This study clarifies the ecclesiologies of H. Richard Niebuhr and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer were theologians who wrote from within and for the church. / Three questions are addressed in this dissertation. First, how do Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer define the nature of the church? Second, how do Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer understand the purpose of the church and its ministry? Third, what are their positions regarding the relation of the church to the world? / After introducing the project, Niebuhr's and Bonhoeffer's respective ecclesiologies are described, analyzed, and compared. I argue in support of three hypotheses; first, ecclesiology is a consistently central concern in the theology of both Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer. Second, in spite of disparate backgrounds, similarities exist in their constructive ecclesiologies with particular reference to an emphasis upon the social self and community. Third, their respective ecclesiologies led them to a non-sectarian understanding of the church-world relationship and to an ethic of "responsibility." The thesis demonstrated in this dissertation is that their interpretation of the nature and purpose of the church were keys to their theology and ethics. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-02, Section: A, page: 0576. / Major Professor: Leo Sandon. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78427 |
| Contributors | Pinner, Michael R., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 288 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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