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Recent developments in Catholic and Orthodox theology have led to problems. For example, an Orthodox of my acquaintance accepts [[Protestant]]s as Christians, but cannot accept them as part of the Church. The result of this is that 'Church' can no longer always be used to refer to both the structure of a particular group and the communion of all Christian believers.
{{anon}}
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Strictly speaking the Church is not bricks and mortar. It's a community of people - the people of God. Whilst much modern [[Christianity]] is focussed upon the individual relationship with [[God]], this is only half the story. The [[Bible]] reveals a God who works through communities and makes a covenant with his people. [[Jesus]] gathered a new community around himself and instituted a new covenant.
For us it is an amazing concept to understand that God has planned to reveal His incredible wisdom and glory through us, His people! Chapters 4 to 6 of Ephesians expand on the theme of: 'if this is what we are, then let's start acting like people of God'!
{{anon}}
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The following list was compiled by a group of of Bible College students when considering what the word "church" sometimes means to society in general:
* A building
* A place for major life events - marriages, funerals
* An organization with hierarchies and ceremonies
* An out-dated institution that does good, runs sporting competitions, aged care and schools
* A guardian of tradition or culture but one that is intolerant
* An organization that teaches about Jesus and the Bible
These students, when asked what "church" might mean to Christians came up with this alternative list:
* Community and family
* Meets needs and brings spiritual growth
* Singing, sermons, communion, prayer and so on
* Mission and evangelism
{{rightbox | text='''''[[Bible College of South Australia]] Theology Class, July 2008'''''}}
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{{returnto}} [[Church]]
[[Category:Churches]]
