Book Review #2

Fuelenbach, John, Church: Community for the Kingdom, 2002, Orbis Books.


Last week, we were introduced to Gerhard Lohfink’s opinion that the community of God on earth is exclusively referring to the true Israel. In John Fuellenbach’s Church: Community for the Kingdom, we find a blunt contrasting opinion which holds that the kingdom of God is not exclusive, it is, rather, universally inclusive. Fuellenbach’s main argument, by way of referenced critiques and Ecclesiological analysis, is that the kingdom of God is not identified with a particular group of people (i.e. the contemporary church) on earth; furthermore, none are excluded from such kingdom.

It is held that “the church is a community of all persons…however, the grace of God is dependant on Jesus Christ” (p.71). This statement has large implications that conflict with the contemporary church in many ways.

“The symbol kingdom of God, being broader than the church, provides a solution for the problems of …the church and her relationship to the world…and …narrow dialogue and ministry between religions” (p.82).

This is a crucial point I must fully embrace since my future will most likely contain a large amount of cross-cultural and cross-religion dialogue. I must learn to speak without ethnocentric and “superior faith” type language because I am speaking to someone else within the kingdom of God, not outside of it.

The author uses his background analysis to put forth a model of the church today, model for where the church is going, and a model of where the church ought to be going. Since I am not Catholic, I was very intrigued to learn the contemporary direction of said church as well as seeing how the Lord is at work in their culture. His noting of the current world church’s transition from the western church society was very enlightening and relevant to the cross-cultural missionary.

Fuellenbach’s analysis of the “contrast society” concept is at odds with Lohfink’s contribution. Fullenbach believes that, as culture has moved away from the global values of virtue and purity, the notion of “contrast society” is lost. He also asserts that at the very essence of a contrast society is a division (supporting a particular group) between people as to the kingdom of God. I agree with Fuellenbach’s belief that, as Christians, we are not to be seen as separated from others; however, I do feel that the grace of God calls us to live our lives in a contrary way. Thus, there are groups of persons acting differently within the same society, that is, kingdom of God.

Fuellenbach’s work has implications that extend to all denominations of the Christian faith. The notion of universal community not only helps Christians empathize and relate to the rest of the world, but it also diminishes the hierarchical mentality within the church where certain individuals are purported as God’s select and others, who may serve as less socially attractive parts of the body of Christ, are counted as less important.