Today I will be reviewing the book, An Introduction to Ecclesiology, By Veli-Matti Karkkainen. This review will include a brief description of the book so that one may gain insight into some of the author’s thoughts and perhaps stated purpose for the book.  In addition, something will be said of the author to gain perspective and a context for the writing of the book.  Finally, and appraisal will be made based upon this reviewers understanding of the author’s purpose and how well this purpose has been achieved.

     As stated in the title of the book, it is an introduction to ecclesiology and as such gives a glimpse into the theology of ecclesiology.  Dr. Karkkainen, presents Christian thinking about the church. His overview begins from the traditional approaches of the theology of the church with ecclesiologies represented from Roman Catholicism, Lutheran, Refromed, and Free Church.  He then gives consideration to the various voices in ecclesiology from contemporary theologians.  Finally, he presents views of the church in a cultural context.  Throughout the process Dr. Karkkainen is helping us understand how the theology of the church is changing.  He continues to describe some of the variables that are contributing to these changes. He cites the pursuit of unity in the church, cultural context and the social systems these churches find themselves in, as reasons for the rapid spread of churches and thus the changing ecclesiology.  He concludes in his epilogue with what he sees as challenges for theologians as they wrestle with ecclesiology in the third millennium.

     When I review a book, I find it helpful to understan something of the author.  To gain a little perspective as to whom the author is, and how he may be uniquely qualified to share these thoughts, I present the following snap shot.  Veli-Matti Karkkainen, originally form Finland, is a Professor of Systematic Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary.  He began there as an associate professor in the year 2000, and became a full professor in 2003.  He holds a teaching position at the University of Helsinki and he has taught and lived on three continents.  Dr. Karkkainen, has written numerous articles and published at least ten books.  He is a member of the World Council of Churches and works on three of its committees.  As a systematic theologian his dominant areas of study include, Pneumatolgy and Ecclesiology.

     As I have had the opportunity to read the book, I believe the purpose of his writing to be an expression of the range of ecclesiology within the church.  And in light of the rapid expansion and socio-cultural situations that the church finds itself, this book shows the varied ways in which the church manifests itself in local contexts.  In addition to this, the author shares what he believes to be the challlenges for theologians now and in the future.  Accepting what I believe to be the purpose, Dr. Karkkainen has put forth concise and straight forward examples of the manifold ways in which the church has found expression.

     In his introduction, he describes an ecclesiological renaissance.  He writes, no other movement in the history of the Christian Church, perhaps with the exception of the Reformation, has shaped the thinking and practice of Christendom as much as the modern movement for Christian unity.  As he looks for reasons for this renaissance, he notes the call for unity, but includes the rapid growth of the church outside of the west and the rise of “free churches” or non traditional forms of the church, both here in the west and eslewhere.  As he addresses this rapid growth, he discusses how the Christian west is asking the question, of what part of their ecclesiological heritage can be applied to the new contexts spring up around the world?  The most dominant context being those in Asia and Africa.  He states, almost until our day, theologies were still western.  Even though today in any meaningful teaching and study of theology, full hearing has to be given to voices from outside the west. 

     Moving on into his presentation, he begins introducing the major traditional ecclesiologies from Roman Catholicism, through Reformed, and then into what he calls the fastest growing segment of the church, the Free Church.  In the free church category he places the non traditional churches that are growing in other parts of the world for various reasons.  He does explain that the most explosive expansion that is being seen in the Free Church , is within the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.  He continues to add that the continuing global expansion of the free churh model is without a doubt beng borne by irreversible social changes of global proportions , this being a quote from Miroslav Volf, one of the contemporary theological voices being heard today.

     These Free Churches, put forth strongly their faith in the revelation of God in the Bible and the priesthood of the believers.  He states,

though the Free churches from early on have wanted to ground their faith in the revelation of  God, apart from human-made prerequisites such as special ministry, sacraments or lituries.  The latter part of this statement expresses as he puts it, one of the most distinctive emphases of the Free church ecclesiologies has been the insistence on the right and gifting of each believer for ministry as equal partners.  This emphasis has truly empowered the laity for ministry.

     Perhaps this has helped to foster the rapid growth of the Free Church model around the world.  Some of the other reasons that may contribute to the expansion of these churches and their ecclesiological perspective may be the differing contexts that they find themselves in.  This expansion seems to have caused different ecclesiologies to come into play, while giving the traditional models things to consider.  Dr. Karkkainen first notes that,

the emergence and growing significance of several kinds of contextual theologies does not, of course, mean that the Western theological tradition loses it significance; even theologians from outside the West are still primarily being trained either by Westerners or, even in their own contexts, in topics mainly deriving from the West. 

     These contextual  ecclesiologies fall into several different categories.  Some are related to their cultural and geographical situations, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  A couple of them fall into ecclesiologies put forth by Feminist thinkers and the rest have nol connection in specifics with one another.  Dr. Karkkainen writes, the third category of contextual ecclesiologies here is a cocktail of independent voices with little or no relation to each other.  Their inclusion by Dr. Karkkainen, sums up the heart of what he is trying to express throughout the book.  His desire, I believe is to give testimony to the suprising richness and variety of alternative testimonies to what the church is.

Picture: Veli-Matti Karkkainen