Towards a Truly Catholic Church : An Ecclesiology for the Third Millennium

by Rausch, Thomas P.

• ISBN13: 9780814651872
• ISBN10: 0814651879
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-01
• Publisher: Michael Glazier

Summary

How should we understand church? Is it visible or invisible, one or many, local or universal, hierarchical or congregational in its structure, sacramental or biblical in its expression? Different Christians--whether Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or Evangelical--tend to approach these foundational questions through the lenses of their own histories and traditions. Some place great weight on the Church's Christological foundations, and thus on history. Others place more emphasis on the dynamic work of the Spirit, with its capacity to introduce the new and the unexpected. Others see an original diversity of ecclesiologies, grounding a contemporary pluralism of confessions. These lenses color not just how Christians see the church today, but also how they imagine it for tomorrow. In Towards a Truly Catholic Church, Thomas Rausch, S.J., draws on these different voices to develop a theology for the church that builds on the work of Vatican II, is ecumenical in its approach, and envisions the church in the context of globalization. In an increasingly interconnected world, Rausch offers hope that tomorrow's church will be a world church, a communion of churches that reconciles unity in diversity, a truly Catholic church.

Author Biography

Thomas P. Rausch is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	ix
Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction	1	(1)
The Church: One or Many?	1	(3)
Methodological Observations	4	(3)
Three Contexts	7	(5)
Conclusion	12	(3)
Lumen Gentium	15	(19)
The Debate on De Ecclesia	17	(7)
Principal Themes	24	(8)
Conclusion	32	(2)
Gaudium et Spes	34	(11)
The Debate on Gaudium et Spes	34	(3)
Part I: The Church and the Human Vocation	37	(2)
Part II: Some More Urgent Problems	39	(4)
Conclusion	43	(2)
Metaphors and Models of Church	45	(24)
Ekklesia	47	(2)
People of God	49	(8)
Body of Christ	57	(3)
Temple of the Spirit	60	(3)
Theological Models	63	(4)
Conclusion	67	(2)
Communion in the Body of Christ	69	(18)
The Concept of Communion	70	(2)
Baptism	72	(2)
Eucharist	74	(8)
Spiritual Gifts and Ministries	82	(2)
Conclusion	84	(3)
The Church's Apostolic Ministry	87	(21)
Founded on the Apostles	88	(4)
Leadership in the Early Communities	92	(10)
The Clericalization of the Pastoral Office	102	(3)
Conclusion	105	(3)
Safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition	108	(23)
The Church's Teaching Office	110	(6)
The Bishop of Rome	116	(7)
The Scripture Principle	123	(3)
Catholic and Protestant Perspectives	126	(3)
Conclusion	129	(2)
The Marks of the Church	131	(21)
The Church Is One	132	(4)
The Church Is Holy	136	(2)
The Church Is Catholic	138	(4)
The Church Is Apostolic	142	(5)
Ecclesiological Types	147	(3)
Conclusion	150	(2)
Reception and Communion	152	(15)
The Process of Reception	152	(7)
Ecclesial Communion	159	(3)
Moving Towards Full Communion	162	(3)
Conclusion	165	(2)
A Truly Catholic Church	167	(15)
Globalization	167	(2)
A World Church	169	(12)
Conclusion	181	(1)
Challenges to the Other Christian Churches	182	(19)
Visible Unity	182	(7)
Communion in the Apostolic Tradition	189	(7)
The Bishop of Rome	196	(3)
Conclusion	199	(2)
Challenges for the Roman Catholic Church	201	(23)
Reform of Structures	202	(7)
Ecumenical Initiatives	209	(6)
Being Truly Catholic	215	(4)
The Bishop of Rome	219	(1)
Conclusion	220	(4)
Index of Names	224	(5)
Index of Subjects	229