Believing in Community: Ecumenical Reflections on the Church

By P De Mey

Two important events this year make it clear that ecclesiologystill deserves a prominent place on the theological agenda. Pope Francisannounced the creation of a council of cardinals to assist him in governing theworld-wide Catholic Church. During the next assembly of the World Council ofChurches the long awaited Faith & Order statement on The Church: Towards aCommon Vision will be officially received. In this volume more than 40 authors(among whom well-known theologians such as Andr Birmel , William Cavanaugh, Michael Fahey, Bradford Hinze, Veli-Matti K rkk inen, Paul Murray, BernardPrusak, Ioan Sauca, Myriam Wijlens, Susan Wood and many others) engage in anecumenical reflection on the Church, focusing on four major themes. The bookstarts with several essays by authors representing different fields in thehumanities dealing - often from a postmodern perspective - with 'Community, Individualization, Belonging'. The second part of the book, 'Strengthening RomanCatholic Ecclesiology', offers reflections on important topics such as thesinfulness of the Church, the sacramentality of the Church, lay ministries, theologians and the magisterium, to end with contributions on eschatologicalecclesiology and the link between ecclesiology and the Catholic Church indialogue with people of other faiths. In the next part Protestant and Orthodoxscholars offer contributions to the renewal of their own ecclesiologies. In thefinal and longest part of the volume the reader is provided with 'Reflections onthe Future of the Ecumenical Dialogue'.Two important events this year make it clear that ecclesiology stilldeserves a prominent place on the theological agenda. Pope Francisannounced the creation of a council of cardinals to assist him ingoverning the world-wide Catholic Church. During the next assembly ofthe World Council of Churches the long awaited Faith & Order statementon The Church: Towards a Common Vision will be officiallyreceived. In this volume more than 40 authors (among whom well-knowntheologians such as Andr Birmel , William Cavanaugh, MichaelFahey, Bradford Hinze, Veli-Matti K rkk inen, Paul Murray, BernardPrusak, IoanSauca, Myriam Wijlens, Susan Wood and many others) engage in anecumenical reflection on the Church, focusing on four major themes. Thebook starts with several essays by authors representing different fieldsin the humanities dealing - often from a postmodern perspective- with'Community, Individualization, Belonging'. The second partof the book, 'Strengthening Roman Catholic Ecclesiology', offersreflections onimportant topics such as the sinfulness of the Church, thesacramentality of the Church, lay ministries, theologians and themagisterium, to end with contributions on eschatological ecclesiologyand the link between ecclesiology and the Catholic Church in dialoguewith people of other faiths. In the next part Protestant and Orthodoxscholars offer contributions to the renewal of their own ecclesiologies.In the final and longest part of the volume the reader is provided with'Reflections on the Future of the Ecumenical Dialogue'.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9042930101
• ISBN13: 9789042930100
• Release Date: October 2013
• Publisher: Peeters
• Length: 622 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.4"