Being Church

This little book resulted from the conviction that we need to contemplate what it is to be the church in the contemporary world. We are aware that we are living in a time of crisis, with rapid social and cultural changes that challenge the way we have been a church: challenges that come not only from outside the institution--from the society where it acts--but from the inside as well. In this book we face old and new questions: What is the foundation of the church? Who are we as Christians? Who is this Jesus Christ in whom we believe? What is the mission of the church today? Proclaiming the Word: Is it another Sacrament? From what does Christ save us? What is sin? ""People are talking about the church but the conversation is not always theologically informed. Written for laypeople, this book gives an accessible and scriptural introduction to how to understand the theological meaning of the church. Andinach also helps readers understand what it means to participate in the church. People are talking about the church, and those who read this book will have a better conversation."" --Sarah Heaner Lancaster, Werner Professor of Theology, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware, OH ""In language and images distilled from decades of experience as a pastor and scholar, Pablo Andinach conveys the essentials of ecclesiology in a simple yet profound fashion. His approach is fueled by the conviction that the best thing the church can do today in, with, and for the world is none other than simply 'being church.'"" --Nancy Elizabeth Bedford, Georgia Harkness Professor of Applied Theology, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL ""Being Church provides excellent responses to key questions regarding the personal and corporate Christian identity, the importance of sacraments, and the ultimate mission of the body of Christ. In providing these responses Andinach offers an outstanding ecclesiological overview with great insights and written in an accessible language; without a doubt this book is a great resource for discipleship programs as well as foundational and introductory courses in theology."" --Hugo Magallanes, Associate Professor of Christianity and Cultures, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX ""Pablo Andinach's Being Church is a thoughtful, at times poetic, meditation on the nature and mission of the church in relation to Christ's authority. Writing from a Protestant perspective, Andinach artfully weaves together the biblical witnesses, traditional doctrinal loci, spirituality, and the context of the twenty-first century in seeking to balance perspectives and rekindle the outward mission of the church in the world. Being Church should be widely read and deeply lived."" --Elaine A. Robinson, Academic Dean and Professor of Methodist Studies and Christian Theology, Saint Paul School of Theology, Leawood, KS Pablo R. Andinach is Full Professor of Hebrew Bible at Instituto Universitario ISEDET, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2004 and 2011 he was invited to be a visiting professor at Perkins School of Theology, in Dallas, Texas. His publications include a commentary on Song of Songs (1997); Zechariah (International Bible Commentary, 1999); and Joel (Global Bible Commentary, 2005). He is an ordained minister in the Methodist Church in Argentina.