The Church as a prophetic community and a sign of hope

In various Christian communities, theological reflection on the relation between the church and the world has increasingly in recent decades revolved around the double notions of »prophecy« and »sign«. The con- vergence is a significant ecumenical achievement, since these notions touch the very heart of both Roman Catholic and Protestant notions of what the church is and what its mission in the world should be. After critiquing the explicit or implicit dominant understandings of the prophetic ministry of the church and of its function as a sign (II), the author suggests how our thinking about the role of the church in the world — its living before the world and speaking to the world — can be recast to avoid the criticism noted (IV i V). His suggestions are based on a reflection on the relation between the church and the Kingdom of God, or the new creation (III), The author ends with a discussion about what it takes for the church to be a prophetic oommunity and a sign of hope in the modern world