Retrieving Paul Tillich’s Ecclesiology for the Church Today

Abstract

While Paul Tillich’s theological legacy remains alive and well in a wide range of intellectual conversations, his identity as a church theologian and his unique contributions to ecclesiology are often overlooked. This article argues that Tillich provides a substantive and relevant ecclesiological proposal rooted in Christology and pneumatology. Tillich’s thoroughgoing integration of ecclesiology with his overall theological system along with the critical methodological principle of Catholic Substance and the Protestant Principle demand rigorous reflection and have the potential to equip today’s Church as it engages the diverse challenges facing the worldwide communion.