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Adventist Remnant Ecclesiology: A Brief Historical and Bibliographical Survey

  • Tihomir LazićEmail author
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Abstract

This chapter traces the history of explicitly and implicitly ecclesiological reflections among Adventists from the time of the denomination’s inception to the present day. The first two sections offer a selective overview of the key ecclesiological reflections that have informed Adventist self-understanding from the time of the movement’s inception to the present day (the period from 1844 to 2019). They focus on clarifying the movement’s appropriation of the biblical concept of the remnant, its central ecclesiological self-designation (section “Adventism as God’s End-Time Remnant Church”), as well as on other fundamental motifs that have appeared throughout the years as integral segments of Adventist remnant outlook (section “Other Foundational Concepts”). The third section explores the ways in which Adventists have translated their remnant theology into the domain of church praxis, especially as it pertains to the formation of church structure. The primary aim of this section is to uncover the underlying theological rationale and modes of reasoning that governed the process of routinization of Adventist communal life. Finally, the last section offers a selective bibliographical overview of some of the most recent denominational publications that have contributed to the further consolidation and refinement of the traditional Adventist remnant-based ecclesiological discourse. Hopefully, in the light of this historical and bibliographical survey of Adventist ecclesiological literature, it will become possible to identify the key areas of Adventist ecclesiology where further reflection could lead to a more balanced and comprehensive vision of church.

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© The Author(s) 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Systematic TheologyNewbold CollegeBinfieldUK

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