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 a quill, and everyone a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky. (Fredrick Lehman) This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my sister, Helen Frances Abraham. Page 7 of 320 Abstract The phrase Third Article Theology is used in two senses: first to characterise a methodological approach that intentionally starts with the Spirit; and second as the theological understanding that emerges from this approach. Over recent decades, Spirit Christology has utilised the approach of Third Article Theology to gain insight into the person and life of Christ. This thesis extends the methodology in order to construct the constituent features of a Third Article Ecclesiology. The research divides into three parts. In part one, following a description of Third Article Theology and its application to Christology, it is argued that the Spirit informs the connection between other theological doctrines and ecclesiology. Following this insight, a methodological framework is developed that examines ecclesiology from the vantage point of other doctrines, through a pneumatological lens. Given their advanced state of development, the doctrines of Christology and the Trinity were chosen as the initial vantage points from which to observe ecclesiology. Part two examines ecclesiology from the perspective of Christology, through the lens of the Spirit. By critically utilising the ecclesiologies of Barth and Zizioulas as complementary starting points, it is argued that coherently accounting for the Church’s humanity and divinity requires both the Son and Spirit’s ecclesial roles to be logically distinguished without being existentially separated. This leads to analogically comparing the Spirit’s involvement in Christ and the Church. Five pneumatological parallels between Spirit Christology and the Church inform the development of a Christological Third Article Ecclesiology, which is determined as being tripartite in nature, relational in identity, unique in context, Christ-centred in orientation, Christotelic in momentum, indivisible in constitution, cruciform in shape, missional in purpose, and narrative in character. These constituent features are contrasted with other ecclesiologies that over- or under-emphasise the roles of the Son and the Spirit in the Church. Page 8 of 320 Part three examines ecclesiology from a Trinitarian perspective. It is first argued (with Habets and Weinandy) that Spirit Christology implies a Trinitarian understanding where the Father (the originating person) begets the Son (the personed person) in or by the Spirit (the personing person), and the Son returns love to the Father by the Spirit of Sonship given to him. Second, it is demonstrated that the analogical link between the Trinity and the Church is not reflective (cf. Volf’s approach) but intrinsically pneumatological—the Spirit’s ecclesial role parallels the Spirit’s immanent identity. Based on these initial determinations, this thesis explores the implications of the immanent identities of the Spirit and the Son (as identified above) being reprised on a series of expanding stages: Christologically, soteriologically, and most pertinently here ecclesiologically. The resulting Trinitarian Third Article Ecclesiology characterises the Church as existing in any and all relationships where by the Spirit the love of Christ is offered and returned. The constituent features of this understanding are contrasted with ecclesiologies derived from alternative Trinitarian starting points. A concluding discussion explores extending this research to other doctrinal vantage points—particularly eschatology and the world—and examines how the various pneumato-ecclesiological perspectives gained could be integrated to construct a comprehensive Third Article Ecclesiology. Page 9 of 320 Part One. Towards a Third Article Ecclesiology At the root of Christian ecclesiology lies a confidence that the Church “can never fail, for it is based upon a rock.”1 It is “spread out through all time and space, rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners.”2 Furthermore, “the church is the hope of the world.”3 These affirmations are sourced not merely from reasoned thinkers throughout history, but from the Christian Scriptures themselves. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church (Matt 16:18). It is being built into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Eph 2:22). Through it the manifold wisdom of God is made known (Eph 3:10). The ecclesiology revealed is one of impregnability, inspiration and immeasurable importance. Our experience, however, is vastly different. From a contemporary western vantage point, the Church is crumbling. This diminution in size, status and significance is often characterised through the phrase “the collapse of Christendom.” Many responses simply urge the western Church to rebuild. They argue that by being more organised and pragmatic—by simply doing better in some way—the western Church can recover its numbers, regain its respect, and re-exert its influence. But such effort, although well intentioned, simply repeats past mistakes. There is an alternative response. Colin Gunton argues for a “greater emphasis on [the Church’s] constitution by the Spirit.”4 This enables us to “reappropriate an ecclesiology of the humanity of Christ.”5 He sees this as “the first and crying need if responses to the collapse of Christendom are not to take the form of new authoritarianisms, as they are indeed doing.”6 1 T.S. Eliot, The Complete Poems and Plays: 1909-1950 (Orlando: Harcourt, Brace, 1971), 30. 2 C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters: Letters from a Senior to a Junior Devil (Glasgow: Collins, 1989), 15. 3 Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David (6 vols.; London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1888), 4:169. 4 Colin Gunton, "The Church on Earth: The Roots of Community," in On Being the Church (ed. C. Gunton and D. Hardy; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1989), 62. 5 Ibid., 65. 6 Ibid. Page 10 of 320