Customer Reviews

The Apostolic church: One, holy, catholic and missionary (Book series / Lutheran Society for Missiology)

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This book is a must-read for the church historian interested in outreach. It looks at the word "apostolic", recognizing the missionary importance in that word for the church. Scudieri notes that unless the church regains it missionary flavor, it is not being the church. The central focus of the historical church in the book of Acts, for the apostles, and for the church today must be missionary. Without that clear focus, Christ's task of seeking and saving the lost, which is now done through the church, will take a backseat to the needs of those already in the church.

Bob Scudieri is an expert on North American missions and serves as a mission executive with the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. This book is the product of research conducted at Yale University in 1990 and 1991. The purpose of Scudieri's research was to conduct a historical study of the word "Apostolic." More specifically, he seeks to determine whether Apostiolic means "sent" (like an ambassador, sent on a specific mission with specific authority) or whether it means "proclaiming the doctrines handed down by Jesus' Apostles" (Peter, John, Paul, etc.). His conclusion is that Apostolic carries both meanings, although, in modern theology, correct doctrine is emphasized over missions.

Scudieri's argument is constructed as he analyzes the history of the word Apostolic from the period immediately preceding the birth of Christ, through the period of the early church, during the pre-Constantine persecutions, and up through the Constantinian and post-Constantinian Arian controversy. He shows that before Constantine, Apostolic primarily carried the meaning, "missionary." The Greek translation of the Hebrew word shelichim advances this argument, as does the early church's emphasis on the Apostles extensive missionary activity. As the Church confronted heretical teachers (e.g. gnostics, donatists, arians, etc.) the meaning of Apostolic slowly shifted to emphasize the teachings of Jesus' apostles as opposed to heterodox and heretical teachings.

It should be further noted that Scudieri also recognizes that the Church had always recognized a distinct difference between the office of Apostle (one who was an eyewitness to the resurrected Jesus) and the apostolic mandate given to the priesthood of all believers. However, this book does not concern itself much with this distinction; it's main aim is to gain a full understanding of the latter.

I would recommend Scudieri's book. It would be quite easy to bore a reader to tears with such a narrow and in-depth topic. However, Scudieri recognizes this fact and inserts occasional informal language and jokes to keep the reader interested. This was appreciated. Further, he recognizes that this book is not an academic exercise simply for its own sake, rather he writes with a purpose: so that his readers will reclaim the "missionary" emphasis of being apostolic (instead of being content to sit passively by and be the guardian of doctrine). Scudieri's book is a call to a more balanced Church, local congregation, and Christian.

Wonderful to read and enjoy the freedom of viewing the Church as Apostolic AND Missionary -- because the Church is Apostolic and Missionary and always has been. Pair the book with contemplations on the Nicene Creed and early church history and you've got quite a bit to consider and contemplate. Information about the history of "Jewish Apostles" was new to me, but I can see how it all fits together. Wonderful surprise gift to anyone considering Mission Work. It's a real gem. Buy two copies, because you're sure to know someone who would benefit from it, and you'll want to keep yours! It belongs on every missionary's bookshelf, and student of Biblical Studies. Bravo!

A MUST READ for every person interested in professional church work, whether as a layperson or paid staffer. This book showed me the biblical reasoning why the church is about reaching others. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not a long one, but definately packed with great stuff.