Description: Christians have sometimes professed that the church ought to be ""in the world but not of it,"" yet the meaning and significance of this conviction has continued to challenge and confound. In the context of persecution, Christians in the ancient world tended to distance themselves from the social and civic mainstream, while in the medieval and early modern periods, the church and secular authorities often worked in close relationship, sharing the role of shaping society. In a post-Christendom era, this latter arrangement has been heavily critiqued and largely dismantled, but...
Description: Christians have sometimes professed that the church ought to be ""in the world but not of it,"" yet the meaning and significance of this ...
On February 5, 2000, the Institute of Mennonite Studies held a conference at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary entitled ""Without Spot or Wrinkle: Reflecting Theologically on the Nature of the Church."" This conference gave attention to ecclesiology, in direct response to challenges that Mennonite church bodies in Canada and the United States have been facing in recent times.
The phrase ""without spot or wrinkle"" comes from Ephesians 5:27, a text addressing relationships between husbands and wives within the Christian household. Historically it has also come to symbolize what...
On February 5, 2000, the Institute of Mennonite Studies held a conference at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary entitled ""Without Spot or Wrinkle...
