The Church: A Proleptic Sign of the Kingdom of God Embodying a Eucharistic Piety

Lately I've been wrestling with the Luthern theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg's theological ecclesiology.

There are two important dimensions of his ecclesiology that have stood out to me so far: his view of the church as the proleptic sign of the Kingdom of God and his view of spirituality as "eucharistic piety".

It is important to note from the very beginning that for Pannenberg, theology is always a provisional enterprise. No one has a "pure" theology. We all embrace heresy in one sense or another. After the first advent of Jesus Christ we see dimly- after the second advent, the parousia, we will see more clearly.

(i) The Church as the Proleptic Sign of the Kingdom of God

Proleptic can be defined as follows, "the representation or assumption of a future act or development as if presently existing or accomplished."

For Pannenberg, the church is the eschatologically proleptic sign of the Kingdom of God. I haven't read enough of Pannenberg to understand the full implications of this statement. But here are a few points I think Pannenberg may be trying to communicate.

(a) Within the eschatological "already/not yet" dimension of the Kingdom of God , the church is that entity which points forward to the day when love and justice embrace and the reign of God visibly covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

(b) For Pannenberg, an important aspect of the Kingdom of God is the unity of humanity and the union between creature and Creator. Although always in a provisional sense, the church is that unique community where fellow men and women are reconciled to each other and reconciled to God. This unity is a living testimony to a watching world.

(c) Lastly, Pannenberg's theology of the Kingdom of God brings love and justice intimately together. The kingdom love is just; the kingdom justice is loving. The church should be that place where the difficult question of how to extend a loving justice/just love into a broken world is wrestled with and prayed over.

(ii) Eucharistic Piety

Pannenberg laments over the internalized pietism that plagues much of Lutheranism (and I would add much of contemporary Evangelicalism!)

Following much of church history (and his own tradition) Pannenberg argues that the Eucharist is at the center of the church's spiritual life. Not only worship, but our lives and relationships with others should be shaped by the Eucharist. Practically, what does this mean?

I have not read enough of Pannenberg to answer this question. The following thoughts are my own personal reflections (shaped by Catholic theologians William Cavanaugh, Hans Urs Von Balthassar, and Henri de Lubac).

We live in a world saturated by consumerism and violence. Every second we are bombarded by images of death, sex and distorted desire. We are told that we're not really alive if we don't satiate all our cravings and are warned that we will never flourish if we are kind- if we neglect to utilize force and oppression to get ahead.

These two contemporary virtues are unmasked at the table for what they really are: lies from the pit of hell!

In the Eucharist, we are not told that desire is a bad thing. Instead, our desires are re-oriented toward the One for whom they were created. In the Eucharist we feed on and enjoy the exuberant Triune God. We do what we were created to do. Not to aimlessly search and prod for the "next best thing" but to rest and commune with the maker of heaven and earth.

Violence is also "re-narrated" in the Eucharist. Violence is not the end all be all of human existence. Jesus Christ has experienced the violence and terror of Holy Saturday ("and he descended into the dead") to make an end of death and establish true and reinvigorating peace. Each time we receive the broken body and spilt blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we are reminded that peace, and not violence, is what causes a community to flourish. The Eucharist is that place where Jesus meets us- empowering us with his peace so that we might be led by the Spirit- bringing that very same peace to our friends, neighbors, and community.

Should Christians Be Involved in Movie Discussion Groups?

A common objection to movie discussion groups is that many of the most respected and sought after films are saturated with violence, profanity, and sexuality. Many of these movies are anti-God. How can Christians, who are called to be “different” from the world and its cultural patterns watch such morally questionable movies? I am not sure how to answer this question. It might be the best thing for some Christians not to watch some of these movies. But for those who think these movies can become platforms to discuss the gospel, I offer these two provisional insights.

First, it is always important to remember that God has not forsaken the most God-forsaken places. Even the face of a prostitute can exhibit the grace and glory of God. I believe that we, like God (albeit not in the exact same way), can never forsake the most God-forsaken movies.

Second, it is wise to remember that Christ is never simply “against” or “for” culture. Instead, he is dialectically “above and through” culture. Practically speaking, this means that God’s way of being in the world is never identical to our culture’s way of being in the world. The gospel will always challenge our culture in one way or another. But at the same time, God never operates in a “supra-cultural” sphere. This means that God always communicates his gospel within the forms and structures of a particular culture. This is a pattern we should emulate.

The real question we have to ask our selves is, “how can we be in the world but not of it?” I believe questionable movies can be interpreted as creative vehicles of God’s truth without endorsing them en toto. I don’t want to stretch this too far, but using movies like There Will Be Blood and Requiem for a Dream for movie discussion groups is actually a redemptive endeavor. We are taking sharp and jagged swords and converting them into creative plowshares for the endorsement and extension of the gospel.