Conceptualization: Ecclesiology

Soong-Chan Rah Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism North Park Theological Seminary

A Tale of Two Cities • TWO Competing views of the City

– Harvey Cox, The Secular City • Romantic view of the city • City as the culmination of human achievement • Humanity comes of age in the city

– Jaques Ellul, The Presence of the Kingdom • Realistic view of the city • City as the culmination of human sinfulness • Individualism expressed in corporate sin

• Babylon vs. Jerusalem – Cain’s city Tower of Babel Babylon

• Cities viewed as human attempts to be God – Jerusalem = City of peace (shalom)

• YHWH’s city / Heavenly city

JERU -- SALEM

• “Je” = abbrevation for YHWH – Jerusalem = YHWH’s city of peace

• “Shalem” not “shalom”

– Shalem was the home of Baal

• The City of God AND the City of Satan – Battleground between God and a Satan – Two kingdoms at war in the city

Kingdom of God (Gospel of Mark)

• The Kingdom of God is . . .

• “. . . coming” – (Matt 16:28 / Mark 11:10)

• “. . . near”

– (Matt 3:23 / 4:17 / 10:7 / Mark1:15 / Luke 10:9,11 / 21:31)

• “. . . here” – (Matt 12:28 / Luke 11:20 / 17:21)

Good News = GOD REIGNS

• God’s SOVEREIGN RULE over the earth – Over individuals and over social structures

• “Evangelism” (euanggelion) – Roman context: proclamation of a son born to the

Emperor (good news) – Jewish context: Isaiah - “How lovely are the feet . . . who

brings GOOD NEWS . . . that our GOD REIGNS”

Kingdom of God

Kingdom of Man

CROSS

NOT YET

NOW

FALL

Kingdom of God (Gospel of Mark)

• The Kingdom is a present reality (Matt 12:28) and a future blessing (1 Cor 15:50)

• Certainty of the KINGDOM – No need to bring the Kingdom – But to PROCLAIM and DEMONSTRATE the Kingdom

Gospel of Mark – Chapter 4 • Jesus teaches about the Kingdom

– Parable of the Sower – A Lamp on a Stand – The Parable of the Growing Seed – The Parable of the Mustard Seed – vs. 33 - “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the Word to them, as much

as they could understand”

• Jesus calms the storm – vs. 39-41 – “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be

still! Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to this disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Proclamation . . .

• Mark 6: 6-7,12-13 – “Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. . . . They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”

. . . and Demonstration

• Mark 16:19-20 – “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”

Acts 2

• Context of Pentecost

– Jewish festival • Renewing/reaffirming their covenant with God

– The CHURCH

• as the NEW covenant people • crossing the language barrier

– gift of tongues

Structure of Acts 2

I) The Coming of the Holy Spirit (vs. 1-13)

II) Peter preaches a message (vs. 14-40)

III) Numerical Growth (vs. 41)

I) NEXT Section: Community Life

Attributes of the New Covenant Community

►Teaching of God’s Word ►Fellowship ►Sacraments ►Prayer ►Power of God is visible to others ►Common purpose ►Self-sacrifice ►Growing in numbers (evangelism)

Structure of Acts 2 I) Numerical Growth (Acts 2:41)

A) Characteristics of the church (Acts 2:42-43) • Fellowship (teaching, breaking bread, prayer) • Outsiders are amazed

Self-sacrificial living of the church (Acts 2:44-45)

A’) Characteristics of the church (Acts 2:46-47a) • Fellowship (temple meetings, breaking bread, praise) • Outsiders are amazed

I’) Numerical Growth (Acts 2:47b)

Acts 2 • Chiastic structure

– cf. Nils Lund, Chiasmus in the New Testament – Literary device used by NT authors

• to show CAUSE-EFFECT relationships – Outside statement: EFFECT – Inside (middle) statement: CAUSE

• Self-sacrificial living of the church – Demonstration of the gospel – Coupled with the Proclamation of the gospel

Korean-American Immigration

• 1965 –Immigration and Nationality Act

• Close to 800,000 Korean-Americans came to the US between 1965 and 1990

• 2000 census: about 1 million Koreans in the US

The Korean Immigrant Church

►Highly churched immigrant group ►Half of the K-A immigrants to the US have some

sort of Christian background ►70-77% of K-A immigrants regularly attend

church ►1970 – 75 churches ►1990 – 2000 churches ►40% of K-A immigrants became Christians after

coming to the US ►Why such growth?

FIVE FACTORS OF GROWTH

• LANGUAGE

• CULTURE

• COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

• SOCIAL SERVICES

• SOCIAL STATUS AND WORTH

LANGUAGE and CULTURE

• LANGUAGE – Being able to understand the worship and the

sermon – Korean language schools

• CULTURE – Celebration of one’s home culture – Serving Korean food during Korean holidays

Community / Social Connections

• Support for the alienated ethnic

• Like the Black church, the Korean church is the main social network

• Church as an extended family

SOCIAL SERVICE

• Immigrant reception center

• Pastor providing social services, language translation, etc.

• Youth and children’s ministry

SOCIAL STATUS • Everyone invited to join church

• 27-32% of the church has leadership positions

• Lost of identity and status because of immigration

• Helps the formation of identity and status for the

alienated immigrant

Historical Development of Primary and Secondary Cultural Systems

Primary Culture

SecondaryCulture

Intersection of Primary and Secondary Culture

• Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity – “How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement

Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries.”

• 1,000 Christians (AD 40) 34 million (AD

350) – 56% of the population – 40 percent per decade rate of growth

Stark, The Rise of Christianity

• Conversion occurs along relational networks

• The Church’s care and compassion for their urban neighbors – In times of rampant plagues – Primary cultural community

• Positive treatment of women

Postmodernity?

Primary Culture

SecondaryCulture

Intersection of Primary and Secondary Culture

Achebe, Chinua, No Longer at Ease Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker

Star Trek: Classic vs. Next Generation (cf.

Stanley Grenz)

Star Trek Classic: Modernity

Star Trek Next Generation: Post-Modernity

The Two Captains:

Spock vs. Data

Sci-Fi: Prim & Sec

Historical Development of Primary and Secondary Cultural Systems

Primary Culture

SecondaryCulture