In the words of the creeds, the church is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic body of Christ.
Of those features, perhaps none is as misunderstood as the church's catholicity (that is, its universality)—because while the church is universal, it is also radically local, connected to a particular community or even found on a specific street corner. How might we reclaim the universality of the church without losing its local situatedness?
In this Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture volume, pastor and theologian C. Ryan Fields offers a surprising solution: he turns to the Free Church tradition, those churches that are historically separate or "free" from state oversight. Juxtaposing the Free Church with its Episcopal counterpart, he argues that far from neglecting the catholicity of the church, the Free Church tradition can helpfully inform our understanding of the one body of Christ while remaining true to its local roots.
Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture, edited by Daniel J. Treier and Kevin J. Vanhoozer, promotes evangelical contributions to systematic theology, seeking fresh understanding of Christian doctrine through creatively faithful engagement with Scripture in dialogue with church tradition.
304 pages
"The time is long past for Free Church believers both to reclaim the word catholic and to live out the meaning of true catholicity—and to do so precisely as part of our own rich ecclesial tradition. This book advances that argument with rigor and nuance and thus contributes to what I believe is the Spirit's moving in our midst."
Timothy George, distinguished professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
Local and Universal: A Free Church Account of Ecclesial Catholicity is in the following collections:
