Contesting the Body of Christ: Ecclesiology's Revolutionary Century

by Myles Werntz, Ephraim Radner (foreword)

The church changed tremendously in the twentieth century, with new churches emerging and old churches being renewed. This period encompassed the birth of the World Council of Churches, the rise of American evangelicalism, the Second Vatican Council, the coming of age of charismatic Christianity, and more.

In this book, Myles Werntz explores the landscape of twentieth-century ecclesiology and shows how the four marks of the church were remade, contested, and reaffirmed in surprising and innovative ways in the course of this turbulent century.

Werntz asks what it means to say that the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic amid so many diverse alternatives. He explains how the many dynamics of the twentieth century posed both theological and ethical challenges for confessing the marks of the church but also what promise comes from expanding our vision of how God might be at work across traditions. Werntz shows that the four marks of the church can help us see what the last century brought and what we might learn from it now. He also provides guidance for the future of the twenty-first century church. The book includes a foreword from Ephraim Radner.

Genres: Theology, Ecclesiology

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2025

Reviews

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ecclesiology is not the sexiest element in Christian doctrine, but it is an important element. Ecclesiology is not the same thing as the study of church organization or growth. It is a theological exploration of what makes the church the church. That must come before we start doing the practical thing, though the practical elements will raise important questions for those doing the theological work of ecclesiology.

Myles Werntz understands this truth. As a Baptist teaching at a Church of Christ university, he brings an interesting perspective to the conversation about ecclesiology in "Contesting the Body of Christ." He does this by focusing on the four marks of the church as established by the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed --- oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity. The title itself, using the Pauline phrase to describe the church --- Body of Christ --- reminds us that there is not complete agreement on the nature of the church. He focuses on discussions of ecclesiology in what he calls a revolutionary century, that is the century of the Holy Spirit. It is also an analysis of twentieth-century ecumenism. As such, this is an era that included the founding of the World Council of Churches, Vatican II, and numerous dialogues. Considering the dynamics of the twentieth century, Werntz turns to the four marks of the church as articulated by the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

There are other lists of ecclesial markers, but he has chosen these four. He writes in the introduction that "if a church has been called into being by the Spirit, these four marks are, in a very real sense, parts of its being. It falls to us, then, to ask not whether these marks are present but in what way they are present" (pp. 6-7). With that in mind, he invites us to ponder what we can learn from each other concerning the four marks. While the twentieth century was marked by numerous challenges, he believes that there are signs of hope present to take hold of. So, the question is not if the Spirit is at work but how the Spirit is at work.

The first chapter is titled "The Rending of the Cloth: The Church as One." The title recognizes the reality of our divisions, while the subtitle reminds us that, despite the division, the church is one as the body of Christ. Thus, there has been a persistent pursuit of unity, of making what is true at one level true on another level. We see this in decisions made at Vatican II to recognize that non-Catholic Churches have things common to all churches, though full unity remains elusive. Then there is the WCC and its Faith and Order and Life and Work ministries. What the WCC did that is different from Vatican II is to affirm the equality of the churches that are part of the Council, but it does not require a common structure. Then there are the Eastern Orthodox Churches that offer their own dimensions to the conversation. Here, the relationships remain complicated. Werntz goes into some detail as to how the different branches find unity in the Spirit, in mission, and hermeneutics. The challenges are real, but there are glimmers of hope. Werntz summarizes what happened during the twentieth century by noting the "struggle for how to articulate Christian unity amid myriad material conditions that divided Christians; the degree to which unity between Christian bodies succeeded, it appears, depended on their facility in addressing those material issues." (p. 53).

The Second chapter focuses on "The Church as Holy," a chapter carrying the title "To Be Like God." The emphasis here is on the nature of God, for the holiness of the church is dependent on God's holiness. The problem with holiness as a marker of the church involves the practicalities of it. Nevertheless, Werntz lays out four dimensions of holiness that became contested in the twentieth century. These include worship and liturgy, political holiness, bodily holiness, and holiness across time. The issue here is not personal holiness but ecclesial holiness -- the corporate dimensions of the church's holiness. As he discusses these areas of concern, he affirms that the church's holiness is first and foremost a gift of God who is holy.

When it comes to "The Church as Catholic," which is discussed in chapter 3 under the title "In All Times and All Places." Here, the focus is on the universality of faith, which again is a gift of God. As such, catholicity is not just what is confessed but what is "confessed in continuity with all churches" (p. 94). This universality exists without immediate unity. But it can be seen in the mission of God, such that "the mission of God is to encompass the whole world in that which the church proclaims, and thus, to be a truly catholic church is to be a church engaged in mission, drawing in that which is not already present, so that the church might be composed of localities united in a common faith" (pp. 121-122).

Finally, we come in chapter 4 to "The Church as Apostolic." The chapter title reminds us that apostolicity is about more than the past, for it is "In the Past, the Present, and the Future." The issue here is one of continuity and how that is lived out. The issue faced here is that apostolicity can be defined in terms of institutions. But that is not what Werntz believes is the appropriate definition. The question is focused on the medium of continuity. Is it doctrine, episcopal succession, or something else? Again, this is complicated, and Werntz works hard to sort things out and does so very well. Apostolicity in all its variegations interacts with the other marks.

Werntz doesn't answer all the questions facing us, but he invites us to consider the challenges and possibilities of Christian ecclesiology. As to whether it matters, the answer is yes. So, looking forward, the contesting will go on, but there are possibilities of greater unity.

[Christopher Hutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which won an Award of Merit from Christianity Today for best books in Theology, is an imaginative exercise in descriptive theology, specifically the doctrine of Ecclesiology as it was manifested in the 20th century. Long established churches with their long established lines of disagreement about ecclesiology, faced new challenges in the 20th century, such as the rise of Marxist nation-states, the global Pentecostal Movement, the ability of mass media to create para-church organizations, and a rise in lay-led expressions of Christianity. Werntz surveys the field through a Nicene lens, asking what it meant for any given Christian group to see itself as "one, holy, catholic and apostolic." He approaches every denomination and movement sympathetically, asking not whether a group's doctrine or practice is true but in what sense it might be true. The central four chapters are a bit of a slog for non-specialists, but if you want to understand how ecclesiology is manifested in actuality, or if you want to understand where your particular group is located on the map of possible ecclesiological expressions, then these chapters are worth the trouble. The concluding chapter still avoids a constructive theological approach to what ecclesiology should be, but it does offer helpful guidelines that ministers and theologians should consider as they work out their own ecclesiologies.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Werntz's book is very well researched and thorough. I enjoy the ecumenical approach that is void of seeing any single denomination as the "right" one. This book will be helpful for undergrad and grad classes studying church history and ecclesiology.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was expecting, but very thoughtful and extraordinarily well-researched.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/E5LK1REatas