The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission

The article investigates the possibilities and challenges to Evangelical evangelistic practice in the framework of the unbroken historical continuty between the resurrection of Christ and the eschatological realization of the kingdom of God on earth. This continutiy is conceived as a dynamic conclus...

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Main Author: Roko Kerovec
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Biblical Instute 2008-11-01
Series:Kairos (English Ed.)
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/46209
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author Roko Kerovec
author_facet Roko Kerovec
author_sort Roko Kerovec
collection DOAJ
description The article investigates the possibilities and challenges to Evangelical evangelistic practice in the framework of the unbroken historical continuty between the resurrection of Christ and the eschatological realization of the kingdom of God on earth. This continutiy is conceived as a dynamic conclusion of the history of salvation and relies on the theological formula of the "inaugurated kingdom" which "is but is not yet" realized. The resurrection of Christ is, in this way, recognized as the realized segment of the kingdom, i.e. it takes over the "is" part of the formula and so defines the key message of the gospel because it guarantees and fulfills the full realization of the kingdom. This future realization is recognized as Christ's return in glory and the universal resurrection, and thus absorbs the "not yet" part of the aforementioned theological formula. This construct operates as a historical paradigm, and evangelism is conceived and actualized within this framework. Certain ahistorical elements of Evangelical identity and strategies of evangelism are investigated against this background, for example: the intuitive indentification of the message of the gospel with the manner of salvation by faith alone, or assigning primacy to the personal experience of God's immanent presence at the expense of the public, and the collective and inclusive direction of the message of the gospel. In the conclusion, the article touches on several advantages of Evangelical Christianity in the proposed paradigm and possibilities for evangelism, particularly in the Croatian context.
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spelling doaj-art-6b51d441d2c545d480d69fdbfc3e1a982025-08-02T10:18:19ZengThe Biblical InstuteKairos (English Ed.)1846-45992008-11-010202189208The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical CommissionRoko KerovecThe article investigates the possibilities and challenges to Evangelical evangelistic practice in the framework of the unbroken historical continuty between the resurrection of Christ and the eschatological realization of the kingdom of God on earth. This continutiy is conceived as a dynamic conclusion of the history of salvation and relies on the theological formula of the "inaugurated kingdom" which "is but is not yet" realized. The resurrection of Christ is, in this way, recognized as the realized segment of the kingdom, i.e. it takes over the "is" part of the formula and so defines the key message of the gospel because it guarantees and fulfills the full realization of the kingdom. This future realization is recognized as Christ's return in glory and the universal resurrection, and thus absorbs the "not yet" part of the aforementioned theological formula. This construct operates as a historical paradigm, and evangelism is conceived and actualized within this framework. Certain ahistorical elements of Evangelical identity and strategies of evangelism are investigated against this background, for example: the intuitive indentification of the message of the gospel with the manner of salvation by faith alone, or assigning primacy to the personal experience of God's immanent presence at the expense of the public, and the collective and inclusive direction of the message of the gospel. In the conclusion, the article touches on several advantages of Evangelical Christianity in the proposed paradigm and possibilities for evangelism, particularly in the Croatian context.http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/46209eshatonkingdomgospelevangelismEvangelical ChristianitysoteriologyhistoryworldCroatia
spellingShingle Roko Kerovec
The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission
Kairos (English Ed.)
eshaton
kingdom
gospel
evangelism
Evangelical Christianity
soteriology
history
world
Croatia
title The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission
title_full The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission
title_fullStr The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission
title_full_unstemmed The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission
title_short The Resurrection of Christ and the Eschatological Vision of the Kingdom of God as the Platform for Evangelistic Practice: The Challenges and Possibilities of the Evangelical Commission
title_sort resurrection of christ and the eschatological vision of the kingdom of god as the platform for evangelistic practice the challenges and possibilities of the evangelical commission
topic eshaton
kingdom
gospel
evangelism
Evangelical Christianity
soteriology
history
world
Croatia
url http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/46209
work_keys_str_mv AT rokokerovec theresurrectionofchristandtheeschatologicalvisionofthekingdomofgodastheplatformforevangelisticpracticethechallengesandpossibilitiesoftheevangelicalcommission
AT rokokerovec resurrectionofchristandtheeschatologicalvisionofthekingdomofgodastheplatformforevangelisticpracticethechallengesandpossibilitiesoftheevangelicalcommission