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Is Church Development âNaturalâ?
A Critical and Constructive Analysis of Christian A. Schwarzâs Biotic Church Growth Theory
in EcclesiologySearch for other papers by Lars RÃ¥munddal in
Current site
Google Scholar
The aim of this article is to give a theologically and scientifically based answer to the question whether church development is ânaturalâ in the sense that Christian A. Schwarz describes in his book Natural Church Development. Giving a reasonable answer to this question requires, first of all, that an analysis and assessment be done on how Schwarzâs biotic church growth paradigm is constructed and what kind of historical and theological factors have formed Schwartzâs thinking. Part of this theoretical analysis is also to find out what kind of epistemology and ecclesiological ontology seem to be the theoretical basis for Schwarzâs theory. Finally, I will contribute to the debate on the function of biotic growth theory in church development practice. Here I argue mostly out of my own previous empirical research. My conclusion will be that I cannot find any theologically and scientifically sound arguments to support the theory that church growth is natural â or biotic â as Schwarz claims. From a practical viewpoint, I conclude that there is no plausible connection between biotic theory and the church development practices recommended by Schwarz.
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11
âSchwarz, Natural Church Development, pp. 6â7.
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12
âIbid., pp. 88â89.
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13
âIbid., pp. 88â89.
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14
âIbid., p. 14.
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15
âIbid., p. 14.
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16
âIbid., p. 62.
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18
âIbid., pp. 6â7.
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19
âIbid., p. 93.
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20
âC. A. Schwarz, Der neue Gabentest (Emmelsbüll, Germany: C & P Verlag, 1988).
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21
âC. P. Wagner, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1979).
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27
âIbid., p. 18.
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28
âIbid., p. 18.
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29
âIbid., p. 18.
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30
âIbid., p. 19.
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33
âIbid., p. 8.
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34
âIbid., p. 10.
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35
âIbid., p. 10.
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36
âIbid., p. 10.
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37
âIbid., pp. 10â11.
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38
âIbid., pp. 10â11.
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41
âIbid., p. 65.
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43
âIbid., p. 13.
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45
âP. G. Hiebert, Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1994), pp. 19ff.
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46
âIbid., p. 26.
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47
âIbid., p. 23.
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48
âSee Healy, Church, World and the Christian Life, pp. 38â39, to gain argumentative support for the necessity of considering the context of the church as an essential part of our ecclesiological thinking today.
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49
âHiebert, Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues, pp. 26â27.
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50
âJ. R. Searle, The Construction of Social Reality (London: Penguin, 1995); I. Hacking, The Social Construction of What? (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995).
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51
âB. Fay, Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science: A Multicultural Approach (Oxford: Blackwell, 1996), pp. 75â76.
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52
âHiebert, Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues, p. 30.
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54
âIbid., p. 84.
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57
âIbid., p. 85.
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58
âIbid., pp. 85, 95.
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59
âIbid., pp. 86â91.
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61
âIbid., pp. 86-87.
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72
âIbid., p. 13.
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73
âIbid., p. 16.
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74
âIbid., pp. 126â132.
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75
âIbid., p. 130.
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76
âIbid., p. 130.
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79
âSchwarz, Natural Church Development, pp. 12â14.
| Insgesamt | Letzte 365 Tage | In den letzten 30 Tagen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aufrufe von Kurzbeschreibungen | 733 | 151 | 13 |
| Gesamttextansichten | 187 | 4 | 1 |
| PDF-Downloads | 38 | 8 | 3 |
Is Church Development âNaturalâ?
A Critical and Constructive Analysis of Christian A. Schwarzâs Biotic Church Growth Theory
in EcclesiologySearch for other papers by Lars RÃ¥munddal in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
The aim of this article is to give a theologically and scientifically based answer to the question whether church development is ânaturalâ in the sense that Christian A. Schwarz describes in his book Natural Church Development. Giving a reasonable answer to this question requires, first of all, that an analysis and assessment be done on how Schwarzâs biotic church growth paradigm is constructed and what kind of historical and theological factors have formed Schwartzâs thinking. Part of this theoretical analysis is also to find out what kind of epistemology and ecclesiological ontology seem to be the theoretical basis for Schwarzâs theory. Finally, I will contribute to the debate on the function of biotic growth theory in church development practice. Here I argue mostly out of my own previous empirical research. My conclusion will be that I cannot find any theologically and scientifically sound arguments to support the theory that church growth is natural â or biotic â as Schwarz claims. From a practical viewpoint, I conclude that there is no plausible connection between biotic theory and the church development practices recommended by Schwarz.
| Insgesamt | Letzte 365 Tage | In den letzten 30 Tagen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aufrufe von Kurzbeschreibungen | 733 | 151 | 13 |
| Gesamttextansichten | 187 | 4 | 1 |
| PDF-Downloads | 38 | 8 | 3 |
