Lexham Press was gracious enough to share an advanced copy of the latest book in their Christian Essentials series: The Church: A Guide to the People of God by Brad East.
The book’s goal is pastoral: “I want to show you who she [the Church] is and thus how and why you should entrust yourself to her, in love” (14). Chapter 2 provides something of a summary of what follows by looking at how Mary is a type or figure of the Church, in that she is called by the Word and bears Christ to the world: “This is a book about the bride and body of Christ, the blessed mother of all God’s children” (14).
To achieve his goal, East prioritizes the biblical-theological narrative of the Church in Scripture: “The business of the Bible is the calling of a people. From Genesis 12 to Revelation 22, this is what God is doing” (109); “The Bible tells the story of God and His people. … By the time you finish [this book], I want you to know this story inside and out” (1). Chapters 3–11 roughly follow the biblical narrative: “Until chapter 11, the course the course of this book tracks the story of the Bible. You may be surprised by how long we spend in the Old Testament” (14). I commend this approach, since many people are familiar with the Bible’s stories but don’t have a firm grasp on the story into which they fit—the Bible’s grand narrative of God and his people, with Christ at the center. On page 148, East summarizes the story in figural terms:
Hers is a pilgrimage from slavery in Egypt (that is, salvation from Sin, Death, and the Devil), by the blood of the Lamb (the passion of Christ) and passage through the Red Sea (the waters of baptism), led by Moses (Christ) and the pillar of fire and the cloud (the Spirit) into the vast wilderness (this fallen world), all the while fed by bread from Heaven (the Eucharist) as well as by the Law (the word of the Lord in Holy Scripture), bound for the Promised Land (the Kingdom of Heaven).
Along the way, East practices figural reading to draw direct application for the Church today: “Every chapter contains direct commentary on the life of the Church today” (15). At times this felt a bit jumbled, but East repeatedly circled back around to the narrative and picked up where he left off. The book has much to offer, but multiple readings are advised to fully grasp its internal unity and logic. Chapter 11 provides twelve summary statements with explanation (e.g., Christ is to be found in His Church; the Church is the means or medium of the Lord’s saving word and work; the Church offers the world this salvation by speaking the gospel). This was a wise way to end, and provides a helpful format for guided discussion in the local church. Chapter 12 ends with a benediction.
My favorite aspect of the book was how East shows the centrality of Abraham in the Church’s story: “Abraham … is the first and true beginning of the people of God” (22). God chose Abraham to be the father of his people, and Christ has made a way for gentiles to be adopted into that family: “Abraham’s family of Jew and gentile, united in Jesus by the power of the Spirit, is nothing less than the purpose of the universe. It is the inner secret of the whole drama” (149). East introduces this theme on page 1: “You begin to say, ‘Father Abraham’ just as you begin also to say, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven. This is the miracle at the heart of the story of Scripture.'” Even as he seeks to show that there is no salvation outside the Church, he emphasizes that “there is no salvation outside Abraham’s family. If you want to know the Lord, you must be a part of His people” (32).
Commenting on God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12—”the beginning of the people of God” and “the moment of ‘election'” (23)—East identifies ten crucial elements of Israel’s election by God: God’s people begin with (1) divine initiative; (2) divine grace; (3) divine promise; (4) divine command; (5) resettlement; (6) family; (7) love; (8) covenant; (9) circumcision; and (10) children. These points show up again and again in the story of God’s people, especially the priority of God’s love. God’s people are, from the beginning, his beloved Bride, and although they have a mission for the world, East urges us to resist the temptation “to interpret the calling of Abraham as primarily, even exclusively, a response to sin” (27), lest Israel be reduced to a mere function or means to a larger end.
The result of this emphasis on Abraham is that the Bible appears as it is, as a grand unity, with the Church not as an add-on but as the fulfillment of God’s plans from the beginning. It encourages readers to submit their personal stories to God’s grand story—to be swept up in God’s glorious and mysterious plan for his people.
I will likely use this book as the new textbook for our church’s Doctrine of the Church class with a few caveats. I pastor people who come from a low-church evangelical background, and progress in ecclesiological development is slow. The immediate priority that’s given to Mary and some of the strong sacramental statements and formulations of the extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (outside of the Church there is no salvation) will be uncomfortable for many, even though they’ve heard me talk about these issues on repeat. I would encourage pastors in a similar situation to read the book with their Church and guide them through it, chapter by chapter.
