Between the 1st and 21st Century New Testament Church: Challenges and Prospects of Emerging Paradigms in the New Normal

Abstract

The New Testament Church is the body of Christ characterised by believers who share a common faith and practice, usually meeting together within an identified community. Within the context of globalisation, advanced information technology, and now, post-Covid-19, the traditional construct of "the local assembly" meeting together in synagogues and from house to house in the 1st Century Church is being challenged and redefined by the threats of emerging global diseases and advanced communication systems in the 21st century. This paper uses comparative historical, literary and hermeneutical approaches to contrast, compare and contextualise the 1st and 21st-century Churches. This paper examines the emerging paradigms foisted on the 21st Century Church by developing global trends and their implications on the Church's ecclesiology. This study argues that global issues (such as the newnormal post-Covid-19) influence the universal Church's New Testament orthopraxy amidst unchanging purpose, apostolic doctrines, normative and traditions but developing contextualisation. This paper proposes that contextualised ecclesiology amidst emerging global issues will prevent the Christian faith from antiquing.