After Our Likeness: The Church As the Image of the Trinity (Sacra Doctrina) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The church occupies the center of the theology of Joseph (Cardinal) Ratzinger..." (more)
Key Phrases: Free Church, Holy Spirit, New Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In After Our Likeness, Miroslav Volf explores the relationship between persons and community in Christian theology. He seeks to counter the tendencies toward individualism in Protestant ecclesiology and give community its due.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (October 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802844405
• ISBN-13: 978-0802844408
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #158,458 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A free church vision?, July 17, 2001

By	Neil Brighton (Nottingham, Nottinghamshire England) - See all my reviews

Volf's book explores the question of the manner in which the church is a reflection of the triune God. His own interest is to articulate a free church vision of the church. He seeks to do this in dialogue with the Catholic theology of Ratzinger and the Orthodox theology of Zizioulas. The benefit of this is that both Ratzinger and Zizioulas represent particular and distinctive comprehensions of the trinity. The danger is that it allows Volf considerable latitude in forming his own position. The result is that the book is stronger as a critique of others than as an alternative proposal.

There are a couple of points to be made of Volf's critique of Ratzinger and Zizioulas:

1. Has he been overly selective in his choice of Ratzinger's texts in view of the fact that Ratzinger has not published a comprehensive ecclesiology nor written extensively about the Trinity.

2. Given the importance of eschatology to Volf's argument, the book would have been strengthened by a more detailed engagement with Ratzinger at this point.

3. His critique of Zizioulas's desire to give precedence to person over substance has validity. But given that Zizioulas claims to be working in continuity with the Cappadocians, it would have been helpful to draw distinctions between what Zizioulas is claiming and what they had written. In particular Zizioulas's insistence on the monarchy of the Father is an example of the degree to which he has moved from Gregory Nazianzus.

In Volf's own argument there are times when it reads like a complex justification for much current western practice. While he correctly identifies that free church ecclesiology frequently starts from below rather than from a view of the Trinity one wonders how far Volf goes to correct this. While this book does much to sharpen our thinking and opens up a number of crucial questions there are deficiencies in Volf's proposals:

We must start from a view of the Trinity that give due attention to the person and work of each member and which seeks greater understanding of the relationships between the members. While Volf seeks to distance himself from hierarchical understandings of the Trinity his own views seem to suggest that the Trinity is some form of democracy. Mutual indwelling is a critical part of our understanding but so is the priority of the Father. Flowing from this is an understanding of the role of the Spirit in the creation of fellowship and as the bond of unity as we are being incorporated into the one body over which is Christ as head. Is unity, as Volf claims, derived from the plurality of its members or not.

In short, an important book which raises important questions for the church. It is worth reading and grappling with the issues. However, in the end I think a better case can be made.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent actually, December 10, 2001

By	Patrick Oden (Lake Arrowhead, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It is always a distinct pleasure when one comes across an author which one has not read before. Although I have perused articles by Dr. Volf before, this was the first occasion in which I really read his text. The fact that upon finishing this book I began to seek out more of his books is a sign that something he wrote really caught my attention. Maybe it is the fact that as one raised in what can be called the free-church tradition (Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.), it is always delightful when I find a well thought out theologian who shares those same convictions. Or indeed it could be that the intention of the series to provide a Christian Theology for a postmodern age resonated within me.
After Our Likeness begins with the discussion of two very different ecclesiologies. The first is the great Catholic theologian, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. The second is the Orthodox theologian John Zizioulas. Both are esteemed within their respective Church and they are quite able representatives of their traditions. In doing this, Volf seeks to first establish the foundations of these distinct understandings of what it means to be a church, which more or less represent broadly Western and Eastern thinking as a whole. It is because of his real intent that he feels this is necessary. The primary goal of Miroslav Volf in this text is to, "contribute toward making the Free churches and their ecclesiology (or ecclesiologies) presentable, Free Churches that are dogmatically orthodox and that are numerically becoming increasingly significant." He is essentially seeking to provide a theologically developed ecclesiology which could be in dialogue with the older, and rather now defensive, ecclesiologies of the traditional churches. An example of why this is needed is found in the Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry document which was published by the World Council of Churches. Here one from a Baptist tradition feels completely left out of the so-called dialogue.
Having briefly discussed the traditional ecclesiologies, Volf then proceeds to develop one which takes into account the ancient and the modern, seeking to provide a theological model which will be useful for this century, understanding that the global church will increasingly reflect a Free Church form with or without the approval of the World Council of Churches. He begins by looking at the foundations of what the Church is, seeking to show what is at the roots and core of the creation and continuation of the Church in this world. Understanding that the Church is essentially part of ?God?s eschatological new creation?, Volf develops how a church can be identified as such. The core idea is that the Church is an assembly, an assembly which gathers in the name of Christ, committed as individuals to allow their lives to be determined by Jesus Christ. Volf then develops what this means, dealing with the issues of faith, God?s being, the specific structures which result from this core idea, and the question of how differing perspectives can still be united into one whole catholic church. In many ways, what Volf is offering is more of a starting point than a completely thorough treatment, but a starting point which demands to be included in global ecumenical discussions as representing the fastest growing understanding of what being the Church means.

37 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A defense of free church ecclesiology., January 22, 1999

By	[e-mail] "billfarley" (Spartanburg, South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Volf's book is not so much about a Trinitarian theology of the Church as it is a theological foundation for the ecclesiology of free and congregational churches. Volf is presenting a case for the inclusion of free churches within what is commonly known as the holy catholic, apostolic and universal Church. He compares the ecclesiology of the free (congregational) churches with the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church. Naturally, he does not totally accept their systems. However, he does recognize the value of the relational ties that connect the parishes together in their respective traditions. He rejects their hierachial structures, but values the quality of community that exists beyond the local congregation. The larger community is an antidote to parochialism and the danger of local congregations becoming merely religious clubs consisting of like minded persons. Yet, he sees the real strength of Christianity residing in the local congregation. He supports the grassroots or bottom up system of inter-congregational relationships. His ideal of a cooperative Christian community is Trinitarian in nature, many equal bodies joining together to form one unity which is not greater than the sum of the parts. He sees the opposite in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. There, the many have their origin from the one. The whole gives identify to the many, and without the unity of the one, the many cannot exist. He understands the Holy Trinity as being three separate and equal persons of the same substance making up the Godhead. This view is part of his justification of free church ecclesiology. He says that the Orthodox and Roman Catholics have a trinity of unequal persons and practice an ecclesiology of inferior parts. Volf presents a strong academic defense for free church ecclesiology. It is a defense with many useful insights, even for traditions with an episcopalian structure. However, a general weakness of his work is the assumption that all local churches and parishes perfectly practice the theologies and doctrines of their respective traditions. I believe that there is more diversity within denominations and traditions at the local level than anyone in higher academic or ecclesiastical circles wants to admit. Volf carries on a hypothetical dialogue with John Zizioulas and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who represent the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church respectively. He claims to present their authentic positions by offering quotes from their writings, However, he is the one selecting the passages to debate. I do not know the context from which he selected the passages; thus, I am not able to determine his objectivity. Ratzinger and Zizioulas do not carry on any authentic dialogue with Volf; it is quotation without true participation. I feel that Volf is presenting Zizioulas and Ratzinger from a position that is most favorable to his cause. Even with this most favorable presentation, I still find myself agreeing more with their positions than with Volf's. This is somewhat unusual because I usually disagree with Ratzinger on most issues. Also, at times, there seems to be a similarity between Ratzinger's idea of ecclesiolgy and those of John Wesley in my own Methodist tradition.