1. The Church and the Kingdom of God

2. Kingdom of God = Rule and reign of God Kingdom of God is the redemptive presence of God actualized through the power of Gods renewing and reconciling Spirit. (Richard McBrien, Catholicism)

3. New Testament Kingdom as both present and eschatological Church lives in the now and not yet; in between the time in which there is a decisive inbreaking of the Kingdom of God in Christ and the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the end of time. As the Church, we are both a Church of the cross and a Church of glory. Covenant (this is picked up by Grenz in discussion of the church as a covenantal community) The Church is centered on the message of the Kingdom of God (as was Jesus)

4. Historical Interpretations Augustine Almost total identification of the kingdom and the visible church Middle Ages To be in the church is tantamount to being in the kingdom of God Protestants Equation of kingdom with invisible church Classical Liberalism Identification between kingdom and society of good will Evangelical Dispensationalism Dichotomy between the church and kingdom of God- Israel as Gods earthly kingdom

5. Concluding Reflections Church is dependent on and product of the Kingdom Ecclesiology become eschatology-driven rather than static IMPORTANT: What the church is determined by what it is destined to be

6. Concluding Reflections Wide scope because there is no area of life which is not in Gods purview Church is not the Kingdom but the Kingdom is in the church; it exists in the called community Church exists for the sake of the Kingdom Church serves the kingdom and is a sign of Gods coming Kingdom Church is invited to be participate in God bringing about his Kingdom; the Church is not required but invited

7. Concluding Reflections As Jesus mission was focused on the Kingdom, we continue the work of Christ with the focus on the Kingdom.

8. Three Proposals Stanley Grenz What is the Essence of the Church

9. 1. Succesionist Church is constituted through time by its leaders (apostolic succession) Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

10. 2. Proclamationist: The Church is constituted to time by Word and Sacrament Church is constituted in each moment of time; constituted to the moment of time by Word and Sacrament Reformers

11. 3. Covenantalist the church is constituted in time by the covenantal fellowship of its members.