Thinking about Stanley Hauerwas

Introduction

Stanley Hauerwas wants the Christian church to be the “New Jesus”.

By claiming that the church is a social ethic, Hauerwas focuses on how the church should be rather than on what it should do. Behind this statement lies his approach to ethics, which seeks to define what this corporate social ethic - “the church” might look like. He finds the boundaries of his idea of church within the narratives of Jesus and the Christian church, and from this conceptualises a “corporate Jesus”, namely the faithful manifestation of the peaceable kingdom.

The implication therefore is that if the church can be transformed, the church will BE a social ethic – the “New Jesus”.

However, Hauerwas’ ideal vision of church is limited to his own narrative framework and as a result his approach appears to lose the idea of a transcendent Christ in the world.

Deacons in the Uniting Church in Australia

Introduction

The twentieth century has seen the impact of the ecumenical movement within most Christian churches in the world. As part of the manifestation of a renewed understanding of unity in Christ, some churches emerged as examples of the theological and practical considerations behind ecumenism. The Uniting Church in Australia is one of these churches.

In the journey of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations towards union in 1977, the ordering and ecclesiology of the church was significantly affected by contemporary ecumenical thought. In particular, the ministry of deacon became an example of the new thinking about ministry. The Basis of Union captures this moment in church history, by specifically referring to the emergence of what was called the “renewed diaconate”, and maintained its willingness to allow its forms of ministry to be transformed.

The Church as Process

Introduction

This essay is an exploration of the thesis that what makes the Christian church “the church” is a process. Three essential factors belonging to this process are:
• The gathering and sharing of different voices and texts;
• The question, “Where is the gospel of Jesus Christ in this?”; and
• The use of this question in repeated self interrogation.

Taking this position of course has some immediate implications, the most obvious being that this is an ecclesiology “from below” and therefore stands against doctrinal positions about “the church”, which dominate many of the discussions in the academic and ecumenical world. It is an approach that intentionally destabilises the judgements about church which are being used as common ground in these discussions.

It is also a typically feminist approach to take and as such holds its own risks. The main being that the circularity and pluralism of its form means in the end we all may just end up tired, but not particularly satisfied. However, this essay self consciously includes judgements about church and recognises that judgements can be made. However, if the concept of church is intrinsically linked to process then characteristics of identity can be named, described and owned by an ecclesial community, but these characteristics cannot be fixed as pointing to the “character” of the church. As an illustration, the practice of ordained ministry within the Christian community will be examined.