The Church, Then and Now

by Stanley E. Porter (Editor), Cynthia Long Westfall (Editor)

Overview

The church is one of the most intriguing and significant institutions on earth. Because its essence and character are so widely misunderstood, this is a timely book. The church is not a mere human institution, though it is made up of human beings in community. Its roles and responsibilities are momentous, but all the elements of its organization came about as the church developed and attempted to fulfill its divine mandate, not as forms given at its founding. These papers from a Bingham Colloquium at McMaster Divinity College treat the church "then" in studies of the church in the various parts of the New Testament canon, followed by a historical study of the church under attack in places where it did not survive. The latter part of the book contains essays by several church practitioners from "now" who discuss their insights about and experiences with postmodern society, home churches, megachurches, and the missional church. Such a combination of biblical theology, history, and practice makes this a valuable book for scholars and practitioners, in fact, for all thinking members of the church founded by Jesus Christ.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781725247062
Publisher:	Pickwick Publications
Publication date:	10/26/2012
Series:	McMaster New Testament Studies Series , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	274
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Stanley E. Porter is President and Dean and Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. His publications include eighteen books and over 250 journal articles, chapters, and related publications; he has also edited over seventy volumes.

Cynthia Long Westfall is Assistant Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the author of A Discourse Analysis of the Structure of Hebrews: The Relationship between Form and Meaning (2006).
Stanley E. Porter is president, dean, and professor of New Testament and holder of the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Besides his research and writing in Greek language and linguistics, he is a keen advocate for the arts within the Christian church. In particular, he is very interested in how literature can help to enlighten and elevate Christian faith.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Contributors xi

Abbreviations xiv

Introduction: The Church Then, Now, and for the Future Stanley E. Porter Cynthia Long Westfall 1

1 The Least, the Lost, and the Last: Christ's Church in the Gospels Michael P. Knowles 12

2 Saints and Sinners: The Church in Paul's Letters Stanley E. Porter 41

3 The Church and the Synagogue: Continuity and Discontinuity Cynthia Long Westfall 68

4 When the Blood of the Martyrs Was Not Enough: A Survey of the Places Where the Church Was Wiped Out Gordon L. Heath 97

5 The Local Church: Postmodern Possibilities Lee Beach 134

6 Adapting the House Church Model Bruxy Cavey Wendy Carrington-Phillips 151

7 The Megachurch in Canada: Promising Future or Passing Fad? Michael Pawelke 178

8 The Role and Identity of the Church in the Biblical Story: Missional by Its Very Nature Michael W. Goheen 190

9 Reflections on the Church Then and Now Steven M. Studebaker 218

Ancient Sources Index 241

Modern Author Index 255

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"We are living in a time of crisis in worldwide Christianity, combining vituperative attacks and persecution in several hotspots with a diminution of vision and understanding on the part of the church itself. This book comes at a critical time and addresses these needs. It provides both an excellent study of the NT witness as to what a church should be and penetrating insight into what churches actually are and what they are facing in our time . . . a must-read for church leaders and laypeople alike."
—Grant Osborne
Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Author of Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series, 2010)

Editorial Reviews

"We are living in a time of crisis in worldwide Christianity, combining vituperative attacks and persecution in several hotspots with a diminution of vision and understanding on the part of the church itself. This book comes at a critical time and addresses these needs. It provides both an excellent study of the NT witness as to what a church should be and penetrating insight into what churches actually are and what they are facing in our time . . . a must-read for church leaders and laypeople alike."
--Grant Osborne
Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Author of Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series, 2010)

From the Publisher