Forced to the Knee or Kneeling Down

Abstract

One of the most assured means of addressing the recurrent crises of the church in any age lies in its seeking out of its original mission and attaining a clear vision of its divine purpose. Thus, the question of the church’s identity constitutes a matter of fundamental importance. If such self-understanding is defined in accordance with Holy Scripture, it inherently contains the potential for discovering a path leading out of a condition that has its roots in the deformation of the church’s self-perception. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that current crises cannot be reduced to a single cause or attributed to a single individual. The analysis of such crises must invariably be conducted with a systemic perspective. In order to understand the crisis situation of our time and for the discovery of the way leading towards resolution, we commend the approach of the Apostle Paul, which may be articulated in terms of the relationship of the church and its members to God. This is realized in the act of kneeling down before the Lord: “I bow my knees to the Father” (Ef 3,14). The absence of this perspective sustains the church in a state of error, preventing it not only from fulfilling its current mission rightly but also from embracing the eschatological vision of the church, according to which: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Fil 2,10).