What’s the matter with the Church? (or, rather, “Does the Church still matter?”)

“From the beginning, the Israelites were a multi-ethnic family whose most prominent members often married foreigners. Later laws against intermarriage are focused exclusively on protecting Israelite worship rather than trying to maintain the purity of the Israelite bloodline.” (pg 30)Just one of the many wonderfully provocative snippets that litter Dr Carmen Joy Imes’ third book, Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters. But Carmen is not a provocateur. This book (like the others in the trilogy) is aimed squarely at helping us think Biblically about the topic at hand, which in this case is the nature of the “people (or ‘family’) of God”.Carmen’s last time on the pod (which, wildly enough, was back in May/June 2022, on the day she clicked “send” on the manuscript for her 2nd book, Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters). At that time we talked about her visit to Southeastern, Critical Race Theory, the distinction between gender & sexuality… all the fun stuff. Throughout this new conversation, Dr Imes unpacks the scriptures with acumen & ease, shedding light in dark areas and clarifying my own misunderstandings of the nature of The Church. Hopefully you’ll appreciate it as much as I have!If you’d prefer to watch rather than just listen…keywords:Church, Biblical Theology, Old Testament, New Testament, God’s Covenant, Community, Adoption, Family of God, Eschatology, Christian Lifekey topics:The birth of the church and Acts 2The Old Testament roots of the churchThe significance of God’s covenant and presenceThe metaphor of adoption and family in ScriptureThe expansive nature of God’s people and inclusion of foreignersThe relationship between vertical (God) and horizontal (people) relationshipsThe role of the church in social responsibility and justiceThe eschatological hope for the end of nations and kingdomschapters:00:00 - Introduction05:22 - The Importance of Church Community08:28 - Understanding the Church’s Origins11:35 - The Role of the Old Testament in Defining the Church14:28 - Continuity Between the Old and New Testament17:32 - The Nature of God’s Covenant with His People20:34 - The Expansive Nature of God’s Family23:40 - The Dynamics of Church Membership26:32 - Adoption and Relationships in the Church31:22 - The Metaphor of Adoption in Faith33:00 - Living as Children of God34:50 - Cultural Contexts and Family Systems36:02 - God’s Wrath and Social Responsibility43:09 - The Kingdom of God vs. National Identity52:42 - Women in Ministry and Gender Dynamics Get full access to Marc Jolicoeur (aka Jolly Thoughts) at marcjolicoeur.substack.com/subscribe