Love, Mark, Douglas A. Foster, and Randal J. Harris. Seeking a Lasting City: The Church’s Journey in the Story of God. The Heart of the Restoration Series, vol. 4. Abilene: ACU Press, 2005. 

In this fourth volume of the Heart of the Restoration Series published by ACU press, the authors’ intention is to write a “narrative ecclesiology” (5).  According to the nature of the series, their use of a narrative approach is qualified by sensitivity to Church of Christ concerns and, more importantly, assumptions.  It is a narrative ecclesiology for the Church of Christ, not simply a Christian narrative ecclesiology in se. 

The narrative approach actually facilitates this on a Scriptural level by allowing (or requiring) that the authors begin with a cursory overview of the Church of Christ’s final authority—the Bible.  Thus, the book begins by establishing a canonical, narrative framework within which to proceed.  Seemingly, narrative theology’s emphasis on Scripture can provide the necessary continuity for the Church to make the transition to a radically new way of thinking about itself.  That is, it may be a “new” way to read Scripture, but at least it is not subject to the too-quick rejection inevitable for an “unscriptural” approach among Churches of Christ. 

The Old Testament section is rich with the main themes that give depth to the New Testament authors’ writings.  Chapter three is wonderfully conceived, for they do not mechanically follow the “Old Testament” chapter with a “New Testament” chapter.  Instead, what proceeds from the Old Testament material is an eschatologically-driven continuation of the story.  The New Testament material is framed in a clarifying manner while at the same time incorporating the Restoration Movement characteristic of eschatological orientation.  The following chapter is an important and deftly handled facet of the book.  Here ecclesiological norms are rather covertly considered under the rubric of “keeping the story straight.”  This allows the authors to highlight essential factors in a way that moves beyond the “Bible only” confines of traditional Church of Christ ecclesiology. 

The middle section of the book, which expands the vision of the Christian story historically, is not only natural but also vital for the self-evaluation to which the reader will be called.  The Church of Christ is coming to terms with the reality of its historically deficient ecclesiology, but whether it yet sees itself in its properly humble position among the many other well-meaning, deficient ecclesiologies of the whole church is another question.  All the material published on the Restoration Movement in the last two decades, neatly summed up in the sixth chapter, is still inadequate, historically speaking, if the previous seventeen hundred years are ignored.  In sum, a healthy vision for Church of Christ ecclesiology must include recognition of the significance of the whole church’s history for deciding how to be the church in the present. 

And of course the final section of the book could only be a consideration of postmodern realities in relation to the church.  Again, the approach seems balanced and sensitive to the readership.  It is here that the book’s primary metaphor serves most effectively.  The alien/marginal/outside-the-city complex that the authors evoke is, as they suggest, the present and intensifying reality that will shape the next generations’ ecclesiology.  I agree that issues of institutionalism and ethics are the most pressing ecclesiological concerns facing the Church of Christ on all fronts, and it is refreshing to read prophetic voices plainly state that consumerist, market-driven values must be addressed in the church while at the same time admitting that irrelevance is not equal to the counter-cultural response God is looking for (176). 

A primary deficiency of the book is that the overviews are far too simplistic.  This may have to do with the target audience, but if so I would probably disagree with the comment on the back cover that says the authors have a high view of their readers.  For the purpose of painting in broad strokes, I think the overviews do a serviceable job, but they limit the value of the book; the authors are only able to introduce a general idea of how a narrative approach to Church of Christ ecclesiology will work, nothing more.  Nonetheless, it is a good start. 

As an ecclesiology for the Churches of Christ written at a transitional time in the history of the movement, the point about living “in the tension of both continuity and change, of both consistency and variety” is critical.  Ecclesiology has been the center of Churches of Christ—for good or ill—and the many implications of a narrative approach cannot but result in a radical redefinition of the movement.  The context of the above quote is a claim that “the story” helps navigate the middle ground between continuity and change.  The authors begin to speak to this important point, but there is not enough discussion of the continuity aspect.  In other words, the book itself is recognition of the importance of ecclesiology for the Churches of Christ, but this is not worked out within the book in terms of what makes the Church of Christ particularly the Church of Christ when “living outside the city” will mean radical ecclesial shifts.  The Stone-Campbell ways of “keeping the story straight” surveyed in chapter six, while helpful, do not address this question.  In this sense, Seeking a Lasting City is only the opening salvo of the narrative Church of Christ ecclesiology, though it is reasonable to suspect that the authors intended it as such.

The practice of evangelistic church planting raises a critical question regarding how postmodern or narrative evangelism will work in tandem with the clear delimitation of the elect community.  The “reverse” pattern set forth is “experience, affiliate, and believe” (171).  I see the logic, and the related chapter’s introductory story is compelling, but as a reader I am faced with questions about the necessary exclusivity of the church, which are heightened by my own equally compelling experience of permanent-church-attenders who have not been baptized (or otherwise made a faith commitment) in the many years they have been experiencing and affiliating. 

The issue is not the need to place a temporal stricture on these aspects of the faith journey but rather the fact that postmoderns seeking community may find what they are looking for at the “affiliation” point and end their search there.  Churches adopting this scheme must be ready to deal with the integration of unbelievers into Christian community--unbelievers who may in fact begin to look and smell like Christians without ever having made a faith commitment. 

The exclusivity of Christian faith is a burr under the saddle of postmodernism that the authors do not address.  The postmodern longing for community and belonging may serve evangelism well, but an open-door involvement policy may be symptomatic of catering to postmodern values in a way that blurs the lines of Christian identity and commitment.  On the other hand, there are aspects of narrative ecclesiology that could foster the unity agenda of the original Restoration plea, at which Seeking a Lasting City only hinted (173).  This is a vital facet of the Restoration Movement that the series’ volume on ecclesiology should have afforded more consideration. 

The adoption of a narrative framework seems to be the best option available to the 21st century Church of Christ.  The authors began with an appropriate question about how to address ecclesiology in the Church of Christ context while avoiding the excesses that typically mark the discussion.  It seems the authors have successfully dealt with this concern.  In many instances, their ecclesiology is used to turn the reader’s attention toward important, neglected issues.  Overall, there is little to disagree with in Seeking a Lasting City, but here is much more to say about Stone-Campbell ecclesiology from a narrative theological standpoint.