The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesiological Theology

July 23, 2010 by Gerald Hiestand

David Rudolph on “Paul’s Rule in All the Churches”

Do you know Paul’s rule in all the churches? Can’t say that I did either. Until I read David’s paper, that is, published in the latest issue of CCJR. David is one of our SAET Fellows, and has done some important work on contemporary Jewish/Christian relations. If this is an area of interest to you, I strongly encourage you to get acquainted with David’s work. Here’s the intro to his article:

“In preparation for this conference, I asked a number of church leaders if they were familiar with Paul’s “rule in all the churches.” Notably, not a single leader who responded to my ad hoc survey was aware of such a rule. Based on this response and my general familiarity with ecclesial theology, I think it is likely that Paul’s “rule in all the churches” has become a “rule in few of the churches” today. While many would probably be content to see this state of affairs continue, especially those who do not like church rules, there remains the nagging question, “Should a teaching that Paul considered important enough to be a universal rule be almost universally neglected by contemporary Christians?”

The aim of this paper is to introduce Paul’s rule to those who are unfamiliar with it, and to make the case that Paul’s rule is a lynchpin that sustains the church as a body of Jews and Gentiles. In part one of the paper, I will discuss Paul’s rule as it relates to Jewish continuity, the apostle’s indifference to Jewish difference (1 Cor 7:19), and the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). In part two, I will address the effects of the church not keeping Paul’s rule, the Jew-Gentile ekklesia, and whether Paul’s rule can be implemented today.”

You can read the rest of the article online here.  David teaches at the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, and blogs here and here.

Categories: David Rudolph | SAET Fellow Publications