Church in the power of the Spirit
The book Church in the Power of the Spirit by Jürgen Moltmann , published in 1975, contains the ecclesiology of the Protestant systematist .
On the one hand, Moltmann understands the church in terms of its members as the community of the friends of Jesus (manifest church). On the other hand, he understands the church in terms of its task as the church of the kingdom of God , which works towards giving the disadvantaged their rights.
He points out that it is precisely the disadvantaged ( ochlos ) who are friends of Jesus because he emphasized less his belonging to the people of God Israel ( laos ) than his fellowship with outsiders (friend of sinners and tax collectors - Luke 7:34 ) . Therefore, a Christian community can only emerge when the non-disadvantaged overcome their shyness towards the disadvantaged. He puts this into concrete terms in particular in dealing with disabled and non-disabled people. An image of man that is oriented towards achievement, pleasure, beauty and power and tries to move suffering out of the field of vision ("leper syndrome") therefore makes Christian community impossible in his opinion.
In the context of Moltmann's understanding of the Trinity , this book can also be understood as his pneumatology .
Bibliographical information
Church in the power of the Spirit. A contribution to messianic ecclesiology , Munich 1975.
Footnotes
- ↑ He speaks of the church as a community of friends of Jesus in order to overcome the language of rule.
- ↑ Jürgen Moltmann: Wide space. 2007, p. 198.
- ↑ ibid. P. 200
- ↑ p. 201
- ↑ p. 196