Theological Horizons: the church in the world

Discerning the situation of the church in her contemporary contexts is no little or uncommon task. Is the church a beacon of light in a terribly dark and lost world? Are there glimmers of light in the world that might illuminate the dark corners and cobwebs of the church? Is such a dichotomy between church and world problematic in the first place? Where might the ‘borders’ of the church begin and end? These are all questions that may be asked on various occasions with differing agendas. There may be, however, other ways of discerning the church's situation in the world.  

In Church Dogmatics Karl Barth develops a concept that he deems ‘secular parables.’ He explains them to be words outside Scripture and church teaching that are in ‘material agreement with [Scripture], illumine, accentuate or explain the biblical witness in a particular time and situation’ (Church Dogmatics, IV.3.1 § 69). Barth goes on to say that such secular parables must lead the church more truly than ever before to Scripture; however, his discussion here points to the fact that the church’s ears should not be deaf to the happenings outside. Moreover, the church can even learn from the outside that the church might better understand Scripture itself. In other words, it would seem that the world outside potentially has many things to teach the church about Scripture, for Barth continues his discussion of secular parables by explaining, ‘The community is not Atlas bearing the burden of the whole world on its shoulders. For all its dedication to the cause which it represents in the world, the cause is not its own, nor does the triumph of this cause depend upon it…even within the world which opposes it, [God] will ensure, as there are always acts of His rule in general, so, too, there will be raised up witnesses to its cause, which is really His.’ The church can learn from others outside because God is working in the world through others even outside the church. This is rather striking indeed and explodes any notion of the visible church alone being a beacon of light in an impenetrably dark world. Because the cause of reconciliation is God’s cause, the church cannot monopolize reconciliation; the church would do well to listen and observe and participate in secular parables taking shape in the world outside the church precisely because in doing so the church may very well encounter and better understand God’s broad cause of reconciliation. In the process, many in the visible church may find the borders of the church seeming less clear than before.

And here, I think, Jürgen Moltmann provides some insight regarding the far reaching character of reconciliation when he explains, ‘The liberation of the believer from the prison of sin, law and death is brought about by God, not by politics, but this liberation calls for something to correspond to it in political life, so that liberations from prisons…must be understood as the parables of the freedom of faith’ (Crucified God, 320). Here Moltmann suggests that there can be not only material agreement between words of Scripture and words in the world (because they are God’s as Barth indicates) but also that there can and should be overlap between liberation from sin and liberation from political oppression. “The real presences of God acquire the character of a ‘praesentia explosiva’” (338). God’s multidimensional cause of reconciliation overflows the church into the world and overflows the world into the church. This can be the case precisely because reconciliation is God's, and consequently we may find the horizon of reconciliation and thereby the church to be broad indeed.