Podcasts Culture Give and Take Episode 136: Flawed Church, Faithful God

Episode 136: Flawed Church, Faithful God

Published: Nov. 30, 2018, 8 p.m.

My guest is Joseph D. Small. How can we reconcile the ideal church described by theology with the broken church that we see in the world? In his newest book Joseph Small argues that the church\u2019s true identity is known somewhere in the tension between the two.

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Small revisits familiar ecclesiological concepts\u2014including the body of Christ, communion of saints, and people of God\u2014 but rather than focusing on theological abstractions or worldly cynicism, he evaluates the church in its scriptural, historical, theological, and social contexts. After stripping away the marketing and shallowness that characterizes much of contemporary church life, Small finds hope that the church\u2019s faith, nature, and mission can be lived out within God\u2019s calling.

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Both sociologically honest and theologically discerning, Flawed Church, Faithful God offers a constructive Reformed yet ecumenical ecclesiology for the real world.

Special Guest: Joseph D. Small.