Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. An Introduction to Ecclesiology. Historical, Global, and Interreligious Perspectives. Revised and Expanded. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2021. Pages: 281, ISBN: 978-0-8308-4189-9.

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Ecclesiology is a highly relevant theological topic that requires constant revisions of textbooks in contemporary discussions. This work provides a thorough revision of a book published in 2002. As the title makes clear, this book is an introduction to ecclesiology and includes all that has happened in the field in the past two decades. Specifically, it is a work on comparative ecclesiology where we are given fresh perspectives on traditional ecclesiologies and discussions of emerging trends in less than three hundred pages.

The book serves as a primer on ecclesiology that introduces all the major trends. Having identified the key issues in ecclesiology today, the book is divided into four parts. (1) The first part of the book covers all major ecclesiological traditions, focusing on one or two representative theologians for each. However, Pentecostalists and charismatics are not represented by a representative theologian. (2) The second part examines contextual and global ecclesiologies. It examines how ecclesiological understandings are being developed as Christianity expands beyond its traditional centers in the West to the global south. African, Asian, Latin American, and womanist ecclesiologies are all included. (3) This section does not focus on a particular tradition or region. It focuses on the missional church, discussing the ministry, mission, and governance of the church. (4) The concluding section of the edition discusses the challenges that religious diversity presents. We cannot ignore similar ideas in other religions in today’s globalized world, so the author has offered brief comparisons of the Jewish synagogue and the church, the Islamic Ummah, the Hindu spiritual life, and the Buddhist Sangha.

It is a convenient resource for students of ecclesiology where all they need to know about the church is in one place. Furthermore, the specialist will not be disappointed as the extensive footnotes and bibliography provide sources that can be investigated further. The previous editions have already been successful, so it is likely that the revised edition will do even better.