How does the Spirit transform the church? And how can we participate in this work? This paper explores these questions through the methodology of Third Article Theology (TAT), an approach which intentionally views all reality through the lens of the Spirit. Just as TAT’s development of Spirit Christology provided insights into Jesus’ human growth and development, a Spirit eschatology provides similar insights into the church’s maturation. Through such a perspective, the church can be viewed (in part) as the proleptic anticipation of the coming kingdom. 

We are an exiled community living in a foreign land (and time) (1Pet 2:11-12), with the Spirit bridging the distance between our current situation and our true home. In particular, the Spirit draws back pivotal features of the coming kingdom to become increasingly present in our current ecclesial existence. This paper explores how this happens, and consequently how churches can participate in the Spirit’s transformative work. The ultimate objective of this examination is a coherent eschatological Third Article Ecclesiology—a practical understanding of contemporary church life when viewed from the vantage point of the coming kingdom through the lens of the Spirit.

About the Speaker

Greg is Acting Head of Theology at Laidlaw College. He teaches primarily in the area of systematic theology. His research interests focus on the role of the Spirit in the life of the church, and exploring how the interaction between science and theology raises fundamental questions about reality and the nature of time.