Martha Stortz

Who Is the Church? An Ecclesiology for the Twenty-First Century

Theology

“Identity is the central question facing the church today, when Christianity is no longer culturally established. Cheryl Peterson offers a robustly theological answer, exploring major ecclesiological paradigms and drawing on rich insights from Scripture. This book represents a vital contribution to a Spirit-shaped understanding of the church for a new era of mission." —Dwight Zscheile Luther Seminary "Cheryl Peterson combines a penetrating analysis of influential Protestant visions of the church in North America with a stimulating constructive alternative that begins with the Spirit to advance a mission-driven ecclesiology for the twenty-first century." —Bradford Hinze Fordham University "Whither the church in a post-Christian, post-denominational era? Peterson dismisses the common question to pose one that concerns neither the church's direction nor its mere survival. For her, the more faithful question addresses identity: Who is the church? In an answer that accounts for North American historical and religious contexts, she develops an ecclesiology that begins with the descent the Spirit in the Book of Acts. Her proposal for the church's identity has narrative display, biblical backing, creedal legitimacy—and the Spirit pulsing throughout.”