THOUGHT BUBBLE--searching out the rubric

As the researching and writing of my ThM thesis continues, I will be posting some "thought bubbles" for the purpose of critique and clarification. Questions, comments, and corrections are welcome.

Among the tasks I have set before myself in this thesis is the creation/discovery of a rubric by which one might evaluate various ecclesiologies. The rubric must avoid extreme generality and extreme specificity. It must avoid an extreme specificity that rejects a true ecclesiology because of variances in non-essentials. Likewise, it must avoid an extreme generality that accepts a false theology despite variances in essentials. So, the task before me—and it is rather like that famous proverbial meal of elephant—is to discover an essential ecclesiology. I have set the New Testament images of the church and the four marks of the Nicene Creed as my search area. And so it begins.

NOTE: This is a rumination ("1. The act of pondering; meditation. 2. The act or process of chewing cud." American Heritage Dictionary) in search of synergy ("1. The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.")

Tag(s): missional ecclesiology

See CC License

“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/