The Misunderstanding of the Church

'What is the Church?' questions Emil Brunner in his preface. Within Protestantism, it has never been clear how the Church, in the sense of spiritual life and faith, is related to the institutions conventionally called churches. In contrast, Brunner believes, The Roman Catholic Church has a subtly different problem: it has no response to the question of how the phenomenon visible in the New Testament as the Ecclesia is to be related to the papal Church. In The Misunderstanding of the Church, Brunner finds an answer to the ambiguous and nebulous nature of Church and 'churches', interrogating its disharmony by using the conclusions of New Testament research to contextualise the problem of the Church when confronted. With its contribution to the ecumenical discussion, The Misunderstanding of the Church reflects Brunner's desire to uncover why a real solution of the Church has not been found.



by Emil Brunner



Preface Chapter 1. The Super natural Christian Community and the Problem of the Church Chapter 2. The Historical Origin of the "Ecclesia" Chapter 3. The Apostles and the Fellowship Chapter 4. The Christian Fellowship and Tradition Chapter 5. The Christian Fellowship and the Holy Spirit Chapter 6. The Christian Community in its Messianic Eschatological Character Chapter 7. Divine Service, the Life of the "Ecclesia" Chapter 8. The Starting Point of Ecclesiastical Development Chapter 9. The Christian Fellowship and the Rise of the Church Chapter 10. The Christ-Community and the Churches of History Chapter 11. The Task before the Churches - to Serve The Growth of the "Ecclesia" Chapter 12. The Summing- Up Outlook for the Future Notes