"The crucial challenge to repudiate the ideology of our church office lies in Jesus' complete disinterest in the erection of an institutional Church and the creation of such offices. Jesus promises the Kingdom of God in his message, not the Church. He is interested in God's will and man's welfare. The Church is a post-Easter community of faith, and as such only something provisory, a help, a center - where it works - for brotherliness and forgiveness that apply to the whole world. The holders of church offices are to be servants in this service in a community that appeals to Jesus."
-From Hans Kung's Theology for the Third Millennium, p. 96.
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2 comments:
Nice quotation.
The thing is when I read the words "institutional church" I think I have something very different than what Kung has in mind. Growing up PC(USA) and swimming in the evangelical-mainline churches, I think of ordained pastors, elders, deacons, committees, trustees, sessions, congregational and presbyterian polities, etc. Based on the little I know of Kung, I imagine that he has the hierarchical nature of the Roman Catholic Church in mind.
I can agree with him to a certain extent that the Church is "post-Easter community of faith" in that it has grown and developed since the original band of believers gathered in Jerusalem. I will disagree -- with the caveat that one should always be hesitant to take quotations too far -- with "Jesus promises the Kingdom of God in his message, not the Church." There is truth in this, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The Church is to be a signpost to the Kingdom, without being mistaken for it. The NT is rather clear that Jesus is the creator and builder of the Church (by Church I mean the generalized group of Christ-followers in the world, but again, I imagine Kung has the RCC in mind). See for example, Mt. 16, 18; 1 Cor. 3. I assume that I may be taking issue with Kung over a matter where we're talking past each other and are using the same words but meaning very different things.
Thanks for the feedback Tyler! I agree, it's not a good thing to take quotes too far. And yes, he is specifically talking about the Roman Catholic church, though obviously I thought it had something to say to the rest of us as well. Honestly, I think Kung would agree with what you are saying.
I think his last line, "The holders of church offices are to be servants in this service in a community that appeals to Jesus," shows that he neither wants to rid the church of offices, nor to be rid of the church. And I agree, though sometimes I do want to be rid of the offices altogether... The problem always is how to remain a movement - the Way, as it's called in Acts - knowing that we also have to be at least somewhat organized, but not becoming too institutional. A post-Easter community of faith, I believe, stands closer to the movement side of things, but too often we as the Church choose (or just end up on) the institutional side.
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