Tag Archives: Brad Harper

The immense value of the Church

I am enjoying a bit more time for reading, so this summer I am revisiting some recent gems I’ve read on ecclesiology. I walked through Simon Chan’s Liturgical Worship last week. This week it is Exploring Ecclesiology by Harper and Metzger. Chan is a Pentecostal while Harper and Metzger are evangelical. Their journey helps me frame my own journey.Continue reading “The immense value of the Church”

Book Review — Exploring Ecclesiology

When Society for Pentecostal Studies was at North Central University earlier this year, I purchased Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction by Brad Harper and Robert Louis Metzger. Over the past couple of years I have been stirred to learn more on the subject of ecclesiology. This book has become a primer for me.Continue reading “Book Review — Exploring Ecclesiology”

Christ and Culture — The Question We Fail to Ask

In their fine book, Exploring Ecclesiology, Harper and Metzger take up the question of Christ and culture in Chapter 13. They use H. Richard Niebuhr’s model of Christ and culture, Christ vs. culture, etc. They also use the model of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and how he stood up against Germany in a time when Germany nationalismContinue reading “Christ and Culture — The Question We Fail to Ask”

Therapy Over Theology

The Church in America has moved from teaching what is true to teaching what works. Personal growth and satisfaction take precedence over truth. “The ultimate consequence of Christianity centered on personal issues and self-improvement is that theology becomes therapy, the search for righteousness is replaced by the search for happiness, holiness by wholeness, and truthContinue reading “Therapy Over Theology”

Sacramental Witness — Part Two

Part One Harper and Metzger call the church in North America a “little flock.” It is convicting to read those words. We think the Church is huge. Maybe it is not. Their words are sharp. It is almost like reading one of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. We need to hear thisContinue reading “Sacramental Witness — Part Two”