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The Effect of the Church in the World Essay

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There is significant debate about the effect of the church in the world. Did it really disrupt the existing social order? For many years Hans Conzelmann’s thesis that Christians are “docile subjects and trouble arises only when Jews rouse the populace with false accusations against the church” dominated scholarship. Later, Richard Cassidy (Political Issues in Luke-Acts) challenges this perspective by viewing Jesus as a “nonviolent social dissident who was … a potential danger to the Roman empire” by paralleling Jesus’ effect on Rome with Gandhi’s effect on the British empire. Though Luke (in Acts) tends to depict Rome as “fair and respectful in their treatment of Christians, and the apostles are certainly not seeking to foment …show more content…

Conzelmann viewed Luke’s understanding of the early church community as somewhat of a paradox. It was a great, but unrepeatable and non-replicable event in the theological history of Christianity, but so exemplary in its own “self-consciousness, concrete life, and organization.” The example set by this early community compels even the most casual reader to long for the presence of such a community in their own life. Luke’s major emphases in describing the community are unity (and togetherness), the work of the Spirit (particularly through “signs and wonders” done by the people) , and common interests in both the physical and spiritual realms.
Acts 2:42-47
Throughout the first few chapters of Acts, Luke provides summaries of the state of the church at various points in its infancy. Bock sees these as reports that the community has effectively bonded, though there could be a literary function of these summaries as well. In any case, Luke situates the first summary (Ac. 2:42-47) immediately after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and lists four primary activities of the community: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.
The first of these activities, teaching, likely would have included the content of what Jesus had taught the apostles during his time with them as well as the power of the name of Jesus itself (Ac.

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