Contemporary evangelicalism, ecclesiology and ecclesial regeneration

Abstract

To summarize: <ol><li> Contemporary Evangelicalism is not merely a momentary or reactionary movement, but the full-grown of the long process of Pneumatic operation in restoring Christian Faith back to its prototypal theological structures.</li><li> Contemporary Evangelicalism presents a distinct ecclesiology descriptive of the structures of the prototype ekklesia that has been historically marred; thus Contemporary Evangelicalism is restorative of the prototypal ecclesiological structures.</li><li> The peoplehood of God, or in the particular New Testament context, the peoplehood of Christ—is the very identity of the church, and the very identity that Contemporary Evangelicalism presents to the church in the present times; thus Contemporary Evangelicalism is restorative of the original ecclesial identity.</li></ol> Now, to inversely synthesize, God called Noah and his family because they were still obedient to God. God called Abraham because he had that inclination to be faithful to God. God called Lot because he still had that God-consciousness. God called Israel because they still believe on the one Creator-God. Then God called the Christian church because it is composed of people who believe in Jesus Christ. Thus, here we see the fidestic response factor throughout God’s historical calls. God call a people because they are those who respond to him in faith. Whenever such faith response waned, God chooses another people who, again, could respond to him in faith. Thus the existence and life of the ekklesia is co-existent with its fidestic response to God. The moment it stops responding to God in faith, it loses its ekklesiality. It is in this context, that Contemporary Evangelicalism emerges as the climactic phase of God’s historical ekklesiality. Contemporary Evangelicalism presents before the church the prototypal theological and ecclesiological framework of Christian Faith. As such, while presenting this prototypal framework, it also poses a call for the restoration the prototypal structures in the present theological and ecclesiological framework of Christian Faith. But the call necessitates a wholehearted response of faith. Thus, Contemporary Evangelicalism, in essence, is the call for the New Reformation of Christian Faith, the New Reformation of Christian church, back to its prototypal structures. When Christians and the Christian church fail to heed this call, Christianity could, again, lose a great and blissful opportunity to be more truly God’s people, to be more truly the people of Christ, in the present time nearing the parousia. It is prayerful hope that this work would spark a global conflagration of New Reformation!