Towards a Third Article Ecclesiology Greg Liston a Thesis
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The Anointed Church: Towards a Third Article Ecclesiology Greg Liston A thesis submitted to AUT University in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2013 Faculty of Culture & Society through Carey Graduate School Table of Contents Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... 2 List of Figures .............................................................................................................. 4 Attestation of Authorship ............................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 6 Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 8 Part One. Towards a Third Article Ecclesiology .................................................. 10 Chapter 1. Third Article Theology ............................................................................. 14 1.1 What is Third Article Theology? ..................................................................... 14 1.2 Why Should We Pursue a Third Article Theology? ........................................ 21 1.3 How Do We Do Third Article Theology?........................................................ 27 Chapter 2. A “Chalcedonian” Spirit Christology ....................................................... 36 2.1 Neither the Son nor the Spirit can be Neglected .............................................. 37 2.2 Without Priority, Without Confusion, Without Separation ............................. 43 Chapter 3. Constructing a Third Article Ecclesiology ............................................... 61 3.1 Framework Design ........................................................................................... 63 3.2 Multiple Vantage Points ................................................................................... 65 3.3 Analogical Connections ................................................................................... 70 3.4 Thesis Structure ................................................................................................ 74 Part Two. The Church as Sequel to the Incarnation ............................................ 77 Chapter 4. Two Contrasting Christological Ecclesiologies ....................................... 81 4.1 Barth’s Chalcedonian Ecclesiology ................................................................. 84 4.2 Zizioulas’ Eucharistic Ecclesiology ................................................................. 94 Chapter 5. The Pneumatological Union Between Christ and the Church ................ 105 5.1 The Spirit Conceives (Christ and the Church) ............................................... 107 5.2 The Spirit Sustains the Communion (of Christ and the Church) ................... 113 5.3 The Spirit Conforms (Christ and the Church) ................................................ 118 5.4 The Spirit Directs and Empowers (Christ and the Church) ........................... 125 5.5 The Spirit is Displayed and Mediated (by Christ and the Church) ................ 127 Page 2 of 320 Chapter 6. A Christological Third Article Ecclesiology .......................................... 133 6.1 What is the Church? ....................................................................................... 133 6.2 Who is in the Church? (Spirit- and Water- Baptism) ..................................... 138 6.3 How is the Church Recognised? .................................................................... 144 6.4 What Does the Church Do? ........................................................................... 150 Part Three. The Church as Participant in Trinitarian Life ............................... 153 Chapter 7. From the Economic to the Immanent Trinity ......................................... 160 7.1 A Mutual Love Model – David Coffey .......................................................... 165 7.2 A Hard Social Model – Jürgen Moltmann ..................................................... 176 7.3 A “Reconceived” Model ................................................................................ 182 Chapter 8. From the Immanent Trinity to Ecclesiology .......................................... 195 8.1 Reflective Imaging ......................................................................................... 196 8.2 Analogical Connection ................................................................................... 206 8.3 Pneumatological Participation ....................................................................... 215 Chapter 9. Ecclesial Communion in the Trinity....................................................... 228 9.1 Inter-Ecclesial Relationships .......................................................................... 229 9.2 Intra-Ecclesial Relationships .......................................................................... 240 Chapter 10. A Trinitarian Third Article Ecclesiology ............................................. 251 10.1 Constituent Features ..................................................................................... 252 10.2 Other Trinitarian Ecclesiologies .................................................................. 262 Chapter 11. Conclusion ......................................................................................... 276 11.1 Summary ...................................................................................................... 276 11.2 Further Extensions ....................................................................................... 286 References ................................................................................................................ 300 Page 3 of 320 List of Figures Figure 3.1. Wolterstorffian Framework Initial Setup ................................................ 66 Figure 3.2. Wolterstorffian Framework Subsequent Setup ....................................... 66 Page 4 of 320 Attestation of Authorship I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person (except where explicitly defined in the acknowledgements), nor material which to a substantial extent has been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning. Greg Liston December 2013 Page 5 of 320 Acknowledgements The first vote of thanks goes to my primary supervisor, Myk Habets, who combines intelligence and wit with a generous spirit. His regular encouragement and detailed advice were both valuable and valued. The title of this thesis is a not-so-subtle allusion to the fact that I see this work as a natural extension of Myk’s research in The Anointed Son . They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery—if there was an even more sincere way to compliment Myk I would do that too. Thanks also go to my secondary supervisor, Martin Sutherland. I appreciated the overarching perspective he offered and am grateful for all the honest and helpful feedback he has given me on many fronts over many years. Much appreciation to AUT, Pacific Park Christian Holiday Camp, and the Lam Family who provided financial support for this project. In addition, Carey Baptist College gave me significant opportunities to lecture, tutor, and mark which were helpful not just financially but experientially. My discussions with the lecturers and fellow students at Carey, both past and present, have been stimulating and fruitful. Special thanks to Andrew Picard (for many valuable Gunton-esque conversations), Brian Harris (for a valuable last-minute overview), and Sarah Snell (for outstanding proofreading done on a tight schedule.) With this being my second PhD, comparing the two seasons comes naturally. Some things are the same; others have changed. My close friends—Nick, Rob, and Suzanne—were and still are faithful and true. But Nick is married to Anne now with a strapping son, Josh; and Rob and Suzanne have the beautiful Deanna, so I don’t flat or board with any of them anymore (many sighs of relief). My family—Dad, Mum, and Helen—were and still are incredibly loving and supportive. But the family has grown (when Helen married a charming RAAF officer, David, and had two adorable children—Jonathan and Elliana), and shrunk (when Helen’s body sadly gave way to cancer last year). There are new friends, a new Church, and a new house, but the most significant change has been that God has greatly blessed me with a beautiful wife and two extraordinary children. Diane, Emily, and James—the Page 6 of 320 greatest treasure of the last few years has been the opportunity to spend much more time at home with you. All three of you are incredibly supportive, exceptionally loving, and extraordinarily forgiving. Thank you. And God hasn’t changed, either in himself or in his actions toward us. Through the Spirit, we have been and continue to be drawn into God’s Trinitarian life, a gift beyond measure. I have tried to live according to the maxim that it is better to fail at something that matters than succeed at something that doesn’t. The Father’s love poured out in our Spirit-enabled union with Christ matters. And succeed or fail, writing of it is much more than just “something.” Could we with ink the oceans fill, and were the sky of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth