Part 01: Mapping the terrain

The twentieth and the twenty-first centuries have been the centuries of ecclesiological rennaissance. This lecture introduces key factors that have contributed to this development in the mainstream Christian tradition, and more particularly — in the Seventh-day Adventism. Adventism's rapid territorial expansion and membership growth have brought along various internal and external tensions. Increasingly, the denomination has been challenged to (1) retain its unity, which has been threatened from within by theological polarisation, (2) to maintain its relevance in a world that has changed significantly since the inception of the movement, and (3) to clarify its interaction with other Christian and non-Christian communities. It became clear that these concerns need to be addressed constructively if the movement is to survive in the twenty-first century. Hence, the need for a deeper and more comprehensive ecclesiological engagement. This MA course seeks to facilitate an Adventist ecclesiological quest by providing a more advance understanding of what it means to be a church in the twenty-first century. Class 'Emerging Perspectives in Ecclesiology' is recorded at Newbold College of Higher Education, England, on 26 February 2018. Lecturer: Dr Tihomir Lazic.