A Theology of Authority
Rethinking Leadership in the Church
About
Is authority reserved for those with a specific calling to leadership? Who holds power in the church? Does authority have limits? Are teaching and preaching the most important practices of authority?
Our understanding--and misunderstanding--of authority has significant implications for our individual and corporate flourishing. In A Theology of Authority, Christa McKirland challenges our assumptions about authority, power, and leadership. With a focus on low-church traditions, she examines authority through the lens of analytic philosophy and biblical theology to offer a theological definition of authority. She also tackles questions related to divine and human authority, Scripture, and practices typically related to ordination: preaching, teaching, serving communion, baptizing, church discipline, and vision casting.
A Theology of Authority expands our understanding of authority, recognizing the Spirit's enablement of each member to fulfil their calling to spiritual maturity. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of authority and power and how we relate to one another as siblings in Christ.
Introduction: Authority over Others?
Part 1: What Is Authority? Forming the Bricks
1. Executive Authority: Imperative and Performative
2. Nonexecutive Authority: Epistemic and Exemplary
3. A Theological Definition of Authority
Part 2: How Is Authority Expressed? Building the Boundary Walls
4. Divine Authority (1): The One God Who Is Three
5. Divine Authority (2): Jesus and the Spirit
6. Authority and Scripture
7. Authority, Translation, and Interpretation
8. Authority, Power, and Human Calling
9. Authority and Human Community
Part 3: How Is Authority Identified and Evaluated? Living Within the Boundary Walls
10. Theological Boundary Walls for Post-Pentecost Interpersonal Authority
11. The Source, Purpose, and Limits of Authority
12. Recognizing Limits and Expanding Our Imaginations
Conclusion: Flourishing Within the Boundary Walls
Indexes
The Author
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Eleanore Stenner Christa L. McKirland
Christa L. McKirland (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is dean of faculty and lecturer in systematic theology at Carey Baptist College in Aotearoa (New Zealand). She focuses especially on theological anthropology and is the author God's Provision,...
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