Social kingship of Christ

Discussion in 'Theology and Doctrine' started by Aidan, Apr 22, 2017.

  1. Aidan

    Aidan Well-Known Member

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    ive recently started reading around this and I would like to hear others' opinions.
     
  2. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

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    What in particular, friend?
     
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  3. Aidan

    Aidan Well-Known Member

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    What is the meaning of it?
     
  4. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

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    I understand, my question is what do you mean by it, in simple terms? It is not a common formulation in mainstream Anglican thought..
     
  5. Aidan

    Aidan Well-Known Member

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    Ok, I've recently come across it when an acquaintance plaid for the recognition of the social kingship of Christ. Perhaps it's only a Catholic teaching. I feel that it has something to do with putting Christ at the centre when defining social mores and values, perhaps even when developing laws
     
  6. Botolph

    Botolph Well-Known Member

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    Catechism of the Catholic Church
    2105 The duty of offering God genuine worship concerns man both individually and socially. This is "the traditional Catholic teaching on the moral duty of individuals and societies toward the true religion and the one Church of Christ." By constantly evangelizing men, the Church works toward enabling them "to infuse the Christian spirit into the mentality and mores, laws and structures of the communities in which [they] live." The social duty of Christians is to respect and awaken in each man the love of the true and the good. It requires them to make known the worship of the one true religion which subsists in the Catholic and apostolic Church. Christians are called to be the light of the world. Thus, the Church shows forth the kingship of Christ over all creation and in particular over human societies.​

    Clearly there is a profound relationship between Church and State, and every one of us must recognise and deal with this as we must, and indeed much of the later part of Thirty Nine Articles addresses these matters as you would expect in a Church with a strong connection with the State. The challenge for us is to understand where, when and to what extent.

    Recently I heard a sermon in which Jesus was painted simply as a Social Reformer and Political Activist*. Whilst there is something attractive about the picture of striving for a more just society, and indeed I believe we as Christians should do that, I think it is in error to think that is the whole picture, or that that it is a sufficient understanding of the person of Jesus. We do not earn our salvation by our commitment to social justice, nor do we advance the Kingdom of God by failing to act for Social Justice.

    The Five Marks of Mission are:
    • To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
    • To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
    • To respond to human need by loving service
    • To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
    • To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth
    (Bonds of Affection-1984 ACC-6 p49, Mission in a Broken World-1990 ACC-8 p101)

    I think Anglicans have addressed this concept consistently from out inception, and it is a real and pragmatic part of the Gospel and strand in our mission, however it is not the whole Gospel, not the whole mission, and without the rest has the risk of being a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.

    *Yes, this did generate a lengthy email from me to the preacher!
     
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