested in what we are saying. The catechism is not asking what we can see in the Christian Church.
Common topics in this essay:
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Spirit Word,
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Triune God,
Son God,
Lord Church,
Heidelberg Catechism,
human race,
spirit word unity,
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primary task,
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reality god,
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mysterious reality,
building church,
son god,
word unity,
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Acceptance Essays
