A Theological and Historical Account
Gerald Bray
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bray, Gerald Lewis, author.
Title: The church : a theological and historical account / Gerald Bray.
Description: Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Academic, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015040638 (print) | LCCN 2015042600 (ebook) | ISBN 9780801030864 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781493402557 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Church history. | Church.
Classification: LCC BR145.3 .B73 2016 (print) | LCC BR145.3 (ebook) | DDC 262—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015040638
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007
5. The Crisis of the Imperial Church
Appendix: The Ecumenical Councils
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources
Since ancient times, almost all Christians have confessed their belief in the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church,” as the Nicene Creed puts it. At the time the creed was composed, that definition of the church was not particularly controversial, and for centuries thereafter hardly anybody thought seriously about what it meant. The church had its quarrels, but although some of them proved to be intractable and led to permanent divisions, most people continued to think that with a little goodwill on all sides, the differences could be patched up and the visible unity of the ancient church restored. It was not until the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century that this assumption was seriously challenged, although even then the Reformers continued to insist that the words of the creed expressed their understanding of the church, and they hoped that their proposals would bring back the unity and purity that everyone wanted.
Yet whether they realized it or not, the Reformers were developing conceptions of what the church was that differed from what was commonly believed at the time. They were not interested only in cleaning up corruption or getting rid of obvious abuses in the traditional system. They wanted a church structure that ...
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About The Church: A Theological and Historical AccountRenowned evangelical theologian Gerald Bray provides a clear and coherent account of the church in biblical, historical, and theological perspective. He tells the story of the church in its many manifestations through time, starting with its appearance in the New Testament, moving through centuries of persecution and triumph, and discussing how and why the ancient church broke up at the Reformation. Along the way, Bray looks at the four classic marks of the church—its oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity—and illustrates how each of these marks has been understood by different Christian traditions. The book concludes with a look at the ecumenical climate of today and suggests ways that the four characteristics of the church can and should be manifested in our present global context. This accessible introduction to the church from an evangelical perspective explores ecclesiology through the lenses of church history and doctrine to reveal what it means for us today. Bray discusses the church as a living reality, offering practical ways churches and individuals can cooperate and live together. |
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