Free Churches

Last updated on: October 9, 2012 at 6:50 am by Scot McKnight

Free Churches 2012-10-09T06:50:36-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Reformation attempted to purify the church from corruptions. Luther’s and Calvin’s reforms were aimed at a better theology, a better worship, and a better society. The Roman Catholic Church, the then dominant form of the church, was intertwined with the state – with governing the whole of society. The Protestant Reformers experienced the authority and the power of the Catholic Church because the latter was fused with the State. (Image credit.)

How can John Howard Yoder’s view of the church and its mission help us today?

The Reformers took one step but did not take the second step, the second step being a radical disconnection of the church from the state. Those churches that did take that second step, and they did so under the belief that they were being even more biblical than the Lutheran and Swiss reformers, were the anabaptists. They sought to free the church from the state and are often called “free” churches. It is not unreasonable to see all American churches as “free” (hence, anabaptist) churches. The churches of the USA are not officially fused to the state. There is another debate — not for today — about churches seeking to influence the state, and this last weekend we witnessed the attempt by many pastors to preach politics in order to warn the state about constraining the voice of the churches.

But today we want to look at one anabaptist vision for a free church, and we are looking at this through the presentation by Graham Hill in his excellent book, Salt, Light, and a City (Amazon link). I am glad to announce a special opportunity for purchasing Grahams’ book: If you want to purchase this book at 40% discount, go here and in the Coupon Code type in SALT.

Hill naturally focuses on John Howard Yoder. But before I proceed it needs to be said that neither Yoder nor Stanley Hauerwas are official voices of the anabaptist movement, that anabaptists vary from both of their views, that anabaptist theology and ecclesiology needs a historical survey to appreciate both its essence and its many varieties, and in particular I would emphasize that historic anabaptists — Hubmaier to Menno or so — were soteriologically Protestants and have traditionally emphasized a soteriology that must lead to discipleship. But progressive politics has not been the traditional way of the anabaptists. In fact, for many today “anabaptist” means “political activism” and this turns much of anabaptism on its head. It has traditionally not been politically active but ecclesially active. Now on to Yoder.

1. Yoder’s complaint is Constantine and Constinianism, the fusing of church and state, leading to the deconstruction of the church’s life and its voice. The church is the meaning of history. The world is “structured unbelief.” The Christ/culture polarities of Niebuhr are “unbiblical and unhelpful for ethics” and the church needs to abandon striving for power, privilege and effectiveness and follow the foolishness and weakness of the cross. The church then is an alternative, minority, missionary society.

2. The foundation of the church is christology; first christology, second ecclesiology. The church, then, is the “aftertaste of God’s loving triumph on the cross and the foretaste of his ultimate loving triumph in his kingdom” (112).

3. The church is a social ethic and its social ethic is gospel. He sees five themes in this social ethic: egalitarianism flowing from baptism into one body, socialism at work in eucharist, forgiveness, the open meeting, and the universality of giftedness. The church is public witness in the order of providence vs. the order of redemption. The church has a modeling mission.

4. As an alternative society, the church has five practices: binding and loosing, fullness of Christ, the “rule of Paul” (decentralizing power into the gifts, open meetings), disciples breaking bread together (more than eucharist), and baptism and the new humanity. Galatians 3:28 alive and embodied.

Yoder’s focus is the sociality of the church, the church over against, the cross not so much the resurrection, and his emphasis is not so much the church’s spirituality or worship or prayer or soteriology.

Church

Missional

Previous Post

October 8, 2012

Parable of the Cub Fan

Next Post

October 9, 2012 Basil Again, With a Little Athanasius on Top (RJS)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Pentecost" mean in Greek?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Seventh First Fortieth Fiftieth