More Than Communion : Imagining an Eschatological Ecclesiology

The dominant contemporary model for ecclesiology (theological views of the church itself) is the ecclesiology of communion. This book argues that communion ecclesiologies are often marked by a problematic theological imagination of the future (eschatology). It argues further that, as a result, our ways of practising and being the church are not as robust as they might otherwise be. Re-imagining the church in the light of God’s promised future, then, becomes a critical conceptual and practical task. MacDougall presents a detailed exploration of what communion ecclesiologies are and some of the problems they raise. He offers two case studies of such theologies by examining how distinguished theologians John Zizioulas and John Milbank understand the church and the future; how these combine in their work, and the conceptual and practical implications of their perspectives. He then offers an alternative theological view and demonstrates the effects that such a shift would have.