The Church in the New Testament. The course will focus upon the foundational issues that underlie the nature, identity and function of the church in the New Testament. We will begin with ideas of the ecclesia in early Judaism and trace the development into the New Testament.
Questions abound concerning the nature, identity and function of the church.
A sure grasp of the ideas concerning the church in the New Testament period will assist in developing a framework from which to evaluate and explore issues of ecclesiology that confront today's churches and church leaders. The course will meet once a week for a three-hour session. Bockmuehl, Markus and M B Thompson, eds. A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today. Stackhouse, Max, et al.