Flawed Church, Faithful God: A Reformed Ecclesiology for the Real World

by Joseph D. Small, Craig Dykstra (Foreword by)

Overview

How can we reconcile the ideal church described by theology with the broken church that we see in the world? In this book Joseph Small argues that the church's true identity is known somewhere in the tension between the two. 

Small revisits familiar ecclesiological concepts—people of God, the body of Christ, the communion of the Holy Spirit—but rather than focusing on theological abstractions or worldly cynicism, he carefully evaluates the church in its scriptural, historical, theological, and social contexts. Both sociologically honest and theologically discerning, Flawed Church, Faithful God offers a constructive Reformed yet ecumenical ecclesiology for the real world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467450638
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	701 KB

About the Author

Joseph D. Small is the former director of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Theology and Worship. He now serves as adjunct professor of ministry at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and church-relations consultant to the Presbyterian Foundation. He has written and edited several books, including Conversations with the Confessions: Dialogue in the Reformed Tradition.

Craig Dykstra (1947–2025) was vice president of the Lilly Endowment in Indianapolis and a research professor of practical theology and senior fellow at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School. He authored several books about the Christian faith, including Growing in the Life of Faith: Education and Christian Practices and Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People. 

Table of Contents

Foreword Craig Dykstra ix

Preface xiii

1 What (in the World) Is the Church? 1

2 We Believe? 22

3 Church of the Word and Sacrament 42

4 Communion of the Holy Spirit 62

5 Body Language 85

6 Call and Response 104

7 People of God 124

8 In Our Time 145

9 Professing the Faith 167

10 One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church 188

11 Hope for the Church 209

Bibliography 220

Index of Authors 229

Index of Subjects 232

Index of Scripture References 240

Editorial Reviews

Darrell Guder
— Princeton Theological Seminary
“In this magisterial volume Joseph Small draws together decades of thought, study, teaching, preaching, writing, and consulting on the theology and practice of the church. Powerfully relevant for today’s challenges, Flawed Church, Faithful God offers an ecclesiology that is wise, concrete, and hopeful.”

John Burgess
— Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
“This is a book of immense ecclesial wisdom; its language is elegant and precise. Small is remarkably honest about the deep failures of the North American church today but also relentlessly hopeful in the God who is at work in human weakness. I know of no other book that so compellingly weaves together such a wide array of insights from Scripture, the church’s great historical traditions, contemporary novels and theological works, and the extensive experience of a gifted pastor, denominational leader, and ecumenical conversation partner.

From the Publisher