Frikyrklig ecklesiologi?

There has been a change in the ecclesiology of the well-known Pentecostal pastor and author Peter Halldorf. His ecclesiology was first centered on the individual Christian and he appears to have regarded the church as a group of praying individuals. This ecclesiology could perhaps be regarded to be in line with the ecclesiology of the Swedish Pentecostal movement, the starting point of Halldorf’s ecclesiological processing. Halldorf’s later ecclesiology has taken a controversial turn and is influenced by the Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Movement. The Pentecostal movement in Sweden has in recent decades undergone major changes which have led to an unclear self- understanding. In spite of the fact that Halldorf is very influential as a pastor and writer, his alternative ecclesiology has not been received as a serious alternative within the Pentecostal movement. In this article I discuss trajectories in Halldorf’s ecclesiology in relation to the ecclesiology of John Howard Yoder. My aim is to provide a Free Church evaluation of Halldorf’s trajectories and my claim is that his development does not necessarily stand in disagreement with the Swedish Pentecostal movement, if one considers the movement’s Baptistic roots. It is therefore possible that Halldorf’s trajectory is a path to follow for the Swedish Pentecostal movement, a movement searching for an identity. It is at the same time possible that the Free Church ecclesiology of Yoder may deepen Halldorf's own ecclesiology.

From Conservative Turn to Non-Violence Politics: Theo-Politik Salib John Howard Yoder

The Reformation era was recorded as an era of democracy that was marked by various violence acts in the name of religion. This violence was caused by the rise of religious conservatism (conservative turn). In this context, the writer wants to offer an alternative solution through the theo-politics of the cross of John Howard Yoder, a US Mennonite figure. The result of this study was that the theo-politics of the cross builds a consciousness that can counter the consciousness that comes from religious conservatism, but by means of non-violence. The theo-politics of the cross builds an alternative community that shows a friendly face of the church and solidarity with the marginal people.Abstrak. Era Reformasi tercatat sebagai era demokrasi yang diwarnai dengan berbagai tindak kekerasan atas nama agama. Kekerasan atas nama agama ini disebabkan oleh bangkitnya konservatisme agama (conservative turn). Dalam konteks ini, penulis hendak menawarkan solusi alternatif melalui theo-politik salib John Howard Yoder, seorang tokoh Mennonite Amerika Serikat. Hasil dari kajian ini adalah bahwa theo-politik salib membangun suatu kesadaran yang dapat melawan kesadaran yang bersumber pada paham konservatisme agama, namun dengan jalan tanpa kekerasan. Theo-politik salib membangun komunitas alternative yang menampilkan wajah gereja yang ramah, dan solider terhadap kaum marjinal.

The Bomb and Vietnam

After the Second World War, Elizabeth Anscombe continued strong, arguing against giving an honorary degree to atomic-bomb-dropper Harry Truman. With the Cold War now begun, worries about the Bomb continued to trouble Christians and were a major concern of Methodist theologian Paul Ramsey. Then the horrors of the Vietnam War started to predominate, leading to a return to just war theorizing, especially by Michael Walzer, a Jew and hence non-Christian although sympathetic to Augustinian thinking. The American Catholic bishops also got involved, inveighing against nuclear weapons. Pacifist voices like those of Stanley Hauerwas (Methodist) and John Howard Yoder (Mennonite) started to rise. Some, like philosopher Robert L. Holmes, worried that perhaps the Augustinian emphasis on original sin makes one almost complacent about the probability of war.