Ep 442: From Incarnation to Ecclesia: Theology of the Lowly Body of Christ, with Javan Lapp

Cody Cook sits down with Javan Lapp—a manufacturing executive, amateur historian, and Lancaster County keeper of goats—to explore the insights of 16th-century Anabaptist thinker Pilgram Marpeck into what it means for the church to be embodied without succumbing to state Christianity.

Drawing from Javan’s contribution to Anabaptist Political Theology After Marpeck, the conversation examines Marpeck’s theology of the incarnation and how Christ’s literal body informs the identity of the church as the body of Christ. They discuss Marpeck’s debates with spiritualists, his emphasis on voluntary faith and embodied practice, his critique of both legalism and disembodied spirituality, and why his “middle way” remains relevant today.

The episode also touches on the church as voluntary society, suffering, cruciform spirituality, and the balance between creedal conviction and lived ethics—offering fresh insights for libertarian Christians interested in both ecclesiology and political theology.

Buy Anabaptist Political Theology After Marpeck: https://amzn.to/4qebIXV

Javan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javanlapp/

Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fbbnO6U5LI