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Coalition - Creation - Church : In Pursuit of a Political Ecclesiology

Schmiedel, Ulrich LU (2019) In Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology 73(2). p.154-178
Abstract
Taking the recent UN Report about extreme poverty in the UK as a point of departure, this article analyses and assesses William Cavanaugh’s political ecclesiology. Drawing on the interpretation of Martin Luther’s concept of creation in Scandinavian Creation Theology, I argue that creation destabilises the distinction Cavanaugh draws between what he considers to be church and what he considers not to be church. I account for creation as a web of vulnerability in which all creatures are vulnerable to both creature and creator. In contrast to Cavanaugh’s strong and stable church, I advocate for what I call “coalitional church”: a church that can enter into coalitions with Christians and non-Christians in order to call for conditions under... (More)
Taking the recent UN Report about extreme poverty in the UK as a point of departure, this article analyses and assesses William Cavanaugh’s political ecclesiology. Drawing on the interpretation of Martin Luther’s concept of creation in Scandinavian Creation Theology, I argue that creation destabilises the distinction Cavanaugh draws between what he considers to be church and what he considers not to be church. I account for creation as a web of vulnerability in which all creatures are vulnerable to both creature and creator. In contrast to Cavanaugh’s strong and stable church, I advocate for what I call “coalitional church”: a church that can enter into coalitions with Christians and non-Christians in order to call for conditions under which vulnerable life is liveable. The public and political task of churches is not necessarily to fight the state, but to hold the state accountable to its citizens, whether they are Christian or non-Christian. (Less)
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author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology
volume
73
issue
2
pages
154 - 178
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85073932719
ISSN
1502-7791
DOI
10.1080/0039338X.2019.1667431
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
3519bc1f-e078-4863-ab7e-a1d8b72e5ae8
date added to LUP
2024-02-24 17:30:43
date last changed
2024-03-28 13:02:36
@article{3519bc1f-e078-4863-ab7e-a1d8b72e5ae8,
  abstract     = {{Taking the recent UN Report about extreme poverty in the UK as a point of departure, this article analyses and assesses William Cavanaugh’s political ecclesiology. Drawing on the interpretation of Martin Luther’s concept of creation in Scandinavian Creation Theology, I argue that creation destabilises the distinction Cavanaugh draws between what he considers to be church and what he considers not to be church. I account for creation as a web of vulnerability in which all creatures are vulnerable to both creature and creator. In contrast to Cavanaugh’s strong and stable church, I advocate for what I call “coalitional church”: a church that can enter into coalitions with Christians and non-Christians in order to call for conditions under which vulnerable life is liveable. The public and political task of churches is not necessarily to fight the state, but to hold the state accountable to its citizens, whether they are Christian or non-Christian.}},
  author       = {{Schmiedel, Ulrich}},
  issn         = {{1502-7791}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{154--178}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology}},
  title        = {{Coalition - Creation - Church : In Pursuit of a Political Ecclesiology}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0039338X.2019.1667431}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/0039338X.2019.1667431}},
  volume       = {{73}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}