Kingdom of God Defined

Question 212 of Luther's Small Catechism (with Explanation) defines the KOG as having three parts. For me this made perfect sense - and correctly categorized / demarcated the various Kingdom components. In Luther's definition, the church is rightfully put at the center of the earthly Kingdom - but there's more to God's Kingdom than what we can see or comprehend:

What is the Kingdom of God?

The kingdom of God is His ruling as king over the whole universe (kingdom of power), the church on earth (kingdom of grace), and the church and angels in heaven (kingdom of glory). Ref. Ps. 103.19, Jn. 3:5, 2 Tim. 4:18

In my previous post I wrote that I believed the visible church and the Kingdom of God to be roughly equated (see quote on right from Westminster Confession Ch. 25) - but I felt that there was more to it than "just" the church. Luther's definition has expanded my thoughts on the matter...

Ecclesiology & the Kingdom of God

A recent discussion with a group of Christian friends prompted my posting of a presentation I first gave in December of '06 and then again in May of '07. My friends and I were discussing the early church and the examples - both good and bad - that the historical church provides Christians today. Was Constantine good for the church - or bad (new poll to follow)? Additionally, I argued my position that the Kingdom of God (on Earth) is found through the Church; in my view - outlined in the presentation - the two are related and roughly equated. I say "roughly equated" because this is still an idea in progress for me and I'm not yet bold enough to state the KOG is the Church...

In any case, the presentation is available online either as an HTML presentation (IE recommended) or for download (.ppt | ~= 2MB). My notes explain the talking points for each slide. Feedback welcome!

Double the Fun

This post is actually overdue - but I thought it wise to mention that there are now two contributors to this blog...fjohan and myself (rhp997). Dual authorship as opposed to schizophrenia. Fjohan is a self-proclaimed non-genius and amateur theologian whose influence is decidedly Lutheran. I entertain a nascent understanding of Reformed theology and proffer no contrast to fjohan in either understanding or experience...essentially two chumps with internet connections and an overabundance of free time. Anywayz, now you know.