Vol. 9, No.4 nternatlona• October 1985 etln• Mission since Vatican Council II

n the history of twentieth-century Christianity, Vatican I Council II stands out as a landmark that is radically af­ fecting the course of the Christian world mission-for all Chris­ tians. It is now twenty years since the close of the council and On Page the promulgation of the "Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity" (Ad Gentes, Dec. 7, 1965), and ten years since Paul VI 146 Vatican II's Ad Gentes: A Twenty-Year Retrospective issued his apostolic exhortation on evangelization in the modern W. Richey Hogg world, Evangelii Nuntiandi (Dec. 8, 1975). In this period since the council there has been more change in Roman Catholic mission 154 The Church and Other Religions theology and practice than in the hundred years prior to the Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. council, and there will be more ferment in the remaining years of this century. 158 Interpreting Nostra Aetate through Postconciliar The articles in this issue seek to assess the council event and Teaching its continuing influence on world mission outlook and strategy. W. Eugene J. Fisher Richey Hogg takes a retrospective view of Ad Gentes, the basic mission document of the council, along with its sequel, Evangelii 165 Roman Catholic Missions since Vatican II: An Nuntiandi. Equally important was Nostra Aetate, the council's Evangelical Assessment "Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Paul E. Pierson Religions." Thomas F. Stransky, who was involved in drafting Nostra Aetate, discusses some of the concerns that went into shap­ 167 Noteworthy ing it, and Eugene J. Fisher traces its influence since the council, especially regarding Jewish-Christian relations. From an evan­ 168 Mission Theology Revisited: Keeping Up with the Crises gelical Protestant perspective, Paul E. Pierson expresses appre­ William B. Frazier, M.M. ciation for the missiological thrust of the council, along with reservations about recent trends and developments in Catholic 182 Responses to the Article by William B. Frazier, M.M. missions. Carlos Pape, S. ~D. An illustration or case study of how Vatican II has resulted in James A. Scherer a crisis for Catholic missions is seen in the study prepared by Tom Houston William B. Frazier for Maryknoll, which is the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. Responses to Frazier's analysis are 186 Documentation given by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and evangelical Protestant The Declaration on the Relation of the mission leaders. Church to Non-Christian Religions For convenience of reference and research, we include the text (Nostra Aetate) of Nostra Aetate from Vatican II, and the very important 1984 Pope Paul VI (October 28, 1965) statement on dialogue and mission from the Vatican's Secretariat for Non-Christians, "The Attitude of the Church towards the The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of Other Religions." Followers of Other Religions Secretariat for Non-Christians (March 3, 1984) 192 Book Reviews 204 Index, 1985 208 Book Notes • • of ISS1000O' seorch Vatican Irs Ad Gentes: A Twenty-Year Retrospective w. Richey Hogg

ope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras in a defined themselves by that which differentiated them from others. P joint declaration, issued simultaneously on December 7, In the twentieth century, Protestant and Anglican churches 1965, in Rome and in Istanbul, annulled the fateful mutual ex­ "outside Christendom" became autonomous and often united' communications between Rome and Constantinople of 1054.1 This ecclesially or cooperated regionally. Emphasizing the laity as the historic event in St. Peter's highlighted the final working day for people of God, they defined themselves chiefly by their calling to 2,400 bishops of Vatican II's four autumnal sessions, and is re­ the vast common task of evangelization. membered on this twentieth anniversary of the council's comple­ In its first post-Christendom and representatively worldwide tion. council, the Roman Catholic Church reflected much of that same Yet also on that notable day the "Decree on the Church's process. In Lumen Gentium it set forth its first full-orbed doctrine Missionary Activity" (henceforth Ad Gentes, in notes, AG) was of the church emphasizing its mystery, the eschatalogical mission voted and promulgated. It symbolizes the council's deep concern of the pilgrim people of God, and its role as the "universal for world wide evangelization and is so presented in this retro­ sacrament of salvation" (LG, no. 48). In Ad Gentes it specified how spective reflection. that integral mission is fulfilled in part through specific missions The council and its foundational "Dogmatic Constitution to and among those who remain unevangelized. on the Church" (henceforth Lumen Gentium, LG), provide the in­ dispensable context for considering Ad Gentes. Three other council documents relate closely to it: the Background "Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Chris­ tian Religions" (Nostra Aetate, NA), the "Pastoral Constitution Between 1919and 1959four successive popes produced five papal on the Church in the Modern World" (Gaudium et Spes, GS), and encyclicals on missions." These incorporate and hold together the the "Decree on Ecumenism" (Unitatis Redintegratio, UR). views of two missiologists. Joseph Schmidlin of Munster, borrow­ The context for understanding Vatican II includes the post-Chris­ ing from the Protestant Gustav Warneck, affirmed the aim of mis­ tendom age, the ecumenical movement, worldwide pluralism, the sions to be Christianization through evangelization and individual epochal decline in the West's global hegemony, and the rapid, conversions. The Belgian Pierre Charles insisted that the missions' powerful emergence on the universal stage of Asia, the Pacific, primary goal is to plant the church where it is not yet established. Africa, and Latin America. Today those regions hold 78 percent These complementary aims, evangelization and church planting, of the world's people, with 82 percent projected for A.D. 2000.2 through the missionary encyclicals explain the nature and struc­ The context is global. ture of Ad Genies> Yetthe latter, with full-gestation, was enhanced Vatican II embraced all human history as viewed within the through the conciliar process. purpose of God. Thus the World Missionary Conference held in Another theological factor relates to Ad Gentes. Yves Congar Edinburgh in 1910 (1985is its 75th anniversary) and all that flowed already had been writing of laity and mission as decisive themes ecumenically from it must be weighed. Indeed, Vatican II cannot in ecclesiology when in 1943 Abbe H. Godin's France, Pays de be understood adequately until the meaning for it of the ecumen­ Mission? ("France, Pagan?") proved to be a bombshell. After ical movement is researched. Moreover, at Bandung, Indonesia, World War II the phrase "post-Christian era" gained currency. in 1955 (1985 marks its 30th anniversary), the newly independent Theologians and church leaders referred to the end of "the and developing nations sought a common forum. From it emerged missions." Karl Rahner's Sendung und Gnade ("Mission and the designation "third world" and the movement for "non­ Grace," 1964 Eng. trans. The Christian Commitment) depicted the alignment." These and other notable events form the council's worldwide church as a diaspora community among non-Christians dynamic matrix. everywhere. The church's mission, theologically, had become one. In Vatican II, one sees-after a century of "besieged for­ Thus mission arose as a major ecclesiological theme, and Lumen tress" mentality-that the aggiornamento of John XXIII proceeded Gentium in broader context would mirror that reality. 5 in two basic but interrelated directions. Internally for the church, the council urged renewal, worship, reform, amd ecumenism. Externally for the new encounter in global engagement, the council Passage through the Council promoted dialogue with, mission to, and service for the world. Ad Gentes claimed the council's larger context and conjoined Cardinal G. P Agagianian, prefect of the Propaganda Fide, chaired the council's two thrusts. Here the writer will explore its emer­ the preparatory commission, which settled upon seven themes. gence, its notable emphasis, and its postconciliar course. Reflecting concerns in the encyclicals, they related to "the mis­ sions" in Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Pedestrian and inadequate, Ad Gentes the schema depressed many. Prior to the council's first session, the group modestly reedited its original draft. In the autumn of 1962 this second edition never reached the floor but was circulated In sixteenth century European Christendom, Protestant churches among the bishops, who responded with comments. Enlarged accordingly, it did not reach the floor in the crowded 1963session. W. Richey Hogg has been since 1955at Southern Methodist University's Perkins Then all remaining undebated drafts were ordered to be cut School of Theology in Dallas, Texas, where he is Professor of World Christianity. sharply to principles and basic proposals.s Earlier he and his wife had served as missionaries in India. He is past president In a unique, brief presiding appearance before the council on of the American Society of Missiology. November 6, 1964, Pope Paul VI urged the adoption of the third

146 International Bulletin of Missioaary Research and shortened version. 7 Yet in three days of ensuing debate, most International Bulletin speakers berated or sought change in the schema.s For three years of Missionary Research the drafting body had been divided "between a theological and a juridical view" of mission." The bishops divided the same way, but decisively rejected the draft and, to enhance its stature, re­ Established in 1950 as Occasional Bulletin from the Missionary quested a theological statement. Research Library. Named Occasional Bulletin of Missionary Early in 1965Johannes Schutte became the commission's sole Research 1977. Renamed International Bulletin of Missionary vice president and chief drafter, and Congar, A. Seumois, D. Research 1981. Grasso, J. Neuner, and J. Glazik became its periti. The cooperative efforts of Congar and J. Ratzinger ensured that the new theological Published quarterly in January, April, July and October by the section would accord with Lumen Gentium.w Schutte put it all to­ gether. Then, after debate and modest revision of the fourth draft, Overseas Ministries Study Center in the council's final working session 2,394 bishops, among 2,399 6315 Ocean Avenue, Ventnor, New Jersey 08406, U.S.A. present, voted Yes for Ad Gentesl» Telephone: (609) 823-6671 Theological Sectionv Editor: Associate Editor: Turning to the text, one notes that its preface affirms Ad Gentes's Gerald H. Anderson James M. Phillips essential link with Lumen Gentium. The latter begins, "Christ is the light of all nations." Ad Gentes begins, "The church has Contributing Editors: been divinely sent to all nations...." That New Testament image Catalino G. Arevalo, S.J. Lesslie Newbigin (Lk. 2:32; In. 8:12) derives from Isaiah (42:9; 49:6). The sentence David B. Barrett C. Rene Padilla concludes " . . . that she might be 'the universal sacrament R. Pierce Beaver Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. of salvation'" (AG, no. 1; LG, no. 48). Reading Ad Gentes in the Norman A. Homer Charles R. Taber light of Lumen Gentium provides a proper hermeneutical tool. Mary Motte, F.M.M. Desmond Tutu Drafted after the council's third session and Lumen Gentium's Anastasios Yannoulatos acceptance as the council's great achievement and foundation, the "Doctrinal Principles" of Ad Gentes fit somewhat awkwardly Books for review and correspondence regarding editorial matters into what had been an already formed and; developed text. In should be addressed to the editors. Manuscripts unaccompanied short, the "Doctrinal Principles" were not theologically con­ by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (or international postal a trolling base on which the decree was built. Instead, they relate coupons) will not be returned. mission to the destiny of humankind and the ultimate issue of history. Subscriptions: $14.00 for one year, $26 for two years, and $37 for The bulk of the decree evidences its origins as a set of guide­ three years, postpaid worldwide. Individual copies are $5.00; bulk lines for the missions as juridically understood within the Prop­ rates upon request. Correspondence regarding subscriptions and aganda Fide. Yethappily so muchof the then already accomplished address changes should be sent to: International Bulletin of work of Vatican II was reflected in the practical directives of Ad Missonary Research, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 1308-E, Gentes that the decree moved appropriately beyond the papal mis­ Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024-9958. sion encyclicals that originally had shaped it. Advertising: Notable Emphases Ruth E. Taylor 11 Graffam Road, South Portland, Maine 04106 Several matters of special interest in the decree deserve noting Telephone: (207) 799-4387 here.> 1. Ad Gentes, like Lumen Gentium, roots church and mission Articles appearing in this journal are abstracted and indexed in: theologically in the triune Godhead, in the wor~ of the Fat~er, Son, and Holy Spirit to achieve the destiny for which humankln.d Bibliografia Missionaria was created (AG nos. 2-5) and adds, "The pilgrim Church IS Christian Periodical Index missionary by her very nature" (AG, no. 2).The papal encyclicals Guide toSocial Science andReligion in Periodical Literature had offered the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15) as Missionalia the base for missions, but Ad Gentes pushes beyond to the ultimate Religion Index One: Periodicals source. This parallels a comparable Protestant development, the Religious and Theological A bstracts conciliar beginnings of which appear in the meeting of the Inter­ national Missionary Council (IMC) at Willingen, Fed. Rep. of Ger­ 14 Opinions expressed in the International Bulletin are those of the au­ many, in 1952. thors and not necessarily of the Overseas Ministries Study Center. 2. Lumen Gentium presents the church as lithe universal sacrament of salvation" (LG, no. 48) and Ad Gentes presents it Copyright © 1985 by Overseas Ministries Study Center. All rights similarly (AC, nos. 1, 5; cf. no. 15). "Sacrament" here derives reserved. from the Greek mysterion (translated in Latin as sacramentum), as in certain patristic usage it conveyed a sign and presence incor­ Second-class postage paid at Atlantic City, New Jersey. porating the whole divine economy of salvation. IS After its third POSTMASTER: Send address changes to International Bulletin of use of this rich image, Ad Gentes adds, "But it is not enough Missionary Research, P.O. Box 1308-E, Fort Lee, New Jersey for [Christians to provide a presence and a good example. Their 07024. task is evangelization and aiding non-Christians] toward the full ISSN 0272-6122 reception of Christ" (AG, no. 15). 3. In its theological perspectives on other religions and on

October 1985 147 salvation beyond the visible boundaries of the church, Vatican II "the followers of other religions ... , and in witness to the claimed quite new ground for an ecumenical council. With the Christian faith and life" discern and promote what is good in their unprecedented worldwide engagement of the religions among one faith and cultures (NA, no. 2; cf. GS, no. 21). another providing background and foreground, Lumen Gentium Ad Gentes develops this further within the context of Christian established the basic principles (nos. 13, 16, 17). Nostra Aetate witness. Missionaries through "sincere and patient dialogue" affirmed that other religions often "reflect a ray of that Truth can learn what "treasures" God has bestowed throughout the which enlightens all" On. 1:9) and that "the Catholic Church human family, all the while seeking "to illumine" them rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions" (NA, no. "with the light of the Gospel" (AG, no. 13). Priests in training 2; cf. LG no. 17).16 To this Ad Gentes, no. 9, added that what is in their homelands should be "duly prepared for fraternal dia­ latent and good in them (something of a "secret presence of logue with non-Christians" and should do so with reference to God") is by the church "perfected for the glory of God."17 Unitatis Redintegratio, no. 4 (AG, no. 16). Lumen Gentium stated that to the "catholic unity of the Thus Nostra Aetate and Ad Gentes in a few brief comments 'People of God' ... belong ... or are relatedv to it in various mark another decisive turning point. Although its processes and ways" Catholics, other Christians, "and indeed the whole body guidelines are not spelled out, except as those in Unitatis Redin­ of mankind" (no. 13). The next two sections (14-15) deal with tegratio may have some bearing, dialogue becomes a means for being open to and learning to know other faiths and discovering that which may reflect God's activity in them. All this, one infers, belongs to that witness that serves the church's sacramental pres­ "In a few paragraphs ence. Yet the church is also and always present for the work of evangelization. Vatican II produced a sea 5. Ad Gentes advocates that local Christians and their leaders change in Catholic under­ should prudently offer aid in efforts for the common good whether sponsored by governments or "by non-Christian religions." standing for those of other Cooperation and collaboration in work toward development and faiths or of no faith." justice are part of the Christian witness in society (AG, no. 12). 6. The papal missions encyclicals and Lumen Gentium (nos. 2~24) had made clear that as successors to the apostles, bishops bear primary responsibility for fulfilling the mission of the church. Ad Gentes, reemphasizing this, notes that their consecration is not Catholics and other Christians, but the third develops this un­ just for "one diocese, but for the salvation of the entire world" derstanding in relation to Jews, Muslims, those of the other reli­ (AG, no. 38) and links this especially to the new Synod of Bishops gions, and those "not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of (AG, no. 29). The instructions for implementing the decree (Eccle­ God," nonbelievers who yet "strive to live a good life, thanks siae Sanctae) give each bishop responsibilty for making Ad Gentes to His grace" (no. 16). "The plan of salvation . . . [within] known to the whole church so that it may "become missionary divine Providence," and always with God's grace, makes possible in fact" and so that "the entire people of God may be made salvation to those beyond the visible boundaries of the church and aware of its missionary obligation."22 those with no knowledge of the gospel (no. 16; cf. GS, no. 22).19 7. Lumen Gentium (nos. 17, 3~35) develops the role of all Yet because many among these peoples are "deceived by the the laity in the mission of the church. Pursuing this, Ad Gentes Evil One," the church must foster its missionary activity to procure (nos. 15, 35) affirms the role of each layperson everywhere for their salvation, for the glory of God, and because of the Lord's "the evangelization of the world" (no. 39). command (Mk. 16:16; LG, no. 16). 8. Founded in 1622, the Roman Curia's famed Sacred Con­ Ad Gentes reaffirms the necessity of the church for salvation, gregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) has but adds "though God in ways known to Himself can lead overseen the work of Catholic missions. To update and strengthen those inculpably ignorant of the gospel to that faith without which the congregation's structure and to facilitate its policymaking and it is impossible to please Him," the church must preach the gospel functioning capability, the bishops in Vatican Council II, applying (1 Cor. 9:16) and continue its missionary outreach (AG, no. 7). episcopal collegiality, provided the congregation with a governing The papal instructions for implementing Ad Gentes signifi­ body of twenty-four, half of them bishops from Asia, Oceania, cantly add: "The theology of mission is to become so much a and Africa, and also others holding major responsibilities for the part of theology [in teaching and in study] ... that the missionary missions (see Ecclesiae Sanctae). They also authorized a permanent nature of the church will be clearly understood." They continue: secretariat of missiologists, ethnologists, and other scientifically " ... the possibility of salvation for those who have not had trained experts to provide research and counsel (AG, no. 29).23 the Gospel preached to them [is] to be considered and the necessity One notes also the influence of the decree in the new name of evangelization and of incorporation in the Church is to be em­ given soon after Vatican II to Propaganda Fide: the Congregation phasized." These matters apply to the proper curriculum of studies for the Evangelization of Peoples (gentes). Usually now referred to in seminaries and universities.s? by its new name, that body has retained its old name as an alter­ In sum, within the universal salvific will of God, the ultimate nate designation. state of those who appear to be beyond the visible bounds of the church as "the people of God" lies within the gracious prov­ Evangelii Nuntiandi, the Episcopal Synods, and idence of God. Yetin its new covenant in Christ, the church knows the Latin American Episcopal Council that its obedience is to reach out to all peoples (ad gentes). In a few paragraphs Vatican II produced a sea change in Catholic under­ standing for those of other faiths or of no faith." The postconciliar impact of Ad Gentes appears in part in the epis­ 4. Related to Lumen Gentium (no. 16), Nostra Aetate presents copal synods and the regional episcopal conferences. They early the other religions respectfully and positively and exhorts Cath­ reflected the worldwide Christian as well as secular concern for just olics "with prudence and love" to dialogue and collaborate with social structures that had been emerging.

148 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Protestants, Anglicans, and Orthodox had shared in growing the vexing issues of evangelization. With integrity they voted ecumenical endeavor since the 1920s, and in 1948 these three down the prepared draft and approved a brief statement, "The groups constituted the World Council of Churches (WCC). From Evangelization of the Modern World."30 The bishops gave their 1925 onward a major segment of their work had centered on the questions and incomplete statements to the pope, elected several responsible witness of the churches in society, and in 1966 in of their number to assist him, and asked that he produce a clar­ Geneva the WCC's World Conference on Church and Society pro­ ifying document. The resulting papal statement thus reflects a fruit vided full voice for third-world churches. This witness came of working episcopal collegiality." widely to be affirmed as part of the Christian world mission. The same process was occuring within the Roman Catholic Church. Evangelii Nuntiandi The encyclicals "Christianity and Social Progress" (Mater On December 8, 1975, the tenth anniversary of the closing of et Magistra, 1961) and "Peace on Earth" (Pacem in Terris, 1963), Vatican II, Paul VI issued "Evangelization in the Modern reflect the concern of Pope John XXIII for the role of the Catholic World," the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (EN).32 It Church in promoting justice, social advancement, and conditions completed the important unfinished work-much of it based on that facilitate peace.> They help to explain Vatican II's Gaudium et Ad Gentes---of the Third Synod of Bishops from a harmonizing, Spes. Just as Lumen Gentium looks to the church, Gaudium et Spes papal, pastoral perspective. Not an encyclical but a "medita­ looks to the world and to pastoral dialogue with it. Rooted in tion," and leaving some thorny issues undeveloped, it offers a Lumen Gentium and also voted on December 7, 1965, Gaudium et brief summation of the nature and task of evangelization today. Spes is today one of the most quoted of the council's documents. Within its focus on evangelization, one may view it as an Its message: the church's mission includes active engagement to enlarging continuation of Ad Gentes. ". . . the holy spirit is the enhance human dignity and to achieve just societies. principal agent of evangelization," it declares, impelling those who John XXIII died on June 3, 1963, and eighteen days later Car­ proclaim and strengthening those who respond (EN, no. 75). From dinal Giovanni Montini of Milan became Paul VI. Through that Vatican II and the brief Third Synod statement (no. 4) it reaffirms name he linked himself in mission with the apostle. As "Pilgrim that "the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential Pope" he made pastoral visits to each continent and always pro­ mission of the church" (EN, no. 14). Repeating Ad Gentes's strong moted human development, especially for those newly freed of urging of unity for effective mission (AG, no. 6) it designates the colonial yoke and with impoverished ma.jorities trying to build "the sign of unity among all Christians as the way and instru­ new nations. His "On the Development of Peoples" (Populorum ment of evangelization" (EN, no. 77). Progressio, 1967),25 mirrors his concern for just and responsible On several points, Evangelii Nuntiandi claims new ground. societies. In January 1967 he had established the pontifical com­ First, Paul VI centers evangelization theologically in the mission mission known as Justice and Peace. In'1968at Uppsala the WCC's of the whole church. Its complexities, he repeats, defy adequate Fourth Assembly dealt with the same issues, which also influenced definition. It includes proclamation, but that is only one part (no. its statement on mission. 22). It penetrates all strata of society and seeks converts (no. 18). The Synod of Bishops It permeates cultures (no. 20). For the laity, it means evangelization and witness in society, politics, education, art, and the like. It Paul VI sought to provide the Roman Catholic Church with a must suffuse all life with the gospel-in short, it becomes Chris­ strong center. He enhanced it with the new collegiality mandated tianization (no. 70). by Vatican II (LG, nos. 22-25), launched the Synod of Bishops.> Second, Evangelii Nuntiandi relates the church's mission of and presided over its first four triennial assemblies. Justice and evangelization to everyone: to the de-Christianized, to those of evangelization marked the two great themes of his pontificate. other religions, nonbelievers, nonpracticing Christians, and to all The first gained its place in the Second Assembly (October 1971), Christians (reevangelizalion). For the latter it facilitates that re­ in "Justice in the World."27 Its introduction conveys its purpose: newal without which a larger evangelization is impossible (nos. "the mission of the People of God [is] to further justice in the 51-57). Here it transcends Ad Gentes and, without referring to world" (no. 1) and states its controlling conviction: "Action on "missions," points to the church's universal mission. behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the Third, responding to the growing volume of liberation the­ world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preach­ ology, Evangelii Nuntiandi links evangelization to the struggle for ing of the Gopsel, or, in other words, of the Church's mission for a just society and presents a papal theology of Christian liberation. the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every If evangelization "did not take account of the unceasing inter­ oppressive situation" (no. 6). play of the Gospel and of man's concrete life, both personal and The Third Assembly, held in October 1974, devoted itself to social," it would be incomplete (no. 29). Amid the vast struggle evangelization-and specifically "of the modern world." Prep­ to overcome all that makes life marginal, and as the Third Synod aration had been thorough. From the suggestions made by epis­ declared, the church has "the duty to proclaim [this] libera­ copal conferences, Paul VI chose the theme. In 1973questions and tion," to aid its birth, to give "witness to it," and to ensure issues went out in booklet form to the conferences for response." "that it is complete. This is not foreign to evangelization" (no. The synod's General Secretariat in June 1974 sent to the confer­ 30). ences a working draft for use at the synod. The bishops were Between "evangelization and human advancement [there involved. To Dermot Ryan, then archbishop of Dublin, in Rome exist] profound links." Yet evangelical (gospel) liberation is that for his first synod assembly with 200bishops representing a world­ "proclaimed and achieved by Jesus of Nazareth and wide church, this was a never-to-be-forgotten experience.29 ... preached by the Church" (EN, no. 31). Should the church Philip Potter, general secretary of the WCC, addressed the "reduce her mission ... to a man-centered goal, the salvation . synod. Cardinal Willebrands responded, saying that the problems of which she is the messenger would be reduced to material well­ of evangelization exercising the WCC were in large measure those being. Her activity ... would become initiatives of the political or confronting the Catholic Church and being considered by the social order." Again, referring to the pope's address at the Third synod. Synod of Bishops, "/evangelization ... would lose its reason Yetwith an abundance of materials and only a month in which for existence if it were to diverge from the religious axis that guides to discuss them, the bishops could not reach a common mind on it: the Kingdom of God, before anything else, is its fully theological

October 1985 149 meaning' " (no. 32). in Rome) in 1952 organized the Brazilian Episcopal Conference. Moreover, evangelical liberation "cannot be contained in In 1955 at Rio de Janeiro, he launched CELAM (Consejo Episcopal the ... restricted dimension of economics, politics, social or cul­ Latinoamericano, the Latin American Episcopal Council) and tural life; it must envisage the whole man, in all his aspects, in­ worked closely with the older Archbishop Manuel Larrain of Chile eluding ... openness to ... the divine Absolute" (EN, no. 33). in developing it. At Vatican II Larrain and Camara led the Latin Thus, "The Church links human liberation and salvation in American bishops who voted as progressives. Jesus Christ, but she never identifies them, because she CELAM's 1968 Medellin, Colombia, meeting, as its theme knows ... that all temporal liberation ... carriers within itself attests, sought to apply the insights and purposes of Vatican II to the germ of its own negation . . . whenever its final goal is not Latin American.v The Medellin Conference made a profound im­ salvation ... in God" (no. 35). pact. The bishops there made two massive determinations for the Not only does evangelical liberation require conversion (EN, Catholic Church in Latin America: first, to identify church and no. 36), but also within it "the Church cannot accept viol­ hierarchy with the poor and the aspirations of the masses, and ence, ... uncontrollable once it is let loose, ... as the path to second, to seek a "re-evangelization" and "re-conversion" liberation, ... " (no. 37). The church provides Christian "lib­ of the masses and the several elites. 36 erators" with a "social teaching which the true Christian cannot The Third General Conference of CELAM met at Puebla, Mex­ ignore" and " ... strives always to insert the Christian strug­ ico, early in 1979. Diversely interpreted in relation to liberation gle for liberation into the universal plan of salvation which she theology, the preferential option for the poor, and hierarchical herself proclaims" (no. 38). Additionally, "ensuring funda­ politics, the conference amplified Medellin's second major point mental human rights cannot be separated from this just liberation and focused on evangelization in Latin America. Building upon which is bound up with evangelization and which endeavors to Evangelii Nuniiandi, it explored virtually the total mission of the secure structures safeguarding human freedom" (no. 39).33 Catholic Church in that region. Fourth, Evangelii Nuniiandi speaks to the "small commu­ Addressing the conference, Pope John Paul II repeatedly re­ nities" or communidades eclesiales de base. In some areas they arise ferred to or quoted from Evangelii Nuniiandi, especially in relation "within the Church," providing a deepened koinonia, growth to liberation theology. In the "Final Document, Part II, God's in the faith, and centers of evangelization. They enhance the Saving Plan for Latin America," one sees a structure based upon church, but must obey certain cautions. In other areas they appear Evangelii Nuntiandi.v In short,') the Puebla Conference represents as bitter anti-institutional critics of the church. " ... their main an important extension of Ad Gentes through Evangelii Nuniiandi. inspiration very quickly becomes ideological, and [usually they] fall victim to some political option ... even a party." These cannot The Wider Scene Today "be called ecclesial" (no. 58). Finally, to the many and varied questions on the affirmations Within the world Christian community, the great new fact of our in Lumen Gentium and Ad Gentes for the possibility of salvation era is the emergence of the churches of Asia, Oceania, Africa, and beyond the visible boundaries of the church and the impact of this Latin America. In 1985 they hold 52 percent of the world's Chris­ on evangelization and missions, Paul VI offers an unelaborated, tians; 48 percent are in the West. In fourteen years the balance is brief direct response: projected to become 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Since ... why proclaim the Gospel when the whole world is saved by 1900 the ratio of Christians in the third world to its total population uprightness of heart? ... God can accomplish this salvation in has risen from 8.51 percent to 21.35 percent today and is projected whomever he wishes by ways which he alone to be 23.82 percent in A.D. 2000. Even in Asia the Christian growth knows . . . yet . . . his Son came . . . precisely in order to reveal to us ... the ordinary paths of salvation. And he has commanded us rate has outstripped population growth. The center of gravity for to transmit this revelation to others with his own authority ... pray the faith has shifted and moves increasingly into what so recently about the following thought: men can gain salvation also in other were called "mission lands," and this is not to deny the pres­ ways, by God's mercy, even though we do not preach the Gospel ence of the "unreached 2.7 billion."38 The church has become to them; but as for us, can we gain salvation if we fail to preach visibly and tangibly universal. Walbert Biihlmann's "Third it? For that would be to betray the call of God [EN, no. 80]. Church" has come and is growing.39 The two most authoritative theological statements for Catholic Against that background, several representative realities must mission in twenty years-Ad Gentes and Evangelii Nuniiandi, the suffice. latter an outgrowth of the former-together provide a base from which Catholic missionary theology should proceed or toward Manila Congress on Mission which critiques may be made. A major Asian Catholic event took place in December, 1979 in Additionally, Archbishop Dermot Ryan held, and rightly so, Manila, the Philippines where the International Congress on Mis­ that Evangelii Nuniiandi had considerable influence in shaping the sion drew eighty-nine of its 200 delegates from thirty-five Asian Synod of Bishops of 1977 (Catechesis); of 1980 (the Family); of 1983 countries. Lumen Gentium, Ad Gentes, and Evangelii Nuntiandi pro­ (Reconciliation and Penance); and that it will shape that of 1986 vided the theological wellsprings, but so too did the papers of the (the Laity and the Church). Ryan also made plain that missionaries Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences. Amid oppression and around the world have found Evangelii Nuniiandi meaningful for major disabilities for some new Asian. Christians, should the their work.> church "urge" baptism for all? That painful issue relates to In its response to liberation theology, Evangelii Nuntiandi inculturation, the embodiment of the Word within the peoples' clearly provides a primary source for the "Instruction on Cer­ culture. Other issues included dialogue, liberation, development, tain Aspects of the 'Theology of Liberation' " released by the and basic Christian communities. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on September 3, 1984, Finally, with the pope's representative Cardinal Agnelo Rossi with the approval of Pope John Paul II. participating, seventy Filipino men and women were sent as mis­ Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) sionaries to all parts of the world. Here were "local" or "young" churches wrestling with their mission and responding Dom Helder Camara conceived and (with Montini's permission to the challenge.40

150 International Bulletin of Missionary Research AN ALTERNATIVE VISION: An InterpretatlDn Df lIberatlDn TheDI· Dgy, Roger Haight, S.J. Presents liberationist materials under some of the most basic Christian doctrines-including God, Christology, Church, and sacraments-to show that this vision of truth has wide applications. Paper $9.95 THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCHES, HDW Different Christians Inter· pret the Scriptures. Kenneth Hagen, Daniel Harrington, Grant Osborne, and Joseph Burgess. An ecumenical collaboration that explores similarities and differences among Lutheran, Catholic, and Evangelical interpretations of scripture. Paper $8.95 READING THE OLD TESTAMENT, Lawrence Boadt, c.se.A book destined to become the best one-volume introduction to the Old Testament. Paper $6.95 THE AUTHORln OF THE BIBLE, TheDrles Df InsplratlDn, Reve· latlDn. and the CanDn Df Scripture, Robert Gnuse. A basic intro­ duction to the issues surrounding biblical authority , including a classification of theories into five models. Paper $6.95 THIS GROUND ISHOLY, Church, Sanctuary and the United States GDvernment, Ignatius Bau. Examines the legal, historical, and religious underpinnings of the sanctuary movement in the United States for Central American refugees. Paper $9.95 MISSION TRENDS NO.1, edited by Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky,C.S.P. Trends inChristian world mission efforts today. Paper $3.45 MISSION TRENDS NO. 2, EvangellzatlDn, edited by Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, es.p. Essays probing mandate of proclaiming gospel in today's world. Paper $3.45 MISSION TRENDS NO.3, edited by Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. A symposium source book of essays by major theologians-Protestant and Catholic­ from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Paper $3.45 MISSION TRENDS NO.4, edited by Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. Focuses on Third World libera­ tion theologies in North America and Europe. Paper $3.45 MISSION TRENDS NO.5, Faith Meets Faith, edited by Gerald H. Anderson andThomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. A collection of 997 Macarthur Blvd. essays from four continents about the encounter of Chris­ ...,..., DAULISTrM PRESS Mahwah, N.J. 07430 tians with people of other ideologies. Paper $3.95 1·201·825-7300 SEDOS discussed above, to Evangelii Nuniiandi, and to statements from regional bishops conferences. Founded at the close of Vatican II, SEDOS, a study and docu­ Toillustrate this new thrust, several examples must suffice. Con­ mentation center in Rome, serves the needs of some forty-five sider priests. In Africa about one-third are African, in Latin Amer­ congregations or societies whose common concern is outreach ad gentes» It convenes occasional major research seminars, an early ica about half are Latin American, and in Asia about two-thirds one of which met in 1969 in Rome. Amid the post-Vatican II eu­ are Asian. Yet note the significant trend in ordinations. In 1975in phoria, crisis assailed the missions. "Why have distinctive the West there were 2,801 and in 1980 only 2,330. In the third 'mission work overseas' when the church's mission exists every­ world in 1975 there were 1,338, and in 1980 there were 1,530. In where and when it projects a new view of other religions?" Facing 1980 virtually 40 percent of all new Catholic priests came from the that question, the seminar focused on two matters: first, salvation "Third Church"! These contrasting trends are important. Is it and other religions and, second, the role of missions in devel­ possible that by 1990 those figures may be in balance? opment.v India's Catholic Church already has more than 2,000 mission­ Meanwhile, Evangelii Nuntiandi in 1975 had seemed to answer aries overseas. And from a 1981 Lima, Peru, conference that proj­ the "why." The 1981 SEDOS Seminar in Rome, with 102 present ected future responsibilities comes this statement: "The Latin from thirty nations, contrasted with that of 1969. It had moved American contribution will not be tied to colonialism and impe­ rialism. It will be a mission of poor countries to poor countries and with poor means."48 As the numbers of Catholic priests in and missionaries from the West decline, those from the third-world JJWithin Vatican II's churches may match and exceed the balance. Some day they may be in substantial mission to the West. ecclesiology . . . is there not a major unresolved A Concluding Reflection problem?" To what may this Protestant's retrospective on Ad Gentes point? First, in the corpus of Vatican II, that decree holds a permanent place, and in many documents on mission it is still cited for mag­ isterial sanction. It will long provide a buttress-rock for all those on to the "how" of mission, utilized the Vatican II documents missions directed specifically and necessarily ad gentes. Many of and Evangelii Nuntiandi, and centered on "directions in mission its directives will remain useful. Yet it embodies an outdated per­ today": proclamation, dialogue, inculturation, and liberation. It spective on mission that runs from the church in the West to Asia, gave the central role to the "local church" (that of the region, Oceania, and Africa. The church in those regions with compelling not a parish). With a larger number of missionaries coming from vigor has come into its own. these churches, the traditional international but Western-based Second, Evangelii Nuniiandi, benefiting from the perspective of missionary institutes or sending agencies see a need to incorporate an additional decade and from representative episcopal reflection these folk. For the whole church that probably may be a long-term and collegial input, presents an enlarged and more unified ap­ plus, but it is not without some negatives. The resulting SEDOS proach to the theology of evangelization and provides a frank and "Agenda for Future Planning, Study, and Research" may well fuller statement on the difficult question of salvation among those become the basic operational policy statement for most Catholic "outside." For needed evangelization and reevangelization missions through the next decade.v around the world it offers more relevance. Its inadequacies stand open to searching, constructive criticism.w but it seems to have Common Witness become the operative successor to Ad Gentes. In the ecclesiology Ad Gentes, no. 36, and especially Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 77, represented by Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et Spes, Nostra Aetatae, address the need for unity as a necessary authentication for evan­ and Ad Gentes, the newer Evangelii Nuntiandi is supplanting the gelization, but neither mentions proselytism. Under the auspices older decree. of the World Council of Churches/Roman Catholic Church Joint Finally, within Vatican II's ecclesiology, particularly as it relates Working Group (1965 ff.), the study document "Common Wit­ to those of other faiths or of nonreligious faith, and as it is set ness and Proselytism" emerged in 1970.44 With problems such as forth in the four Vatican II documents mentioned above, is there drugs, prostitution, race, armaments, and the power of the media, not a major unresolved problem? Is the church "the universal common witness provides churches a responsible way to grapple sacrament of salvation," a sign and presence, or it is the agent of with them. The new "Common Witness"45 updates and en­ evangelization and reconciliation for Jesus Christ the Lord? If in­ larges the first. Thus far, little has been achieved. deed it is both, how does each relate to the other? Yet another side of the story can be told. In a 1968 meeting in May not the basic issue be the relation between God's created Mexico the Vatican Secretariat for Common Bible Work and the oikoumene (the world, the gentes) and God's covenanted oikoumene United Bible Societies agreed that all intended projects worldwide (the church, the people of the covenant) - in short, the relation of either agency would be examined by both to ascertain how between world history and salvation history? Is this not the fun­ mutually helpful cooperation could be best undertaken.w In 1984 damental theological issue of the age in which we live? Is not joint Protestant-Roman Catholic committees were at work on clearer understanding of this theological mystery as essential and translations in 170 languages. timely for this age as it was for that mystery in the monophysite/ dyophysite controversy prior to 451? Perhaps the painful and un­ Mission from Third World Churches certain conciliar process has already begun. Tothis Lumen Gentium In his unique and exciting Going Fortn.v' Orner Degrijse has and its cluster - including Ad Gentes - point. 50 outlined the burgeoning strength of the Catholic Church in the third world and the new drive there toward mission. He ascribes this new missionary consciousness to the Vatican II documents

152 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Notes

1. "Catholic-Orthodox Declaration," in Walter M. Abbott, ed., The 19. Pius IX in Singulari Quidem (no.7), 1856, and QuantoConficiamur Moe­ Documents of Vatican II (New York: Herder & Herder, and Association rore (no. 7), 1863, while maintaining the Cyprianic formula, "no Press, 1966), pp. 725-27. All quotations of the Vatican II documents salvation outside the church (extra ecclesiam, nullasalus),"was the first are from Abbott, Documents, unless otherwise noted. pope to state officially the possibility of salvation "outside." See 2. David B. Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia (New York:Oxford Univ. Claudia I. Carlin, ed., ThePapal Encyclicals, 5 vols. (Wilmington, N.C.: Press, 1982). See Global Table No. 29, pp. 796-97. McGrath Publishing Co., 1981), vol. 1, pp. 341, 370. See esp. Otto 3. Benedict XV, Maximum Illud, 1919; Pius XI, Rerum Ecclesiae, 1926; Pius Semmelroth, "Revelation and Salvation outside the Church," in XII, Evangelii Praecones, 1951, Pius XII, Fidei Donum, 1957;John XXIII, SEDOS, ed., Foundations of Mission Theology (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Princeps Pastorum, 1959. Books, 1972), pp. 24-25. 4. W. Richey Hogg, "Some Background Considerations for Ad 20. Ecclesiae Sanctae III (Preface and no. 1), in Flannery, ed., Vatican II, Gentes," International Review of Missions (IRM) 56, no. 223, (july 1967), p.857. 281-90. See also IRM, October, 1967, "Errata," p. 513. The July 21. Of major significance for assessing the meaning and implications of 1967issue prints the text of Ad Gentes and features several articles on this development is William R. Burrows, "Tensions in the Catholic it, including those by H. W. Gensichen and J. Glazik. Magisterium about Mission and Other Religions," International Bul­ 5. Marie-Joseph LeGuillou, "Mission as an Ecclesiological Theme," letin of Missionary Research, January 1985. in Karl Rahner, ed., Rethinking theChurch's Mission. Concilium, vol. 13 22. Ecclesiae Sanctae Ill, (no. 1), in Flannery, ed., Vatican II, p. 857. (New York: Paulist Press, 1966), pp. 81-130. 23. Karl Muller, "The Main Principles of Centralized Government for 6. Herbert Vorgrimler, ed., Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II. 5 the Missions," in Concilium, vol. 13, (1966), pp. 11-33; and Ecclesiae vols. (New York:Herder & Herder, 1966-69). Vorgrimler provides the Sanctae III, (nos. 13-18), in Flannery, ed., Vatican II, pp. 859-61. See standard background and commentary; see vol. 4, pp. 87-181, Suso also Brechter, in Vorgrimler, Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 159-65. Brechter, "Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity." For Lumen 24. See Joseph Gremillion, ed., TheGospel ofPeace andJustice: Catholic Social Gentium, see vol. 1, pp. 105-305, A. Grillmeier, Rahner, Vorgrimler, Teaching since Pope John (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1976), pp. 143­ et aI., "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church." 241. Part 1 of this book explores issues. Part 2 (pp. 143-613) provides 7. Floyd Anderson, Council Daybook, Vatican II. 3 vols. (I, 1962, 1963; II, the documents, 1961-75. 1964;III, 1965)(Washington, D.C.: National Catholic Welfare Council, 25. Ibid., p. 387-415. Of its documentation, 20 percent is from GS. 1965-66). See vol. 2, p. 232, for the papal text. 26. Apostolica Sollicitudo, Sept. 15, 1965, is the motu proprio by which Paul 8. See Bishop Donal Lamont's "Dry Bones" speech and Bishop Ful­ VI established the Synod of Bishops; in Abbott, Documents, pp. 72~ ton J. Sheen's statement. F. Anderson, Council Daybook, vol. 2, pp. 24. See also "Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church" 238-39, 244-45. (Christus Dominus, CD), no. 5, Oct. 28, 1965 (Abbott, pp. 399-400). 9. Xavier Rynne, The Third Session . . . Vatican Council II ... 1964 (New 27. Gremillion, Gospel of Peace and Justice, pp. 513-29. See also Avery York:Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1965), p. 207, citing Bishop G.-M. Riobe Dulles, The Resilient Church: Necessity and Limitsof Adaptation (Garden of France. City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1977). His first chapter, "Rethinking the 10. Brechter, in Vorgrimler, Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 100-102. Mission of the Church," provides an important perspective on this 11. Ibid., pp. 102-11. whole development, see esp. pp. 16-18, 2~22. 12. "Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church," in Abbott, 28. Synod of Bishops, "The Evangelization of the Modern World (For Documents, pp. 584--630. See also Austin P. Flannery, ed., Documents the Use of the Episcopal Conferences)." (Vatican City, 1973). Re­ of Vatican II (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1975). This printed with the same title by the U.S. Catholic Conference. edition, coming ten years after the council, incorporates many council­ 29. Dermot Ryan, "A Look at the Church's Response to the Inter­ related documents. The appendix lists 250 (pp. 1015-40). Ecclesiae national Synod on Evangelization," L'Osservatore Romano, March 4, Sanctae III, "Instructions for Implementing Ad Gentes," pp. 857­ 1985, weekly edition, pp. 6-8. The late archbishop, pro-prefect of the 62, of Flannery. Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, delivered this address 13. For a helpful appraisal of Ad Gentes, see Joseph Masson, "Vatican in Florida, to a Symposium on Evangelization, on February 14, 1985, II and Post-Conciliar Theology of Evangelization," in Documento Mis­one week before his untimely death in Rome. The text centers on sionalia, vol. 5: Mariasusai Dhavamony, ed., Evangelization, Dialogue, Evangelii Nuntiandi of -1975 and its influence on subsequent synods. and Development: ... Theological Conference, Nagpur (India), 1971 30. Gremillion, Gospel of Peace and Justice, pp. 593-98. (Rome: Universita Gregoriana Editrice, 1972), pp. 105-16. See also 31. See appraisal by Archbishop S.E. Carter, "Synod of Bishops-­ Samuel Rayan, "Mission after Vatican II," IRM, October 1970, pp. 1974," IRM, July 1975, pp. 295-301. The synod text and Potter's ad­ 414-29. Rodger Bassham's Mission Theology: 1948-1975 (Pasadena, dress also appear in IRM, July 1975, pp. 311-18. See also Documenta Calif.: Wm. Carey Library, 1979), provides a helpful background for Missionalia-9, M. Dhavamony, ed., Evangelization (Rome: Universita developments before Vatican II and for the decade after. Gregoriana Editrice, 1975). 14. Norman Goodall, Missions undertheCross (London: Edinburgh House 32. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Catholic Conference, 1976. Press, 1953). The IMC in 1961 was integrated with the WCC at the 33. The congruence between much of what is reflected above in EN and latter's Third Assembly in New Delhi, 1961, and became its Com­ the concerns of the WCC at Nairobi in December 1975 is noteworthy. mission on World Mission and Evangelism. See also Georg Vicedom, See Mortimer Arias's plenary presentation on holistic evangelism, Missio Dei(St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia Publishing House, 1965;German "That the World May Believe," IRM, January 1976, pp. 13-26, plus original, 1957), and Lesslie Newbigin, TheRelevance of Trinitarian Doc­Responses. Cf. "Section I: Confessing Christ Today," in David M. trine for Today's Mission (London: Edinburgh House Press, 1963). Paton, ed., Breaking Barriers: Nairobi 1975, the Official Report. (Grand 15. Grillmeier, in Vorgrimler, Commentary, vol. 1, pp.138-40. Rapids, Mich: Wm. B. Eerdmans for WCC, 1976), pp. 41-57. See also 16. This traditional understanding in the Catholic Church traces to Justin "The Lausanne Covenant," in J.D. Douglas, ed., Let the Earth Hear Martyr. His Voice: International Congress on World Evangelization, Lausanne 17. Although Vatican II was a quite different kind of council, remarkable [1974J. (Minneapolis, Minn.: World Wide Publications, 1975), pp. 3­ parallels on the approach to religions and secularism appear in the 9. But also see the Minority Report: "Theological Implications of statement of the IMC at Jerusalem in 1928. See Jerusalem Meeting of Radical Discipleship," in Douglas, pp. 1294-96; it is not so designated. the International Missionary Council, March 24-April 28, 1928. 8 vols. 34. Ryan, "Church's Response," pp. 6-7. (London and New York: IMC, 1928). See "The Christian Message" 35. Latin American Episcopal Council, (CELAM), Medellin, 1968: The in vol. I, The Christian Life and Message in Relation to Non-Christian Church in thePresent DayTransformation ofLatinAmerica. 2 vols. (Wash­ Systems of Thought and Life, pp. 401-14, esp. pp. 408-12. ington, D.C.: U.S. Catholic Conference, 1968). 18. "Non-Christian groups are ordained iordinantur) to the 'People 36. Ibid., 2.117-56, esp. p. 124. Note references to LG, AG, and through­ of God' " (Grillmeier, in Vorgrimler, Commentary, vol. I, p. 182).

October 1985 153 out to GS. Much in this volume seems to prefigure EN (1975). 45. "Common Witness: A Study Document of the Joint Working 37. Latin American Episcopal Council, Puebla [19791: Evangelization atPres­ Group of the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of ent and in the Future of Latin America (Conclusions) (Washington, D.C.: Churches" [WCC Mission Series, No.1]. Geneva: WCC, 1981. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1979). John Eagleson and 46. See "Guiding Principles for Interconfessional Cooperation in Philip Scharper, eds., Puebla and Beyond: Documentation and Commen­ Translating the Bible" [1968] in Thomas F. Stransky and John B. tary (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1979). The second book cited Sheerin, eds., Doing the Truth in Charity ... 1964-1980: Ecumenical includes all texts found in the first book cited, and also adds 104pages Documents I (New York: Paulist Press, 1982), pp. 159-75. of commentary from six persons. 47. Omer Degrijse, Going Forth: Missionary Consciousness in Third World 38. Barrett, ed. World Christian Encyclopedia, Global TableNo. 29, pp. 796­ Catholic Churches (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1984). 797. See also David B. Barrett, "Annual Statistical Table on Global 48. Ibid., pp. 14-15, 49, 69. Note also that a similar growth in Protestant Mission: 1985," International Bulletin of Missionary Research, January third world missions has provided since 1960a parallel development. 1985, pp. 30--31. See Peter Larson, Edward Pentecost, James Wong, eds., Missions from 39. Walbert Buhlmann, TheComing of the Third Church (Maryknoll, N.Y.: theThird World (Singapore: Church Growth Study Center, 1972); Mar­ Orbis Books, 1977). The "first church" is that of the Orthodox in lin L. Nelson, ed., Readings in Third World Missions (Pasadena, Calif.: the East, and the "second" is that of the Catholic and Protestant Wm. Carey Library, 1976);Lawrence E. Keyes, The Last AgeofMissions: West. A Study of Third World Mission Societies (Pasadena, Calif: Wm. Carey 40. C.G. Arevalo, ed., Toward a NewAgein Mission, theGood News ofGod's Library, 1983). Kingdom to the Peoples of Asia; International Congress on Missions (lMC) 49. Michael Singleton and Henri Maurier, "The Establishment's Ef­ Manila, December, 1979, books I-III (Manila: IMCrrheological Confer­ forts to Solve the Evangelical Energy Crisis: The Fourth Roman Synod ence Office, 1981). See esp. Arevalo, "Further Reflections on Mis­ and Evangelii Nuntiandi," Concilium, vol. 114 (1979), (New York: Sea­ sion Today in the Asian Context," book II, pp.129-53. bury Press, 1979), pp. 113-19. See also Burrows, "Tensions in the 41. Mary Motte and Joseph R. Lang, eds., Mission in Dialogue: The SEDOS Catholic Magisterium." Research Seminar on theFuture ofMission, March 8-19, 1981, Rome, Italy. SO. On the fiftieth anniversary of VaticanII (the 105th of Edinburgh, 1910) (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1982), See p. xi. in A.D. 2015 may it be that historians will look back and reflect that 42. See SEDOS, ed., Foundations of Mission Theology. for the Christian church worldwide in the twentieth century the two 43. Motte and Lang, eds., Mission in Dialogue, pp. 633-49; see also Motte, most important councils were Edinburgh, 1910,and VaticanII, 1962­ "Perspectives of the Mission of the Local Church: An Analysis of 651 Both were seminal. Both were concerned for the evangelization the Reflection/Study Papers," pp. 623-31 of Mission in Dialogue. of the world, with the nature and place of the religions in God's 44. "Common Witness and Proselytism: A Study Document," Ecu­ oikoumene, with Christian uhity for evangelization, and with the na­ menical Review, January 1971, pp. 9-20, and Responses, pp. 21-43. ture of the church. See Karl Rahner, "Basic Theological Interpre­ Also in Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, eds., Mission tation of the Second Vatican Council," Chapter 6 in his Concern of the Trends No.2: Evangelization, pp. 176-87. The Anderson-Stransky Mis­ Church: Theological Investigations XX. (New York: Crossroad, 1981).A sion Trends, series 1-5, provide many chapters that offer valuable "classic." See also W. Richey Hogg, "Edinburgh 191O-Per­ additional reading for this article on Ad Gentes. pective 1980," Occasional Bulletin ofMissionary Research, October 1980.

The Church and Other Religions

Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P.

I

nlike the short time-span of other recent world church formed and modified the insights and judgments that the sixteen U assemblies, Vatican Council II was a seven-year event in promulgated documents finalized. The torrent of the Roman Cath­ the Roman Catholic Church, from 1959 to 1965. First, during 1959­ olic Church's long history paused for an instant, then rushed 60, the Vatican consulted for their agenda wishes the more than forward again. 2,500 bishops of local churches, 156 superiors general of religious In this context of slow development, one should place the communities, and sixty-two theological and canonical faculties of shortest of all Vatican II decrees, Nostra Aetate (NA); in English, Catholic universities. The collated results were then handed over the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Chris­ to eleven drafting commissions. These, in tum, began to shape tian Religions." For by the time the first NA draft reached the floor the drafts on seventy themes, which eventually were integrated toward the end of the second session (Nov. 18, 1963), the conciliar and whittled down to fifteen. Finally, between October 1962 and process was revealing a threefold (although not exclusive) con­ December 1965, the council fathers, as they are called, gathered sciousness or awareness: for debate during four autumn sessions---a total of thirty-three 1. The Roman Catholic Church is no longer a Mediterranean weeks, with continuous redrafting between and during each church, as it was in the first eight councils; no more a West Eu­ yearly session. ropean church, as it appeared in the councils of the Middle Ages; This intentionally long period conditioned the unrushed, de­ nor a South European church, as it seemed at the Council of Trent veloping dialogue among the fathers. That process gradually (1545-63); and no more a worldwide church governed mostly by European bishops, as it was at Vatican I (1869-70). Vatican II be­ came the first council in which Europe-if we think of Europe as reaching into the Levant-had not the all-controlling voice. With Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P., wasafounding staffmember oftheVatican Secretariat one-fifth of the episcopate from Latin America, and over one-third for Promoting Christian Unity (1960-70), and a participant in all phases of the drafting ofNostra Aetate. Past president ofthePaulist Fathers, heisnowDirector from the local churches of Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and with a of Paulist candidates, OakRidge, New Jersey. surprisingly articulate consensus among these bishops, the first

154 International Bulletin of Missionary Research two sessions marked the transition of the Roman Catholic Church Ecumenism," reached the floor for discussion. Its fourth chapter from a European to a worldwide basis. was entitled, "The Relation of Catholics and Non-Christians, 2. The Roman Catholic Church is facing a new historical sit­ and especially to the Jews." But that chapter gave only polite uation in which committed Catholics, indeed all Christians, are introductory reference, in two lines, to "conversing and coop­ becoming a minority religious community; the majority of the erating with Non-Christians who nevertheless worship God, or religiously committed do not live from the [udeo-Christian tra­ at least with good will, try to follow their conscience in carrying dition but are adherents of various non-Christian religions. out the moral law situated in human nature." This brief reference 3. The Roman Catholic Church is developing an existential gave leverage to harsh complaints from the bishops, especially concern for people as people, whether within or without this those from Asia and Africa: "Two lines for two-thirds of the church, whether Christian or not. Dialogue with the others is world!" An enlarged draft, now detached from "On Ecumen­ becoming more than a cliche. ism" and standing on its own, returned for discussion at the third Here in the 1960s began the breakdown of previous stances session (1964). The draft was so refined by the end of the fourth toward other Christians and peoples of other faiths or of "no session that it received 2,221 approvals, and only 88 negative votes faith." Previously, firm convictions about the Roman Catholic (Oct. 28, 1965). Church's faith under God's Word easily led to an equally firm conviction of this church's ability to interpret, at a distance, other III Christian or non-Christian self-understandings, even the others' motives for thinking and acting. Vatican II expressed more than Commentary a minor shift from that position: first understand the others as they understand themselves to be, and only then evaluate the con­ Here I offer four preliminary but in hindsight necessary remarks. victions and actions of others with criteria from the Roman Cath­ 1. NA, as with all Vatican II documents, is addressed to Ro­ olic tradition. Furthermore, in that very dialogue, the Roman man Catholics. Because of its conciliar authority, NA expects obe­ Catholic Church begins to understand itself more authentically. diential responses from Roman Catholics, not agreement in all its Through Vatican II the church began to appreciate that dialogue points from the others, including other Christians. helps also to foster its own integrity. Dialogue with other Chris­ 2. As with all other Vatican II texts, NA stands by itself, yet tians, with those of other world religions, indeed with all others, it presumes that one integrates its content with other major doc­ helps the Roman Catholic Church to be church. uments: Lumen Gentium (LG), on the church; Dei Verbum (DV), on This new threefold consciousness in Vatican II sought expres­ divine revelation; Gaudiumet Spes(GS), on the church in the mod­ sion in various ways through several major themes, for example, ern world; Ad Gentes (AG), on the missionary activity of the church; the Trinity and the kingdom, the kingdom and the church, Christ's and Dignitas Humanae (DH), on religious freedom." I find much of one church and many churches, the salvation of others, mission the misinterpretation of NA in a lack of such integration. Or worse, to others, dialogue with others, cooperation with "all people of good will" in shaping a more humane world in justice and peace, et cetera. Thus the same impetus that asked the question "Who are Recommended these Protestants and Orthodox now living everywhere as neigh­ bors who also are committed to Christ, and what is the Catholic The Proceedings of the meeting of the International As­ Church's relation with them and their communions?" also asked, sociation for Mission Studies at Harare, Zimbabwe, in Jan­ "Who are these people of other world faiths, and what is the uary 1985 are published in Mission Studies: Journal of the Catholic Church's relation with them and their religious com­ lAMS, vol. 2, no. 1, (1985). All members of the association munities?" will receive a copy. Nonmembers may order this single issue for US $8.00 or may subscribe to the journal for US II $12.00 per year. Send orders with payment to: lAMS, Ra­ History of Nostra Aetate» penburg 61, 2311 GJ Leiden, The Netherlands.

In Vatican II's unfolding history, the question of non-Christians was first posed in a very restricted and special way: "Who are some authors have forced NA to say more than it intended in 1965 the Jews, and what is the relation between church and syn­ by reading into the texts later Roman Catholic development in agogue?" thought, as expressed, for example, in Paul VI's Evangelii Nuntiandi After Pope John XXIII had announced his intention to convoke (1975), on evangelization, and even John Paul II's Redemptor Hom­ Vatican II (jan. 25, 1959), several Jewish leaders vocally hoped that inis (1979), on redeeming humanity. the council would try directly to face Catholic understandings, 3. Nevertheless, even in their attempts at objective integra­ attitudes, and relations with the Jewish people in the post-Holo­ tion of content, commentators in hindsight perceive differences caust common era. Other Jews, less quietly, were worried that the of stress, even inconsistencies, in Vatican II's efforts to balance council could very easily increase Jewish fears by its reinforcement previous common teachings with the "legitimate development" of traditional theological and biblical supports for anti-Jewish of those teachings. At least for me, it is far easier to understand thinking and behavior. A French Jewish scholar, Jules Isaac, out­ what Vatican II implicitly or explicitly acknowledges as consistent, lined these hopes and fears to Pope John in a private conversation developing common teaching by listing what in the 1960s this (june 13, 1960). "Could not a voice from the summit show the excluded: good path?" asked Isaac. The pope mandated Cardinal Augustin Bea, the biblical scholar and president of the newly created Sec­ a. Theologies of a universalism that claim that because retariat for Promoting Christian Unity (SPCU), to prepare a con­ God's persuasive love wills that all should be rescued from ciliar declaration that would deal with the Jewish people. sin, death, and judgment, everyone is saved from the be­ At the second session (1963), the SPCU's first draft, "On ginning to the end of God's salvation process, whether that

October 1985 155 person is explicitly Christian or not; draws them toward fellowship." b. Christologies that claim that Jesus is not the funda­ This positive methodological approach is an extraordinary mental, indispensable, sole mediator of salvation, redemp­ step, and not just a single paragraph but the all-embracing char­ tion, justification, sanctification, and final reconciliation; acter of the entire NA has since marked its commanding import c. Soteriologies that restrict God's free initiatives of sal­ in Roman Catholic history. vation through grace, either by placing those initiatives only Nevertheless, NA, understood with other Vatican II texts, has within the explicitly Christian arena or by binding them to not completely answered old theological questions, or the council's human efforts. incomplete answers have raised new questions. d. Ecclesiologies that sever the relationship between 1. The salvation of the individual non-Christian. The Spirit acts Christ and the visible structured community of disciples that in the depths of every person, and "offers to all the possibility gathers around him-the whole body of Christ, head and to be made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal members, the church. mystery" [i.e., passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ], e. Missiologies that so restrict the church's purposes and whether they are within or without the visible borders of the activities that the church need not try to offer all men and church (GS, no. 22; cf. LG, no. 16; AG, no. 15; DH, no. 6). All women a valid opportunity to hear the good news and to grace is of Christ. Without him there is no salvation (cf. GS, no. participate fully in the mystery of Christ in his church. 22). The sincere faith-experience of an individual non-Christian is I stress the foregoing "exclusions" because too often both salvific. Grace is the saving presence of God, close to those who Catholic and Protestant comments on Vatican II, and its Nostra seek him even in shadows and images (LG, no. 16). "Those Aetate, are at least tinged with reading into conciliar texts the also can attain to eternal salvation who, through no fault of their writings of some post-Vatican II biblicists and theologians who are own, do not know the Gospel of Christ and His church, yet sin­ going beyond this common teaching, or even against it, whether cerely seek God and, moved by His grace, strive by their deeds in theology or Christology, in soteriology, ecclesiology, or mis­ to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of siology. conscience" (LG, no. 16). 4. Vatican II was trying in fidelity to establish the Roman The grace of Christ, which in his spirit is present to all human Catholic basis for dialogue with non-Christians, including the beings, is not individualistic but communitarian and social. Grace Jews, without the church's yet having the experience and the fruit fosters a saving faith that orients people, even if unawares, to full of dialogue. If authentic dialogue presumes that we understand incorporation into the body of Christ, the church. "At all times the others as they understand themselves to be, then one should and among every people, God has given welcome to whosoever not expect NA of 1965 to be more than an initial basis for future fears Him and does what is right (cf. Acts 10:35). It pleased God, dialogue. One of the present naivetes is to criticize NA's incom­ however, to make men and women holy and save them not merely pleteness or lament its unanswered questions, as ifNA had already as individuals without mutual bonds, but by making them into a been a finished product of two decades of dialogue. single people, a people which acknowledges Him in truth and serves Him in holiness" (LG, no. 9). IV To conclude. Everyone can be saved. For one to be saved, "good faith," "sincere heart," and "conscience-dictated With these four points in mind, I now outline Vatican II's treatment deeds" are present. God's free, initiating grace is always necessary, of the non-Christians." as somehow necessary is Christ and somehow his church. NA observes that the human family today is "being drawn Here the old theological question of "the salvation of the ever closer together and the ties between different peoples are non-believer" finds the more recent yet pre-Vatican II answer: the being strengthened, ..." This process of unification is not the "unbeliever" or "non-Christian" is saved insofar as he or result of mere human activity, but unfolds God's saving plan for she is already a believer by a salvific faith that somehow is already humankind. This objective unity of origin, pilgrimage, and ulti­ "Christian," that is, of Christ, and already somehow involves mate destiny is reflected in the universal religious quest for"an­ the church. The "somehows" and these "ways of God" are swers to the profound riddles (enigmatibus) of the human left to theologians who, as did their predecessors, are developing condition." Most individuals do not undergo this existential search "the faith which seeks understanding." by themselves, isolated in their options, but as members of com­ 2. Other religions as such. NA is the only Vatican II document munities whose collective, historical life has taken and is devel­ that treats the non-Christian religions as such, and the "true oping options of thought and action before the mystery of human and holy," the "ways of conduct and of life," the "precepts existence. and teachings," "the good things, spiritual and moral, ... of The church reverences the God who "carefully is planning other religions." In these religions are "seeds of the Word" and preparing the salvation of the whole human race" (D~ no. (AG, nos. 11, 15) and "seeds of contemplation" (AG, no. 18), 14), and reverences also God's workings among all men and "elements of truth and of grace, present as a sort of secret women, everywhere, at all times. The church not only tolerates presence of God" (AG, no. 9), "a ray of that truth which en­ but respects those outside its borders who are seeking the ultimate lightens all" (NA, no. 2). reality, and raise their hearts to the living God even though they The previous dominant Roman Catholic common teaching do not always know his name. "The Roman Catholic Church was this: if God saves an individual non-Christian, one is saved rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions," for there despite one's religious community as such. There is only one re­ are "treasures that a bountiful God has distributed among the ligion. The supernatural revelation that is the person of Jesus nations of the earth" (AG, no. 11). Roman Catholics should con­ Christ, Word made flesh, gives an absolute and exclusive character verse with the followers of others religions in order to "rec­ to the body of Christ, of which he is the head. Only the church ognize, preserve and foster the good things, spiritual and moral, of Christ embodies this religion. Other "religions" are human as well as the sociocultural values found among the followers of constructs, although in God's providential pedagogy they may other religions." Finally, NA offers a positive method of dialogue, provide a "preparation for the Gospel." based upon "what human beings have in common and what NA proposes that religions as such are not outside but within

156 International Bulletin of Missionary Research the history of salvation. In some wayan individual can be saved into the council arena was to correct the anti-Jewish tone of much not despite but in one's community of faith, because in some way past Christian catechesis and preaching, which derived from false these religions incarnate sufficient "religious beginnings (in­ theological presuppositions, and these, in turn, were misinter­ cepta religiosa)" of a supernatural response to the revelation in pretations of biblical facts. Thus NA addresses Roman Catholics: Christ. (1) granted that some Jews rejected the gospel, which was· As critical bishops during Vatican II observed, NA shows "a preached by many who "sprang from the Jewish people," little too much optimism," "a blindness to the negative in other nevertheless "God holds the Jews most dear for the sake of religions." Other conciliar texts are seen as a corrective balance, their fathers"; (2) granted that Jewish authorities "pressed for or for some commentators, juxtaposed texts reveal at least over­ the death of Christ," nevertheless "what happened in his pas­ stresses. sion cannot be charged against all the Jews without distinction, Vatican II acknowledges that people, in their efforts to seek and touch God, who is not far from anyone of us (cf. Acts 17:27), need enlightenment and correction in their attempts (AG, no. 3). "Deceived by the Evil One," men and women are often JJVatican II raised new "caught up in futile reasoning and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie" (LG, no. 16). "Whatever good lies latent in questions and did not an­ the religious practices and cultures of diverse peoples is not only saved from destruction but is also healed, enobled and perfected swer them about the role unto the glory of God, the confusion of the devil, and the hap­ of other religions in salva­ piness of man" (LG, no. 17). That need demands a response of the church in its missionary activity. tion history." In some way these religions, by whatever truth and grace are found among them, tend upward toward their fulfillment in the church of Christ, even though they are burdened, in various de­ grees, through "malignant contagions" (AG, no. 9) with the then alive, nor against the Jews of today"; (3) granted that the downward trend toward corruption. church believes herself to be the new people of God, nevertheless NA intentionally does not enumerate and describe all reli­ the Jews should not be "represented as rejected by God or gions, for example, more recent "cults." Some council fathers accursed." wanted to expose the errors of those that are briefly described: Yet as the drafting proceeded to absorb the council's devel­ "primitive" religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and with oping intentions and thought, the primary purpose of the last two a somewhat different intention, the Jewish religion. In the final drafts was to instruct Roman Catholics on why they should, and session (1965) Cardinal Bea answered these critics: "The pur­ how they can, understand, respect, and love Jews, and collaborate pose of the Declaration is not a complete exposition of these re­ with them in dialogue. ligions, nor of their discrepancies among themselves and from the 1). The interest of the Roman Catholic Church in the Jewish Catholic religion. This council rather intends through this Decla­ people is not due simply to today's de facto condition of religious ration to show that there is a bond between man and religions pluralism. The church's concern is based on its search into its own which is meant to be the basis of dialogue and of collaboration. mystery; "it remembers the spiritual bonds which tie the people Therefore, greater attention is paid to those things which unite of the New Covenant to the offspring of Abraham." us, and are helpful in a mutual approach." 2). The church is not a totally new beginning in God's plan Nowhere does Vatican II state explicitly that other religions of salvation. The beginnings of its faith and its election are found are "means of salvation," although NA does imply that. Even already in the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets. The divine so, other religions are not wholly or completely from God, as is promises are fulfilled, not abrogated, with the coming of Jesus. the church, but neither are they merely human constructs. Only The Jews are God-bearers, our special brothers and sisters. The the church is eschatologically definitive and normative. The church Gentiles are but wild shoots grafted onto the well-cultivated olive is "the initial budding forth of the reign of God" (LG, no. 5), tree, which is the Jewish people (cf. Rom. 11:17-24). the visible vanguard, the social expression in history of the reign 3). Judaism is not just another "world religion." The Jews of God that is also present in less visible, even hidden ways outside remain then, today, and always most dear to God. Their election the visible borders of the church. As "the messianic people" stands. God neither repents of the gifts he makes nor reneges on with Christ as their head, this people does not include all men the call he issues. No human decision can break this bond (cf. and women, but stands as a representative of all, "a most sure Rom. 11:2&-29). seed of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race" (LG, 4). The sins of all men and women are responsible for Jesus' no. 9), oriented toward God's reign until its fulfillment in the full free acceptance of his passion and death. The cross is a sign of communion of all humankind as brothers and sisters in God. God's all-embracing love, not a whipping post for any class of Indeed, Vatican II raised new questions and did not answer people. them about the role of other religions in salvation history, and within that same history, the relation of non-Christian religions New Questions Not Answered to the church, and of both to the reign of God. As Paul VI reflected, "Only the Reign of God is absolute, and it makes everything 1. The salvation of the church is "symbolically prefigured (mys­ else relative," including the church. And that reign participates tice praesignari) in the exodus of the chosen people from the land in the very mystery of God, at whom we obscurely glimpse of bondage." From the paschal event, mysteriously prefig­ through the dark mirror of faith. ured, can one derive principles for the salvation not only of the Jews of the Old Testament but also of those Jews who today con­ v tinue to live within the framework of the Mosaic law? Furthermore, The Jewish People in this typological theology is the Jewish people not only repre­ A primary motive for the introduction of the Jewish people as such sentative of humanity but also of the church in a common spiritual

October 1985 157 destiny? excluding more and more Romans. Who are "the Jews" whom 2. The church "received the revelation of the Old Testament the evangelists accuse, and whom do they represent? In other through the (Israelite) people." But the revelation of the Old Tes­ words, what is the typology of "the Jews" in Matthew and tament continues to be salvific in the church in the measure that John? the church de facto continues to "draw sustenance from the 6. Christians in their witness should always avoid prosely­ root of that good olive tree" (Rom. 11:17-24). And with its subtle tism (in the pejorative sense); they should shun all conversionary Marcionisms, in the measure that the church de facto does not attitudes and practices that do not conform to the ways in which draw sustenance, is it less church? a free God draws free persons to himself in response to his calls 3. Christ "reconciled Jews and Gentiles, making the two to serve him in spirit and in truth (DH, nos. 2-4). In the case of one in himself (cf. Eph 2:14-16)." But this reconciliation, which is the Jewish people, also forever the Elect, what is Christian already realized at its source, is not yet accomplished in history. The "proselytism" in practice? And what is "evangelization"­ theology of history in Romans (9-11) is a dialectical relationship the church's never-ceasing proclamation of Jesus Christ, "the of Jews and Gentiles, both bound to a common destiny. What is Way, the Truth, and the Life (Iohn 14:6),in whom men and women the eschatological destiny, "the fulfillment" of the Jewish peo­ may find the fullness of religious life, and in whom God has ple in relation to the nature of their permanent election (the nature reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor. 5:18-19)"? Furthermore, of that permanency, the value of the irrevocable gifts of God, and what is the continuing mission of the synagogue to the church? thus the divine value of the Jews in themselves), and in relation And what is the common mission or witness of the church and the to the incomplete, wounded universality of the church (cf. Ephe­ synagogue because both are "elected," to humanity, including sians 2) as long as the "proto-schism" is not healed? What is those of other world religions? the nature of the common messianic and eschatological hope be­ tween Jews and Christians-"serve the Lord with one accord" Questions Not Raised (Zeph. 3:9), though there are profoundly different understandings about the forms of the realization of the event? 1. Even though the council fathers had already been or became 4. NA's "the church is the new People of God" in no way quite conscious of Europe's Holocaust of European Jews, Vatican closes discussion on the Jews' being in some way of this new II did not consider how the Holocaust enters into the very self­ people. Nor does the text-as was clearly brought out in the drafting definition of the Jewish people. Nor did the Roman Catholic meetings-rule out the opinion of those theologians who hold that Church ask how the Holocaust enters into the very self-under­ a radical schism has divided the people of God on earth into the standing of the church. Not only what was, but what is this hor­ church and Israel. Is the schism within the church or, rather, within rendous event in salvation history? Israel? 2. Vatican II did not consider how the post-World War II 5. Nothing is to be taught or preached that is out of harmony emergence of the State of Israel-therecovery ofa promised, found, with the truth of the gospel ("eum veritate evangelica noncongruai"). then lost "land"-also enters into the Jewish people's self-un­ What is the difference between ideological anti-Semitism and the derstanding. polemic of the evangelists? The texts of Matthew and John tend These two questions have now risen as the fruit of the Cath­ to excuse the disciples and to accuse more and more Jews by olic/lewish dialogue that has taken place because of Nostra Aetate. Notes _

1. For extensive details of this complex history, see references listed in Vaticanum (Bologna: Edizione Dehoniane, 1971). [Nostra Aetate quo­ Eugene Fisher's article in this issue. tations are from the version appearing in this journal issue.-Eds.] 2. Austin Flannery, a.p., has edited the English translations of all Vatican 3. For some sections of this I still use my 1966reflections, in Vatican II:An II and most postconciliar Vatican documents in Vatican Council II (Col­ Inter-Faith Appraisal, ed. John H. Miller, C.S.C. (Notre Dame, Ind.: legeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 1975). But for the English texts in Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1966), pp. 335-68. this article, I have translated from the Latin originals in Enchiridion

Interpreting Nostra Aetate through Postconciliar Teaching

Eugene /. Fisher

ostra Aetate ("In Our Time"), promulgated by Pope theological status of non-Christian religions in general and of the N Paul VI on October 28, 1965, was the shortest and most Jewish-Christian dynamic in particular, have ensured a "post­ heatedly contested document issued by Vatican Council II. Yet its history" of the document as lively as its prehistory." It is the impact has been profound. Institutionally there emerged out of postconciliar history of the document that is the subject of this its brief paragraphs two secretariats of the Holy See (for non­ brief anniversary report. For from the point of view of tradition Christians and for non-Believers) and the Commission for Reli­ as Catholics understand it, such a document can be properly gious Relations with the [ews.' understood only in the light of the teachings and statements of Controversial at the time, the very ambiguities of certain of the magisterium that interpret and implement it. This point was its key phrases, both with respect to its stance concerning the made strongly by Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, president of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and also of the com­ mission, on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the dec­ Eugene J. Fisher is Executive Secretary, Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relations, laration, October 25, 1980: National Conference of Catholic Bishops in the U.S.A.

158 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Nuntiandi (EN; Evangelization in the Modern World). Both forms We read it {Nostra Aetatel in the light of "Guidelines and Sug­ of witness, it states, are equally necessary. Significantly, however, gestions" for its implementation, published by the Commission in while all Christians are called to the mission of service, as God's 1975 ... [and of] comments and references to our text coming from people in the world, not all are called to the kerygma (proclamation Popes and various Episcopates over the years .... But it is not only a matter of "texts. Life itself, that is, the progress of the dialogue of preaching and catechesis): "At every new phase of human with Judaism which was called for by the Council, sets the texts history, the Church, constantly gripped by the desire to evange­ within the context of lived reality. This context absolutely cannot lize, has but one preoccupation: whom to send to proclaim the be disregarded.3 mystery of Jesus?" (EN, no. 22). Evangelii Nuntiandi falls back on the church fathers for its While Cardinal Willebrands's hermeneutic is specific to article no. approach to the world religions, viewing them essentially as 4 of the document, the point is also valid regarding the other "natural religious expressions most worthy of esteem," but sections of the text. This paper will attempt an overview assess­ distinguished thereby from the church's own supernatural origins ment of how postconciliar teaching has clarified much that may (no. 53). In this view, the world religions "are all impregnated have been vague in the original text, and how other major areas with innumerable 'seeds of the Word' and can constitute a true remain open pending further discernment through dialogue and 'preparation for the Gospel' " (EN, no. 53). internal church reflection on the insights gained in dialogue. Such phrasing, however, does not begin to deal with the unique reality of Judaism and the Jewish people, whose origins Attitudes toward non-Christian Religions as are, on indisputable biblical testimony, no less "supernatural" Salvific Realities than the church's own, having been called into being as people of God by God. Likewise, if it can be said (as the council at various It has often been noted that Vatican Council II presented more points declared) that non-Christian religious traditions contain than one face to the world in general and toward world religions "precious things both religious and human" (Gaudium et Spes, in particular, depending on which document of the council one no. 92), "elements of truth and grace" (Ad Gentes, no. 9) and focused upon.s Such loose ends have precipitated various at­ tempts, both theological" and magisterial,s to resolve the appar­ ently contradictory thrusts of the conciliar texts. The fact that Christians enter dialogue to learn religiously as "The church, in short, well as to share their own faith is commonly understood. And respect for the conscience of individuals and the mystery of faith now clearly takes a more as a free relationship between the person and Cod" has resolved humble stance toward the on a practical level much that may have been considered "triumphalist" in older forms of missionary work.. The church, workings of God within in short, now clearly takes a more humble stance toward the work­ the human community, ings of God within the human community, extra ecclesiam, than before the council. The actions of the Spirit are no longer perceived extra ecclesiam, than be­ as bounded exclusively by the church's own activity or procla­ fore the council." mation, but can be discerned as already at work in other religious traditions." Thomas F. Stransky, in his 1966 commentary on Nostra Aetate, noted that the notion of the church as "universal sacrament of salvation" opened the way for what I would call a possible "a ray of that truth which enlightens all''(Nostra Aetate, no. 2)1' "nonconversionist" approach to mission by shifting the issue such facts, combined with the assertion by Redemptor Hominis of from ecclesial affiliation as the "sign" of salvation, to the uni­ the universality of the Christ-event, render the distinction between versal salvific efficacy of the Christ-event itself. Pope John Paul II "natural" and "supernatural" religions very difficult to confirmed this relatively open tendency of the council when he maintain with any strictness. As I have asked before: "If Ju­ stated: daism and the world religions are valid dispensations of grace in any real sense, how can they be seen as provisional (Le. awaiting Humanity-every person without exception-has been redeemed by fulfillment in Christianity)? Is religious plualism something to be Christ, because Christ is in a way united with humanity-with each merely tolerated or is it, in itself, a sign of God's manifold and person without any exception whatever-even when the person is inexhaustible richnessT'? The central issue, as expressed by unaware of it: "Christ, who died and was raised up for all, Thomas F. Stransky in 1966, has yet to be resolved: In what way provides humanity"-each person and every person-"with the are other religions "salvific in and through themselves"? light and the strength to measure up to the supreme calling" [Re­ Also, unresolved, but working toward resolution, is the ques­ demptor Hominis, no. 14]. tion of the relationship between dialogue and mission. Here, the most critcal document is a very recent one, issued in 1984 on the One would say, then, that while the church today recognizes twentieth anniversary of the creation of the Secretariat for non­ the validity of salvation extra ecclesiam, it would draw a line to Christians.'! This long-awaited text on dialogue and mission, affirm that there can be no salvation for the nations extra Christum, "The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of Other itself perhaps a statement requiring further nuancing.? Religions,"12 can be said to do for the general theory of interreli­ Pope Paul VI attempted to bridge the gap between the service gious dialogue underlying the first three sections of Nostra Aetate (diakonia) and the proclamation (kerygma) models of the church's what the 1975 "Guidelines and Suggestions" (to be discussed mission (the former representing the line of development from below) did for no. 4 on the Jews. That is, in the light of the practice Dignitatis Humanae, on religious freedom, and Nostra Aetateitself, of dialogue since the council and, as it says, "the subsequent with the latter following the logic of Ad Gentes, the decree on magisterium," it attempts a significant step of clarification as well missionary activity) with his 1975 apostolic exhoration, Evangelii as a consolidation of more recent trends in Christian self-under­

October 1985 159 standing. human effort, so the goal of mission, I would conclude, need not As with Evangelii Nuntiandi, which sought to unify service and be conversion to the church, but rather, openness to the Spirit in proclamation within the larger framework of mission, so "The whatever form that takes in a given person or faith community Attitude of the Church" relates evangelization and dialogue as (no. 39). "found together in the mission of the church" (no. 7). It goes Such a formulation of the church's mission resolves a number one careful step beyond Evangelii Nuntiandi in stating that "for of difficulties noted above, while leaving others open. The gap every Christian, the missionary duty is the normal expression of between the natural and supernatural orders evinced in earlier this lived faith" (no. 10), but then, following that document as teachings is bridged with the awareness that God's grace is well as Ad Gentes, nos. 5-6, concluding that "the task is one "present ... in every human encounter" (no. 23), so a way is but comes to be exercised in different ways...." (no. 11). opened up for seeing other religions as salvific in their own right The "single but complex and articulated reality" that is the (though not necessarily extra Chrisium). "God's reign" has not church's mission, then, can be fulfilled "by the simple presence yet reached "fulfillment" (no. 25) either for the church or for and living witness of the Christian life (cf. EN, no. 21)," by service, the world, so the proclamation itself is preserved from triumphalist formulations to which it may have been prey in the past. Left open, finally (and, I think, consciously), is the question of what form the unification of "all humanity" at the end of time will Announcing take (no. 43). The church bears witness to this longing but does not encompass its fullness within its institutional boundaries. The American Society of Missiology will hold its 1986 an­ nual meeting at North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, June 20-22. The Association of Professors of Mission will Nostra Aetate, No.4: On the Church and the meetJune 19-20at North Park in conjunction with the ASM. Jewish People Dr. Charles R. Taber of Emmanuel School of Religion is President of the ASM, and Dr. Samuel Moffett of Princeton If the story of postconciliar development of Nostra Aetate, nos. 1­ Theological Seminary is President of the APM for 1985-86. 3 can be said to be an attempt to reconcile various competing views Further information may be obtained from Dr. Wilbert R. of God's activity among the nations within one overarching Shenk, Secretary-Treasurer of the ASM, Box 1092, Elkhart, "worldview," the history of the interpretation of Nostra Aetate, IN 46515. no. 4, since its promulgation is one of more and more precise The Eastern Fellowship of the ASMIAPM will hold its articulations of particular points often only implicit in the text annual meeting November1-2, 1985at the Maryknoll Sisters itself. Likewise, if the advances made in developing a more pos­ Center, Maryknoll, N.~ The theme will be "Cutting itive attitude toward world religions in general can be seen as Edge Questions in Mission from Two-Thirds World Per­ pertinent to a discussion of relations between the church and the spectives," and the major speakers will be Dr. M. M. Jewish people as a minimum of what can be said regarding the Thomas of India, Dr. Tite Tienou of Africa, and Sr. Theresa nature of the Jewish-Christian dialogue, it is by no means all that Chu of China. For further details, write the Secretary-Treas­ can or must be said from the church's point of view. 13 urer of the Eastern Fellowship: Dr. James M. Phillips, P.O. Nostra Aetate opened many windows in the church's tradi­ Box 2057, Ventnor, NJ 08406. tionally negative assessment of Jews and Judaism, stressing the positive aspects of the biblical testimony, especially Romans 9-11 (cited some seven times in the text), without totally defining what the positive appreciation it called for would look like. Given all by liturgy and the spiritual life of contemplation, or by procla­ the ecclesiatical infighting that surrounded it and the necessary mation and catechesis ("The Attitude of the Church" no. 13). compromises from the earlier drafts of the statement to the final Respect for the religious freedom of others, both as individuals product.t- it is not surprising that many commentators at the time and as religious communities, must characterize every form of tended to stress its ambiguities and weaknesses compared with mission, so understood. A sense of doctrinal humility, that we as the earlier drafts: it did not mention the rebirth of the State of Christians do not "possess the truth in a perfect and total way Israel or the Holocaust, the chief events of contemporary Jewish but can walk together with others toward that goal" and can self-understanding; it did not "condemn" the deicide charge, "profit from the gifts which God bestows so generously" on but simply eschewed the notion of collective guilt'>: it did not non-Christians and Christians alike" likewise permeates all forms address the question of proselytism; it did not make clear in what of Christian mission, evangelization as well as dialogue ("The sense God's covenant with the Jewish people perdures post Chris­ Attitude of the Church," no. 21). tum (on its own or as "fulfilled" in the church as the "new "The Attitude of the Church," no. 22, suggests (for the people of God"?); it did not advert to the continuing role of the first time on this level, I believe) a positive theoretical foundation Jewish people as a people after New Testament times (so that it for religious pluralism in the world and for interreligious dialogue, could be read as "supercessionist" though not abrogationist); seeing it as an action to which Christians are called by reason of it expressed no explicit sorrow or regret for the persecution of Jews the faith itself, and in some sense a reflection of God's inner "life by Christians over the centuries; it was silent on whether the of communion and interchange" within the mystery of the Trinity. Jewish people today have a "mission" or a role of witness to The church is called, in this vision, not only to proclaim the suf­ the world and in what way that might relate to the church's own ficiency and universality of the Christ-event (no. 23), but to the mission in and for the world; it mentioned only glancingly the discovery through dialogue of "the richness which the Father issue of the treatment of Jews and Judaism in the liturgy, and has hidden in creation and history" (no. 22), and is oriented while mandating clearly a renewal of catechesis and preaching "towards God's reign," which is described as the "perfect regarding Jews and Judaism, it gave few explicit examples. communion" of all humanity. Christ is the "guarantee" of this A decade later, and based upon dialogues on the local and "progressive fulfillment," for which we still long (no. 25). The international levels that were remarkably fruitful given the short­ agent of conversion, the document reminds us, is the Spirit, not ness of the period when compared to the millennia in which the

160 International Bulletin of Missionary Research "teaching of contempt" held sway, the Holy See issued its stand because of 16 ~ne. implementing document for Nostra Aetate, no. 4. can trace prejudice," and specifies in these 1975 "Guidelines" various phrases and insights that John'S Gospel and the had earlier appeared in local or national church documents, such treatment of the Pharisees as the "Guidelines for Catholic-Jewish Relations" put out in (no. 2). the U.S. by the Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relations of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1967, and the state­ presents "the church avoids supercessionist ments of the bishops of Austria (1968), of Holland (1970), of Bel­ as the new People of implications and states gium (1973), of France (1973), and of Switzerland (1974). God" (no. 4). instead: "The Old Tes­ As with the conciliar declaration itself, an earlier draft of the tament and the Jewish Vatican "Guidelines" was made public some years before the tradition founded upon it adoption of the official text, with the result that many commen­ must not be set against tators judged the final version "weakened" and therefore un­ the New Testament in satisfactory. On the other hand, one can discern in the such a way that the for­ cautiousness of each step taken on an official level not only the mer seems to constitute a seriousness with which the topic is approached by the magiste­ religion of only justice, rium, but above all an indication of the "irreversibility" of the fear and legalism, with process itself. Each step, indeed each half-step, is measured ~nd no appeal to the love of secured before the next step is attempted. Each step takes Into God and neighbor (cf. account and builds upon previous statements. While such a pro­ Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18)" cess may appear painfully slow to many of us in the dialogue, the (no. 3). result is increasing security in understanding. From the perspec­ tive of the history preceding Vatican II, of course, such progress limits itself to " the encourages Christians to as has occurred appears breathtakingly rapid. spiritual patrimony com­ learn "by what essen­ The following chart lists several areas in which the wording mon to Christians and tial traits the Jews define of the 1975 Vatican "Guidelines" specifically clarified wording Jews" (no. 4). themselves in the light of left "creatively vague" by the council, thus determining how their own religious expe­ Nostra Aetate is today to be read. Many of these, it will be noted, rience" (Intro.). are directly responsive to critiques made of Nostra Aetate in the dialogue between Catholics and Jews sparked by the council: confines itself to strictly deals also with other Nostra Aetate, 1965 Vatican "Guidelines," 1975 religious or spiritual areas, encouraging re­ terms. search on Judaism in the affirms that "the condemns, "as op­ fields of exegesis, theol­ church decries hatreds, posed to the very spirit of ogy, history, and sociol­ persecutions and mani- Christianity, all forms of ogy. festations of anti-Semi- anti-Semitism and dis­ tism directed against Jews crimination." makes no reference to the refers to the Holocaust as at any time and by any­ Holocaust of European the "historical setting" one" (no. 4). Jewry. of Nostra Aetate and the present Jewish/Christian makes no mention of the affirms that "the his- dialogue. postbiblical religious tra­ tory of Judaism did not dition of Judaism. end with the destruction defines the Jews solely in speaks of the Jews of to­ of Jerusalem, but rather biblical terms, i,e., in ref­ day as well as biblically, went on to develop a reli­ erence to their past: and in modern terms: gious tradition" (no. 3); "the Jewish religion," "Judaism," "Jewish associates "Jewish and the "chosen people," brothers," "the Jewish Christian tradition" "the wild olive soul," "the Jews" (no. 4). shoots," "the Jews" (eight times), "the (eight times, always in Jewish people" (twice, remembers "the spirit­ affirms lithe spiritual the context of the New and in specifically reli­ ual bonds which tie the bonds and historical links Testament). gious context, being fol­ people of the New Cove­ binding the Church to Ju­ lowed immediately by nant to the offspring of daism" and "these "the Christian peo­ Abraham" (no. 4). links and relationships" ple").17 (Intro.). Evolution based on (and therefore a constant reinterpretation of) makes no reference to mandates an "overrid­ Nostra Aetate, no. 4, of course has continued after the "Guide­ traditional false stereotyp­ ing preoccupation" in li­ lines," in an internal church conversation, as it were, reflecting ing of the Pharisees or to turgies and education to better understandings gained through dialogue. Regarding the misunderstandings that provide adequate back­ point of honestly confronting the centuries of Christian .persecu­ can arise from reading ground for scriptural tion of Jews and Christian involvement in the Holocaust Itself, for the New Testament or in readings, "which example, one can recall the frankness of the 1976 statement of the the liturgy. Christians, if not well in­ German bishops: formed, might misunder-

October 1985 161 Apart from some admirable efforts by individuals and groups, most Our common spiritual heritage is considerable. Help in better un­ of us during the time of National Socialism formed a church com­ derstanding certain aspects of the church's life can be gained by munity preoccupied with the threat to our own institutions. We taking an inventory of that heritage, but also by taking into account turned our backs to this persecuted Jewish people and were silent the faith and religious lifeof the Jewish people as professed and lived now about crimes perpetrated on Jews and Judaism.... Christians even as well [italics added]. took active part in these persecutions. 18 In this sense, the pope, drawing on the most positive possible There is also on the record today the moving words of Pope John interpretation of Nostra Aetateand subsequent tradition, can evoke Paul II in his homily at Auschwitz: "In particular I pause with very precisely a sense of common witness, indeed of joint mission you before the inscription in Hebrew. This inscription awakens properly so called, of Jews and Christians in the world: the memory of the people whose sons and daughters were in- Jews and Christians are called, as children of Abraham, to be a blessing for the world (Gen 12:2). They engage themselves jointly to work for peace and justice among all persons and peoples in the fullness and profundity that God himself has disposed for us ... IIWe cannot presume In the light of this promise and this Abraham-like call I look with you toward the destiny and the role of your people among the any longer the comfortable peoples. answers of centuries past." Such a vision does not resolve all the questions we may have regarding the relationship today.> This radical new framing of the traditional questions, supplied perhaps only implicitly by Nostra Aetatebut now made increasingly explicit in official Roman Cath­ tended for total extermination.... It is not permissible for anyone olic teaching, means that we cannot presume any longer the com­ to pass by this inscription with indifference."19 And in Rome in fortable answers of centuries past. As Tommaso Federici concluded 1982: "The terrible persecutions suffered by the Jews in various in his now classic study of proselytism and the conversion question periods of history have finally opened many eyes and disturbed (which, while not official teaching as such, had the approval of many hearts: If there have been misunderstandings, errors and all the relevant bodies of the Holy See before being presented): even insults since the day of separation, it is now a question of The central institutions of other religious faiths may in their turn overcoming them with understanding, peace and mutual es­ enrich the Christian, offering fresh possibilities of expression, arous­ teem."20 ing valencies and potentialities that were formerly latent. But this Regarding the State of Israel, Pope John Paul II has gone can come about still more in contact with the Jewish tradition and further than any other in acknowledging and supporting its ex­ its exegetical, liturgical and mystical treasures, its religious and phil­ istence, both de facto and de jure.>' In his 1984 Good Friday ap­ osophical thought. If this is true of other religions in relationship ostolic letter, Redemptionis Anno, for example, John Paul II declared: with Christians, how much more is it with the Jewish religion, to "For the Jewish people who live in the State of Israel, and who which Christians are and remain united by so many unbreakable preserve in that land such precious testimonies of their history ties. 25 and their faith, we must ask for the desired security and the due tranquility that is the prerogative of every nation."22 This state­ Vatican Commission "Notes" on Catechesis ment, of course, builds upon earlier statements of local hierarchies and Preaching on Israel, particulary those of the French bishops (1973) and the United States bishops (1975), but also upon the ongoing relations On June 24, 1985, the Holy See's Commission for Religious Re­ between the Vatican secretary of state and Israel. lations with the Jews took yet another step on the journey toward One can also find a gradual increase of awareness of Jewish reconciliation with the issuance of "Notes on the Correct Way peoplehood in the documents. Whereas Vatican Council II speaks to Present Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Catechesis in the in categories such as "Abraham's stock," which could be read Roman Catholic Church."> As was the case with both Nostra as the old "carnal Israel" (versus the "true" or "spiritual" Aetate and the 1975 Guidelines, there were expressions of disap­ Israel equated with the church), official terminology today, as pointment from the Jewish community. The International Jewish above, does not hesitate to speak of "the Jewish people," with Committee for Interreligious Consultations, OJCIC), which had all the freight that carries regarding the continuity of Jews and received the document three weeks in advance, issued its own Judaism today with biblical Israel. Thus Pope John Paul II, in his statement also on the 24th. IJCIC cited several sections (in fact, 1980 address in Mainz, speaks of the dialogue as "the meeting the bulk of the document) as positive contributions to understand­ between the people of God of the old covenant never retracted by ing, such as its sections on the Jewish roots of Christianity, the God, on the one hand, and the people of the new covenant," Jews and the Pharisees in the New Testament, Judaism and Chris­ likening the relationship to that between the Testaments them­ tianity in history, and the document's "commitment to religious selves. 23 liberty and the continuing concern about anti-Semitism." These Referring to the April 1980 "Declaration on the Relations areas, IJCIC said, were "handled in scholarly fashion and with of the Church to Judaism," by the German bishops, John Paul II delicacy. "27 sought to dispel any lingering notion that the religious relevancy IJCIC, however, concluded that the "Notes" represented of the Jewish people for the church may have been exhausted in a "retreat from earlier Catholic statements," citing in particular New Testament times. The German bishops had used the phrase concerns over the tone and meaning of its sections on the rela­ "the spiritual legacy of Israel for the' church." Affirming this, tionship between the covenants, typology, the State of Israel and the pope escalated the content significantly, referring to it as "a the Holocaust. The concerns, of course, are legitimate ones, es­ living legacy that must be understood and treasured in its pro­ pecially since the "Notes" themselves emphasize at the outset fundity and in its richness." In his address in Rome on March 6, the necessity for learning "by what essential traits the Jews 1982, John Paul II made the point even more strongly: define themselves in the light of their own religious experience,"

162 International Bulletin of Missionary Research yet direct their attention mainly at the traditional categories of These sections respond directly to the areas of greatest dif­ Christian teaching. ficulty in the current treatment of Jews and Judaism in Catholic While the "Notes" are still too fresh at the time of this textbooks. If implemented, they have the potential of revolution­ writing to attempt a full commentary to assess their impact on the izing Catholic teaching. While the 1975 Vatican Guidelines men­ dialogue, my own view is that they represent, certainly in Catholic tioned the "pejorative meaning" often attributed to the word terms, a significant step forward though not yet the goal for which "pharisee," this section vividly opposes that connotation with they themselves call. (The title, "Notes," indicates the authors' a more positive description. own feeling to this effect, I believe). Likewise, Section VI expands on a brief statement in the 1975 The "Notes" establish the "wholly unique" nature of Guidelines that "the history of Judaism did not end with the the Church/jewish people relationship "founded on the design destruction of Jerusalem, but rather went on to develop a religious of the God of the covenant"28 and that the irrevocable nature of tradition." Here, it makes reference to "the permanence of God's covenant with the Jewish people provides the basic reality Israel (while so many ancient peoples have disappeared without upon which to build a catechetical understanding of Jews and a trace)" as "a historic fact and a sign to be interpreted within Judaism. Thus, the "Notes" seek to integrate a positive un­ God's design." Emphasizing that the Jewish people "remains derstanding of Jews and Judaism, postChrisium as well as biblically, a chosen people, . .. accompanied by a continuous spiritual fe­ into the essence of Christian teaching (nos. 2 and 3). cundity in the rabbinic period, in the Middle Ages and in modern The problematic paragraphs of the document referred to in times," the text offers the basis for an entirely new approach to the various Jewish reactions need to be understood within this Jewish peoplehood within the context of catechesis. Again, the solid context of the acknowledgment of the religious and, indeed, results may well be revolutionary in the long run for Catholic salvific validity of Judaism. In intoducing the text at a press con­ teaching. ference in Rome on June 24, Msgr. Jorge Mejia, Secretary of the The "Notes" also speak, in this context, of the religious Commission and one of the three signers of the document (with attachment of the Jewish people to the Land. Jewish history, it Cardinal Johannes Willebrands and Fr. Pierre Duprey, the Presi­ states, "continued, especially in the numerous Diaspora which dent and Vice President of the Commission), made very clear the allowed Israel to carry to the whole world a witness--often heroic­ intent of the "Notes" on this point, stating that while in these of its fidelity to the one God and to 'exalt Him in the presence paragraphs "there is the affirmation about Christ and his saving of all the living' (Tobit 13:14), while preserving the memory of the event as central to the economy of salvation-an affirmation which Land of their forebears at the heart of their hope." is essential to the Catholic faith (Section 1, no. 7)-this does not This statement I believe to be truly remarkable in more than mean that the Jews as a people cannot and should not draw salvific one way. On the one hand, it acknowledges without reservation gifts from their own traditions. Of course they can and should do that the very Jews who were persecuted and even killed by Chris­ so" (italics added). This is a remarkable, and remarkably unam­ tians over the centuries are to be seen by the church properly as biguous statement. Since it was published in L'Osservatore Romano martyrs ("heroic witness") and presented as such in the class­ together with the "Notes" themselves, it should be seen as room. On the other hand, it affirms the relationship with the Land clarifying any doubts the wording of the text itself may have left in the context of that eschatological hope which it sees as essential in the minds of readers. to the spiritual bonds linking our two peoples (II, 10-11) in the The text terms typology, which has been distinctive of Chris­ perspective of God's reign. This Jewish hope, "which finds its tian liturgical usage of the Scriptures from earlier times, "per­ roots in biblical tradition," directly addresses Christian hope and haps the sign of a problem unresolved." Neither the church nor the Christian understanding of 'Eretz Yisroel. While the "Notes" Judaism, Exodus nor Calvary are "complete" in themselves. are not ready to make their own "any particular religious inter­ Both await the "final consummation. .. the coming or return pretation" of this relationship of people to Land (e.g. biblical fun­ of the Messiah-even if they start from two different points of damentalism), catechesis, the central teaching of the church, needs view. .. thus it can be said that Jews and Christians meet in to provide students with an understanding and positive appre­ comparable hope, founded on the same promise made to Abra­ ciation of it. ham." (II, 10-11). Likewise, the existence of the State of Israel is to be taught This sense of the intimacy of the "spiritual bonds" linking as secure and valid under international law though, again, one the church to the Jewish people and of the common goal of God's cannot take a simple biblical fundamentalist approach to "po­ reign leads the "Notes" to doubt the adequacy of a formulation litical options" such as the boundaries of the State, but must deal of the relationship as simply "two parallel ways of salvation," with them primarily (though not necessarily exclusively) in ref­ which never touch or meet (1,7). Such a model, from a Catholic erence to those same "common principles of international law." point of view, does not articulate well enough "the unity of Finally, while renewing once again the condemnation of an­ the divine plan" (II, 3). This section, while yielding certain hints tisemitism of the Second Vatican Council, the "Notes" mandate for a renewed (Le. non-triumphalist) interpretation of typology, the development of Holocaust curricula in Catholic catechetical does not offer its own model for the relationship. As with previous materials, as Msgr. Mejia commented on introducing the text: documents, there is much that remains unresolved for the dia­ "Catechesis should help Catholics to understand the dimen­ logue. sions of the tragedy (the Shoah) and its significance for the Jews, Section III sketches the most positive and detailed portrait of but also for us, whom it also obviously concerns. Many teaching Jesus' relationship to the Law ("there is no doubt that he aids have already been prepared by Catholic offices to awaken wished to submit himself to the law, . . . extolled respect for it such awareness or to deepen it. Our Commission is pleased with and invited obedience to it") and to the Pharisees ("he is closer such developments and intends to point out in them a way to be to them than to other contemporary Jewish groups") that has ever followed." So while, as on other crucial issues, the "Notes" been attempted in an official statement of the church. Section IV point to work to be done, the text does not provide itself a model centers on the controversies and polemics of the New Testament catechesis on the Holocaust. text, which it states often "reflect Christian-Jewish relations long The dialogue between Catholics and Jews is in its infancy. after the time of Jesus" and are thus not normative for Christian The reactions to the text reveal something of its fragility and the attitudes today. difficulty we still experience in making ourselves understood

October 1985 163 to one another as well as in understanding the other. The step along the way to that goal, a beginning and not by any means "Notes" should be taken as they present themselves: another a finished product. Notes ------_

1. The Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews is officially 8. See especially the essay of Bishop Pietro Rossano in Anderson and described as "attached to but independent from" the Secretariat Stransky, eds., Christ's Lordship, pp. 96-110. for Christian Unity. The reason for the link with Christian Unity rather 9. Whether "the nations" includes the Jewish people, however, re­ than Non-Christians is both historical and theological. Historically this mains very much an open question. See Daniel Harrington and Doug­ placement reflects the notion that the first rupture ("schism") ex­ las Hare's interpretation of ethne as goyim in Mt. 28:19, "Make perienced by the church came with its break with Judaism, so that if Disciples of all Gentiles," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 37 (1975): 359-69. unity within the church is to be achieved, some form of reconciliation 10. Eugene Fisher, "Historical Developments in the Theology of Chris­ with Jews is a logical necessity. Theologically the Vatican structure tian Mission," in Cohen and Croner, eds., Christian Mission, p. 32. reflects awareness of the uniqueness of the Jewish-Christian relation­ 11. For a description of the history of the secretariat and the present status ship, one more intimate, so to say, than the church's relationship with of its various dialogues, see the address of Archbishop Francis Asinze any other "non-Christian" group. Yet the commission is independent at Rome's Pontifical Urban University, Feb. 19, 1985, published in from the Secretariat for Christian Unity (though sharing the same Origins 14, no. 39 (March 14, 1985): 641-50, under the title "The president and vice president, the two have different sets of consultors) Urgency of Dialogue with non-Christians." so that its task would not be misperceived as bringing Jews into 12. Secretariat for Non-Christians, "The Attitude of the Church to­ "union" with the church but, rather, would be seen as that of wards the Followers of Other Religions: Reflections and Orientations dialogue and reconciliation. Indeed, many at the time of the council on Dialogue and Mission," Bulletin 56, (1984), XIX, no. 2, in English, wanted the declaration on the Jews (Nostra Aetate, no. 4) promulgated Italian, French, Spanish, German, and Arabic; reprinted in this issue either with the Decree on Ecumenism or independently. of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 2. The history of the development of the text, which reveals much about 13. Cornelius Rijk, then director of the Vatican Office for Jewish-Catholic its meaning at the time of promulgation, has been well recorded and Relations of the Secretariat for Christian Unity took just this approach analyzed, most exhaustively by John M. Oesterreicher, "The Dec­ in his article "Some Observations on a Christian Theology of Ju­ laration on the Relationship of the Church to non-Christian Religions: daism," which tells us much about the understanding of Nostra Aetate Introduction and Commentary," in Herbert Vorgrimler, ed., Commen­ within the secretariat in the immediate wake of the council. Originally tary on the Documents of Vatican II, vol. 3 (New York:Herder & Herder, given as a lecture at Seton Hall University on the occasion of the fifth 1969), pp. 1-136, and also incisively by Rene Laurentin and Joseph anniversary of the declaration in October 1970, it was published in Neuner, S.J., in Commentary on theRelation oftheChurch toNon-Christian SIDIC 5, no. 1 (1972): 3-17. In it Rijk notes that while the document Religions (New York: Paulist Press, 1966), and by Thomas F. Stransky, "was certainly not the best possible declaration," already at that C.S.P., in John H. Miller, C.S.C., ed., Vatican II: An Interfaith Appraisal time certain "documents and guidelines, issued by bishops con­ (Notre Dame, Ind.: Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1966), pp. 335-48. For ferences or other church bodies, show an evolution in thinking." Much another view (in French), see J. C. Lichtenberg, O.P., "Contenu et of this evolution taking place as a result of dialogues between Catholic portee de la Declaration Conciliare sur les [uifs," Nouvelle RevueTheo­ and Jewish communities throughout the world was incorporated into logique 88 (1966): 225--48. and therefore officially affirmed by the 1975 Vatican Guidelines and 3. Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, "Address on Fifteenth Anniver­ Suggestions for Implementing the Conciliar Declaration, Nostra Aetate, No. sary of Nostra Aetate," SIDIC14, no. 1 (1981): 28-29. Published in Rome, 4 (Rome: Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, SIDle has also over the years published in English and French the key 1975). [Nostra Aetateis reprinted in this issue of the International Bulletin papal and episcopal documents referring to Jewish-Christian relations. of Missionary Research.-Eds.] For a handy collection, see Helga Croner, ed., Stepping Stones to Further 14. See no. 2 above, for references analyzing and interpreting these mod­ Jewish-Christian Relations (London: Stimulus Books, 1977). Vol. 2, up­ ifications of the text. dating the collection to the present, will be published in 1985by Paulist 15. Some saw in the wording here an "exoneration" of the Jewish Press. For church documents on other world religions, see the Bulletin, people from guilt for Jesus' death. But this was a mistaken reading also in English and French, of the Secretariat for Non-Christians (Vat­ even at the time, as the 1975 statement of the National Conference of ican City). Catholic Bishops made clear: "the truth is that the Council ac­ 4. E.g., see Gregory Baum's analysis of the differing approaches of the knowledged that the Jewish people never were, nor are they now, "Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity," the "Pastoral guilty of the death of Christ" (Croner, eds., Stepping Stones, p. 32). Constitution on the Church in the Modem World, and Nostra Aetate, 16. See no. 13, above. in "Rethinking the Church's Mission after Auschwitz," in Eva Fleis­ 17. For the idea behind this chart, I am indebted to Jacqueline des Roch­ chner, ed., Auschwitz: Beginning of a New Era? (New York: KTAV/Ca­ ettes, "Evolution of Vocabulary: A Sign of Hope?" SIDIC 8, no. 3 thedral Church of St. John the Divine/ADL, 1977), pp.115-17; see also (1975): 21-24. Thomas F. Stransky, in Miller, ed., Vatican II. More recently, see Mi­ 18. Croner, ed., Stepping Stones, p. 66. chael B. McGarry, C.S.~, "Contemporary Roman Catholic Under­ 19. John Paul II, "Homily at Auchwitz," Origins, June 2, 1979. See also standings of Mission," in M. Cohen and H. Croner, eds., Christian the pope's references to the Holocaust in his statement to the Jewish Mission-Jewish Mission (New York: Paulist Press, 1982), pp. 119-46. community of Mainz on Nov. 17, 1980 (Origins, Dec. 4, 1980). 5. For an excellent brief survey of theological attempts, see Paul F.Knitter, 20. John Paul II, "Address to Representatives of Episcopal Confer­ "Roman Catholic Approaches to Other Religions: Developments ences," March 6, 1982 (Origins, March 25, 1982). and Tensions," International Bulletin of Missionary Research 8, no. 2, 21. Cf. Eugene Fisher, "The Pope and Israel: Rome Looks at Jerusa­ (April 1984):49-54. The series of books Mission Trends, edited by Gerald lem," Commonweal 112, No.1 Oan. 11, 1985): 16-17. H. Anderson and Thomas F.Stransky (Paulist Press and Wm. B. Eerd­ 22. John Paul II, Redemptionis Anno, cited in Fisher, "The Pope and mans Publishing Co.) chronicles much of the debate over the years. Israel," p. 16. Those who have doubts as to whether or not the Holy Perhaps the best single resource on the present status of the debate See recognizes the State of Israel should, with this statement and the is Anderson and Stransky, eds., Christ'sLordship andReligious Pluralism meeting between the pope and the prime minister of Israel, Shimon (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1981). Peres, 'have had them resolved. 6. See, e.g., William R. Burrows, S.V.D., "Tensions in the Catholic 23. So also the phrase used by John Paul II in the same address: "the Magisterium about Mission and Other Religions," International Bulletin encounter between today's Christian churches and today's people of of Missionary Research 9, no. 1 (january 1985): 1-4. the covenant concluded with Moses." 7. See the conciliar "Declaration on Religious Liberty" (Dignitatis Hu­ 24. E.g., what is one to do with "typology" and "fulfullment" the­ manae). ology? Here one can see a clear progression, though not yet a definitive

164 International Bulletin of Missionary Research conclusion, in the development of terminology from Nostra Aetate's 25. Tommaso Federici, "Study Outline on the Mission and Witness of normative, but negatively phrased biblical hermeneutic that "the the Church," SIDIC 11, no. 3 (1978): 34. Jews should not be represented as rejected by God or accursed, as if 26. Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, "Notes this followed from Holy Scripture," to the distinction in the 1975 on the Correct Way to Present Jews and Judaism in Preaching and "Guidelines" that the biblical promises were "fulfilled" in Catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church," Origins: NC Documentary Christ, but "we await their perfect fulfillment in his glorious return Service (Iuly 4, 1985, vol. 15, no. 7) pp. 102-107. at the end of time," to the virtual reservation by "The Attitude of 27. Ibid., p. 103. the Church Towards the Followers of Other Religions" of the term 28. Ibid., para. 2, citing Pope John Paul II's address in Rome of March 6, "fulfillment" to the eschaton and its refusal to reduce fulfillment 1982. (i.e., the unity of all humanity under the one God) to formal conversion to the church.

Roman Catholic Missions since Vatican II: An Evangelical Assessment

Paul E. Pierson

ith its central focus on the proclamation of the gospel and Church to Non-Christian Religions," states that while the church W the planting of the church, Ad Gentes (AG), Vatican II's recognizes that other religions "often reflect a ray of that truth "Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity," apparently laid which enlightens all," yet it proclaims "Christ as 'the Way, down clear guidelines for Roman Catholic missions in subsequent the Truth, and the Life,' . . . in whom men and women may find decades. The introduction states, "The apostles ... following the fullness of religious life, and in whom God has reconciled all the footsteps of Christ, 'preached the word of truth and begot things to himself," (NA, no. 2). churches.' It is the duty of their successors to carry on this work Most evangelical missiologists would agree with Ad Gentes at 'so that the Word of God may run' and ... the Kingdom of God several key points: first, in its emphasis on reconciliation with God [be] proclaimed and renewed throughout the whole world."! The through Jesus Christ as the greatest need of every person; second, purpose of this missionary activity is "the evangelization and in its focus on evangelization and church planting amoung non­ the implanting of the Church among peoples or groups in which Christian peoples as the primary thrust of mission today; third, it has not yet taken root. . . . The principal instrument in this work that cross-cultural mission to the two-thirds of humanity that has of implanting the Church is the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus not yet heard the gospel in any meaningful way must always be Christ ... Missionary work among the nations differs from the the priority of the church, which necessitates recognition and en­ pastoral care of the faithful ..." (AG, no. 6). "The reason for couragement of the special missionary vocation that has played a missionary activity lies in the will of God, 'who wishes all men primary role in Christian expansion throughout history; fourth, to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.' ... Every­ (although it is a minor note in Ad Gentes), that Western missionaries one, therefore ought to be converted to Christ, ... and incor­ must exhibit a much more positive attitude toward non-Western porated into him, and into the Church ..." (AG, no. 7). " ... cultures and incorporate their values and concerns into indigenous all have need of Christ who is the model, master, liberator, saviour, expressions of the Christian life. and giver of life" (AG, no. 8). The document recognizes that to carry out the mission, the Holy Spirit implants a special missionary vocation in the hearts The Decrease in Vocations of certain individuals and raises~to take on the duty of cross­ cultural evangelization. Those who are called to be missionaries What has been the effect of Vatican lIon Catholic missions during "must be prepared to remain faithful to [their] vocation for the last two decades? It is clear that the apparent goal of increasing life . . . (AG, no. 24). Stillit is clearly the task of the whole church, church planting missionary activity among non-Christian peoples and "All bishops . . . are consecrated not for one diocese has not been achieved. Instead there has been a sharp decline. If alone, but for the salvation of the whole world. The command of we assume that the statistics on United States overseas Catholic Christ to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mk. 16:15) applies missionaries are representative of the whole, we discover an primarily and immediately to them ... (AG, no. 38). Thus bish­ alarming situation. Their number rose from 5,126 in 1956 to 7,146 ops are to promote missions, as are local priests and university in 1962, to a post-Vatican II high of 9,655 in 1968. This included and seminary professors. diocesan and religious priests, religious brothers and sisters, sem­ There is a minor emphasis on contextualization. In the process inarians, and lay persons. However, by 1984the total had dropped of evangelization, the faith should be "explained in terms of over 36 percent, to 6,134. There was a marked decrease in all the philosophy and wisdom of the people, and . . . their cus­ categories. Diocesan priests involved in overseas mission had toms, concept of life and social structures ..." (AG, no. 22). dropped from a high of 373 in 1970 to 187 in 1984, while religious Nostra Aetate (NA) the "Declaration on the Relation of the priests had decreased in number from 3,731 in 1966 to 2,603 in 1984. The most marked drop was among seminarians involved in mission, from 208 in 1968 to 40 in 1984. Furthermore, 2,753 of the Paul E. Pierson is Dean and Associate Professor of History of Missions and Latin total, nearly 45 percent, were working in nominally Roman Cath­ American Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of World Mission, Pasa­ olic countries, primarily in Latin America. 2 This indicates that after dena, California. He was a missionary to Brazil under the United Presbyterian an initial spurt of missionary interest and new vocations following Church in the U.S.A., from 1956 to 1970, and to Portugal from 1971 to 1973. Vatican II, there has been a significant and continuing decrease.

October 1985 165 peoples enter the Christian fold; perhaps 'religious pluralism is The Theological Debate the will of God for humanity.' This implies that other religions and Christianity may be parallel paths to salvation ... this rec­ One major reason for this drop has been the debate over the ognition of the independent validity of other religions, together theology and practice of Catholic missions during the last two with the continued affirmation of Christ/Christianity's normative­ decades.~ Daniel Bloomquist has suggested that Catholic mission ness, makes up . . . a growing common opinion among Catholic thought during this period has been set not so much by Ad Gentes, theologians." 8 but "much more by what has been perceived to be the spirit The fact that many theologians espousing such views came of Vatican 11."3 No sooner was the ink dry on the documents than from the orders that have contributed the greatest number of Cath­ the growing divergence between offical statements, on one hand, olic missionaries in the past, makes the shift even more critical. and the thought and activity of many theologians and mission­ At the same time, offical church documents have continued to aries, on the other, became evident. insist on the centrality of evangelization. The Synod of Bishops in The openness of Vatican II to the spirit of the times rightly 1974 confirmed anew that "the mandate to evangelize all men called into question the older view of an agressive, triumphalist constitutes the essential mission of the church."? Pope Paul VI church. But for many this created doubt about the traditional stated (1975) that "there is no new humanity if there are not thrust of mission, which sought conversion to Christ and the first of all new persons renewed by baptism and by lives lived church. Some went even further. Edward Shorter expressed a according to the gospel."10 The Puebla Conference's Final Docu­ common view when he wrote that "the words missions and ment (1979) agreed that "to evangelize is the mission of the missionary have become almost synonymous for bigotry, detach­ whole People of God. It is their primordial vocation."!' ment, and self-interest."! That perception, however unfair it might The question is, which voices will be heard most loudly in be, could hardly be a motivation to missionary vocations. the church, especially in those circles from which missionary vo­ Along with such a portrayal of missions in the past, two cations historically have come? related shifts in mission theology, both departing sharply from Ad Gentes, contributed to the decline. The first brought a change in focus from church planting to development and then liberation. Contextualization Theologians at a conference as early as 1967 advocated a position sharply different from that of Ad Gentes. Avery Dulles spoke of Although it was a minor note in Ad Gentes, to what extent have two groups, which he called "spiritualists" and "secular­ Catholic missions taken seriously the need to relate the faith to ists." The former "maintained that mission is primarily witness the customs, concepts of life, and social structures of peoples? The which calls for faith ... a consciously affirmed response to the continued insistence on the celibacy of the clergy, for instance, gracious initiatives of God," while secularists argued that the rad­ seems to be an obstacle to genuinely indigenous church leader­ ical new situation prohibited the separation from the world implied ship. in such spiritualization of the church's role. Dulles, advocating The question of Emmanuel Milingo, former archbishop of the latter view, stressed the church as servant, "helping to build Lusaka, Zambia, indicates the need for Western missionaries up a stronger human community in this world.:? At the same (Catholic and Protestant) to look much more positively on receptor conference, Ronan Hoffman reacted to a statement advocating cultures. Milingo, in his attempt to take African spirituality seri­ "a missionary duty of converting all men," calling it a mis­ ously, was led, almost against his will, into a ministry of healing siology of the past. Instead, he spoke of "religionless Christi­ apparently consistent both with the New Testament and with Af­ anity," and "service in the development of the world."6 rican culture. He knew that because the Western church had re­ The following year, 1968, saw the meeting of the Latin Amer­ jected so much of deeper concerns of the people, most African ican bishops in Medellin, which lifted up the concept of liberation. Christians departed from the church in times of personal difficulty. The result was an even stronger shift away from church planting He wrote that "most of our baptized Christians had two reli­ to the focus on justice and freedom from oppression. (This was gions."12 Even though he remained loyal to Catholicism and re­ understandable in Latin America, where although the church had fused to form an independent church, Milingo's healing ministry long since been planted in the traditional sense, little positive led to conflict with more rationalistic European priests and to his impact on social, political, and economic structures could be seen. eventual removal from office. The problem symbolized by this Unquestionably a new understanding of the church and the Chris­ case and the lessons to be learned may yet prove to be more crucial tian life was needed!) than any other issue for the growth and health of the church in Continuing divergence from Ad Gentes can be seen in a recent many cultures. article by the executive secretary of Jesuit missions. It told of a 1981 meeting designed to create a contemporary Catholic mis­ Concluding Questions siology. Participants agreed that the basic and comprehensive goal of mission was "to promote and serve the unification and heal­ It is not surprising that the ferment in mission theology since ing of our divided, wounded humanity . . . with full respect for Vatican II has led to a retreat in Catholic missionary activity. Sam­ humanity's invincible cultural pluralism"; a corollary was that uel Rayan's statement, made in 1970, is even more true today. The "missionaries will go out to discover the seeds of the kingdom new thinking about missions, he wrote, "has caused scandal, (not to bring Christ) in another place of people or culture and will upset missionaries, unsettled bishops, and brought about a crisis themselves participate in the growth toward the kingdom that is in missionary vocations, motivation, and action . . . the problem already underway there." 7 now is whether the mission should exist at all, and if it should, Implied in the foregoing was a second major shift: the chang­ why?" 13 ing view of other religions and the necessity of belief in Christ We must ask if this is only a temporary setback while Catholic and incorporation into the church. Here contemporary Catholic missions regroup, or the beginning of a long decline. In my judg­ writers have moved far beyond Nostra Aetate. Karl Rahner's con­ ment the answer will depend on two primary factors. cept of anonymous Christians has become a point of departure. First, will the church call forth and stimulate those within its Some have suggested that "perhaps it is not God's will that all ranks to whom God has given the missionary vocation, those who

166 International Bulletin of Missionary Research will adopt as their own the Pauline agenda that the "panta ta' communities in Latin America and elsewhere, if encouraged, will ethne' might come to faith and obedience" (Rom. 16:26)? History lead to new church structures more related to poor, more lay­ teaches us that new mission breakthroughs have normally come oriented, and more evangelical. We know the study of Scripture from movements led by small committed communities. Will the in context to be a powerful instrument of the Holy Spirit. Such a church encourage the new ventures in spirituality and lifestyle new style of church life might include much more lay leadership that can give birth to renewed mission? along with a strong balance between the good news of reconcili­ Second, when the dust settles in its theological debate, will ation with God and reconciliation between persons; personal lib­ the church come to a theological consensus that can serve as the eration from sin and death, and liberation from the manifestations basis for mission? While recognizing the need to dialogue with of sin and death in human societies. If so, both traditional Prot­ those of other religions and to hear their concerns, will the church estantism and Catholicism may be challenged to renewal by such recognizeas an essential element in mission theology the apostles' groups. There is some evidence that Brazil, where the shortage statement, "for of all the names in the world given to men, of priests has been acute for centuries, is experiencing a resurgence this is the one by which we can be saved" (Acts. 4:12)? of vocations as the church is perceived to be closer to the social An equally important element, where this writer perceives and political concerns of the majority of people. 14 exciting and challenging movement, is a clear theology of the However, if theological balance and apostolic passion are not relationship between evangelism and social concern, but which restored, it appears that Roman Catholic missions will follow the does not substitute one for the other. As an evangelical who has declining path of conciliar Protestants. Such a development would lived in Latin America, I can only rejoice in (and learn from) the leave the growing edge of the Christian movement primarily to increasing identification of the Catholic Church with the poor. The Pentecostals and other evangelical Protestants who are going out base ecclesial communities are perhaps the most viable model in increasingly from North America and Europe, but still more, from expressing such concerns. It may be that the growth of these the rapidly growing third-world missionary movement. Notes------­ 1. Ad Gentes, quotations are from Austin Flannery. O.l~, ed., Vatican lniemationa! Bulletin of Missiontlry Research 6, no. 2 (April 1982): p. 72. Council II (Boston, Mass.: St. Paul Editions, Daughters of St. Paul, 8. Paul F. Knitter, "Roman Catholic Approaches to Other Religions: 1975). Developments and Tensions," International Bulletin of Missionary 2. Mission Handbook, 1984-85 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Catholic Mission Research 8, no. 2 (April 1984): p. 51. Association), pp. 23-25. 9. "Evangelization of the Modem World," Synod of Bishops, Third 3. Daniel Bloomquist, "The Pattern of Post ·Vatican II Roman Catholic General Assembly, 1974, par. 4. Theology of Mission," unpublished paper, Trinity Evangelical Divin­ 10. Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 18 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Catholic ity School, p. 40. Conference, 1976). 4. Edward Shorter, Theology of Mission (Notre Dame, Ind.: Fides Pub­ 11. The Puebla Final Document, no. 348 in Puebla and Beyond, ed. John lishers, 1972), p. 13. Eagleson and Philip Scharper (Maryknoll, N.Y. Orbis Books, 1979). 5. Avery Dulles, "Christian Missions in Transition," The Word in the 12. Emmanuel Milingo, The World in Between (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Third World, ed. James Cotter, (Washington, D.C.: Corpus Books, Books, 1984)p. 8. 1968),p. 265;cited in Bloomquist, p. 12. 13. Samuel Rayan, S.J. "Missions after Vatican II, Problems and Po­ 6. Ronan Hoffman, in The Word in theThird World, p. 29; cited in Bloom­ sitions," lntemaiional Review of Mission, October 1970, pp. 50-51. quist, p. 12. 14. "A Nova Safra dos Seminaries," Istoe, Rio de Janeiro, April 11, 7. S. E. Smith, S.J. "Toward a New Missiology for the Church," 1984, p. 32.

Noteworthv------.. Simon lJarrington-Ward, General Secretary of the Anglican W. A. Visser 't 800ft, who led the World Council of Church Missionary Society, will be consecrated in West­ Churches as its General Secretary from its formation in 1948 minster Abbey on November 1st as Bishop of Coventry, until 1966, died in Geneva on July 4. He was 84 years old. and will be enthroned in Coventry Cathedral on January 4, Eugene Carson Blake, the second General Secretary of 1986. the World Council of Churches, 1966-72, died July 31, at Martin Conway, formerly on the staff of the World age 78 in Stamford, Conn. His call in 1960for a church that Council of Churches and the British Council of Churches, is "truly reformed, truly catholic, and truly evangelical" will succeed John Ferguson when he retires as President of led to the establishment of the Consultation on Church Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, England, in the summer Union (COCU) in the United States. of 1986.

October1985 167 Mission Theology Revisited: Keeping Up with the Crises

William B. Frazier, M.M.

Prefatory N ole

Maryknoll, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, holds its General Mission" (Worldmission 18, No.4, Winter 1967-68; reprinted in Gerald H. Chapter, or assembly, everysix years. This is a gathering of leaders anddelegates, Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, eds., Mission Trends No.1 [1974J). In the representing Maryknoll Missioners from around theworld, to reflect on theaffairs current study, he analyzes the tension-s-and the implications far mission theory and concerns of the society. The General Chapter provides a prime occasion for and practice-between those missioners whoretain a more or less traditional focus reflecting on missional principles and reassessing priorities. In preparation for the on the evangelization of persons and those whowish to emphasize the "evange­ mostrecent chapter, heldin late1984, Father William B. Frazier, M.M., Professor lization" of societal institutions and systemic structures. Although lengthy and of Systematic Theology at Maryknoll School of Theology, Maryknoll, New York, at timesoccupied with developments particular to Maryknoll, Frazier's study, we prepared a painstaking and comprehensive study entitled "Mission Theology Re­ believe, makes a major contribution toward explicating the current missiological visited." Although this was prepared as an "in-house" document to help fellow debate and ferment. Few, if any, of today's mission agencies-Protestant or Cath­ Maryknollers clarify theirthinkingabout fundamental issues Maryknoll hasbeen olic--can hope to remain aloof from the dynamics of the issues he discusses. Tes­ confronting in recent years, the society and Father Frazier have kindly agreed to timony to theseriousness of the situation and thedebate is found in thereflections share the study with the readers of the International Bulletin. of three mission leaders invitedby theeditors to respond to Father Frazier's study. Two decades aga Frazier captured theattention of missiolagists when, in the Their responses appear following Frazier's article below. aftermath of Vatican Council II, he published "Guidelines for a New Theology of

Introduction

issionaries today have another crisis of identity on their other hand, have confusions of their own. They have trouble giv­ M hands. For a second time in less than two decades a ing anything but superficial expression to the novelty they wish controversy of major proportions is troubling the waters of mis­ to oppose. In a word, people know they have taken sides while siological reflection. hardly knowing the sides they have taken. What makes this a The earlier debate, which I shall call Crisis I, developed in the serious situation is that the day-to-day setting of missionary pol­ wake of Vatican Council II. It emerged from a difference of opinion icies and priorities proceeds as usual. Alternatives are being em­ on the locus of God's saving presence. Missionary personnel took braced, excluded, or compromised with little more than a surface sides on whether that presence was to be conceived more or less reading of what the alternatives are. These circumstances make it exclusively in terms of the Christian community, or whether the imperative to set forth as clearly as possible the components of saving God is available, in the first instance, in and through the Crisis II. The point is not to do away with the crisis itself, but to human mystery as such. This translated into a corresponding dis­ alleviate the main source of its destructive potential, its anonymity. agreement on the tasks and priorities of mission. Although the There is something normal and healthy about debating clearly debate is still very much alive, it is accompanied today by the new defined points of conflict. The only crises we should fear are those controversy mentioned above, which can now be named Crisis II. whose competing alternatives have never reached the full light of Here the contending parties are the so-called progressives of Crisis day. I. Those who affirmed together the primacy of human mediation Near the end of the 1960s I had occasion to develop some in the mystery of salvation are now disputing among themselves, guidelines for a theology of mission consistent with the theological not about the centrality of human mediation as such, but about trajectories of Vatican 11.1 Behind the scenes of that presentation what is to be included and emphasized under this heading. It is is what I have referred to here as Crisis I. After a brief review of one thing to agree that God saves us in and through our human­ this controversy in the wider Catholic community and Maryknoll, ness, and that the mission of the church serves this unfolding I shall attempt a similar description of Crisis II. This will bring us process. It is quite another to sort out the pressure points in and to the heart of our study: the identification and comparison of the around the human mystery where the struggle between sin and opposing concerns that account for the very existence of this new salvation is underway. Disagreement in this area is the nucleus of missiological challenge. Crisis II. Although these crises are developing simultaneously at the present time, they are not equally well anchored in missionary Crisis I consciousness. Today it would be difficult to imagine a Christian missionary who is not conversant with the fundamental alterna­ Because mission is in service of salvation, missiology reacts sym­ tives of Crisis I. The same cannot be said for Crisis II. There is a pathetically to soteriological tremors. This occurred notably during general sense that a new source of controversy is at large in the Vatican Council II. Along with the overall tone of the council, missionary world, but little effort has gone into isolating and nam­ which did not apologize for spending what seemed to some an ing its components. Opposing camps can be identified, but the inordinate amount of time probing the human mystery, what did battle lines are fluid. Attempts at dialogue break down because the most to stimulate a new approach to mission was its almost casual only differences we are sure of rarely touch the underlying issues. affirmation of the availability of salvation not only beyond the The progressives of Crisis II feel they have made an advance in borders of Christianity, but even beyond the sphere of explicitly their approach to mission, but have yet to identify clearly what religious consciousness." This can mean only that in the first in­ they have left behind. Their conservative counterparts, on the stance the saving presence of God in Jesus is mediated to non­

168 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Christian and nonreligious people through the raw components already graced with the melody of salvation, Christianity and other of humanity itself. Simply to be a man or a woman is to have all religious traditions supply the lyrics. This is not to do away with that is necessary to qualify for the gift of saving grace. Whatever the need and urgency of mission, but to think of them in a different role religion in general and Christianity in particular have to play way. As long as missionaries looked upon those to whom they in the unfolding of God's saving plan, it is not to provide such preached as a multitude deprived of any previous contact with people with a primordial opportunity for deliverance. That op­ the saving God, the focus of their concern had to be the absence portunity is available within the human mystery itself. Here too of grace and the measures necessary to supply it. What was wrong the council was both consistent and helpful. It provided us with was that the God of Jesus was not present to these people, inviting a working model of church that took full account of a deliverance them to respond to his saving love, except in a rather nebulous mediated by ordinary human existence. and marginal sense unworthy of comparison with the saving gift The church of Vatican II is a community whose task is not to available in the church. Now the situation is different. Missionaries dispense the grace of salvation to an otherwise impoverished imbued with the soteriological trajectories of Vatican II do not find world, but to give concrete expression to the divine riches already preaching the gospel necessary and urgent for lack of God's saving operative in those who have been faithful to their humanity. The presence in the non-Christian world. The newly conceived pre­ council never refers to the church as an entity confining salvation dicament is not the absence but the presence of the saving gift of within itself, delivering sinners from the graceless chaos of the God. Without the witness of Christianity, God's saving gift to all wider world. It prefers the positive, respectful imagery of sign human beings could occasion greater harm than good. The reason and sacrament. The church can be its proper self only by lending is that the grace of salvation is offered to us on the deepest level historical flesh to the subtle, sometimes misunderstood, incursions of the Savior God into the deep levels of our humanness. Although the council did not make the point explicitly, there is no reason to assume that its view of salvation mediated humanly applies "The God of Jesus calls only to those who have not as yet embraced a religious or Christian way of life. There is, in fact, every reason to assume that the human us to himself by calling us avenue through which God first approaches those without faith to human fullness." continues to be the privileged locus of his dealing with them once they have made a conscious commitment to Christianity or to some other religious community. The role of religion, and of Christianity in particular, is not to supplant our human quest, but to correct and deepen it. of our being. In itself, and in the massive excavation of the human There seems to be no way around the conclusion that the spirit required to receive it, the saving invitation of God, for all theological trajectories of Vatican II lead from a church-centered its riches, can severely aggravate the restlessness and anxiety that to a human-centered view of salvation. Because the God of Jesus seem to be the price we pay for the privilege of conscious selfhood. has offered himself to us primarily in the context of our human Unfamiliar as this may sound, it harkens back to a venerable Scho­ condition, human beings, including those who call themselves lastic axiom: the worst corruption is the corruption of what is best. Christians, can achieve God-centeredness only in a human­ If people are unable to make genuinely religious and Christian centered way. This amounts to a major shift in the way Christians sense of the endless longings that stir within them, some form of understand the locus of salvation, a shift of such magnitude idolatry is likely to fill the breach. The destructive potential of such that the term "Copernican" is sometimes used to describe it. behavior needs little commentary. lt amounts to a revolution in soteriological consciousness com­ parable in style and importance to that which radically revised Crisis I in Maryknoll human thinking about the relative positioning of earth and sun. After centuries of assuming that the world revolved around the If Vatican Council II can be called the ecclesial event responsible church, we are led by Vatican II to the awareness that the church for the emergence of Crisis I, the corresponding event in the Mary­ itself is, and always has been, in orbit around the soteriological knoll Society was its Fifth General Chapter. The year was 1966. A riches of the human sphere. The God of Jesus calls us to himself large majority of chapter delegates responded positively to the by calling us to human fullness. broadly human mediation of salvation described above, including Needless to say, this way of conceiving salvation has every­ its implications for missionary theory and practice. Once this re­ thing to do with how we think about mission. The world to which sponse had been expressed in the chapter documents and dissem­ the Christian community is sent is not, in principle, devoid of the inated to the membership of the society, it became evident that saving presence of God. It is not, by definition, deprived of the all did not agree with the theological direction taken by the chapter. opportunity for deliverance. On the contrary, it is a world em­ Some Maryknollers found it impossible to abandon more familiar braced and challenged by the same saving grace on which Chris­ soteriological and missiological principles: tians were once thought to have a monopoly. What the non­ 1. While God has his own ways of saving those who have Christian does lack, and what a Christian presence is meant to never heard the gospel message, these are extraordinary supply, is a kind of blueprint for making sense of and appropriately arrangements, not to be seen as normative for situations celebrating the graced existence in which all who are faithful to where the acceptance of Christianity is a viable option. their humanity find themselves. All religious traditions may con­ 2. Ordinarily, the grace of salvation is available only within tribute to this process of articulation in some fashion or other, but the Christian community. The so-called human mystery only in Jesus has the final word been spoken. Such is the genius partakes of this grace only as it becomes explicitly Chris­ of Christianity: to monitor with the gospel message the ongoing tianized. attempt of human beings to come to terms with the massive in­ 3. The role of mission in the church is to provide not only a volvement of God in human life and history. message about salvation, but salvation itself through belief As Christians, then, we have only the gospel itself at our in Jesus and the acceptance of baptism. disposal, not the realities to which the gospel points. For a world When this way of thinking collided with that of the chapter doc­

October 1985 . 169 uments, Crisis I, already germinating in the postconciliar church, lending support to a human-centered view of salvation, with its took root in the Maryknoll Society. corresponding implications for mission, liberation theologians Painful as this tension was, and continues to be, some genuine make it clear that the human center they have in mind is, in the benefits can be seen. Honest differences between Maryknollers rust instance, a concrete reality arrived at through the praxis of were brought to the surface. Those on either side of the debate the poor. The grace of salvation is mediated through human beings were challenged to refine and sometimes adjust their thinking in living together in history, relentlessly conditioned by economic, response to reactions from the other side. In spite of some con­ social, and political institutions of their own making. The quality tinuing evidence of hard feelings and divisiveness, my own es­ of these institutions is directly related to the quality of human life timate of Crisis I, as a Maryknoll phenomenon, is more in terms in general, both here and hereafter. This analysis of the human of growth than decline. One of the main reasons for this is that mystery made sense to many Catholic missionaries who had al­ from its very inception, the crisis itself was an open book. ready moved to the human-centered alternative of Crisis I. Min­ The Maryknoll version of Crisis I, whatever its complications istry in third-world countries is an ongoing lesson on the impact in terms of solution, has always been accessible in terms of the of social institutions on human possibilities. issues at stake. Society members have been taking sides on alter­ At the same time, some of these missionaries, especially those natives that are reasonably clear. Either humanity as such or the outside Latin America, began to wonder if the truth about the community of Christians is the foundational instrument through massive influence of human environment is the whole truth. It is which the God of Jesus has determined to share his life with us. my understanding that liberation theologians themselves would Our soteriological universe is either church-centered or human­ say it is not. There are important dimensions to our humanness centered. The primordial mediation of our deliverance is either that are not adequately accounted for by what we have come to ecclesiologicalor anthropological. Alternatives for the theory and call structural analysis. If, at times, liberation theology seems to practice of mission are equally well defined. The church in which ignore them, the urgent need of addressing social ills in Latin salvation is centered will fulfill its missionary task as a sanctuary, America today may explain why. There is also the fact that the­ gathering into its confines those whose salvational status would ological developments can lose a certain breadth of vision in the otherwise have been precarious at best. The church that ministers process of popularization. Disciples are not always as discrimi­ to salvation centered in the human mystery, on the other hand, nating as their masters. Whatever the reasons, liberation theology will see its mission as a sign and sacrament, bodying forth the gift comes through to some heavily weighted in the direction of what of grace already at work in the world, serving thereby the building I shall call environmental anthropology. If some missionary per­ up of the kingdom among all peoples, including those who may sonnel find themselves uneasy with this development, others have never appropriate the Christian name. already proceeded to reinterpret their soteriological and missiol­ ogical worlds in its light. Crisis II, therefore, is a crisis within a crisis. Missionaries who embraced together the human-centered alternative of Crisis I are "Ministry in third-world parting company as they probe more concretely what human me­ diation entails. The issue is clearly anthropological, in the broad countries is an ongoing les­ sense of the term, with direct implications for soteriology and son on the impact of social missiology. In a word, the theological tensions of Crisis II have institutions on human pos­ anthropological roots. sibilities." Crisis II in Maryknoll

As in Crisis I, there is a Maryknoll counterpart to the event that ushered Crisis II into the wider missionary world. I refer to the Crisis I will likely remain with the church and Maryknoll for society's Seventh General Chapter in 1978. Here, for the first time, some time to come. Interested parties will know which side they ministry to social structures or environments as such enters sub­ are on and precisely what is wrong with the position they reject. stantially into Maryknoll's missionary identity and apostolate. A They will continue to have at their disposal the key words and brief glance at the process and statements of the chapter should categories needed to sustain serious dialogue on the issues in­ make this clear. volved. This should keep competing alternatives honest and lead The main lines of the theology of mission of the Seventh in time to a genuine and lasting development of missiological General Chapter were gathered in a short document entitled: science. The situation is quite different with Crisis II, which we "Statements of the Mission Vision of Maryknoll, 1978, and the are now ready to examine in greater detail. Society Objectives." While appropriating the human-centered so­ teriology of the two previous chapters." this document stresses Crisis II the impact of environment on what it means to be human. The history of this new direction is easy enough to trace. Not long after the development of Crisis I, the seeds of a second Long before the Seventh General Chapter convened, envi­ missiological emergency were sown in the Roman Catholic com­ ronment had become a working category for self-scrutiny within munity. It happened in the city of Medellin in Colombia in 1968, the Maryknoll Society. For instance, an analysis of the several when the Latin American Episcopal Council gave its blessing to environments within which Maryknoll works was the first order the main lines of what is widely known today as liberation the­ of business in the four Inter-Chapter Society assemblies held be­ ology. What had been regarded in professional circles as a highly tween 1972 and 1978. In each case, an environmental study pro­ creative experiment in theological reflection now became the quasi­ vided the basis for refining the society's mission vision. That is, officialtheology of the Latin American hierarchy. The prestige and a particular way of reading the human condition, an environ­ influence of liberation theology increased accordingly, not only in mentally focused way, was placing its stamp on a developing Latin America itself, but throughout the Catholic world. While theology of mission.' The same procedure was followed in the

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For more information abour our In-Service Program write WAGNER OFFICEOF ADMISSIONS - BOXB The School of World Mission FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 135 NORTH OAKLAND AVENUE, PASADENA, CA 91101- 1790 INSIDE CALIFORNIA CALL (818) 449-1745; oUT OF STATE CALL (800) 235-2222. We welcome students of any race, sex, color and national or ethnic origin. Pledged to clianging tlie world HIEBERT pre-chapter area meetings held in Hong Kong and Lima in the of Jesus, whose challenging and life-giving presence we discern spring of 1978, and in the final prechapter meeting at Hingham constantly in the signs of the times. This process is directed by our later that same year. By the time formal chapter deliberations be­ on-going analysis of the environment in which we live and work. gan on October 4 the importance of environmental analysis had It must be refined by and for each region, area or unit so that our been well established. It is no surprise, therefore, to find this vision and ideal for mission challenge the creative talents and ener­ gies of all Maryknollers, be they overseas or in the U.S., young or methodology carried over into the chapter itself. This is clearly old, active or retired.v stated in the introduction to the Chronicle of the Seventh General Chapter: "The Chapter Process began with a look at the world Although everything intended by the term "environment" can­ and at the people among whom we do mission today. This was not be determined from the "Mission Vision" itself, it is clear our Environment. We then drew upon our common faith experience from other chapter materials that the specific environments con­ and the challenges presented by the world environment to elab­ sidered were social, political, economic, cultural, religious, and orate for ourselves a vision or ideal of mission for the Society at ideological. this time in our history." 5 Demonstrating the environmental or structural orientation of In correlation with "our common faith experience," the Maryknoll's Seventh General Chapter is one thing. Showing analysis of "world environment" led organically to the chap­ where it came from is another. While several sources can be dis­ ter's mission vision. While not the sole contributor to this vision, tinguished, the main channel through which they came together therefore, human environment does seem to dominate the vision's and made their impact seems to have been the current planning working anthropology. This is borne out by the content of the procedure of the society. Reaching back as far as the Fifth General "Mission Vision" itself. Chapter in 1966, and the establishment of the Maryknoll Overseas The environmental or structural focus of this document is Extension Service that same year, Maryknoll's interest in planning unmistakable. From a view of church "as the full people of gave rise to the Mission Department in 1968. Four years later, with God rather than primarily as structures,"> the text moves to the the recommendations of the Sixth General Chapter, the process need of inviting laypeople and ethnic minorities to become part went into high gear. The Mission Department now became the of Maryknoll's response to mission "by calling into question Mission Research and Planning Department (MRPD), and the con­ any structures of church or society which impede the active par­ sulting firm of Rohrer, Hibler and Replogle was retained to lend ticipation of these groups in mission." 7 Out of solidarity with the professional assistance to initiatives already underway. As for the poor, Maryknollers are to do away with elements of their own planning process itself, the focus was clearly on environmental societal structure that foster dominance and privilege. 8 As for the analysis, a careful scrutiny of the contexts or settings within which missionary apostolate of Maryknoll, it must give "special em­ Maryknoll carries out its mandate to preach the gospel. All of this phasis to the evangelization of the poor, of cultures, and of struc­ was in place by 1977, when the MRPD began to conduct intensive tures," 9 for the kingdom of God is mysteriously at work "in planning workshops in the Maryknoll Regions in preparation for cultures, religions, the structures and organizations of societies." 10 the Seventh General Chapter scheduled to convene the following As Maryknollers, we are to "make known the presence of God year. in these situations through a process of systematically studying With these data as background, we can now trace the strong them, using the tools of social sciences to help us to understand, environmental concerns of the Seventh General Chapter back to dialogue and, wherever possible, collaborate with them. . .." 11 several distinct though related sources: Such, we are reminded, was the focus of the Synod of Bishops in 1. There is, of course, an obvious bond between planning 1971, affirming the bond between "action on behalf of justice" and environmental analysis based on the fact that environment and "liberation from every oppressive situation." 12 These prin­ can work either for or against the realization of human goals. This ciples call Maryknollers to the service of the poor, the perennial bit of pragmatism may explain as well as anything why the steps victims of structural or environmental oppression.P In practice, proposed by the consulting firm began with environmental ana­ this requires a careful analysis of the oppression itself. "In its lysis. While this procedure was formally incorporated into Mary­ response to the poor and oppressed, therefore, each region, area, knoll's own planning system in 1973, experience demonstrated or unit must determine for itself, by a study of its own environ­ that it was easier to accept in principle than to carry out. Envi­ ment, the greatest need, and should carry out a systematic analysis ronment needed to be analyzed, but the kind of analysis best of the causes and perpetuating factors involved in the poverty that suited to the task had not yet been determined, even in the offices does exist." 14 of the MRPD. What eventually became a solution to this problem The missionary labors of the Maryknoll Society are directed, brings us a step closer to the roots of the environmental focus of not to abstractions, but "to peoples in concrete historical sit­ the Seventh General Chapter. uations":» 2. In ample time to accommodate the regional planning work­ shops of 1977, the leadership of the MRPD proposed that the most We have seen that the lives of men and women today are controlled effective way for the Maryknoll Regions to study their environ­ by the socio-economic and political structures of society, some of ments would be through the already well-established procedures which are hostile even to the work of evangelization. As part of our of social or structural analysis. This approach would help to con­ task of mission, we would consider it particularly important today to devote ourselves, together with the people we serve and with cretize and systemize regional initiatives already directed at the other [persons] of good will to identifying, critiquing and, wherever manifold problems of human environment. But it would have to possible, transforming these forces for the benefit of authentic hu­ be more than a mere sociological exercise. To make social analysis man development. 16 acceptable and effective as a Maryknoll enterprise, it would have to be built upon the solid foundation of gospel values. Since the As for the future, Maryknoll's mission vision will continue to director of the MRPD, Father Clarence Engler, had discovered a unfold out of the principles from which it came: good example of such an approach already at work in the Phil­ ippines, he contacted Father Edward Gerlock and arranged for Maryknoll's vision of its mission is always in process: a process him to present the Philippine pattern of social analysis at the which involves a continual clarifying, reshaping and evaluation of regional planning workshops in 1977. The material of these pres­ the concrete expressions of our apostolate in the light of the mission entations became the framework of the MRPD's policy on envi­

172 International Bulletin of Missionary Research ronmental analysis. This in tum found its way into the mindset tique, even that which calls itself Christian and Catholic, could of the Seventh General Chapter via the pre-chapter planning work­ never be fully explained. This dependence is openly expressed by shops already mentioned.v the two writers who had most to do with the versions of structural 3. A third source of influence can be called "magisterial." analysis operative in the chapter: Francois Houtart in the case of Well before the Seventh General Chapter convened, papal and . Edward Gerlock, and Gustavo Gutierrez in the case of liberation episcopal teaching had alerted Roman Catholics to the special theology.P In his apostolic letter celebrating the eightieth anni­ ways in which social, political, and economic structures either versary of Rerum Novarum, Paul VI, after noting certain dangers facilitate or complicate the lives and destinies of those whom Chris­ associated with Marxist analysis, recognizes its potential value for tians are called to serve. As early as 1961, John XXIII insisted so discriminating Christians.P The principle at work here is as old strongly on the bond between the dignity of the worker and his as the "spoils of Egypt" idea elaborated by the fathers of the environment that "if the whole structure and organization of church: whatever enhances the truth, no matter where it comes an economic system is such as to .compromise human dignity, to from, belongs by right to Christians. lessen a man's sense of responsibility or rob him of opportunity However close these sources may come to explaining Mary­ for exercising personal initiative, then such a system, we maintain, knoll's current emphasis on environment, the emphasis itself is is altogether unjust-no matter how much wealth it produces, or beyond dispute. As of 1978, the society officially recognized the how justly and equitably such wealth is distributed." 19 massive import of social structures in the human centering of Ten years later, in its statement on "Justice in the World," salvation, and the difference this should make for the setting of the Second Synod of Bishops expressed its own concern for those missionary priorities. While this development was enthusiastically whose lives have been violated by environmental oppression. welcomed in some quarters of the community, in others we find a spectrum of resistance, ranging from vague feelings that some­ Listening to the cry of those who suffer violence and are oppressed thing is out of balance, to outright criticism of the Office of Justice by unjust systems and structures, and hearing the appeal of a world and Peace, the Department of Social Communications, and its that by its perversity contradicts the plan of its Creator, we have subsidiary, Orbis Books. This disagreement is the general locale shared our awareness of the Church's vocation to be present in the of Maryknoll's Crisis II. Here, as in the earlier controversy, voices heart of the world by proclaiming the good news to the poor, free­ are being raised against the alteration of familiar missiological dom to the oppressed, and joy to the afflicted.s' terrain. If I read the mood correctly, it is a fear of reducing mis­ sionaries to the status of social workers or political agitators, albeit Finally, we have the words spoken by John Paul II during his in the name of Christ. Although the Seventh General Chapter's visit to the United States in 1979. Although the Seventh General preoccupation with environment could be carried in this direction, Chapter had long since adjourned, its attention to environmental there is nothing to indicate that the chapter itself had anything concerns undoubtedly germinated in soil similar to that which like this in mind. On the other hand, those who misinterpret the inspired the Holy Father: intention of the chapter are sometimes misinterpreted themselves. For the most part their reaction is not against the evangelization Social thinking and social practice inspired by the Gospel must of cultures and structures as such, but only against extreme and always be marked by a special sensitivity towards those who are exclusive expressions of this concern. most in distress, those who are extremely poor, those suffering from My own reading of this controversy is that there are legitimate all the physical, mental and moral ills that afflicthumanity, including hunger, neglect, unemployment and despair. concerns on both sides. The environmental or structural factors . . . you will also want to seek out the structural reasons which that surfaced at the chapter have a valid claim to inclusion within foster or cause the different forms of poverty in the world . . . so Maryknoll's missionary agenda. But so does the caution that the that you can apply the proper remedies." work of evangelization not be reduced to the transformation of sociopolitical institutions. I believe that the protagonists of Mary­ Whatever may still need to be said about Maryknoll's current stress knoll's Crisis II would have little difficulty reaching agreement on on human environment, the magisterial credentials of the theme general principles of this kind. Why then the continuing crisis? itself can hardly be questioned. As already indicated, I think it is because the ground floor of the 4. Latin American liberation theology may be the most influ­ problem is still vague enough seriously to complicate constructive ential source of all. Although the evidence is mainly circumstantial, exchange. More specifically, I am not so sure that those who pro­ there can be little doubt that Gustavo Gutierrez and his associates test the onesidedness of the current environmental turn of the played an important role in the society's environmental turn in society really know what a more balanced approach would look 1978. The quasi-official approbation of liberation theology at the like. They know something is wrong but not with the kind of Medellin Conference had all of ten years to work its way into the detail needed to specify what is right. chapter delegates who gathered at Maryknoll in 1978, especially Those on the other side of the debate suffer from the same those from Latin America. The latter came with firsthand expe­ ambiguity. In their attempts to avoid reductionism, they too seem rience of unjust social conditions, and of creative Christian efforts unsure as to what it is beyond the transformation of social struc­ to challenge and replace them. Since liberation theology, for its tures that must be included in the task of mission. The result is a own reasons, is as thoroughly committed to environmental anal­ frustrating series of encounters with the "other side" with little ysis as are the planning principles that Maryknoll had embraced hope of identifying the real issues, much less resolving them. prior to the chapter, it is safe to assume that these lines of thought Indeed, the really distressing thing about the present controversy worked together to give the resulting "Mission Vision" its char­ is not the new surge of missiological unrest in the Maryknoll acteristic shape. Society, but the context of confusion in which it is taking place. 5. The fifth and final source of the environmental anthro­ This is why the most urgent need at the moment is less that of pology of the Seventh General Chapter lies implicit in two sources taking sides than of taking stock of what the sides really are. Until already mentioned. The structural analysis of Edward Gerlock and we can gain a better understanding of the alternatives that compete of the Latin American liberation theologians can never be entirely in its depths, Crisis II, both in Maryknoll and in the wider mis­ divorced from the influence of Karl Marx. Nor should it be. Without sionary world, will function more as an obstacle than an aid to his pioneering efforts, contemporary social consciousness and cri- what missionaries are supposed to be doing in behalf of the gospel.

October 1985 173 Naming the Alternatives data have already been gathered in its name. With these consid­ erations in mind, we can add the finishing touches to our diagram: We have already taken two steps toward resolving the anonymity HUMAN NATURE~-Crisis II ·~HUMAN NURTURE of Crisis II. I have suggested that, at bottom, the debate is a matter PERSONHOOD ENVIRONMENT of anthropology and that within this framework some .missionaries HEART HABITAT have taken sides on the relative importance of environment in me­ CONSTITUTIONAL INSTITUTIONAL diating God's deliverance. But this leaves us one term short in our attempt to grasp the alternatives of Crisis II. We still don't I I ANTHROPOLOGY have a name for the other sector of the human mystery that, all will agree, cannot be reduced to environment. The problem can Deprived of their anonymity, the competing alternatives of be easily diagrammed: Crisis II are one step closer to the possibility of constructive debate. The remaining step is to determine with greater clarity and detail ~-- -~ENVIRONMENT ? Crisis II the content of the terminology we have assembled and thereby I . I the realities they represent. ANTHROPOLOGY

A good illustration of this predicament is to be found in the fol­ The Distinction in General lowing paragraph of Maryknoll's "Mission Vision" of 1978: What is it about human existence that gives rise to the distinction We have seen that the lives of men and women today are controlled between nature and nurture and the other terms in our diagram? by the socio-economic and political structures of society, some of The surest, if not the most scientifically nuanced, answer I have which are hostile even to the work of evangelization. As partof our found is attributed to T. S. Eliot. He spoke of the two types of taskof mission, we would consider it particularly important today to problems we face in life and of our ways of dealing with them. devote ourselves, together with the people we serve and with other "In one case, the appropriate question is, what are we going [persons] of good will to identifying, critiquing and, whenever pos­ to do about it? In the other case, the only fitting question is, how sible, transforming these forces for the benefit of authentic human do we behave toward it?"26 This distinction between the aspects development.24 of human existence that control us and those that, for better or worse, are controlled by us is behind the scenes of almost every­ The words I have italicized show the document's awareness that thing else that can be said about the borderline between nature the missionary enterprise is not to be reduced to the evangelization and nurture. of the social order. As important as this activity may be, it is only part of the comprehensive task of mission. But this is as far as "Mission Vision" goes. It clearly recognizes that something Human Nature other than our humanly created environment needs the ministry of the gospel, but we are never told directly what it is. In order Human nature, then, is what we experience, both individually to discover it we have to rely on an earlier paragraph of the same and collectively, as the given or built-in aspects of our lives, the document dealing with what it means to be poor and powerless. biologically and ontologically inherited things that apply univer­ In the third example of this condition we are referred to: "those sally to humankind, things we never had a chance to vote on who are enslaved by sin of either a personal or structural nature." 25 before they became part of what it means to be human. At the In this juxtaposing of the structural with the personal, we are as center of this endowment, which we can accept or resist but never close as "Mission Vision" ever brings us to what missionary be rid of, is a relentless collision of opposites. Which is to say, we activity addresses in addition to social and political concerns. The are at one and the same time paradoxical combinations of freedom sphere of the personal poses its own pathological problems clearly and limitation, power and weakness, vitality and mortality. Hu­ distinct from though not unrelated to the societal structures within man nature, in this sense, has received classic expression in the which they emerge. Ministry to the human person, therefore, is words of Shakespeare: what must be added to the transformation of human systems and societies if we are to think of mission in comprehensive terms. What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action This advance can now be included in our diagram: how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet to me what is this PERSONHOOD~--CrisisII ..-~ENVIRONMENT quintessence of dust?27 I I ANTHROPOLOGY In our own day similar expressions can be found. According to Aelred Squire, "it is of the essence of the human situation that Here, for the first time in this study, we have both ends of the man exists between the naturally limited and limiting world of the tension that constitutes Crisis II. body at the physical end of the human scale and the naturally There are, however, several other ways of naming the an­ unlimited world of the spirit at the opposite pole,"28or, in a phrase thropological realities we have called "personhood" and attributed to Abraham Maslow, "we are simultaneously worms "environment." The basic idea is captured, for instance, in the and gods."29 distinction between the heart and the habitat, or the constitutional Human nature means all of this and more, for we have yet and the institutional. But the most useful designation of all, and to explain what gives rise to the opposites that collide within us. the one I shall rely on for the most part in the remainder of this To do this we must return to the question of personhood. It is study, is the classic distinction between human nature and human only insofar as human nature is at once within and beyond its nurture. These terms, with their long and venerable history in the borders that the borders themselves can be distinguished from behavioral sciences, remind us not only that our own debate has what is beyond them, and that human nature itself can take ac­ a counterpart in the public forum, but that a wealth of empirical count of the fact. In other words, the paradoxical shape of human

174 International Bulletin of Missionary Research existence and our awareness of it is the product of inner energies ments of the world. Human nurture has to do with the institutions that ceaselessly transcend their own being to the point of folding of so-called civilized society and not with the other nurturing back upon themselves in reflective consciousness. This, however, entities of the cosmos. is the work we normally attribute to the dynamics of the human The brevity of this description simply indicates that human self, which is the very stuff of personhood. nurture is the easier category to understand. How it is to be eval­ The final thing that must be said about human nature is im­ uated in comparison with human nature brings us to the next plicit in what we have already considered. My use of words like section of our study. "collision" and "paradox" has already pointed to the tur­ bulence that inevitably accompanies our day-to-day striving be­ Weighing the Alternatives tween freedom and limitation. The reach that continually exceeds our grasp is no formula for tranquillity. Herodotus knew this in Discovering the names and meanings of the alternatives of Crisis the fifth century before Christ, when he commented that nothing II gives us new access to the missiological turmoil of our day. We in human life is more to be lamented, that a wise man should are no longer condemned to debating in the dark. Dealing with have so little influence. Simply to live is to know agitation, as we our differences in terms of nature and nurture makes it clear from are told by a philosopher of our own day, Ernst Cassirer: the beginning that we are struggling with different views of what it means for the human mystery to mediate salvation. The task Wherever we encounter man, we find him not as a complete and still ahead is to refine and compare the views themselves in light harmonious being but as a being divided against himself and bur­ of the truth that has taken flesh in Jesus. dened with the most profound contradictions. These contradictions are the stigma of human nature. As soon as he attempts to under­ The wider controversy about nature and nurture centers stand his position in the cosmos, man finds himself caught between mainly around the analysis of human behavior. It asks whether the infinite and nothingness; in the presence of both, he is incapable the borderline between our creativity and our destructiveness of belonging to either one of them alone. Elevated above all other passes, in the first instance, through the human heart, or through beings, he is also degraded below all; man is sublime and abject, its humanly created habitat. Some of the responses given to this great and wretched, strong and powerless, all in one. His con­ question since the Enlightenment are related to those dividing the sciousness always places before him a goal he can never reach, and protagonists of Crisis II. In the seventeenth century, for instance, his existence is tom between his incessant striving beyond himself Thomas Hobbes asserted that it is in the very nature of all human and his constant relapses beneath himself. We cannot escape this beings to be at war with each other.>' A century or so later, Rous­ conflict which we find in every single phenomenon of human na­ seau went to the opposite extreme. For him, the root of our mutual ture ....30 inhumanity is not anything built into human nature as such, for The best designation I have found for the experience these which the Creator alone would be responsible, but the inequality writers have in mind is "anxiety." A nervous, nagging disrup­ that human beings themselves have built into civilized society. 32 tion of consciousness that is perhaps the most demanding price This debate reappeared in the nineteenth century when socialist we have to pay for the privilege of being human. It is exacted at principles challenged the assumed role of human nature in de­ every moment of every day despite some ingenious efforts to structive behavior. Dostoyevsky gives a lively account of the issue: convince ourselves of the contrary. One such effort is the illusion Only fancy, Rodya, what we got on to yesterday. Whether there is that this anxiety is like a case of measles which one may never such a thing as crime. . . . It began with the socialist doctrine. You contract in the first place, and, even if one does, can be overcome know their doctrine; crime is a protest against the abnormality of with proper care. Although some fears and anxieties may come the social organization and nothing more, and nothing more; no and go in this fashion, what we are talking about here is neither other causes admitted! . . . Everything with them is lithe influ­ occasional nor abnormal. The anxiousness we feel at the simul­ ence of environment," and nothing else. Their favorite phrase! From taneous freedom and limitation of our existence is as native to the which it follows that, if society is normally organized, all crime will human spirit as blood pressure and breathing are to the body. cease at once, since there will be nothing to protest against and all Indeed, the more normal we are, the more likely we are to ex­ men will become righteous in one instant. Human nature is not perience the depths of this malaise. To avoid it altogether, on the taken into account, it is excluded, it's not supposed to existP3 other hand, would be to abandon life itself. In sum, human nature has to do with those dimensions of Indeed, one is reminded of the clash between Kierkegaard our existence that are necessary and irreversible. But this is a and Marx on the role of anxiety in human destructiveness. What volatile endowment. It combines at its very center what would the father of existentialism saw as the immediate precondition of seem to be irreconcilable elements: an endless hunger for the in­ such behavior is reduced in Marxist doctrine to an unfortunate finite shackled by an ever present burden of finitude. The resulting but curable residue of oppressive social conditions.> In our own anxiety is deep and pervasive, but it is also the badge of our century the contending positions are confronted with a new da­ humanness. What remains to be said about human nature is that tum, the unprecedented violence of modern warfare. According it does not exist in a vacuum. And this brings us to our next to Erich Fromm, this experience has handed human nurture an concern. explanatory burden larger than it can bear.

Human Nurture Thinkers of the Renaissance and later of the Enlightenment ... claimed that all evil in man was nothing but the result of circum­ stances, hence that man did not really have to choose. Change the In contrast with human nature, the nurture dimension of our circumstances that produce evil, so they thought, and man's original existence refers not to the contours of our being as such, but to goodness will come forth almost automatically. This view also col­ the whole range of humanly created systems and structures that ored the thinking of Marx and his successors. The belief in man's condition everything we are and do from the very beginning. Be goodness was the result of man's new self-confidence, gained as a it noted that the reference is not to nurture as such, but to human result of the tremendous economic and political progress which nurture. We are dealing with the several environments that derive started with the Renaissance. Conversely, the moral bankruptcy of from human initiative, not with the manifold physical environ- the West which began with the First World War and led beyond

October 1985 175 Hitler and Stalin, Conventry and Hiroshima to the present prepa­ good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor ration for universal extinction, brought forth again the traditional between political parties either-but right through every human emphasis on man's propensity for evil.3s heart. . . ."41 With slightly more tact, Charles Davis expresses a similar view: "The core of the disorder lies in the self. The self This trend, favoring the role of nature in human behavior, has to be healed; its attempt to control the universe is the sickness has by no means carried the day. Witness the continuing popu­ to be cured, not a source of remedy."42 On the same point, Se­ larity of B. F. Skinner's behaviorism, which addresses pathological bastian Moore has given us as good a summary as we shall find: conduct exculsively in terms of the context in which it occurs.v "Evil is operative in us as the denial of our contingency through Lastly, there is the current debate between sociobiology and cul­ fear and as the cognate fascination with ourselves. It is the ines­ tural anthropology over the respective import of genetic inherit­ capable narcissism of consciousness."43 The theme is repeated in ance and cultural conditioning in the shaping of human conduct. William Thompson's study of Jesus: According to Edward D. Wilson, everything we think and do is anchored solidly in human nature, simply because the genes that For we must finally ask what it is that impedes the possiblity of program our every move are gathered there. If the genes are bad, authentic community and solidarity in history. I am aware that some would want to stress the priority of the transformation of social so will be the behavior." Not so for the anthropologists. For them structures as the principal means through which an authentic hu­ the culprit is culture. "It is not human nurture but human man solidarity can be achieved. But probing of the New Testament nature that is the cause of human aggression."38 symbol of "Satan" has led me to believe that the deepest source of alienation transcends even humanity's social structures, and is Christians engaged in the missiological dispute I have been rooted in the threat of meaninglessness and lovelessness, the anx­ calling Crisis II know something of the tension I have just at­ iety caused by death, and by man's own finite nature as a finitude tempted to survey. For we also are divided, at a level that some­ which can lead to isolation and anxiety rather then to trust in the times evades consciousness, on the relative importance of nature Infinite. Thinking of salvation primarily in terms of the reform of and nurture as anthropological categories, and the difference this the social structures does not seem to penetrate deeply enough the makes for the way we think about and go about mission. Some full depth of Christian thinking about salvation. 44 are caught up in a groundswell of enthusiasm about how many Thompson's reference to the "anxiety caused by death" is an of our real problems proper sociopolitical management important refinement. Such is the anxiety that gives birth to de­ can solve. Others, without denying the environmental factor, structiveness. It would be difficult to improve on Joseph Harou­ sense that the mystery of iniquity will yield only superficially to tunian's account of the matter: whatever genuine benefits can be derived from substantial change in the social order. As Christians and missionaries, however, we It appears that ever since the emergence of the self-conscious in­ are probably not at odds in the way Rousseau seems to have been dividual upon this earth, there has also been a diseased spirit which with Hobbes, or in the way Montagu seems to be with Wilson. has, by its anxiety about death, filled the world with unreason and Our differences on the nature-nurture question are real, but they evil. When we consider the superstitions and idolatries and inhu­ may not be as radical as might have appeared prior to our use of manities which anxiety about death has produced in the world, we these categories to specify the alternatives of Crisis II. The only must go further than to call this anxiety infantile and immature. It way to test exactly where and how deeply our divisions run, is an imbecility, a deadly corruption, murdering madness, for which religions and philosophies have failed, by and large, to produce a however, is to compare contemporary Christian claims on the proper and effective antidote." relative importance of human nature and human nurture in the mediation of sin and salvation. How do Christians today tend to The idea that destructive anxiety is basically anxiety about death weigh the alternatives we have so recently named? resonates not only in Christian minds, but in some of the best of those dedicated to modern behavioral science.w Christian commentary on the foundational role of human na­ The foundational status of human nature in Christian path­ ture in pathological behavior is available in abundance. To intro­ ological reflection can be seen also in statements on the way evils duce the theme, let me return to my earlier reference to 1: S. Eliot. that germinate in the heart relate to those resident in the structures Having distinguished two types of human problems, the solvable of society. One of the most striking of these occurs in "The ones (which I associated with human nurture) and the unsolvable Heart," a poem by Francis Thompson: ones (which I linked with human nature), the distinguished poet is said to have drawn the following conclusion: "The deeper Our towns are copied fragments problems in life are of the latter kind."> In other words, problems From our breast; that throw us directly up against our limits and reduce us to utter And all man's Babylons helplessness before them, these are the foundational occasions of Strive but to impart the ills that plague our world. For when the human self experiences The grandeurs of his its own limitations, it always does so in conjunction with its end­ Babylonian heart. less longings. The inevitable result is the anxiety already referred to as the ongoing precondition of selfishness and sin. Uneasy with On a more technical level, Paul Tillich harbored similar its own precariousness, the human self will resort to any means thoughts. In the following passage, Joseph Haroutunian attempts to maintain its security and significance. As Otto Rank put it, to describe them: lithe fundamental problem is individual difference, which the ego is inclined to interpret as inferiority unless it can be proved by In finitude and anxiety Tillich thought he had found the quality of humanity which transcends both clime and culture. He insisted, in achievement to be superiority."40 In essence, this is what the path­ his own way and with his vast resources, that there is a human ological universe gets back to when human nature in the form of nature which is the presupposition of culture and not the product selfhood or personhood is taken as its center. of it. The anxious animal, according to him, with his depth of reason, is the creator of cultural forms, and not the creature of certain cul­ The insight is a commonplace of Christian wisdom. Solzhen­ tural patterns. He has existed under all cultures, and willexist under itsyn had it in mind when he observed that "the line separating any culture to come. No culture, no society produced by "tech­

176 International Bulletin of Missionary Research nical reason," by science and technology, will make of man a non­ upon 'so far, excepting Reinhold Niebuhr, are not conspicuously anxious animal, because no culture will prevent his thinking as a associated with reflection on and ministry to political and social finite being without destroying him. The anxiety that goes with the environments, I would like to tum now to two Christian thinkers "depth of reason" is humanity. Remove the anxiety, and you who are, and who nevertheless confirm, directly or indirectly, that remove the humanity. . . . Tillich's whole philosophical and the­ the pathological universe in its most radical proportions is occa­ ological enterprise is built upon the thesis that culture is produced by human beings, and human beings as thinking beings are nec­ sioned by the tensions inherent in human nature. One of these, essarily anxious and religious. Without denying that human life is Jiirgen Moltmann, is a leading European authority in the field of formed differently in different cultures, Tillich insisted that hu­ political theology and a major influence on the thought of Latin manity, man who asks the question of being, is the creator of culture American liberation theologian Jon Sobrino. In the following re­ and that any human culture draws its substance from the asking of flection, Moltmann does his own weighing of the nature and nur­ the quesion of being, and therefore from anxiety and reli­ ture dimensions of human malice: gion.... Man thinks as an anxious being and creates his culture as an anxious being." It follows for the Christian churches that they must fulfill further their old task of employing the Word of the cross to destroy religious In substance, this is also the mind of Reinhold Niebuhr, whose idolatry and personal fetishism and to spread the freedom of faith long years of social ministry convinced him that oppressive social into the very hovels of the obscure. Its new task then will lie in systems bear the imprint of malignity at work on a deeper level. struggling against not only religious superstition but also political idolatry, not only the religious alienation of man but also his polit­ Every form of human culture, whether religious, rational or scientific, ical, social, and radical alienation in order to serve the liberation of is subject to the same corruption, because all are products of the same man to his likeness to God in all areas where he suffers from in­ human heart, which tries to deny its finite limitations.48 humanity. In this sense, I think, it would also be the task of the churches today to develop "social critical freedom" in institu­ Therefore all human life is involved in the sin of seeking security at tions. I say "also" because man is basically enslaved by anxiety, the expense of other life. The perils of nature are thereby transmuted and liberation from anxiety happens in the first place through faith­ into the more grievous perils of human history.w not through social improvement.53

Other indications of Christian insight on the foundational One of Moltmann's main counterparts in Roman Catholic impact of nature on nurture are to be found in Vatican Council II. Europe is Edward Schillebeeckx. Few contemporary Catholic the­ They occur in Gaudium et Spes ("Pastoral Constitution on the ologians have attended to the social and political ramifications of Church in the Modern World"): the Christian vision with greater competence and detail than he does in his two massive volumes Jesus and Christ. Yet, near the In human beings themselves many elements wrestle with one an­ end of the second volume, Schillebeeckx makes clear that the other. Thus, on the one hand, as creatures they experience their pathological principles he had been working with all along are limitations in a multitude of ways. On the other, they feel them­ solidly rooted in human nature. selves to be boundless in their desires and summoned to higher life. . . . Hence they suffer from internal divisions and from these Therefore for us the central problem is: how and what salvation do flow so many and such great discords in society. 50 we claim to find in Jesus of Nazareth? There are many possibilities which restore man to himself, so that he can be who he is for others Tobe sure, the disturbances which so frequently occur in the social and in so doing find liberation, redemption, joy and ultimately order result in part from the natural tensions of economic, political, peace. We have seen that there is certainly a possibility of doing and social forms. But at a deeper level they flow from man's pride away with some human alienation with the help of science, tech­ and selfishness, which contaminate even the social sphere.51 nology and new structures. At the same time, however, we have seen that this real possibility only affects such alienations as are the The principals elaborated in Vatican Council II are clearly at result of physical, spiritual and social conditions-limitations of hu­ work in the advice Karl Rahner once gave to his fellow Jesuits on man freedom which can in fact for the most part be removed by the reconciliation of religious life and social activism. opposition, coupled with knowledgeable and active effort. More­ over, in these liberations we can see shreds of God's redemption: through man and the world. The question, however, is whether It is simply not true, but basically a very old-fashioned and periph­ man does not experience deeper alienations, an alienation which is eral illusion, if we should think that the people of tomorrow will essentially bound up with our finitude, with our involvement in a expect nothing more from us than social involvement, secular hu­ nature which is alien to us, with solitude, with suffering because manism and brotherliness. Talk with the people behind the iron of and in love, with suffering because of our mortality, suffering curtain, the people with a socialism, which-with all pur reserva­ also because of the invisibility of the hidden God, suffering finally tions-is something of an ideal for many of us. There you will notice because of our personal and collective guilt and sin: the dirty hands that those people expect from us a living answer to those ultimate of our human history with so much innocent suffering, injustice problems which cannot be answered by any socialism or by any and injury, the tears of human and divine indignation.» earthy paradise of capitalist or socialist kind .... Will we never make a job of foreseeing the really coming thing, and introducing it? . . . The coming thing is sober peace in the face of all the ab­ Here, as in the previous comments, Christians consistently dis­ surdity of existence, the absurdity which no social development will cover the foundational occasion of sin within the confines of what spirit away.... 52 we have called human nature. This, however, is only part of the story. The several statements we have just examined are intended Christian attention to human nature is not confined to its neither to deny nor to minimize the reverse impact of nurture on pathological potential. The interest extends also to its role in con­ nature. The point is simply to take note of a strong Christian structive and creative activity. Indeed, before it can be anything tendency to radicalize the kind of pressure exerted in the other else, human nature is the privileged locale of God's presence to direction. us as grace. If grace did not invite us beyond ourselves in the first Since the quality of a consultation rightly depends on the place, we would never experience the reflective consciousness that spectrum of people consulted, and since the several I have called makes our nature what it is. While such consciousness may oc­

October1985 177 casion monumental devastation, it also lends itself to the noblest never granted foundational status. On the contrary, Gutierrez him­ accomplishments of the human spirit. "The glory and tragedy self seems to presume that what we have been calling human of the human condition," says Arthur Koestler, "both derive nature exercises genuine priority in the explanation of behavioral from our powers of self-transcendence. It is a power which can patterns. In a short reflection written in 1973, the Peruvian theo­ be harnassed to creative or destructive purpose; it is equally ca­ logian distinguishes three levels of liberation. The first of these, pable of turning us into artists or killers. . . . "55 Reinhold Nie­ which he labels economic, social, political, and cultural, is buhr treats the same theme under the heading of "im­ "what we see first, not necessarily the most profound. Normally agination," the power "which surveys the heavens, aspires to one goes from what is visible to what is deeper."58 Later in the the stars and breaks all the little systems of prudence which the same article, Gutierrez shows the urgency of this first stratum of mind constructs. It is this imagination which is the root of all liberation without compromising a deeper reading of the problem, human creativity, but also the source of all human evil. ..."56 which he attributes to his Christian vision: "I work with uni­ At work here is the principle mentioned earlier in this study, versity people who are political extremists. They find that the first whereby the power of evil is most destructive at the very point level is the most fundamental. But I believe that if a Christian does where we are gifted with the greatest potential for good. The not get up and out of this level of political liberation, he mutilates demonic finds its way into our hearts by distorting the-hunger for himself as a Christian. He even forgets one aspect of reality: the transcendence that inclines us to our proper destiny. Take, for conflict between grace and sin."59 example, the gift of love: The sociopolitical liberation that is "most fundamental" for his colleagues is not so for Gutierrez because the deliverance Love is . . . a quest for the infinite. This is in a way the beauty he has in mind must happen on two other levels in order to happen but also the tragedy of man. We always want to go further and in depth. It is not enough simply to change the oppressive struc­ wider, higher and deeper. This is at the heart of mysticism in all tures within which many people live. People themselves must be civilizations and religions. We seek union with the infinite: it is this delivered from false consciousness and from sin if liberation is to which is the source of many experiments with drugs or alcohol: it deal radically with human bondage.w Even for Gutierrez, then, is this which is at the source of all human activity. This quest for the non-finite is the deep motivation in domination-to possess more environmental factors relate to those of human nature more as and more power. So it is also in love. 57 superstructure to substructure, more as adjective to noun. What does all this mean with regard to the opposing views The grandeur, therefore, as well as the misery of our existence is that constitute Crisis II? Simply that the opposition itself may not rooted deeply in the complexities of human nature. be so much a matter of theory as of practice and application. Things But Christians, especially today, are also aware of and con­ widely agreed upon in principle are not always given consistent cerned about the role of human nurture in the drama of sin and expression, and this now seems to be the bottom line of the mis­ salvation. Accordingly, the original plan of this study was to ex­ siological tension we have been dealing with in this study. Ac­ amine at this time a thesis diametrically opposed to the one we cordingly, the best service that can be rendered in the remaining have just considered. It would have maintained that the environ­ pages of this study would seem to be a few reminders regarding mental concerns of human nurture are really the deepest level of the strengths and weaknesses of our two perspectives. the pathological universe and its soteriological counterpart. I had Those more inclined to underscore human nature can easily fall into the ideological trap that promotes passivity in the face of oppressive environments that are, in fact, susceptible to change. There is a subtle attractivenes in deciding, often prematurely, that IIAs far as I can tell, certain obstacles to human growth and development are inoper­ able. We are thereby delivered of responsibility and have the best there is no serious theolog­ of excuses for putting aside a heavy expenditure of time and effort. ical attempt to make nur­ Behind this mentality, with greater influence than we are likely to imagine, is the notion that we can do away with institutional ture rather than nature the oppression simply by changing the hearts and minds of those who deepest occasion of sin and staff the systems themselves and make them work. Our common experience, however, should make us wary of this all too facile deliverance." approach. We know that some ways of organizing social and po­ liticallife can maintain a constant level of injustice in spite of the many good people who function within them. Personal virtue simply does not rub off on the ills of the social order if unaccom­ intended to gather testimony showing that some Christians look panied by direct challenges to the structural shape of those ills. to humanly created systems and structures rather than to the No more than Isaac could recall the blessing he mistakenly gave anxiety of the human heart as the true foundation of the human to Jacob can human hearts, merely through the process of con­ predicament and its Christian solution. This would have opened version, do away with the systems to which they have given birth. both positions to the view of all and prepared the way for a con­ Once the umbilical cord has been severed, these systems may structive exchange between the protagonists of Crisis II. assume a life and power of their own, impervious to any corrective However, as I began to search for Christian testimony attrib­ short of radical revision or replacement. uting to human nurture the kind of foundational status already If these temptations can be properly managed, there is much accorded human nature, it became more and more clear to me to be said for any Christian and missionary vision alert to the that there really isn't any. As far as I can tell, there is no serious intransigence of human nature. There is, indeed, no better cure theological attempt to make nurture rather than nature the deepest for the discouragement that feeds on naive expectation. For all the occasion of sin and deliverance. This applies even to liberation frustration, there will be no surprise and, one hopes, no aban­ theology, with its consistent effort to underscore the contribution donment of effort, when we discover new forms of bondage of social systems and structures to human well-being. Even here, emerging from the very ashes of the inhumanities we worked so where we might expect to find it, environmental concerns are hard to destroy. Having done our best to overturn and supplant

178 International Bulletin of Missionary Research the manifold violence of the social order, we shall ready ourselves lation to both sin and salvation, but nurture is its ever present for the next wave of iniquities, which the human heart will never conditioner; (4) lack of foundational status does not imply lack of stop devising until its native anxiety is swallowed up in glory. importance; (5) what is foundational is not necessarily in most With Jesus, we shall learn to expect a human future laced with urgent need of attention at any particular time. poverty (Mk. 14:7) and war (Mk. 13:7), not because these are Unlike Crisis I, whose alternatives exclude each other, those tolerable realities whether from a human or a Christian point of of Crisis II are complementary. Whether the church or the human view, but because expecting ever to be entirely rid of them is a mystery is at the center of the soteriological universe is, like the good way of ensuring that we never shall be. For whenever we original Copernican debate, a question of either-or. As for the stake our future too rigidly on lasting results, we have already nature and nurture perspectives of the human center itself, how­ built into it, unconsciously perhaps, a point beyond which efforts ever, the only adequate formula is both-and. in behalf of justice and peace will seem entirely futile, a goal hardly worth the trouble to pursue. The Lord's curious musings on pov­ Missing the Point erty and war, therefore, having nothing to do with throwing in the towel in the face of overwhelming opposition, but with the Having proposed that the elemental shape of Crisis II is anthro­ staying power needed to carry the conflict to its eschatological term, pological, and having developed in some detail its competing al­ to continue caring when deprived of the satisfaction of curing, to ternatives, I would like to take a brief look at two rather popular become, as Richard J. Neuhaus once proposed, long-term, rather solutions to the controversy, which, in my view, are based on superficial readings of its underlying point of contention. These than short-term radicals. Under the heading of human environment, or nurture, a cor­ attempts to resolve the conflict have two things in common: they responding list of banes and benefits can be gathered. Here, in both stem from a search for balance by those otherwise committed contrast with the sphere of nature, we are in the realm of things to environmental concerns, and, as already indicated, they both we can do something about. Social systems of our own making can be remade or unmade as the case may require. Here too, however, a subtle illusion can distort our vision. How tempting to reduce the most important things in life to elements over which "Simply baptizing a we exercise full control. How satisfying to our sense of industry one-dimensional anthropol­ and accomplishment to get the roots of human pathology out of the deep recesses of the heart and into the more accessible prov­ ogy with Christian doctrine ince of social and political institutions. "There's man all over for you," says Samuel Beckett, "blaming on his boots the faults will not necessarily make it of his feet."61 Or, in a paraphrase of Reinhold Niebuhr, "Mod­ whole." ern man will ... go to any extreme to locate the source of evil outside himself."62This is nothing but the brisk air of the Enlight­ enment, which we in the West have been breathing for upwards of two centuries, an irrepressible moral optimism based on the show little or no awareness of the anthropological analysis of the assumption that the prime occasion of human destructiveness is crisis that forms the basis of this study. Let me now distinguish entirely containable by appropriate human effort. Despite the the two solutions I have in mind. blood-drenched decades of recent history, this way of thinking is For some, the best way of stressing environmental and struc­ the going premise of the world in which we live. The fact that tural factors in a responsible way is simply to keep them in touch Christians themselves are not immune to such extravagances is with the gospel. Sociopolitical extremism can be avoided by per­ evident in the liberal Protestant assault on original sin in the last sistent reference to the Christian tradition. An important example century, and in later Social-Gospel attempts to explain this em­ of this approach can be found in a document that seems to have barrassing doctrine almost exclusively in terms of defective social had considerable influence on Maryknoll's Seventh General Chap­ engineering. When it comes to the question' of salvation, this men­ ter. It is a proposal about chapter methodology, the initial phase tality is equally allergic to the terrible immobilization rightly as­ of which is to analyze the "world reality" within which Mary­ sociated with the event of Calvary. "If I had a symbol for knoll works. This reality "is composed of two aspects: the so­ Christianity," says Alec McCowan, "it would be a man rolling ciological and doctrinal."64 While not deemed exhaustive of the up his sleeves, not the cross."63 This is an extreme case, and reality they describe, these aspects are the ones "that influence McCowan is not a theologian, but he does illustrate one of the Maryknoll's mission.t'< Whatever the intention of the author, the dangers to which unqualified acceptance of the nurture perspec­ legitimate and necessary coupling of human science and Christian tive can give rise. teaching in the theological project is in this case compromised by If we can escape the pitfalls just described, including the more the suggestion that the data of sociology can give adequate expres­ subtle ones, then the emphasis we placed on human nurture can sion to what is truly important for missionary consciousness, as foster initiatives of the highest Christian and missionary signifi­ long as these data are conjoined with Christian doctrine. What is cance. We shall be convinced that economic, social, and political overlooked here is that a narrowed down or truncated approach barriers to the work of God need not and should not be tolerated, to the human mystery will not necessarily be broadened by reli­ and that moderate optimism about a future delivered from many ance on the doctrinal tradition, unless, of course, that tradition of the institutional burdens of the present is a consistent Christian itself is pressed to the point of revealing its own more compre­ hope worthy of the effort needed to bring it about. hensive anthropological premises, which is at best a roundabout How, then, do our Christian scales react when we place hu­ solution to a needless complication. Reducing our approach to the man nature on one side and human nurture on the other? Based "world reality" to sociology and doctrine is just as unacceptable on the materials we have just considered, several conclusions can as reducing it to psychology and doctrine. In each case something be drawn: (1) both perspectives are solidy Christian concerns; (2) vital to what our humanness entails has been excluded. Simply while intimately related, each has its own integrity requiring direct baptizing a one-dimensional anthropology with Christine doctrine ministerial attention; (3) nature is the foundational reality in re- will not necessarily make it whole. For the real tension of Crisis

October 1985 179 II is not between sociology and doctrine but between sociology human injustice. The corruption is anchored deeply within certain and the other sciences needed to do comprehensive justice to what humanly devised arrangements for living in community, or in it means to be human. If the elements of human nurture are not what we have been calling human nurture. There is no indication complemented from the very beginning with those of human na­ that anything but the sinful shape of social institutions occupies ture, it is far less likely that the resulting reductionism will be the ground level of such malice. If any of the pressure we have cured by the gospel than the gospel itself will be reduced in the discussed under the rubric of human nature has a place here it is process. not given expression. One can only conclude, therefore, that the A second, equally inadequate way of preventing an over­ category or what it stands for is unknown, or that it is known but emphasis on human nurture is to intensify one's practice of the consciously excluded, or that it is both known and included, but spiritual life. As long as there is careful attention to prayer and with the kind of minimal importance that makes it unworthy of fasting, and to the service of one's neighbor, this will somehow mention. Whichever of these alternatives applies, making it ex­ compensate for a more or less exclusive emphasis on social systems plicit would greatly facilitate the creative unfolding of Crisis II. and structures. Although I cannot document this procedure in the If, on the other hand, such a reading of this statement is too way I did its predecessor, I believe a kind of wedding between severe, if the phrasing does not mean to exclude the constitutional social activism and spiritual renewal has been underway roughly turmoil of human nature as the soil in which the "root causes" since the beginning of the 1970s. During this period there was are themselves rooted, then only a substantial revision of the text growing pressure on liberation theologians to produce a spiritu­ would make this clear. As it stands, the statement can be seen ality of liberation, a project that seems to be developing well at only as an exclusively environmentalist reading of institutional the present time.w My concern is not to play down the growing violence. As far as Maryknoll is concerned, the point is academic, spiritual sensitivity of social activists or the gradual coming to for the chapter never accepted the proposal as written. I refer to expression of the spiritual depths of liberation theology, devel­ it here because it is a reasonably good example of statements about opments which I can only applaud, but simply to suggest that in missionary practice whose anthropological premises might be the long run the only way of correcting a restricted anthropological forced to greater specification by the kind of analysis we have been vision is to expand it. doing in this study. Those who miss the anthropological point of Crisis II may do Among other recent statements of this kind in the Maryknoll so to some extent under the influence of Marxism, especially if they Society, perhaps the most important is the formal "Mission work within the ambit of liberation theology. This is because the Vision" of the Seventh General Chapter. Since I have already gone critical stance Christians naturally take toward the atheism of the into some detail describing the predominant environmentalist, or Marxist tradition does not always extend to the far more dangerous nurture, orientation of this document, I shall now ask, as I did of deficiencies of Marxist anthropology. A one-sided, enviromentalist our previous sample, what this means in terms of the discussion focus on what it takes to achieve human deliverance is just as generated by Crisis II. My own ability to live with, and indeed contrary, and probably far more destructive, to the Christian ideal benefit from, the vision statement of 1978 is due in great part to than the outright denial of God. I say this because Christians are my assuption that its all but exclusive focus on systems and struc­ less likely to be deprived of belief in God than of a comprehensive tures is simply a way of alerting the membership to a relatively view of what it means to be human. new and thoroughly vital dimension of the missionary enterprise. I have never read the "Mission Vision" as an attempt to reduce Facing the Point the missionary activity of the society to the evangelization of nur­ turing institutions or as an affirmation that such ministry is more If Crisis II is to enrich rather than impoverish missiological reflec­ important or functions on a deeper level than its sister ministry tion, there is no substitute for facing into the anthropological ten­ to the perilous tensions at work in human nature. Indeed, I have sions that gave it birth. Those on either side of the debate owe it taken for granted that the "Mission Vision" assumes the foun­ to themselves and to the missiological community to make their dational stature of the human heart in matters concerning both anthropological premises clear. Those inclined to reduce the hu­ sin and salvation, and that it moves beyond this assumption to man mystery to nature, on the one hand, or nurture, on the other, the several environmental factors that condition for good or ill should be willing to say so. Or, if the inclination is simply toward what the heart itself devises. One of the reasons why I feel the emphasizing one more than the other, this too should be made "Mission Vision" is open to the interpretation I have just given known. Once this kind of clarification has been made, the pro­ is its own admission that it deals with only "part of our task tagonists of Crisis II will know the shape of their real differences, of mission."68 Given the special sense of urgency about environ­ and each side will be able to move toward the kind of consistency mental matters today, the fact that the "Mission Vision" does of thought and expression needed for constructive dialogue. By not give human nature its due does not necessarily preclude rec­ way of illustration, let me tum again to the recent history of the ognition of its primacy among the various human needs that call Maryknoll Society. for missionary activity. The first item is a proposal submitted to the Seventh General But I may be wrong. Maybe this is not what the "Mission Chapter in 1978. The signers asked that the following statement Vision" intends to convey. Perhaps the environmental concerns be included in the preamble to the assembly's formal statement of the document are thought to be so superior in importance to to the membership: those of human nature that they are the only ones that need to be dealt with. Although this interpretation would complicate my 1. Maryknoll, as a community of Christians trying to be honest to the own acceptance of the "Mission Vision," I would welcome it Gospel of Jesus Christ, chooses to take the side of and participate in the as another way of surfacing Crisis II as a Maryknoll phenomenon. struggles of the poor, the oppressed and the exploited of the world. More than anything else at this time, missionaries need to bring 2. This requires a growing awareness and critical analysis of systems, their differences about nature and nurture into the clear light of structures, and classess that are the root causes of poverty, oppression, day. If this study can contribute something to this end it will have and exploitation. 67 been well worth the effort.

From one point of view this is a straightforward diagnosis of

180 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Conclusion this decision will provide beriefits of its own. On the other hand, Whether or not Crisis II exists anywhere but in my own head will if these pages speak to missionaries of something real, of a new be decided in the long run by missionaries patient enough to stay and potentially dangerous breach of missionary consciousness, with a lengthy manuscript and discriminating enough to weigh and if they are ready to confront this crisis on its deepest level, its thesis against their own recent experience. If they find the there is every reason to expect that a solution consistent with the proposal wanting, one can hope that the very process of reaching essentials of Christian wisdom will be forthcoming.

Notes------­

1. "Guidelines for a New Theology of Mission," Worldmission 18, no. 33. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment (New York: Random 4 (Winter 1967~): 16-24; reprinted in Gerald H. Anderson and House, Modem Library, 1950), pp. 250--51. Thomas F.Stransky eds., Mission Trends No.1 (New York: Paulist Press, 34. See Seren Kierkegaard, The Concept of Dread (first published in 1844); 1974), pp. zs-ae. cf. Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man, vol. 1: Human 2. Lumen Gentium ("Dogmatic Constitution on the Church"), no. 16. Nature (New York: Scribners, 1941), p. 181. See also Marxism, Com­ 3. "Statements of the Mission Vision of Maryknoll, 1978, and the munism and Western Society-A Comparative Encyclopedia (New York: Society Objectives," no. 14. Hereafter referred to as "Mission Herder & Herder, 1973), vol. 3, p. 312. Vision." 35. Erich Fromm, The Heart of Man (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), p. 4. A convenient summary of these developments can be found in the 21. "Preliminary General Council Report for the Seventh General 36. B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Chapter," dated April 7, 1978.The document is available in the Society 1971), pp. 24-25. Archives. 37. See Edward O. Wilson, On Human Nature (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard 5. Chronicle oftheSeventh General Chapter oftheMaryknoll Fathers andBroth­ Univ. Press, 1978). ers (1978), vol. I, p. 1. 38. M. F.Ashley Montagu, Anthropology andHuman Nature (Boston, Mass.: 6. "Mission Vision," no. 3. Porter Sargent, 1957), p. 41. 7. Ibid., no. 9. 39. May, "The Sacral Power of Death," p. 120. 8. Ibid., no. 11. 40. Otto Rank, Art and Artist (New York: Agathon Press, 1932, reprinted 9. Ibid., no. 13. 1968), p. 42. 10. Ibid., no. 14. 41. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago Ill-IV (New York: Harper 11. Ibid. & Row, 1975), pp. 615-16. 12. Ibid., no. 15. 42. Charles Davis, Body as Spirit (New York: Seabury Press, 1976), p. 60. 13. Ibid., nos. l()-12. 43. Sebastian Moore, TheCrucified JesusIs No Stranger (New York: Seabury 14. Ibid., no. 20. Press, 1977), p. 35. 15. Ibid., no. 22. 44. William M. Thompson, Jesus, Lord and Savior (New York: Paulist Press, 16. Ibid., no. 25. 1980), p. 220. 17. Ibid., no. 33. 45. Joseph Haroutunian, "Life and Death among Fellowmen," in Na­ 18. The best detailed description of the planning process that influenced than Scott, ed., The Modern Vision of Death (Atlanta, Ga.: John Knox the Seventh General Chapter is to be found in the Mission Research Press, 1967), p. 82. and Planning Department'sSocial Analysis according to Gospel Values 46. See, e.g., Rank, Art and Artist; Norman O. Brown, Life against Death (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, 1979). Page 4 of (New York: Random House, Vintage, 1959);Ernest Becker, TheDenial this document gives a short history of its production and of planning of Death (New York: Free Press, 1973);Escape from Evil(New York: Free procedures in Maryknoll. Press, 1975). 19. John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, no. 83, as rendered in Claudia Carlen, 47. Joseph Haroutunian, "The Question Tillich Left Us," Religion in ed., ThePapal Encyclicals 1958-1981 (Raleigh, N.C.: McGrath, 1981), p. Life 35 (1966): 712. 68. 48. Reinhold Niebuhr, Beyond Tragedy (New York: Scribners, 1965), p. 38. 20. Second Synod of Bishops, "Justice in the World" (Nov. 30, 1971), 49. Reinhold Niebuhr, Nature and Destiny of Man, vol. 1: Human Nature, no. 5. Joseph Gremillion, ed., TheGospel ofPeace andJustice (Maryknoll, p.182. N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1976), p. 514. 50. Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, (1965), no. 10. Walter M. Abbott, ed., The 21. John Paul II, "Address at Yankee Stadium" (Oct. 2, 1979). Documents of Vatican II (New York: Guild Press, 1966), pp. 207-208. 22. Francois Houtart, The Church and Revolution (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis (Modified for inclusive language). Books, 1971), p. 16; Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation (Mary­ 51. Ibid., no. 25; in Abbott, Documents, p. 224. knoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1973), pp. 8-10. 52. Karl Rahner, "The Future of Religious Orders in the World and 23. Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens (1971), nos. 32-34. Church of Today," Sister Formation Bulletin 18 (Winter 1972), pp. 9£. 24. "Mission Vision," no. 25. 53. [urgen Moltmann, "Political Theology," Theology Today 28 (1971): 25. Ibid., no. 19. 20. 26. William F. May, "The Sacral Power of Death In Contemporary Ex­ 54. Edward Schillebeeckx, Christ-The Experience ofJesusas Lord (New York: perience," in Arien Mack, ed., Death in American Experience (New York: Seabury Press, 1980), pp. 842-43. Schocken Books, 1973), p. 120. 55. Arthur Koestler, TheGhostin theMachine (New York: Macmillan, 1968), 27. William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii. p.245. 28. Aelred Squire, AskingtheFathers (New York: Morehouse-Barlow, 1973), 56. Niebuhr, Beyond Tragedy, p. 161. p.45. 57. Jean Vanier, BeNot Afraid (New York: Paulist Press, 1975), p. 125. 29. Abraham Maslow, "The Need to Know and the Fear of Knowing," 58. Gustavo Gutierrez, "Liberation," SEDOS 73 (1973): p. 465. Journal of General Psychology 68 (1963): 119. 59. Ibid., p. 472. 30. Ernst Cassirer, ThePhilosophy oftheEnlightenment (Princeton, N.J.: Prin­ 60. Ibid., pp. 467-70; cf. the author's A Theology of Liberation, pp. 175-77. ceton Univ. Press, 1951), p. 143. 61. Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot (New York: Grove Press, 1954), p. 8 31. See Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (first published in 1651). (Act I). 32. See Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Dissertation on the Origin and Foundation of 62. James Livingston, Modern Christian Thought-From the Enlightenment to the Inequality of Mankind (first published in 1755).

October 1985 181 Vatican II (New York: Macmillan, 1971), p. 466. 66. Claude Geffre and Gustavo Gutierrez, eds., The Mystical and Political 63. Alec McCowan, Newsweek, Sept. 18, 1978, p. 66. Dimensions of the Christian Faith. New Series, vol. 6, no. 10: Concilium 64. James Weckesser, "Chapter Proposals: 1. Chapter Methodology; (New York: Herder & Herder, 1974); Gustavo Gutierrez, WeDrinkfrom 2. Post-Chapter-Process of Planned Renovation," Maryknoll Our Own Wells (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1984). Archives: Seventh General Chapter, no. 24, p. 1. 67. Maryknoll Pre-Chapter Bulletin, no. 7 (july 1978): 185. 65. Ibid., p. 2. 68. "Missions Vision," no. 25.

Responses to the Article by William B. Frazier, M.M.

Carlos Pape, s. ~D.

hen speaking of "Crisis I," we need not understand The mediation of the church, on the other hand, is indissol­ W the polarity marked by the two alternatives in the sense ubly linked with the "primordial sacrament," which is the hu­ of mutual exclusion; it, rather, calls for integration. It is not a manity of the Word. Hence it is not an autonomous mediation question of opposing "humanity" to "Christian commu­ but, rather, always related to Jesus Christ. Being ecclesial it will nity," "church-centered" to "human-centered" mediation, be at the same time Christological, although Christ exercises a or the church as "sanctuary" to the church as "sacrament." mediation that goes beyond the church. It is in this context of The salvation that God offers to all does not make the presence communication of life, gratuitous and mediated by Christ and his and action of the church superfluous. On the contrary, the church church, that we have to understand the demand that presents the realizes salvation precisely by its being an "efficacious sign," church as necessaria ad salutem (Lumen Gentium, no. 14). which proclaims that very salvation not only in words but also by Two mediations: that of the church, which is simultaneously the witness of its own life. In the church, salvation is experienced mediation of Christ, and that of the human condition. Mediations in a reflective way, consciously, and open to an ever clearer man­ of the same quality? Or are we dealing here again with one grace ifestation. that "can" assure salvation and with another that wells up If in the debate of "Crisis I" the "unique" and "ab­ abundantly from the mystery of a Christ who is recognized as the solute" significance of Christ-and therefore also of his church, supreme gift of God to the world? (cf. the cautious wording of which is the sacrament of his presence in the world-is pointed Gaudium et Spes, no. 22 and the parallel in Lumen Gentium, no. 16). out, it is necessary to keep in mind that those qualities can be These two are mediations that have to be integrated. The fanati­ conceived in two possible ways: by exclusion, namely, disquali­ cism or sectarianism that has often dominated the mentality of fication of other values, or, contrariwise, by assumption of those Christians ought to give way to the universal love of God who values, which then acquire an unexpectedly new content. This "wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the exaltation of the human resounds already in the cosmic Christol­ truth" (1 Tim. 2:4--5). Contrariwise, the Promethean tendency of ogy of the Pauline letters from captivity. With Yves Congar we humankind has to open up to a salvation that comes from beyond have to admit that we are still "far from a full comprehension its own resources. and consciousness of the absolute catholicity of Christ." For a In this process mission will be experienced not as a humili­ Christian, this mysterious efficacy of the catholicity of Christ can­ ation that forces a person to strip the self of one's condition as not but be a motive of missionary inspiration and enthusiasm. human being but, rather, as a possibility of possessing this con­ With this integrative vision we avoid falling into opposites, dition more deeply; not as a title granting an egoistic distinction which may be of either a Manichaean or a Pelagian type. The over those "in the shadow of death" but, rather, as a call to impetus from conciliar theology has brought us to a more com­ solidarity in sharing the goods that are meant for all. prehensive appreciation of Christ and his action in the world, and to a corresponding effort of aggiornamento in our theological per­ Within the scope of "Crisis II," the theology of liberation ception as well as in our missionary activity. A crisis indeed, but appears to support the "human-centered view of salvation," one of growth. according to which "the grace of salvation is mediated through human beings living together in history, relentlessly conditioned When it is said that the human condition "as such" is by economic, social, and political institutions of their own mak­ "foundational instrument" by which God has willed to com­ ing." What counts in this mediation are the favorable or unfavor­ municate his life to us, one cannot but ask: How does this me­ able structures of human life. The grace of salvation finds its way diation of the purely human operate? Is it that the human being, through the structures that foster life and is hindered by structures by the mere title of being human already "shares" the life of that militate against the same. Salvation thus acquires an essen­ God? If the life of God for us is grace, namely, gratuitous and tially socio--structural connotation, a socio--cultural conditioning. unmerited, how does one act in the face of this gratuity? What is The key word is "structural analysis." When salvation is one's place in this act of divine condescension? Traditional the­ viewed in this light, Frazier explains, "missionaries who em­ ology used to speak of potentia oboedientialis. Has the meaning of braced together the human-centered alternative of Crisis I are part­ this theological expression become obsolete? ing company as they prove more concretely what human mediation entails." Carlos Pape, aChilean priest in theSociety oftheDivineWord, isMission Secretary With regard to a theme at once so topical and complex, I would at the S.V.D. generalate in Rome. He received a doctorate in missiology from the like to propose only a few considerations. In this radical turn Gregorian University, Rome, in 1962, and was the S.V.D. provincial superior in toward the anthropological "center," the search is basically for Chile from 1978 to 1982. the efficacy of a mission that could transform a reality which, as

182 International Bulletin of Missionary Research amply documented in the media, appears frightfully unjust, vi­ relating welfare and salvation (Wohl und Heil), far from being the­ olent, and dehumanized, a caricature of the world created by God, ological sophistry, remains the starting point and standard for the Father of all people, who are all brothers and sisters. The search Christian practice and theological reflection. An exact statement of is for the continuous interaction that ought to exist between that world and God, between the secular and the religious, between history and faith, between culture and the gospel. Ever since Gaudium et Spes proclaimed the autonomy of these "From an attitude that various spheres (nos. 39, 59), there has been a progressive search emphasized autonomy, the­ for their reciprocal relationship. Populorum Progressio, Octogesima Adveniens, Evangelii Nutiandi, Redemptor Hominis, and the Medellin ology has advanced to an and Puebla conferences have been milestones on this way. From understanding of mission an attitude that emphasized autonomy, theology has advanced to an understanding of mission that aims at "integral" person. It that aims at 'integral' per­ takes account of "the unceasing interplay of the gospel and of son." man's concrete life, both personal and social" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 29) and steers clear of both a temporal-political and a religious reductionism (ibid. no. 34). "The Church links human libera­ tion and salvation in Jesus Christ, but she never identifies them" the relationship of welfare and salvation, taking full account of the (ibid., no. 35). present historical hour, is one of the most urgent tasks of theology Interaction but how? This is one of the basic questions of in need of solution today, also in this country. today, as pointed out by Bishop Franz Kamphaus, chairman of the Justitia et PaxCommission of the German Bishops Conference: Because the question is not resolved, both theologians and missionaries who are active in this field find themselves in an The formula of the Council of Chalcedon, "without confusion­ atmosphere of uncertainty. Thus, as Frazier rightly points out, without division," which constitutes a basic model of any reflection "the most urgent need at the moment is less that of taking on the faith and which is fundamental for distinguishing and cor­ sides, than that of taking stock of what the sides really are."

James A. Scherer

re the two crises cited by Father Frazier confined to an faith" to those who hear the good news about Jesus Christ and A American, Roman Catholic mission community after respond by repenting and believing. Salvation is now mediated Vatican II, or can one see similarities and differences in one's own without limit to any and all who participate in the "human mission constituency? A candid answer requires me to say that mystery." The principal reservation seems to be that even what change, confusion, and lack of consensus about the foundation is good can be corrupted. Therefore the gospel message is needed and goal of mission also trouble the mission constituency I am to clarify and correct the "human mystery," protecting it from most closely associated with. The relation between Christian faith idolatrous tendencies and abuses. and other living faiths, the centrality of Christ, the relation be­ The locus of the problem is different for evangelical Protes­ tween Christ and culture, the priority of justice and commitment tants who have never strictly held the view that "outside the to the poor, evangelization of non-Christians vs. reevangelization church there is no salvation." For them the issue is overwhelm­ of nominal Christians, churchplanting vs. the church as sign and ingly Christological rather than ecclesiological. "No other name" instrument of the kingdom, mission strategies relevant to both is the concentrated expression of an evangelical concern to safe­ secularism and religous revival-such issues are warmly debated. guard the centrality of Jesus Christ in all discussion about sal­ But it is difficult to identify with the two crises cited by Father vation. Protestants have recognized two dominant challenges to Frazier, at least in the form presented, and to agree that they this exclusive view, which has dominated past missiology. One constitute the principal mission crises o(our time. At best they comes from those who hold the view that there is indeed salvation are analogous to crises within Protestant missions. for people who, while remaining faithful to their own religious Crisis I concerns the locus of God's saving presence: Is it to traditions, do not know Jesus Christ or do not acknowledge him be found exclusively within the Christian community, or in the as Lord and Savior. The other challenge arises from a universalist "human mystery" as such? Progressive post-Vatican II mis­ interpretation of divine providence. It insists that all human beings siology, as taught by some, holds that "simply to be a man are saved through the objective efficacy of Christ's atonement, or a woman is to have all that is necessary to qualify for the gift whether they know and accept it or not. The first of these alter­ of saving grace." The world to which the church is sent is not natives has been associated with liberal Protestantism and has a devoid of the saving presence of God; it is "embraced and history going back as far as the Laymen's Foreign Missions In­ challenged by the same saving grace" over which Christians no quiry. There it led to the Hocking Commission's proposal that longer hold a monopoly. According to this view, God's saving mission work abandon efforts toward conversion and concentrate presence and gifts are mediated directly to the human situation on a "common search for truth" and dialogue about the com­ as human beings participate in the "human mystery." The mon goals of all religious communities. The second view, that of implication is that salvation is not granted "by grace through Christian universalism, has an ancient history and has recently been rejected anew by the Lausanne Covenant (art. 3) for un­ dercutting the nerve of missionary evangelism. James A. Scherer teaches World Missions and Church History at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He hasbeen a missionary in China andJapan. He In short, Crisis I for Catholics appears to stem from an attack serves as a member of the Management Committee of the Division for World on the pre-Vatican II citadel of church authority, with its mon­ Mission and Ecumenism of the Lutheran Church in America. olithic system of hierarchy, magisterium, and sacraments. For

October 1985 183 evangelical Protestants, the crisis stems from an erosion of con­ is frequently invoked in connection with the challenge to battle fidence in the distinctive sola elements of the Reformation-Scrip­ against oppression and to identify with the poor. Most Protestants ture alone, faith alone, grace alone-all pointing with unwavering who hold these views would see them as fresh insights derived fidelity to the central affirmation, Christ alone. from Scripture, made suddenly and vividly relevant by the de­ There are, of course, unresolved issues growing out of both teriorating social and political context of today's mission. A greater Catholic and Protestant versions of the crisis. What is the biblical number of Protestants, however, would probably be scandalized and theological basis for the statement that simply to be human by such notions, holding that such views represented a capitu­ is to qualify for God's saving grace? What is meant by "saving lation to Marxist ideology or to Leninist tactics. Puritanism and grace"? Is all grace as mediated by nature and creation defined evangelical revivalism, after all, have in the past produced their as "saving"? What is the distinction between creation and own agendas of societal transformation and doing battle with the redemption? Is redemption seen as continuous with creation, that structures of evil. is, as an enhancement of nature? What is then the meaning of a If the issue is posed in terms of the alternatives of evange­ "new creation" in Christ Jesus? Where are the reality of sin, lizing persons or Christianizing the environment-saving individ­ evil, and demonic power taken seriously? Are they dismissed as uals or saving the social order-people in my circle would stress simply aberrations of nature and creation? What is the distinctive the urgency of doing both. Personal evangelism, obviously, should not be neglected. But the older individualistic, pietist notion (really a caricature!) of rescuing souls from a doomed world has now been effectively replaced, in both conciliar and evangelical circles, "The older tendency to by the view that individuals and groups should be both evan­ gelized and nurtured in their social and cultural contexts. This bifurcate mission into implies, and certainly Lutherans increasingly support this view, that Christians in their mission have responsibility to advocate either evangelism or social justice as they proclaim the gospel, and to work for the liberation action seems happily to be of human beings from all forms of oppression. The older tendency to bifurcate mission into either evangelism or social action seems a thing of the past." happily to be a thing of the past. It is striking that the Lausanne Covenant could pick up on a dominant theme of the World Coun­ cil of Churches when it stated that "world evangelization re­ quires the whole church to take the whole Gospel to the whole role of Jesus Christ? Is it interchangeable with that of other savior world." This growing concern for wholeness in mission, far from figures? These are fundamental issues of mission theology, both pointing to a new crisis, is more a kind of preliminary sign of Catholic and Protestant, responses to which will determine whether reconciliation among the fragmented forces of mission. What a there is continuing validity and justification for Christian mission tragedy it would be for Protestants and Catholics alike if growing today. consensus on these issues were now drawn into the destructive Crisis II would appear to be much less of a crisis for Prot­ orbit of ideological polarization. estants than for Catholics. In some Protestant quarters, liberation Some crucial issues remain unanswered. What is the relative theology receives an enthusiastic response. Elsewhere it is greeted priority assigned to evangelism and social concern? How do the with cool, mixed, or critical reactions. Nowhere, as far as I can two emphases relate in practice? What is the ultimate theological determine, has it received the official approval or censure of a basis for Christian involvement in advocacy for justice as an Protestant denomination or mission agency, and thus its church­ expression of Christian mission? How does one's view of the dividing and crisis-provoking potential is much less. world and of history-above all one's eschatological hope and It is virtually certain that some mission groups make use of vision of the kingdom-shape one's personal involvement in the "structural analysis" or something akin to "environmental struggle against demonic forces? Protestants and Catholics need anthropology" in their long-range planning. Liberationist rhetoric to engage each other in a missionary dialogue on these issues.

Tom Houston

here are fashions in theology just as in clothes and fur­ underlying one that is as old as the church. It is the tension, often T niture. There is a sense of such peer pressure in the title embittered, between the emphasis on grace or law, or their coun­ and content of William Frazier's article, which marks twenty years terparts, faith or works. That tension would appear to be endemic on from Vatican II. in the life of the people of God from the New Testament until There can be little doubt that Vatican II brought crisis to now. The language, the practical issues, and the rhetoric may Roman Catholic missiology. Frazier's lucid exposition of the church change, but the essential paradox between Mount Sinai and the as sanctuary vs. the church as sign sets out graphically one im­ heavenly Jerusalem keeps recurring. portant fact of that crisis as it affected the Roman Catholic Church. Maybe there is a message in this that goes back to the image If this assessment is at all accurate, then there is one more of two poles. In the physical universe, the poles are always there. point to be made. It is that the critical factor in both crises is an You cannot remove one or the other. The force from each creates one magnetic field in which we have to operate. I believe it is so in the recurring areas of paradox and tension in theology. We Tom Houston, born in Scotland, is a minister of the Baptist Union of Great have as givens certain apparent opposites, neither of which can Britain and Ireland. For twelve years he was pastor of a multiracial church in be exclusive of the other. Grace is paramount, but law is not Nairobi, Kenya, and later served as executive director of the British and Foreign inconsequential. Faith is essential but can be known only by works. Bible Society. He is now President of World Vision International. The church is both sanctuary and sign, and human nature and

184 International Bulletin of Missionary Research nurture will both continue to constitute the missiological agenda. helping the proponents of each emphasis to argue less and to get There was a similar, though not identical, shift in the main­ on with the tasks of mission. The needs of refugees and famine line Protestant churches. Here it was the movement from the victims had already drawn evangelicals to do earlier what they church as the "gathered" community, to the church as the would resolve only later theologically. "scattered" people of God. It is likely that both expressions That resolution had three parts. Social activity can be a con­ of the trend were fed from increasing secularization in the soci­ sequence of evangelism, or a bridge to it, or a partner in it. It is eties in which churches are set. important, however, to note the reasoning behind that restate­ This was slower in reaching the evangelical wings of the ment. It was agreed there that there is a logical priority for evan­ church. This may have been for a reason that is a commentary gelism because one cannot get Christian social action until one on William Frazier's method. With considerable skill, he articu­ has Christians. More important still was-the admission that there lates the difficulty of naming the polarities in his second crisis. is an essential priority for evangelism because it relates to the Then he seems convincingly to tap the data with his silver ham­ eternal destiny of people, whereas social action relates to their mer, and it very neatly separates into the human naturelhuman temporal and material well-being. This has a bearing on William nurture tension. Many will be grateful for the literary pearls that Frazier's thesis about Crisis II. When the emphasis in Roman he drops in the course of his argument, although evangelicals Catholic churches moved from sacrament to sign, it would seem would have preferred stronger biblical content. that for some it became implicit that salvation could be present The trouble is, however, that in matters theological there are for people with no connection to the church, even if their loyalty never only two poles matching the magnetic north and south. was to another religion or to no religion at all. That was an idea There is a hemisphere of poles with many points in its compass that evangelicals were not ready to accept on face value. While matching the other hemisphere of opposites. admitting that there are no ends to the mystery and sovereignty In the evangelical world, the idea that there was no salvation of God, and that only "the Lord knows them that are his," outside the institutional church had been firmly resisted for 400 years since Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. In some ways the pro­ liferation of parachurch agencies, with no ties to any church struc­ ture, was possible because this Roman tenet was abandoned. It "In matters theological is not surprising then that evangelicals were not so hung up on the sanctuary vs. sign tension. Because of our view of the church there are never only two universal, we did not have too much of an exclusive sanctuary poles matching the mag­ approach to begin with. We did, however, have our own prob­ lems with the secularizing process in society and tended to fight netic north and south." against it longer before rethinking our position in the light of it. It took the influence ofyoungevangelicals from the third world to get a reformulation of their position in the Lausanne Covenant of 1974.There it was admitted at last that we have a responsibility there has never been a willingness to entertain the idea that every­ towards both the individuals and the structures of society as well one will be saved in the end, willy-nilly, or that salvation is pos­ as to the church, however "church" is defined. But this res­ sible outside Jesus Christ. olution did not address the same polarities that had pulled at the Similarly, in the human nature/human nurture tension, it is Roman Catholic Church in Vatican II. the solid rejection of universalism that keeps evangelicals on the The question arises now as to whether or not human nature same side that William Frazier seems to come down on, that the vs. human nurture is a real crisis today, and whether or not it is nature factor has to take precedence over nurture. This solidarity, to be seen as such in the evangelical wing of missiology. There therefore, reduces the crisis proportions of this debate. Unless is no doubt that a similar tension exists. It has revolved around human nature is redeemed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, the debate as to whether or not evangelism is primary and takes any human nurture is fleeting and insubstantial, although still precedence over social action. That is still quite a hot debate when required out of love of the neighbor. So long as evangelicals it comes to emphases and methodology in particular programs believe this and act in this way, the second crisis will not be a of churches and mission agencies. It would seem, however, that crisis for them. There may be those who will shift ground and the resolution proposed in the 1982 Grand Rapids Consultation move to another camp on the issue, but there is little sign that on the Relationship of Evangelism and Social Responsibility is such defections will be many.

October 1985 185 Documentation

The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) Paul, Bishop Servant of the Servants of God Together with the Fathers of the Sacred Council Commits to Permanent Record

Introduction

L,our time, when day by day humankind is being drawn ever The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these • closer together and the ties between different peoples are being religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and strengthened, the Church is giving closer attention to her relationships of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many to non-Christian religions. In her task of fostering unity and love among aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect individuals, indeed among peoples, she considers above all in this Dec­ a ray of that truth which enlightens all. Indeed, the Church proclaims, laration what human beings have in common and what draws them and ever must proclaim, Christ as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" toward fellowship. (john 14:6), in whom men and women may find the fullness of religious One is the community of all peoples, one their origin, for God made life, and in whom God has reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor. 5:18­ the whole human race to live on all the face of the earth (cf. Acts 17:26). 19). One also is their final goal, God. His providence, his manifestations of The Church therefore exhorts her children to recognize, preserve, goodness, his saving design extend to all (cf. Wis. 8:1; Acts 14:17; Rom and foster the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the sociocultural 2:6-7; 1 Tim. 2:4), until that time when the elect will be united in the values found among the followers of other religions. This is done through Holy City, the city ablaze with the glory of God, where the nations will dialogue and collaboration with them, carried out with prudence and love walk in its light (cf. Apoc. 21:23f.). and in witness to the Christian faith and life. One expects from the various religions answers to the profound rid­ dles of the human condition, which today, even as of old, deeply stir The Islamic Religion human hearts: What is man? What is the meaning, the purpose of our life? What is moral good? What is sin? Whence suffering, and what pur­ 3. The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the pose does it serve? Which is the road to genuine happiness? What are one God, living and subsisting in himself, merciful and all-powerful, the death, judgment, and retribution after death? What, finally, is that ulti­ creator of heaven and earth (cf. St. Gregory VII, Letter XXI to Anzir mate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do [Nacir], king of Mauritania [PL 148, cols. 450f£.]), who has spoken to we come, and where are we going? humans; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly even to his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam is gladly linked, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they Variety of Non-Christian Religions revere him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, his virgin mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. Moreover, they look forward 2. From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various to the day of judgment when God will render what is deserved to all peoples a certain perception of that mysterious power abiding in the those raised up from the dead. For this reason, they value the moral life course of nature and in the happenings of human life; at times some and worship God, especially through prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a In the course of centuries there have indeed arisen many quarrels Father. This perception and recognition penetrate their lives with a pro­ and hostilities between Christians and Muslims. But now the Council found religious sense. pleads with all to forget the past, to make sincere efforts for mutual However, religions that are bound up with an advanced culture have understanding, and so to work together for the preservation and fostering struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined con­ of social justice, moral welfare, and peace and freedom for all humankind. cepts and a more developed language. Thus, in Hinduism men and women contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible The Jewish Religion abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and 4. As the Council searches into the mystery of the Church, it remembers trust. Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of the spiritual bonds which tie the people of the New Covenant to the this changeable world; it teaches a way by which persons, in a devout offspring of Abraham. and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect Thus the Church of Christ acknowledges that, according to God's liberation, or to attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, su­ saving design, the beginnings of her faith and her election are found preme illumination. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to already in the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets. She professes that all counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by who believe in Christ-Abraham's children according to the faith (cf. Gal. proposing "ways," comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. 3:7}--are included in this patriarch's call, and likewise that the salvation of the Church is symbolically prefigured in the exodus of the chosen people from the land of bondage. The Church, therefore, cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament through the people Translated by Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. (1985) from the official Latin text, with whom God in his inexpressible mercy made the ancient covenant. Nostra Aetate, with afew changes toavoid theexclusive language of theoriginal. Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well­

186 International Bulletin of Missionary Research cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the infinite love because of the sins of humans in order that all might reach Gentiles (cf. Rom. 11:17-24). Indeed, the Church believes that by his cross salvation. This the Church has always taught and teaches still; it is there­ Christ, who is our Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles, making the two fore the duty of the Church to proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of one in himself (cf. Eph. 2:14-16). God's all-embracing love and as the fountain from which every grace flows. The Church keeps ever in mind the words of the Apostle about his kinsmen: "Theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenant and Universal Brotherhood, Excluding the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:4-5), the Son of the Every Discrimination Virgin Mary. She also recalls that the apostles, the Church's foundation stones and pillars, as well as most of the early disciples who proclaimed 5. We cannot truly call upon God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat the Gospel of Christ to the world, sprang from the Jewish people. in a brotherly way any class of people created as all are in the image of As Holy Scripture testifies, Jerusalem did not recognize the time of God. Humankind's relation to God, the Father, and his relation to us, her visitation (cf. Luke 19:44), nor did the Jews, in large number, accept his brothers and sisters, are so linked together that Scripture says: "He the Gospel; indeed, not a few of them opposed its dissemination (cf. Rom. who does not love does not know God" (1 John 4:8). 11:28). Nevertheless, now as before, God holds the Jews most dear for No foundation therefore remains for any theory or practice that leads the sake of their fathers; he does not repent of the gifts he makes or of to discrimination between person and person or people and people insofar the calls he issues-such is the witness of the Apostle (cf. Rom. 11:28-29; as their human dignity and the rights flowing from it are concerned. also cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: A.A.S. 57 [1965], 20). In com­ The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrim­ pany with the prophets and the same Apostle, the Church awaits that ination against persons or harassment of them because of their race, color, day, known to God alone, on which all peoples will address the Lord condition in life, or religion. On the contrary, following the footsteps of with a single voice and "serve him with one accord" (Zeph. 3:9; cf Is. the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the Council ardently implores the Chris­ 66:23; Ps. 65:4; Rom. 11:11-32). tian faithful to "maintain good fellowship among the nations" (1 Pet. Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is then 2:12) and, if possible, to live for their part in peace with all (cf. Rom. so rich, the Council wishes to foster and commend mutual understanding 12:18), so that they may truly be sons and daughters of the Father who and esteem. This will be the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological is in heaven (cf. Matt. 5:45). studies and of brotherly dialogues. True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed * * * for the death of Christ (cf. John 19:6); still, what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, Each and every point stated in this Declaration has satisfied the Fathers of the nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new People sacred Council. And we, bytheauthoritybestowed on us byChrist, together with of God, the Jews should not be represented as rejected by God or accursed, the venerable Fathers, approve it in the Holy Spirit, we decree it and we enact as if this followed from Holy Scripture. All should see to it, then, that in it; and we order the promulgation, to God's glory, of what has been enacted catechetical work and in preaching of the Word of God they teach nothing synodically. save what conforms to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ. The Church, moreover, rejects every persecution against any person. Rome, in St. Peter's Basilica, October 28, 1965 For this reason and for the sake of the patrimony she shares with the Jews, the Church decries hatreds, persecutions, and manifestations of Paul, Bishop of the Catholic Church anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone. She does so, not impelled by political reasons, but moved by the spiritual love of (The Fathers' signatures follow) the Gospel. Besides, Christ underwent his passion and death freely and out of

'The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of Other Religions: Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Mission Secretariat for Non-Christians

Introduction

The Second Vatican Council has marked a new landmark in the 3. This new attitude has taken the name of dialogue. This term, which 1• relations of the church with the followers of other religions. is both the norm and ideal, was made known to the church by Paul VI Many Conciliar documents made explicit reference to them, and one in in the encylical Ecclesiam Suam (6 August 1964). Since that time, it has particular, the declaration Nostra Aetate, is entirely dedicated to "the been frequently used by the Council as well as in other church teachings. relations between the Catholic church and non-Christian religions." It means not only discussion, but also includes all positive and construc­ tive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other 2. The rapid changes in the world and the deeper consideration of the faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment. mystery of the church as "the universal sacrament of salvation" (LG 48) have fostered this attitude towards non-Christian religions. "Thanks 4. As an institutional sign of this desire to meet and relate to the followers to the opening made by the Council, the church and all Christians have of other religious traditions of the world, the same Pope Paul VIinstituted, been able to come to a more complete awareness of the mystery of Christ" on Pentecost, 1964, in the climate of the Second Vatican Council, the (RH 11). Secretariat for non-Christians as an organism distinct from the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Its competence was de­ fined in the constitution Regimini Ecclesiae: Reprinted from Bulletin: Secretariatus pro non Christianis (Vatican City), 56 (1984), XIX, 2.

October 1985 187 therefore "missionary by its very nature" (AG 2; cf. also 6, 35, 36). For To search for methods and ways of opening a suitable dialogue every Christian, the missionary duty is the normal expression of his lived with non-Christians. It should strive, therefore, in order that non­ faith. Christians come to be known honestly and esteemed justly by Christians, and that in their tum non-Christians can adequately 11. "The mission of the church is carried out by means of that activity know and esteem Christian doctrine and life (AAS 59, 1967, pp. through which, in obedience to Christ's command and moved by the 919-920). grace and love of the Holy Spirit, the church makes itself fully present to all persons and peoples ..." (AG 5). The task is one but comes to be 5. Today, 20 years after the publication of Ecclesiam Suam and its own exercised in different ways according to the conditions in which mission foundation, the Secretariat, gathered in plenary assembly, has evaluated unfolds. "These circumstances depend sometimes on the church itself, the experiences of dialogue which are occurring everywhere in the church. sometimes on the peoples or groups or individuals to whom the mission It has reflected on the church's attitudes towards other believers, and is directed.... The appropriate actions or tools must be brought to bear especially on the relationship which exists between dialogue and mission. on any given circumstances or situations.... The special end of this missionary activity is the evangelization and the foundation of the church 6. The theological vision of this document is inspired by the Second among peoples or groups in which it has not yet taken root" (AG 6). Vatican Council and the subsequent magisterium. A further study in Other passages of the same Council have stressed that the mission of the depth by theologians remains, however, both desirable and necessary. church is also to work for the extension of the Kingdom and its values among all men and women. (cf LG 5, 9, 35; GS 39, 40-45, 91, 92; UR 2; DH 14; AA 5).

12. The different aspects and manners of mission have been broadly "The life of Jesus con­ delineated by the Second Vatican Council. The acts and documents of subsequent ecclesiastical teaching, such as the Bishops' Synod on Social tains all the elements of Justice (1971) and those dedicated to evangelization (1974)and catechetics mission." (1977), numerous addresses of Pope Paul VI and John Paul II, and state­ ments of the episcopal conferences of Asia, Africa, and Latin America have developed various aspects of conciliar teaching, adding, for example, "as an essential element of the mission of the church and indissolubly Drawn from and enriched by experience, this reflection is mainly pastoral connected to it "(RH 15) the commitment to mankind, to social justice, in character. It intends to encourage behavior formed by the Gospel in to liberty and the rights of man, and the reform of unjust social structures. its encounters with believers of other faiths with whom Christians live in 13. Mission is thus presented in the consciousness of the church as a the city, at work, and in the family. single but complex and articulated reality. Its principal elements can be mentioned. Mission is already constituted by the simple presence and 7. This document, therefore, is proposed in order to help Christian com­ living witness of the Christian life (cf. EN 21), although it must be rec­ munities and especially their leaders to live according to the directives of ognized that "we bear this treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Cor. 4:7). the Council. It offers elements of a solution to the difficulties which can Thus the difference between the way the Christian appears existentially arise from the duties of evangelization and dialogue which are found and that which he declares himself to be is never fully overcome. There together in the mission of the church. Through this document, the mem­ is also the concrete commitment to the service of mankind and all forms bers of other religions might also come to understand better how the of activity for social development and for the struggle against poverty church views them and how it intends to behave towards them. and the structures which produce it. Also, there is liturgical life and that of prayer and contemplation, eloquent testimonies to a living and liber­ 8. Many Christian churches have had similar experiences in their en­ ating relationship with the active and true God who calls us to His king­ counters with other believers. Within the ambit of its Unit I on "Faith dom and to His glory. (cf. Acts 2:42). There is, as well, the dialogue in and Witness," the World Council of Churches has a sub-unit for "Dia­ which Christians meet the followers of other religious traditions in order logue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies." With this latter body, to walk together towards truth and to work together in projects of common the Secretariat for non-Christians has stable and fraternal contacts of con­ concern. Finally, there is announcement and catechesis in which the good sultation and collaboration. news of the Gospel is proclaimed and its consequences for life and culture are analyzed. The totality of Christian mission embraces all these ele­ I ments. Mission 14. Every local church is responsible for the totality of mission. Moreover, every Christian, by virtue of his faith and baptism, is called to carry out to some degree the whole mission of the church. The needs of the situ­ 9. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). This saving love of God has been revealed ation, the particular position of the people of God, and an individual's and communicated to mankind in Christ and is present and active personal charisma dispose the Christian to direct his efforts principally throughout the world by means of the Holy Spirit. The church is the to one or another aspect of that mission. living sign of that love in such a way as to render it the norm of life for all. This mission, Christ's own, is one of love because in him it finds its source, goal, and way of proceeding (cf. AG 2, 5, 12; EN 26). Each aspect 15. The life of Jesus contains all the elements of mission. In the Gospels, and activity of the church's mission must therefore be imbued with the Jesus is shown in silence, in action, in prayer, in dialogue, and in teaching. spirit of love if it is to be faithful to Christ who commanded the mission His message is inseparable from his deeds; he announces God and His and continues to make it possible throughout history. reign not only by word but by his deeds and works which complete his preaching. Accepting contradiction, failure, and death, his victory passes 10. The church, as the Council has stressed, is a messianic people, a through the gift of life. Everything in him is the means and way of visible assembly and spiritual community, and a pilgrim people who go revelation and salvation (cf. EN 6-12); everything is the expression of his forward together with all of mankind with whom they share the human love (cf. John 3:16; 13:1; 1 John 4: 7-19). Christians ought to act in the experience. They ought to be the leaven and a "soul" for society as it same way: "By this will they know that you are my disciples, if you is to be renewed in Christ and transformed into the family of God (cf. have love for one another." LG 9; GS 9, 40). This messianic people has as its law "the new com­ mandment to love as Christ has loved us and as its goal the kingdom of 16. Moreover, the New Testament gives a composite yet differentiated God which was already begun by Him" (LG 9). The pilgrim church is picture of mission. There is a plurality of services and functions which

188 International Bulletin of Missionary Research arise from a variety of charisms (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28-30; Eph. 4:11-12; Rom. moment, butarises from reasons which experience and reflection, and even 12:6--8). S1. Paul himself noted the particular character of his missionary the difficulties themselves, have deepened. vocation when he declared that he was not sent by Christ to baptize but to announce the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:17). For this reason, alongside the 21. The church opens itself to dialogue through fidelity to man. In every "apostles," the "prophets," and the "evangelists," we find those person and in every human group there is the aspiration and the need who are called to deeds for the community and for the assistance of those to be considered responsible subjects and to be able to act as such. This who suffer. There are the tasks of families, of husbands, of wives, and of children. There are the duties of masters and servants. Each person The abbreviations in this article refer to the following has a task of particular witness in society. The First Letter of Peter, sent church documents, the Latin designation for each docu­ to Christians living in situations of diaspora, gives indications which never ment being the first two words of the document and cease to surprise by their relevance for today. A passage of this letter was hence its official title.-Eos. cited by Pope John Paul II in 1979 to the Catholic community of Ankara as "the golden rule of contacts between Christians and their fellow AA Apostolicam Actuositatem. "Decree on the Aposto­ citizens of other faiths: 'Revere the Lord Christ in your hearts, and late of the Laity" (1965) always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope which is in you. But give it with courtesy and respect and with AAS Acta Apostolicae Sedis. (Vatican publication of papal a dear conscience' " (1 Pt. 3:15-16). documents)

17. Among the many examples which could be drawn from the history AG Ad Gentes. "Decree on the Church's Missionary of Christian mission, the norms given by S1. Francis of Assisi, in the Activity" (1965) ''Regola non bollata" of 1221, are significant. The friars who "through divine inspiration would desire to go among the Muslims ... can estab­ CIC Codex Juris Canonici. (Code of Canon Law) lish spiritual contact with them [Muslims] in two ways: a way which does not raise arguments and disputes, but rather they should be subject to OH Dignitatis Humanae. "Declaration on Religious every human creature for the love of God and confess themselves to be Liberty" (1965) Christians. The other way is that when they see that it would be pleasing to the Lord, they should announce the word of God." EN Evangelii Nuntiandi. "Evangelization in the Mod­ Our own century has seen the rise and affirmation, especially in the ern World" (1975) Islamic world, of the experience of Charles de Foucauld, who carried out mission in a humble and silent attitude of union with God, in communion ES Ecclesiam Suam. "Encyclical on Vatican Council II with the poor, and in universal brotherhood. Themes" (1964)

18. Mission must always revolve about man in full respect for his free­ GS Gaudium et Spes. "Pastoral Constitution on the dom. For this reason, the Second Vatican Council, while having affirmed Church in the Modern World" (1965) for the whole church the necessity and urgency of announcing Christ, "the light of life," with all apostolic faithfulness and fortitude, even, LG Lumen Gentium. "Dogmatic Constitution on the when necessary, to the shedding of one's own blood (DH 14), confirms Church" (1964) the need to promote and respect the true freedom of the other person, rejecting any form of coercion whatsoever most especially in the religious NA Nostra Aetate. "Declaration on the Relation of the sphere. Church to Non-Christian Religions" (1965) "Truth, however, is to be sought in a manner proper to the dignity of the human person and his social nature. The inquiry is to be free, OT Optatam Totius. "Decree on Priestly Formation" carried on with the aid of teaching or instruction, communication, and (1965) dialogue. In the course of these, men explain to one another the truth they have discovered or claim to have discovered in order to help one RH Redemptor Hominis. "Encyclical on Redeeming another in their search for the truth. Moreover, as truth is discovered, it Humanity" (1979) is by personal assent that men are to adhere to it" (DH 3). "In spreading religious faith and introducing religious practices, UR Unitatis Redintegratio. "Decree on Ecumenism" everyone ought at all times to refrain from any manner of action which (1964) could seem to carry a hint of coercion or of a kind of persuasion that would be dishonorable or unworthy, especially when dealing with poor or uneducated people. Such a manner of action would have to be con­ is the case whether one regards the need to receive or, even more, when sidered an abuse of one's right and a violation of the rights of others" one is conscious of possessing something which is to be communicated. (DH 4). As the human sciences have emphasized, in interpersonal dialogue one experiences one's own limitations as well as the possibility of over­ coming them. A person discovers that he does not possess the truth in 19. This respect for every person ought to characterize the missionary a perfect and total way but can walk together with others towards that activity of the church today (cf. ES 77; AAS 1964, pp. 642-643; EN 79-80; goal. Mutual affirmation, reciprocal correction, and fraternal exchange RH 12). "Man is the first path which the church ought to traverse in lead the partners in dialogue to an ever greater maturity which in turn carrying out its mission" (RH 14). These values, which the church con­ generates interpersonal communion. Religious experiences and outlooks tinues to learn from Christ its teacher, should lead the Christian to love can themselves be purified and enriched in this process of encounter. and respect all that is good in the culture and the religious commitment The dynamic of human encounter should lead us Christians to listen of the other. "It concerns respect for everything which the Spirit, who to and strive to understand that which other believers communicate to blows where he wills, has produced in man" (RH 12; cf. EN 79). The fact us in order to profit from the gifts which God bestows so generously. that Christian mission can never be separated from love and respect for Socio-cultural changes in the world, with their inherent tensions and others is proof for Christians of the place of dialogue within that mission. difficulties, as well as the growing interdependence in all sectors of society necessary for living together, for human promotion, and, above all, for II pursuing the demands of peace, all render a dialogical style of human Dialogue relationships today ever more urgent. A. Foundations 22. The church, however, feels itself called to dialogue principally because 20. Dialogue does not grow out of the opportunism of the tactics of the of its faith. In the Trinitarian mystery, Christian revelation allows us to

October 1985 189 glimpse in God a life of communion and interchange. social life by the various exchanges and enterprises of human liv­ In God, the Father, we contemplate a pervasive love unlimited by ing. Thus, they ought to know well the religious and cultural tra­ space and time. The universe and history are filled with His gifts. Every ditions of others, happy to discover and ready to respect seeds of reality and every event are surrounded by His love. In spite of the some­ the Word which are hidden in them.... As Christ himself, ... times violent manifestation of evil, in the vicissitudes in the life of each so also His disciples should know the people among whom they individual and every people there is present the power of grace with live and should establish contact with them, to learn by sincere elevates and redeems. and patient dialogue what treasures a bountiful God has distributed The church has the duty of discovering and bringing to light and among the nations of the earth. At the same time, let them try to fullness all the richness which the Father has hidden in creation and illuminate these treasures with the light of the gospel, to set them history, not only to celebrate the glory of God in its liturgy but also to free, and to bring them under the dominion of God their Savior promote among all mankind the movement of the gifts of the Father. (AG 11; cf. AG 41; AA 14, 29). 23. In God the Son we are given the World and Wisdom in whom every­ thing was already contained and subsisting even from the beginning of B. Forms of Dialogue time. Christ is the Word who enlightens every person because in Him is 28. The experience of recent years gives evidence of the many ways in manifested at the same time the mystery of God and the mystery of which dialogue is expressed. The most important and typical forms which mankind (cf. RH 8, 10, 11, 13). He is the redeemer present with grace in are listed below are seen as distinct from one another yet at the same every human encounter, to liberate us from our selfishness and to make time connected. us love one another as he has loved us. As Pope John Paul II has said: 29. Before all else, dialogue is a manner of acting, an attitude and a spirit Man-s-every man without any exception whatever-has been which guides one's conduct. It implies concern, respect, and hospitality redeemed by Christ, and because with man-with each man without towards the other. Itleaves room for the other person's identity, his modes any exception whatever-Christ is in a way united, even when man of expression, and his values. Dialogue is thus the norm and necessary is unaware of it: "Christ, who died and was raised up for all, manner of every form of Christian mission, as well as of every aspect of provides man"-each man and every man-"with the light it, whether one speaks of simple presence and witness, service, or direct and the strength to measure up to his supreme calling" proclamation (CIC 787, no. 1). Any sense of mission not permeated by (RH 14). such a dialogical spirit would go against the demands of true humanity and against the teachings of the Gospel. 24. In God, the Holy Spirit, our faith allows us to perceive the force of life and movement and continuous regeneration (cf. LG 4) who acts in 30. Every follower of Christ, by reason of his human and Christian vo­ the depth of people's consciences and accompanies them on the secret cation, is called to live dialogue in his daily life, whether he finds himself path of hearts towards the truth (cf. GS 22). The Spirit also works "out­ in a majority situation or in that of a minority. He ought to bring the side the visible confines of the Mystical Body" (RH 6; cf. LG 16; GS 22; spirit of the Gospel into any environment in which he lives and works, AG 15). The Spirit both anticipates and accompanies the path of the church that of family, social, educational, artistic, economic, or political life. Dia­ which, nevertheless, feels itself impelled to discern the signs of Her pres­ logue thus finds its place in the great dynamism of the church's mission. ence, to follow Her wherever She leads and to serve Her as a humble and discreet collaborator. 31. A further level of dialogue is that of deeds and collaboration with others for goals of a humanitarian, social, economic, or political nature 25. The reign of God is the final end of all persons. The church, which which are directed towards the liberation and advancement of mankind. is to be "its seed and beginning" (LG 5, 9), is called from the first to This kind of dialogue often occurs today in the context of international start out on this path towards the kingdom and, along with the rest of organizations, where Christians and the followers of other religions con­ humanity, to advance towards that goal. front together the problems of the world. This duty includes the struggle against, and the victory over evil and sin, beginning always with oneself and embracing the mystery of the 32. The field of collaboration can be extremely wide. Referring in partic­ cross. The church is thus oriented towards God's reign until its fulfillment ular to Muslims, the Second Vatican Council exhorts both parties to in the perfect communion of all mankind as brothers in God. "forget the past" and to "defend and promote together social jus­ Christ is the guarantee for the church and the world that the "last tice, moral values, peace and liberty" (NA 3; cf. AG 11, 12 15, 21). In the days" have already begun, that the final age of history is already fixed same sense there are the statements of Pope Paul VI, especially in Ecclesiam (LG 48), and that, therefore, the church is equipped and commissioned Suam (ASS 56, 1964, p. 655), and of John Paul II in numerous meetings to work so that there come about the progressive fulfillment of all things with the heads and representatives of various religions. The great prob­ in Christ. lems with which humanity is struggling call on Christians to work together with other believers by virtue of their respective faiths. 26. This vision induced the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to affirm that in the religious traditions of non-Christians there exist "ele­ 33. Of particular interest is dialogue at the level of specialists, whether ments which are true and good"(OT 16), "precious things, both reli­ it be to confront, deepen, and enrich their respective religious heritages gious and human" (GS 92), "seeds of contemplation" (AG 18), or to apply something of their expertise to the problems which must be "elements of truth and grace" (AG 9), "seeds of the Word" (AG faced by mankind in the course of its history. 11, 15), and "rays of the truth which illumines all mankind" (NA 2). Such a dialogue normally occurs where one's partner already has his According to explicit conciliar indications, these values are found pre­ own vision of the world and adheres to a religion which inspires him to served in the great religious traditions of humanity. Therefore, they merit action. This is more easily accomplished in pluralistic societies where the attention and the esteem of Christians, and their spiritual patrimony diverse traditions and ideologies coexist and sometimes come in contact. is a genuine invitation to dialogue (cf. NA 2, 3; AG 11), not only in those things which unite us, but also in our differences. 34. In this type of encounter, the partners come to mutual understanding and appreciation of each other's spiritual values and cultural categories 27. The Second Vatican Council has thus been able to draw consequences and promote communion and fellowship among people (cf. NA 1). The of a concrete obligation, which it expresses in the following terms: Christian in this manner can also work together for the evangelical trans­ formation of cultures (cf. EN 18-20, 63). That they may be able to give this witness to Christ fruitfully, [Christians] ought to be joined to the people of their time by esteem 35. At a deeper level, persons rooted in their own religious traditions and love, and acknowledge themselves to be members of the group can share their experiences of prayer, contemplation, faith, and duty, as of people among whom they live. Let them share in cultural and well as their expressions and ways of searching for the Absolute. This

190 International Bulletin of Missionary Research type of dialogue can be a mutual enrichment and fruitful cooperation for 40. In dialogue also, the Christian normally nourishes in his heart the promoting and preserving the highest values and spiritual ideals of man. desire of sharing his experience of Christ with his brother of another It leads naturally to each partner communicating to the other reasons for religion (cf. Acts 26:29;ES46). On the other hand, it is natural that another his own faith. The sometimes profound differences between the faiths believer would similarly desire to share his faith. do not prevent this dialogue. Those differences, rather, must be referred back in humility and confidence to God who "is greater than our heart" B. Dialogue for the Building of God's Reign (1John 3:20).In this way also, the Christian has the opportunity of offering to the other the possibility of experimenting in an existential way with 41. God never ceases to reconcile persons to Himself by the work of His the values of the Gospel. Spirit. The church relies on the promise made by Christ that the Spirit will guide it in history towards the fullness of truth (john 16:13). For this reason it goes out to meet individuals, peoples, and their cultures, aware III that in every human community are found the seeds of goodness and truth, and conscious that God has a loving plan for every nation (Acts Dialogue and Mission 17: 26-27). The church therefore wants to work together with all in order to fulfill this plan and by doing so recognize the value of the infinite and 36. The relationships between dialogue and mission are multiple. We varied wisdom of God and contribute to the evangelization of cultures dwell here on several aspects which at the present time have greater (cf. ES 18--20). relevance because of the challenges and problems they pose and the attitude which they demand. 42. "We also tum our thoughts to all who acknowledge God and who preserve in their traditions precious elements of religion and humanity. A. Mission and Conversion We want open dialogue to compel us all to receive the inspirations of the 37. According to the Second Vatican Council, missionary proclamation Spirit faithfully and to measure up to them energetically. The desire for has conversion as its goal: "that non-Christians be freely converted to such dialogue, conducted with appropriate discretion and leading to truth the Lord under the action of the Holy Spirit who opens their hearts so by way of love alone, excludes nobody. We include in this those who that they may adhere to Him" (AG 13; CIC 787, no. 2). In the context of respect high-minded human values without recognizing who the author dialogue between believers of various faiths, one cannot avoid reflecting of those values is, as well as those who oppose the church and persecute on the spiritual process of conversion. it in various ways. Since God the Father is the origin and purpose of all In biblical language and that of the Christian tradition, conversion is mankind, we are all called to be brothers and sisters. Therefore, if we the humble and penitent return of the heart to God in the desire to submit have been summoned to the same destiny, which is both human and one's life more generously to Him. All persons are constantly called to divine, we can and should work together without violence and deceit in this conversion. In the course of this process, the decision may be made order to build up genuine peace in the world" (GS 92; cf. also, the mes­ to leave one's previous spiritual or religious situation in order to direct sages of Popes Paul VI and John Paul II for the World Day of Peace). oneself towards another. Thus, for example, from a particular love the heart can open itself to one that is more universal. 43. Dialogue thus becomes a source of hope and a factor of communion Every authentic call from God always carries with it an overcoming in mutual transformation. It is the Holy Spirit who directs the carrying of oneself. There is no new life without death, as the dynamic of the out of God's design in the history of individuals and all humanity until Paschal mystery shows (cf. GS 22). Moreover, every conversion "is the time when God's children who are dispersed by sin will be reunited the work of grace, in which a person ought to fully find himself again" as one (cf. John 11:52). (RH 12). 44. God alone knows those days, He to whom nothing is impossible, He 38. In this process of conversion, the law of conscience is sovereign, whose mysterious and silent Spirit opens the paths of dialogue to indi­ because "no one must be constrained to act against his conscience, viduals and peoples in order to overcome racial, social, and religious nor ought he to be impeded in acting according to his conscience, es­ differences and to bring mutual enrichment. We live therefore in the age pecially in religious matters" (DH 3). of the patience of God for the church and every Christian community, for no one can oblige God to act more quickly than He has chosen to do. 39. In the Christian view, the principal agent of conversion is not man, However, before the new humanity of the 21st Century, the church but the Holy Spirit. "It is He who drives one to announce the Gospel should radiate a Christianity open to awaiting in patience the maturation and in the depths of one's conscience makes one welcome and understand of the seeds sown in tears and in trust (cf. James 5:7-8; Mark 4:26-30). the word of salvation" (EN 75). It is He who determines the movement of hearts and gives rise to the act of faith in Jesus the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 2:4). The Christian is but a simple instrument and co-worker of God (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9).

October 1985 191 Book Reviews

Church: Charism and Power. Liberation Theology and the Institutional Church.

By Leonardo Boff. Translated by John W. Diercksmeier. New York: Crossroad Pub­ lishing Co., 1985. Pp. ix, 182. $14.95.

The original subtitle of this book, when a "popular church"-a church "from ceptuality is often imprecise and am­ published in Portuguese in 1981, was below," made up of the base com­ biguous; that its views on church dogma "Essays in Militant Ecclesiology." munities whose main features he and revelation, and on hierarchical au­ This English translation carries a sub­ sketches in his eighth chapter, thority depart considerably from nor­ title that suggests that here liberation "Characteristics of the Church in a mative Roman Catholic teaching. Boff's theology "takes on" the institu­ Class Society ." Advocacy for such a reply to this severe criticism has in­ tional Roman church. The author, the church, running through these thir­ sisted that his positions were validly Brazilian Franciscan theologian Leo­ teen chapters (almost all previously taken within an acceptable theological nardo Boff, is already well known for published between 1974 and 1981) has pluralism, and that his militancy de­ the "conversations" he was asked been described by Cardinal Ratzinger rives from his passionate attachment to hold with the prefect of the Vatican as "a merciless and radical aggres­ to both the gospel and the church. Congregation for Doctrine in Septem­ sion against the institutional model of Church: Charism and Power will ber 1984. the Catholic Church" and as "an probably continue to fuel controversy, Boff's basic endeavor is to argue effort to reduce its structures to un ­ although those well acquainted with with passion for the coming-to-be of acceptable caricatures." liberation theology will not find in it With vigor and remarkable peda­ much that is significantly new . Surely gogical (and polemical) gifts, Boffdeals the imperative for profound and on­ eloquently with a panorama of eccle­ going reform in the church needs to be C. G. Arevalo, S.' ., a contributing editor, teaches sial models, with human rights viola­ constantly reaffirmed. Surely too the theology at Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo tions within the Roman Catholic promise of basic ecclesial communities de Manila University, Metro Manila , Philip­ Church, with its pathologies and its should be proclaimed, serious prob­ pines. abuses of power. He describes Chris­ lems notwithstanding. Undeniable tianity as "one huge syncretism," forces of Word and Spirit are at work recasts long-held notions on "the within them. But here both reaffir­ teaching church and the learning mation and proclamation have, not in­ church," and so forth, finally to hail frequently, a stridency and rhetoric the emergence of the communities bordering on harangue. One might ask, "at the grassroots" among the poor echoing some of the wise things Yves and oppressed as the authentic form Congar has said of other books, if a of the church of the future, alone truly more measured and more sober ar­ capable of renewing the saving pres­ gument, with a greater sense of his­ ence of the gospel in Latin America . torical development and a more evident Cardinal Ratzinger has charged that regard for fairness toward "the ad­ the book is immoderate and pamphlet­ versary" Boff has chosen to do battle eering in its language, offensive and with, might be not only more evan­ unjust vis-a-vis both people and insti­ gelical in spirit, but in the end more tutions of the Roman Catholic Church, effective and more constructive for the that its critical stance would seem to very purposes these essays intend. borrow its perspectives from neo­ Marxist inspiration rather than from -C. G. Arevalov S} . gospel faith; that its theological con-

Salvation and Liberation.

By Leonardo and Clodovis Boff. Translated by Robert R. Barr. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1984. Pp. viii, 119. Paperback $6.95.

In his critical analysis Leonardo Boff of time before a process of liberation is shows us how theological reflection on initiated. poverty and misery can lead to action. For Leonardo Boff liberation is an ....~ I"... .., For application and more information: • ..... James M. Phillips, Associate Director Faith as a motivating force for libera­ integral process and not a partial one . ~-.. OVERSEAS MINISTRIES tion and for salvation helps Christians Its projection is not regional but global. ~ ~ STUDY CENTER Ven tnor, NJ08406 to realize how they are being op­ Because poverty and misery are world­ Publishers of the lnttrniltiolWl Bulld i" ofMissionarv Rtsairc h pressed. Afterwards, it is only a matter wide, and are one issue, it would fol-

192 International Bulletin of Missionary Research low that the theology of liberation is commitment in faith, these compan­ fering of thousands of people in Central also one global endeavor. ions in service shared deep personal and South America. The text weaves According to Boff liberation in friendships with one another. In Au­ biographical material with the broader Jesus Christ is not identified with po­ gust 1980 Carla Piette was killed when political history of Chile, Nicaragua, and litical, economic, and social liberation, the jeep she and Ita Ford were driving EI Salvador. By referencing the per­ but is historically identified in political was overturned by a flash flood . In De­ sonal writings and the letters of the and social liberation (p. 32). The king­ cember 1980 Maura Clark, who re­ three Sisters, Judith Noone offers an dom of God is not identified with a just placed Carla in Chalatenango, and Ita analysis of the social and political real­ society, but it can exist in a just society; Ford were murdered on their return ities of Central America, particularly EI "the kingdom takes flesh in justice" from the San Salvador airport. Salvador. (p. 58). These are examples of the fine The Same Fate as the Poor traces the As a case study of United States points of the theological enterprise that, personal stories of these three women. missioners in service to the people of I believe, make Boff's contribution a Their lives are the windows through the troubled lands of Central and South necessary one for us today. which the author, Maryknoll Mis­ America, The Same Fate as the Poor pro­ I did not find any difficulty with sioner Judith Noone, points to the suf- vides a believable glimpse of this ded­ the book other than its apologetical form, such as John Paul II's liberation thematic. I feel that we in the North have to go out to meet and know who the poor are. Once that experience .....ishop Stephen Neill happens, theology and faith will not take so much for granted, and we shall 1984 Seminar filmed on color video-cassettes begin to understand how liberation theology is challenging us with its "option for the poor." Clodovis Boff points out that the "HOW MY dominant dimension of theology today is the political one. In the past it has MIND HAS been faith , spirituality, penance, as­ ceticism, mysticism, alms and works, and so forth . These still are dimensions CHANGED of theology but not the dimension that can presently help to bridge the gap between rich and poor. A good ex­ ABOUT ample is the "Magnificat" in Luke . The "Magnificat" is an example of MISSION" a theology of liberation with strong po­ litical overtones that is helping the rich Four lectures: Plus: to become less rich and the poor to • Aim of Mission a devotional chapel message, and becoming less poor. The gap is begin­ • Church as Missionary Community interview covering a broad ning to close because of a healthy bridge • Mission as Dialogue range of issues in world mission . called justice. • Mission as Presence -Andres G. Guerrero Jointly produced by Overseas Ministries Study Center and the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Andres G. Guerrero is Directorof the Hispanic 3 VHS (Video Home System) cassettes, half-inch format, color, 5 Ministries Program atCatholicTheological Union, hours total. Chicago , Illinois. Special purchase price: $229 U.s .A. orders postpaid. Orders outside U.S.A. add $9 .00 for postage and handling, surface mail insured; $17.00 airmail insured. Payment must ac­ The Same Fate as the Poor. company all orders. By Judith M. Noone, M.M. Maryknoll , To order, use the coupon below N.Y.: Maryknoll Sisters Publication, 1984. ------Mail to: Pp. viii, 152. Paperback $4.95. Video/Publications' Office Overseas Ministries Study Center The fate of the women who died in EI P.O. Box 2057 Salvador in 1980 was that of the poor Ventnor, New Jersey 08406, U.S.A. among whom they lived. Three of the five American missionaries who died Send me_ _ set(s) of video cassette lectures by Bishop Stephen Neill on "How were Maryknoll Sisters, members of a My Mind Has Changed About Mission." United States Catholic religious com­ Name, _ munity. In addition to their common Address _

Sister Mary Ann Dillon, R.S.M., is Provincial Enclosed is my check in the amount of $__ made out to "Overseas Ministries Administrator for the Scranton (Pennsylvania) Study Center." Orders outside U.S.A. add $9 .00 for postage and handling, sur­ Province of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union face mail; or $17.00 airmail. Payment must accompany all orders. Allow 4 weeks md a member of the Board of Directors of the for delivery within the U.S.A. United States Catholic Mission Association .

October 1985 193 icated and spunky group of men and be yond what their personal weak­ power of their lives. The Same Fate as women. Carla, Ita , and Maura ar e nesses would have seemed to permit. thePoor is inspirational and instructive, unique, yet ordinary, individuals, The book's understatement of the ac­ especially for United States citizens. whose journeys in faith brought them tual events of their deaths accents the -Mary Ann Dillon, R.S.M.

A History of the Church in Latin siasm for liberation theology and at­ America: Colonialism to Libera­ tributes unique significance to these tion (1492-1979). seventeen years that Dussel sees as "pregnant with meaning and sig­ By Enrique Dussel. Tran slated by Alan nificant events" (p. 125). The problem Neely. Grand Rapids, Mich. Wm. B. Eerd­ is that unless the period 1492-1962 is mans, 1981. Pp. xxiii, 360. $21 .95. better understood we do no t ha ve enough elements to de cide if the Dussel, an Argentinian exponent of The pro cess explains the uneven char­ "liberation" period really is what liberation theology, has written exten­ acter of the book both in structure and Dussel claims it to be. It is understand­ sively in the area of philosophy and in content, and makes it difficult to rec­ able that, with the vast amount of ma­ ethics, but in recent years he has ma­ ommend it as a textbook , in spite of terial covered, some factual mistakes jored in historical research as the head the creativity of the method and the have slipped by. Dussel says, "In of CEHILA, the vast project for writing wealth of informa tion and bibliog­ Peru the movement for independence a new history of the church in Latin raphy. began in 1809, and the first rebellion America. In this very accura te trans­ In Part On e and appendixes I and or up rising occurred in Pumacahua" lation from Spanish by Alan Neely, we II Dussel offers a careful explanation (p. 88). Actually, Pumacahua is not a have a good example of the solid schol­ of the herm eneuti cal approach he has place but the name of a revolutionary arship and difficult style that chara c­ used . Biblical and theological termi­ leader in the uprising of August 1814 terizes Dussel. In its original form the nology combined with Hegelian and in Cuzco. The maps and charts at the book was entitled "Hypothes is for existential philosophy give us a dense end of the book are very helpful. a History of the Church in Latin Amer­ text, not always easy to grasp. The ap­ -Samuel Escobar ica" and publish ed in Barcelona, in proach to Latin American history is 1967. That original hypothesis devel­ based on the Marxist-oriented theory oped from 219 pages into the 1974 third of dependence as it is evidenced, for Changing the World: An Agenda edition of 4S9 pages that has served as instance, in the periodification chosen the basis for this English translation. (Ap pendix II). The period between for the Churches. 1492 and 1808 is covered in thirty-fou r pages, in Part Two. The period be­ By Vincent Cosmao. Translated by John twee n 1808 an d 1962 is covered in Drury. Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books, Samuel Escobar, ProfessorofMissionsat Eastern forty-eight pages in Part Three. Part 1984. Pp. xoii, 109. Paperback $7.95. Baptist Seminaryin Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Four, the period described as a time of sen'ed previously as regionalsecretary of the In­ "liberation" (1962- 1979), is given a Cosmao, the director of the Lebret ternational Fellowship of Evangelical Students total of 128 pages. Such an unbalanced Faith and Development Center in in Argentina and Peru . treatm en t of the material reflects enthu­ Paris, presents his formulae for "changing the world" in thirty-three theses, beginning with the assertion that "before the end of this millen­ nium, humanity will have to make a collective commitment to shaping a habitable earth" (p.1). However desir­ able such a proposal may be in itself, its style is indicative of the author's ten­ dency to deliver presumptive judg­ ments from a theoretical perspective rather than to examine data in detail and to argue his position in dialogue with other positions. Depending on a reader's own sympathies, the author's explanations may seem analytically perceptive or theologically idealistic or excessively judg mental. For example, the claim that " the underdevelopment of some is the result of the developm ent of oth­ ers" (p.1S)has an appealing simplicity, but does such a the sis take seriously the amb iguities of actual historical de­ velopment? Similarly, the thesis that

John T. Fo rd, currently Associate Professor of Theologyat the Catholic University of America, has also served on the staff of Holy Cross Mis­ sions, Washington, D.C.

194 Internati on al Bulletin of Mission ary Research "left to their own inertia, societies for the churches"? Or must one be con­ THIID wallD Eleaa.TEa come to be structured in terms of in­ tent with a series of provisional agenda By Kristofer Hagen, M.D. equality" (p.34) suggests tha t the au­ as the churches con tinuously search The miss ion book Minnesota thor already has an a priori picture of for divine guidance in the irreducible is talking about. how societies should be constituted or uncertainties of history? "SO at least how they ought to be evalu­ Readers' reactions to this book will dab1e" ated . likely depend on their own sociopolit­ rea alltirl9IY ..enc" ed" Credit must be given the author ical-theological viewpoints. Those who ortraY P to for elaborating a systematically coher­ basically sympathize with the author's "l1ar d .. ent schema, in which his sociopolitical perspective will presumably find their ut down .. P arldin9 premises serve as the logical substrata convictions reinforced. And even "sP for his historical-theological judg­ those who do not agree will be chal­ "first class ments; however, one wonders lenged to examine their own premises encounters" whether the desire for trenchant and about the church's role in a changing with India, tidy theses has really become a temp­ world. Ethiopia, Tai­ tation: Can any such theoretical con­ -John T. Ford wan, V. Nam struct really ever serve as "an agenda and Honduras o ver fo u r decades...... 1 liked best its Paths of Liberation: A Third masterfu l World Sp irituality. blend of compass ion By Bakole wa llunga. Maryknoll, N.Y.: and hardheaded common sense." U.S. Orbis Books , 1984. Pp. viii, 215. Paper­ Senator Dave Durenberger . ".. . a clear challenge to young Christians." Bishop back $12.95. David Preus. Handsome paperback, 308 pp. $8.95. Bakole wa Ilunga, the Roman Catholic the Zairean Christian communities in Proceeds to Health Scho larship Fund in archbishop of Kananga, in Zaire, starts order for them to regain "their authen­ India. Inclu de pkg. post. &tx Minnesota with a radical analysis of his commu­ ticity." Whether those communities residents send $10.50, others send $10 to nity . "The old framework that guar­ are going to be helped very much by World Mission Prayer League, 232 anteed a certain balance has collapsed this intelligent, but rather lengthy Clifton , Minneapo lis, MN 55403. and no new one has yet been found to book remains a question. Jr'I,.O R L ~ ;> M replace it" (p. 12). The book is written for those who I.l .. < i!! The Old Testament "search for have the courage to let people come to o God who sets us free" ends in a way "'"3A...... x during the exile when "groups of be­ lievers rediscover God in their lives: the poor of Yahweh" (p. 67).Jesus, one of those poor, lives the fullness of this For your seminars liberating life, leaving communities that do the same. conferences • classes • The conclusions drawn by the au­ committees • meetings thor do not get stuck in mere piety. He develops a robust, liberating praxis. Zaire should be liberated from "the in­ International Bulletin Special Issues terests of worldwide capitalism," whose "chief weapon is not their mili­ tary migh t bu t the fact that we depend on them even for our food!" (p. 144). "Increased agricultural production is IIChina Mission History" therefore a prime necessity" (p. 144). "The liberation of society from corrup­ (April 1985) tion is the absolutely necessary condi­ tion for our progress" (p. 154). To realize those elementary objectives, Christian communities should form IIMission Since "chains of honesty" with "a renewed consciousness" (p. 156). In very many 11 ways this is an amazing book. Here is an African bishop opting for a radical Vatican Council 11 liberation theology. The book explains very clearly the role of conscientiza­ (October 1985) tion. That is what should happen to Bulk rates now available: 5-25 copies, $3.00 each; 26-50, $2.50; 51-100, $2.00; over 100, J. G. Donders, a member of the Missionaries of $1.50. Add $5.00 per order for postage and handling. Payment Africa, was forfifteen years professorof philoso­ must accompany order. Send orders and payment to: Interna­ phy and religious studies at the University of tional Bulletin of Missionary Research, P.O . Box 2057, Ventnor, Nairobi, Kenya . He is now the Executive Direc­ tor of the Africa Faith and Justice Network, in New Jersey 08406. Washington, D.C.

October 1985 195 themselves, a courage that is rarely book is such a mig hty surprise, such a Salvador Witness: The Life and found amo ng leaders in Africa, the ec­ fres h breath, and so reco mmendable. Calling of Jean Donovan. c1esial ones included . That is why this -J. G. Don ders By Ana Carrigan . New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984. Pp. 317. $16.95.

This fast-paced, gripping story ope ns with Jean Don ovan 's disappearance RIDGEROW Broken Bread and Broken Bod ies : and death. Togeth er with Jean, three The Lord's Supper and World other Ame rican wome n were mur­ Hunger. dered: Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel PRESS and Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke ByJoseph A . Grassi. Maryknoll, N .Y.: Or­ and Ita Ford. By begi nning with the CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM: bis Books , 1985. Pp. x, 116. Paperback ending of their lives, Carrigan ha s cho­ THE STRUGGLING $6.95. sen we ll: when silenced, these four DIALOGUE women came to be heard across the Edited by There is much of value in this latest United States. Richard W. Rousseau, S.J. boo k by Joseph Grassi, professor of re­ Like th e other thr ee, Jean went to ligious stu dies at the University of Santa EI Salvador to serve its harassed and up rooted common peo ple. Her short Vol. IV in the Modern Theological Clara . In a straightforward ma nner he sketches th e con text of Jesu s' message time the re, from summer 1979 to De­ Themes Series assesses both cemb er 2, 1980, coincided with an up ­ present and future states of an d ministry and shows how both carry implications for th e transformation of surge of violence, increasing raids on Islamo Christ ian dialogue recog­ homes and hamlets, disappearances, nizing both its real problems and political and socia l life. Discipleship demands imitation an d collaboration detentions, and killings . In this tur moil its promising poss ibilities. Jean and her co-workers moved about, 1985 $17.95 with Jesu s in this inner-worldly reali­ zation of the kingdom. Grassi develops distributing food, clothing, and med ­ this position wit h appeals to both the icine, sharing the comfor ts of their OTHER VOLUMES wisdom (" the listening heart" ) and faith, provid in g transporta tio n and prophetic tradition s, as we ll as with a she lter for refugees. Fair and foreign , VoL I: creative use of th e "abba" motif. they were n oticeable , especially Interreligious Dialogue: Atte ntion is also given to th e promi­ blon de and bouncy Jean. Their activi­ Facing the Next Frontier, ne nce of the feeding miracles. Partic­ ties were watched and, by the far right, ed. by R.W. Rousseau, S.J. ularly suggestive for me are Grassi's judged su bversive. They received 1981 $13.50 remarks on the importance of "food some threats, experienced a growing langu age" for th e early Christian com ­ sense of me nace- but kept on. "Afine start of a theme series . .. put ­ munities and the cosmic dimensions of Common sen se urged, while ting in accessible form papers widely the Euc harist celebra tion . An appendix friends pleaded, tha t Jean leave. She dispersed and often not available to usefully su mmarizes stat ements by th e stayed, explaini ng : "Several times I the rest of us." Frederick Homan,S.J., have decide d to leave. . . . I almos t Best Sellers Vatican and by the World Council of Chur ches dealing wi th the ago nizing co uld except for the children. ... VoL II: problem of wo rld hunger. Whose heart could be so staunc h as to favor the rea sonab le thing ... ? Not Christianity and the Fina lly, though , the book prom­ ises more than it delivers . It concludes mine, dear friend, not mine" (p. 218). Religions of the East: Althoug h Carriga n focuses on Models for a whe re it should have begun. The book's stated purpose is " to poi n t out how Jean, she intro duces a galaxy of other Dynamic Relationship, a deep understanding of an d partici­ memorable people. Her vivid accou nt ed. by R.W. Rousseau, S.J. pa tion in the Eucha rist can mobilize of scenes and eve nts, her summaries 1982 $15.00 effective individ ual and community ac­ and analyses profit from her firsthand tion to start a great miracle of sharing knowled ge of Latin America, whe re, "This book is 'required read ing' for that will lead to the end of hunger" (p. as the dau gh ter of Irish and Colombian anyone deeply committed to genuine x). The au thor's concrete suggestion to parents, she has lived . She well may dialog." Ruth Slickman, Bull N. Am. begin the mobilization toward th e mir­ spark reade rs to scru tinize the United Board for East West Dial. acle: each parish or congregation should States gove rnment's ventures in Cen ­ form a hunger committee. Useful and tral Ame rica. VoL III: No t footnoted , the book lists its Chrlstlanlty and Judaism: necessary undoubtedl y, but finally ob­ vious . This is th e kind of book tha t will resou rce persons an d source materials The Deepening Dialogue , in three and one-ha lf pages of ac­ ed. by R.W. Rousseau, S.J. likely be read by th ose alrea dy on such 1984 $15.00 a committee. More atten tion as to how knowledg me nts. A map or two an d an awareness and com mi tme nt can be index wo uld have enha nced its value . ". . . provides one of the best overall elicited from othe rs who are reg ular - Jeanne Marie Lyons, M.M. surveys of the field now out." Eugene attenders of the Eucharist would have Fisher, Face to Face. made th is a parti cularly fruitful work. -William McConville, O .F.M. Jeanne Marie Lyons, M.M., author of Mary ­ knoll's First Lady, and a former college teacher UPS & Handling each: $1.75 andadministrator, is at presentengagedfull time 10 South Main Stre et, in literary work, writing, editing, translating. Montrose, PA 18801, William McConville, a .F.M ., is the Director of She has been in most of the countries where Tel (717) 278-114 1 the Program in Contemporary Mission at the Maryknoll Sisters are located, but her longtime Washington Theological Union. assignment has been at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll , N.Y.

196 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Pluralism: Challenge to World to the Orthodox churches of the view Religions. that all authority in both church and the world is referred directly to God By Harold Coward. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Or­ (p. 27) was commonly held also in bis Books, 1985. Pp. viii, 131. Paperback Western Christianity. The theocentric $8.95. approaches of modern theologians like Paul Tillich, John Hick, and Wilfred Harold Coward, professor of religious The contact and openess to other Cantwell Smith (p. 45) are in line with studies at the University of Calgary, cultures have been considered both as the Orthodox churches, for which Canada, in his book Pluralism: Chal­ challenges and, at various times, as nevertheless the Christological coun­ lenge to World Religions, deals with one dangers by Christians. According to the cils, on whom the author lays the blame of the major problems of human and dominant Catholic view today, such (p. 14), were of paramount impor­ religious coexistence and Christian challenges have been overcome in a tance. presence in the world. positive way, at least insofar as truth Some of the principles upon which In the first five chapters he ex­ is concerned. In this study certain as­ this work is based seem questionable amines the ways in which Judaism, pects of Christianity have been some­ to me . Here I mention three points. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and what forgotten and the various religions 1. A valid theology for all believers Buddhism have reacted and are react­ are viewed primarily through their in the different religions is proposed ing to the challenge of pluralism. His written records. The real situation seems (pp. IOIf.) . To me this would seem im­ synthesis of diverse positions within to me at once richer and mote com­ possible. While admitting that Chris­ their historical perspective is outstand­ plicated. In this line I would like to call tian theology must be contextualized, ing. The author offers a global per­ attention to several points of weakness also in the realm of existing religious spective that appears to be in agreement in this treatment. Two that stand out pluralism (p. 94) the ultimate criterion with his own preferences and conclu­ are the oversimplified treatment of the of theology, its obiectum quo, always re­ sions: "The dialogical approach, Greek influence on Christianity in the mains faith and comprehensibility, perhaps the most promising of all, em­ relationship between the duality of which is valid only for someone who phasizes both the universality of God matter and spirit (p. 18) and the omis­ has that faith . and the human need for complete sion of the great efforts at inculturation 2. The reexamination and reinter­ commitment to the particular truth of in post-Renaissance missionary activ­ pretation of the uniqueness of Jesus the worshiper's religion" (p. 45). ities in Asia, particularly the work of (pp. 14,44) are proposed as a condition We can agree with the author's early Jesuits like Ricci and Di Nobili for an adequate theology of dialogue. analysis of (pp . 22, 72). The unilateral application In my view an authentic theology of

the presuppositions upon which the re­ ligiousdialogue of the future should be grounded. The six key propositions are these: (1) that in all religions there is experience of a reality that transcends OPEN human conception; (2) that that reality , is conceived in a plurality of ways both CHALLENGES within each religion and among all re­ ligions and that the recognition of plu­ T O ALL rality is necessary both to safeguard n religious freedom and to respect human limitations; (3) that the pluralisticforms \;, .,,­ "~!h~!!1±!S of religion are instrumental in function; I "Combines the virtues of faithfulness (4) that due to our finite limitationsand to the biblical text with extraordinary our simultaneous need for commitment - WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE? clari ty of prescn tation."- Robert to a particular experience of transcend­ The Old Testament Call Mcafee Brown Paper, 5H,9'i ent reality, our particular experience, to Social Witness though limited, will function in an ab­ PEACE THINKING solute sense as the validating criterion by Bruce C. Birch IN A WARRING WORLD for our own personal religious experi­ "Christian social concern requires not by Edward LeRoy Long. Jr. ence; (5) that the Buddha's teaching of only that we ask what we should do in a "While moral theology has dealt fully critical tolerance and moral compassion broken world but also that we ask who with the question of war. Long always must be observed; and (6) that we are to be." Bruce C. Birch pursues explains, Christian thinking about the through self-critical dialogue we must this idea to its roots in the Old Testa­ dynamics of peacemaking is still in its penetrate ever further into our own par­ ticular experience of transcendent real­ ment, summoning todays Christians to infancy. Here he offers some ity (and possibly into the transcendent strengthen their faith by a deeper groundbreaking thoughts in this area. reality of others) [pp. 105-6] . understanding of their biblical inheri­ . . . Most stimulating; highly recom­ tance. Study questions and suggestions mended."-Library fournal Paper, 56.9'; Marcello Zago, Secretary of the Vatican Secre­ Available from your local bookstore or direct from the publisher tariat for Inter-religious Dialogue since 1983, (please include $1.00 per book for postage and handling). also is Professor of Missiography at the Urban­ iana University, andof Buddhism at theLateran University, Rome. He wasa missionary in Laos fortwoperiods, 1959-66, and1971-75; andwas assistant general for missions of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 1974-80.

October1985 197 dialogue can be made, at the same time The Gospel in Art by the confessing the uniqueness of Christ, Peasants of Solentiname. which remains central in the experi­ ence of the Christian message. Editedby Philipand Sally Scharper. Mary­ 3. The New Testament Christolo­ knoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books; Dublin:Gilland gies are treated disjunctively (pp. 17f.). Macmillan, 1984. Pp. 68. $9.95. To me it would seem, rather, that one must consider them in an integrative Missionaries learn to reread and to re­ lege of pilgrimhood through unknown and complementary sense, as the contemplate the Gospels through the lands and language. A new depth of mainstream of the Christian tradition eyes and hearts of the people with faith is expressed in the words and pic­ has done. whom they live and work. TheGospel in tures of the people of Nicaragua, a sim­ -Marcello Zago, a.M.1. Art by the Peasants of Solentiname pro­ ple people formed by suffering and vides a taste of that experience for repression, and transformed by strug­ Christians who do not have the privi­ gle toward liberation. They dare to risk resurrection by taking on the blessings of the Beatitudes in spite of the clearly stated consequences. The paintings are a classic exam­ ple of folk art, with a directness and simplicity reminiscent of Henri Rous­ seau. The artists are self-taught, and use a rich sense of color and a keen eye ~~t~!~IQgy for detail to tell the Gospel story. The words of the peasants as they reflect together on the gospel flesh out The quarterly journal of mission studies that is the Good News in the context of their • scholarly: articles and reviews by leading authorities in missiology own historical experience. Just as the and related fields; poverty and oppression of his people • practical: applied science that speaks to and draws on field research called Jesus to challenge the structures and scholarly analysis; of his society, so too, these elements in • multidisciplinary: history, theology, anthropology, communication their lives call the people of Nicaragua theory, religious encounter, ecumenics, methodology; • interconfessional: work from Roman Catholic, conciliar, and conser­ into the arena of political/economic ac­ vative-evangelical spheres. tivity.

from Rebecca: "From the moment of his birth, God chose conditions like the poorest person's, didn't he? I don't think God wants great banquets or a lot of money or for business to make !!JCAN SOCIETY OF MISSIOLOGY profits off the celebration of his birth" as [p.10]. The professional association for mission studies in Olivia: "The Father has given that to­ North America whose members seek to ken to the Son, the token of love. Be­ • promote the scholarly study of theological, historical, social and cause he wants liberation, and practical questions relating to the missionary dimension of the liberation could come only through his Christian church. • relate studies in missiology to the other scholarly disciplines. death. Society couldn't be changed, • promote fellowship and cooperation among individuals and the world couldn't be changed, made institutions engaged in activities and studies related to different without that death. Death missiology. horrifies everyone; he felt that horror; • facilitate mutual assistance and exchange of information among he wanted another way out, but there those thus engaged. was no other way out" [po 54]. • encourage research and publication in the study of Christian missions. Olivia: "The news is not only about this resurrection but about ours" [p. 66]. Please enter my subscription to Missiology: An International Review.

o Institution - US $20; $38 for two years; $52, three years. This book is not only about the life o Individual - US $15; $29 for two years; $40, three years. and faith of peasant people in a foreign D Student - US $10; $19 for two years. place. It is about the life and faith of I wish to become a member of the American Society of Missiology every pilgrim person on earth strug­ (membership includes a subscription to Missiology) and enclose my gling to understand the life of Jesus. check for . -Julie Miller, M.M. D one year, US $20; 0 two years, $39; D three years, $55. name _ city _ SisterJulie Miller, a Maryknoll Missioner, hasworked in Nicaragua since1975, first in pas­ state ZIP _ toral work in a rural section of the countryand most recently as a member of the mental-health Mail check payable to American Society of Missiology team in the regional hospital in Leon and as as­ to Missiology, 616 Walnut Avenue, Scottdale, PA 15683. sistant proiessor in the medical school.

198 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Hoping against All Hope. Revolution as Revelation: A Study of M. M. Thomas's Theology. By Dam Helder Camara . Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1984. Pp. xiu, 82. Paperback By Surumd Sumithra . New Delhi: Theo­ $4.95. logical Research and Commun ications In­ stitute, and Tiibingen : International For those of us who have experienced Christian Network, 1984. Pp. xii, 387. Pa­ the foundations of regional and global perback. No price indicated. movements committed to the gospel vision of peace and justice for all of This is a doctoral dissertation done un­ Beyerhaus at Tubingen, Germany. God's people, the person of Dom der the guidance of Professor Peter Sumithra has confined himself to the Helder Camara requires no introduc­ writings of Thomas from 1954 to 1976. tion. However, we must realize that From this period 380books and articles Lesslie Newbigin, a contributing editor, was for the present generation may not share are listed; sadly, Joyful & Triumphant is our memories of the diminutive Brazil­ many years a missionary and bishop of the omitted, the writing that gives perhaps ian bishop who dared to be a "voice for Church of South India in Madras . He is now the clearest insight into Thomas's per­ the voiceless" in a time when church retiredfrom thefacultyof SellyOakColleges and sonal faith. Sumithra's conclusion is leaders were more distinguished for living in Birmingham , England. that "Thomas's theology, being an being prudently noncommittal than courageously audacious. The tendency to assume that "everyone" knows the heroic story of Dom Helder Camara and the historical context in which he demonstrated his witness to the body BREAKING NEW PATHS of Christ that was being starved, beaten, persecuted, and crucified (in OF INTERRELIGIOUS Brazil and throughout the world) may be an overestimation. For this reason, UNDERSTANDING the Foreword by Mario von Galli serves the interests of younger readers as well as readers who are not familiar with the specifics of Dom Helder's past. TOWARD A NEW AGE IN The themes of the twenty-three re­ CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY flections in Hoping against All Hope have by RICHARD H. DRUMMOND been organized in such a way that the BREAKTHROUGH " Christians who feel that Christianit y must words that Dom Helder speaks are Insights of the Great search out new ways of understanding words written for the 1980s. He ad­ Religious Discoverers and dialoguing with other religiou s will dresses the struggles and fears that are by CLIFFORD HOSPITAL find Drummond 's book just what they are shared by all people who are commit­ Concentrating on the central vision of looking for."-PAUL KNITTER ted to building a better world , regard­ Guatama, Krishna , Confucius, Lao-tzu, 272pp. $12 .95 pbk less of whether they have come from Moses , Jesus, and Muhammad, the countries that are rich or countries that author develops a theology of the leading NO OTHER NAME? are poor. The thoughts and prayers are figures of all great religious traditions. A Critical Survey of Christian founded upon a lived experience of 208pp. $9.95 pbk Attitudes Toward the World Religions seventy-five years of faith, hope, and by PAUL F. KNITTER love. The life and the spirit of Dom Helder continue to rise above the sys­ CALL OF THE MINARET A comprehensive survey touching the tems of dehumanization, egoism, and by KENNETH CRAGG heart of the entire theological enterprise. terror that ravage our world . Through This revised and enlarged second edition "First-rate creative theolog y ... also writ­ the insights and prophetic questions of the 1956 classic presents a sensitive ten to serve as a college textbook . that he poses, his deepest desire is to account of the spiritual tradition of Islam theologians will find it downright revolu­ encourage those who have labored be­ and defines an authentic Christian rela­ tionar y."-LEONARD SWIDLER , Temple side him in the past and to entrust the tionship to its world. 384pp. $13 .95 pbk University 304pp. $14 .95 pbk vision of the kingdom of God to a gen­ eration of young people who must be BUDDHISM MADE PLAIN empowered to believe that there is PLURALISM An Introduction for Christians purpose in "hoping against all hope." Challenge to World Religions and Jews -Margaret E. Guider, O.s.F. by HAROLD COWARD by ANTONY FERNANDO with Coward shows how each major world re­ LEONARD SWIDLER ligion has understood its particular claim This meaningful explanation of the heart to absolute truth . " Here is a valuable new of Buddhism is the first to generate enthu­ resource , filling an important gap in the siasm even among Buddhists. It serves Margaret E. Guider, O.S.F., Director of Mis­ literature."-JOHN HICK, Claremont as a superb introductory college text. sion Education, Archdiocese of Chicago, was a Graduate School 144pp. $8.95 pbk 176pp. $9.95 pbk missionary in Golas, Brazil, for three and one­ halfyears.

Atbookstoresorfromthe publisher ~ Write for catalog ORBIS BOOKS 'WI Maryknoll, NY 10545

October 1985 199 attempt to reconcile a philosophy of sality of sin, not that every single in­ continuous dynamic evolution, Marx­ dividual is a sinner" (pp. 122£.). ist-Leninist ideology and Hindu spir­ Thomas writes: "St. Paul sees in the Take Some of the ituality on the one hand, with the risen Christ 'the first fruits ' of the re­ biblical revelation on the other, tends creation of humanity, the inauguration Guessing Out of ultimately to deprive God of his holi­ of a movement through which Christ ness, Jesus Christ of his lordship and establishes his reign over all rule and What is HapPe-ning man of his faith, primarily because authority. . . ." Sumithra comments Thomas neglects the unique character that this shows "the understanding in Christian 7~ of the Bible" (p. 317). of resurrection as happening in the Readers of Thomas's work who subjective, spiritual world" (p. 160). World find this conclusion surprising will also Thomas writes: "God must be wor­ be surprised to know that Thomas ac­ shipped through Jesus Christ as an es­ Mission... cepts the impersonal brahman of the Ve­ sential part of the community life." Subscribe to the quarterly ~ danta (pp . 132, 301, 334) and denies Sumithra comments, "Thus, Jesus reports of ImernationaJBulletin 01Missionary the lordship of Christ (p. 337), that being God-for-man in Thomas's think­ Research. Join with the 9,000 readers worldwide ing, he takes a place similar to that of who keep up-to-oate on the latest developments in "his theology makes Christ mar­ wOl1d mission. ginal, almost as an appendage" (p. a demiurge" (p. 171). I have marked "Essential for doa.imentation and interpretation of 322), and that "biblical categories about sixty "interpretations" of this mission : are irrelevant to his system" (p. 323). kind-plainly remote to the point of -Ralph D. Winter, Director contradiction from the text. U.S. Center for World Mission These conclusions are reached by a ''Themost informative and oomprehensive journal in method sustained throughout the Why is Sumithra unable to un­ its sphere ." book: short extracts of Thomas's writ­ derstand Thomas's thought? It is be­ -David B. Barrett, Edilor ings are quoted and then "inter­ cause he begins from a so-called World Christian Encyclopedia classical view of mission, loosely put Make check payable and mail to: preted." A few examples will indicate Inlemalional Bulletin 01Missionary Research the method. Thus Thomas writes: together from elements of Ziegenbalg Circulation Dept. , P.O. Box 1308-E ~t.rJ;~ and Carey (pp. 1-9) and later amplified ~J'lI'" "When the Christian Church For1 Lee, NJ 07024-9958 U.S.A. speaks of 'original sin' it means that as "the redemption of a person 01 yr. $14 02 yrs. $2603 yrs. $37 ~i:Jl' this self-centricity is a fact for all men from the wrath of God , through his Name _ faith in the substitutionary death of Je­ Address _ in all conditions of society, so that self­ interest and self-righteousness are per­ sus Christ for his sins, so that the sin­ City/State/Zip _ ennially present in man's life." Sumi­ ner is forgiven and joins the Church Country thra comments: "Thus, for for further nurture in the spiritual life" Thomas, Original Sin means univer­ (p. 203). Missing from this definition is any reference to the corporate and cosmic dimensions of Christ's work or to the ethical implications of salvation. Other elements in the author's frame­ work become clear as the study pro­ ,~~\ ceeds. God 's transcendence is defined fOea. \ in natural-theology terms-"sepa­ ration from man" (p. 171), "omnis­ cience and omnipotence" (p. 324), and ~e\e~ The Hidden Half total uninvolvement in history (p. 267). Sumithra cannot, therefore, accept Thomas's more biblical categories for Discovering the World describing transcendence (p . 165). of Unreached Peoples True to his natural-theology approach, Sumithra sees "body" and "s oul" as " substances" whose separate­ Sam Wilson and Gordon Aeschliman team up to ness must be affirmed, and therefore take an authoritative and compassionate look at a rejects Thomas's biblical perception of ~ world that few North Americans know of. the body-soul unity. There is no place ...... ~~~ The Hidden Halfis a down-to-earth account for the cosmic Christ of Ephe sians and ..,,~ of ordinary people, from biblical times to Colossians. With this natural theology the present, who have committed their goes a strict individualism . The Holy ...... n \Sc o~ e iln ~ the '"ot\dS .. 0 \ tl nteaehcd pcot'\C lives and resources to serving God throughout Spirit works with individuals, not with the world. People who have broken through the church (p. 334), which is defined barriers of fear, self-ambition and as "an impersonal organization" callousness to become cross-cultural (p. 219), and it is not surprising that messengers of God's love for the nations. God is understood to be "a person" Also included is a newly completed (p. 133). directory describing agencies, resources The thought of M. M. Thomas and training dedicated to effective needs and deserves thorough theolog­ outreach to the unreached. ical study. Unfortunately, this volume Send $5 .50 with your order does not contribute to this task. (California residents add 6.5% sales - Lesslie Newbigin tax) to MARC, 919 W. Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016.

200 International Bulletin of Mission ary Research Fire Beneath the Frost: The Non-Bourgeois Theology: An Struggles of the Korean People African Experience of Jesus. and Church. By Joseph G. Donders. Maryknoll , N. Y.: By Peggy Billings . New York: Friendship Orbis Books . 1985. Pp. vii, 200. Paperback Press, 1984. Pp. 88. Paperback $5.95. $10.95.

This is a gem of a book. Once starting, like a novel, or better still a series of Prepared as the basic study on Korea there is no way to put it down. It reads short stories. for 1984--85, the centennial of Protes­ Actually what we have before us tant work in Korea, this book presents is a cascade of vignettes, giving us the the history, religions, and socio-eco­ Malcolm J. McVeigh was a United Methodist author's view on a wide variety of top­ nomic conditions of Korea, together missionary for nineteen years, serving in An­ ics relevant to present-day Africa. with illustrative stories, myths, and gola , Zaire, and Kenya, and was for five years Donders, a White Father, is a keen ob­ poems, and a detailed Study Action a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and server and fearless in his willingness Guide. The author, a missionary in Ko­ Religious Studies at the University of Nairobi . to slay sacred cows. Rome and the rea from 1952 to 1963 and now chief He is presently pastor of the United Methodist Catholic hierarchy will feel the heat first, executive, World Division, United Church in Madison , New Jersey . but the "fundamentalist" side-es- Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, and her colleagues, another American human rights activist and three expatriate Korean exponents of "Minjung (People's) Theology," make clear in the "Purpose" (p. 84) and elsewhere their "view that the churches of Korea have been most truly the church when standing with the poor and oppressed" (p . 2). This view has determined not only the con­ tents but also the study questions, lists of resources, and action suggestions. Here is more gold for every theological library The issues raised are valid and need to and exploring scholar of mission studies -- this be faced by the Korean churches and volume with all 16 issues of the International Christians everywhere. The plight of Bulletin of Missionary Research, 1981-1984, the exploited, the dangers in devel­ bound in red buckram, with vellum finish opment, and the pervasive influences of and embossed in gold lettering. It matches the major powers are serious questions the earlier bound volume of the Occasional for Korea and the whole world. Bulletin of Missionary Research, 1977-1980 I In their concentration on this par­ (sorry, completely sold out). . ticular theological view, however, the Limited edition: Onl/~&'-bound volumes available. authors have forgotten that this is sup­ Each volume is indivi~ly numbered and signed personally by the editor posed to be a "comprehensive and associate editor. look" (flyleaf) at Korea and have ig­ Includes: nored all other considerations and • 350 contributors (a virtual "Who's Who" of contemporary missiology) interpretations of events. They tend to • 300 book reviews denigrate the vitality of the Korean • 1100 doctoral dissertation notices churches, their enthusiasm for sharing • cumulative index their faith, and their involvement in a Special Price: multitude of social-action programs. $49.95 until December 31, 1985 - $56.95 after January 1, 1986. The criticism, much of it justified, of Orders outside the U.S.A. add $4.00 for postage and handling. the military-industrial-multinational Payment must accompany all orders. power structure ignores the important To order. use coupon below. advances in health and standards of living and the reality of ideological Mail to: conflict. Their view of the church is not Publications Office shared by the vast majority of Korean Overseas Ministries Study Center P.O. Box 2057 Christians and it is extremely regret­ Ventnor, New Jersey 08406, U.S.A. table that the publishers have not made available a wider spectrum of Send me __ bound volume(s) of the 1nternational Bulletin ofMissionary materials. Nevertheless, Christians of Research. 1981-1984. Korea, and of America, ignore these Name _ issues at their peril. Address _ -Horace G. Underwood

Horace G. Underwood, a third-generation mis­ sionary of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A .) in Enclosed is my check in the amount of $ made out to Korea , is on the staff of Yonsei University, a "International Bulletin of Missionary Research." Orders outside U.S.A . add church-related school in Seoul, where he has $4.00 for postage and handling. Payment must accompany all orders. Allow 5 weeks for delivery within U.S.A . served since 1939.

October 1985 201 pecially the Baptists-willfind no solace human beings all the time" (p. 11). One here. could even make a case for turning that Copies of articles The mode of writing, with an em­ around. Moreover, he is not correct phasis on storytelling, is well adapted when he indicates that "Mbiti did from this publication to a "non-bourgeois," peasant the­ not ask whether the idea of time among ological context. Donders is a philos­ the Akamba was different from the New are now available opher-theologian, but this is no ordinary Testament idea of time" (p. 55). Mbiti Western-style philosophy or theology. most certainly did! In fact Mbiti's po­ from the UMI Article It is impressionistic, not systematic. sition is that New Testament concep­ Experience oriented, the book is short tions of time are different from both Clearinghouse. on unity but long on insight. Akamba and missionary ideas. Donders obviously has an enor­ In short Non-Bourgeois Theology has mous appreciation for African life and weaknesses, but its strengths predom­ Yes! I wouldlike to knowmore about UMIArticle Clear­ culture. He is willing to offer some crit­ inghouse. I am interested in electronic inate. Catholics have the most to gain ordering through the following systernts): icism of modern Africa, especially con­ from it, but there is challenge enough o DIALOCiDialorder 0 ITT Dialcom temporary politicians, but there is no to enrich everyone. o OnI yrne 0 OCLC ILLSubsystem complaint whatsoever concerning tra­ -Malcolm J. McVeigh o Other (please specify! _ ditional Africa. That is probably not too o I am interested in sending my order by mail. o Pleasesend me your current catalog and user instruc­ bad , since this comes from a Western tions lor the systemts! I checked above. pen, but as a final word it may be no Name, _ more balanced than early missionary Faces of Jesus: Latin American Title.e _ assessments that were mostly or en­ Christologies. Institution/Cumpany _ tirely negative. Such an approach, Edited by Jose Miguez Bonino. Maryknoll , Department, _ however, raises questions as to whether or not Christianity has made any con­ N. Y.: Orbis Books, 1984. Pp. vi, 186. Pa­ Addres..s _ tribution at all. perback $10.95. City State Zip _ At a few points Donders's inter­ Phone 1__1 _ pretation may be disputed, as, for ex­ Some of the most representative Latin ample, his suggestion that in the biblical American theologians, identified with account "God seems to have left the "theology of liberation," both lrnMDI~aci~~lOuse humanity alone" following creation, Catholic and Protestant, have contrib­ whereas in traditional thought "God uted to this symposium: Jose Miguez Mail to: University Microfilms International continues, so to speak, to blow life into Bonino and J. Severino Croatto from 300 North ZeebRoad. Box91 AnnArbor. MI48106 Argentina, Leonardo Boff and Hugo Assmann from Brazil, Saul Trinidad and Juan Stam from Costa Rica, Se­ gundo Galilea from Chile, Raul Vidales INTRODUCING!! from Mexico, and Ignacio Ellacuria from El Salvador. SOCIAL CONTEXT AND PROCLAMATION: A Socio-cog­ Part One describes the Catholic nitive Study in Proclaming the Gospel Cross-culturally, by images of "popular culture" (the Dis­ David Filbeck tant, the Dead, the Powerless, and the This book brings togeth er recent contributions to the understanding of communi­ Disincarnate Christs), and the Christ of cation, especially cross-culturally,from several fields of enquiry-sociology, anthro­ Protestant Preaching (including the pology, linguistics and missiology.These are integ rated into a science which may personal, forgiving, and transforming be applied , on a comp arati ve basis, from culture to culture, for the purpose of Christ, and the "defective models" of communicating the gospel. "In an able development of the need for cultural in­ the Santa Claus, the Beggar, the Pass­ terpretat ion , Filbeck applies th e best of th e elementa ry prin ciples of social an­ port, the Asocial, the Cosmic, the Cal­ th ropology to problems of cross-cultural communication: ' James O. Buswell III, vary, the Guerrilla, and the Middle Ph D ., William Carey Intern ation al Un iversity, C aliforni a. Class Christs). Boff contributes a re­ Retail $8 .95x, paperback. Special offer-$7.86 postpaid! vealing review of recent liberal Catho­ lic Christology in Brazil. MISSIONS AND THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN WORLD Part Two concentrates on the PERSPECTIVE, Harvie M. Conn and Samuel E Rowen, Christology of the Conquest and Col­ onization (a Christology of resigna­ Editors. Published by Associates of Urb anu s, distributed by William tion, subjugation, domination, and Ca rey Library. marginalization) related to the first How can we better prepare mission aries for the task of reaching 3 billion people process of the evangelization of Latin for C hrist? W hat are the educationa l, th eological, and research ingredients th at America. Here we find Christ of two go into teac hing missions to these men and women? This book has been prepared faces: the Heavenly Monarch and the to meet thi s new world dimension in teach ing missions. Co ntributors to thi s Abject Lord . volume include R. Pierce Beaver, David J. Bosch , O rlando Costas, Peter S.c. Part Three brings into focus a cru­ Chang, Edward R. Dayton , C harles Taber, and Alan Tip pett . cial Christological theme in Latin Retail $11.95x, paperback. Special offer-$10.46 postpaid! America, "Christ and Politics," explor­ ing the gospel evidence on the histori­ O rde r F rom cal Jesus, his prophetic mission, and Wi[[iam Care~ Librar:g Mortimer Arias, fanner bishop of theEvangelical P.O. BOX 40129, PASADENA, C A 91104 Methodist Churchin Bolivia, is Visiting Profes­ sor of Mission and Evangelism at the School of Theology, Claremont , California .

202 Int ernational Bulletin of Missionary Research his liberating ministry. The three au­ and "African liberation theology." He ings of African theologians who have thors, Ellacuria , Galilea, and Croatto, sees the main issues as being, respec­ contributed something to the three try to avoid both the "naive," "apolit­ tively, "culture, colour and poverty" concerns. However, in the more bib­ ical" image of Christ and the easy iden­ (p. 5), and gives more weight to the lical and historical works, he says little tification of a "revolutionary Christ," first than to the other two. Obviously or nothing. While he cites many of the while underscoring the relevance of there are other concerns of African the­ works by African theologians, it would the Christ of the gospel to the situation ology, which cannot be allocated to have been of further value if the book of poverty and oppression in Latin these categories. had included a short select bibliog­ America. The book is written in a clear and raphy, to help the reader who might Finally, in Part Four, we have a simple style, which should make it val­ wish to read further. more critical approach, pointing to the uable as an introduction to the subject. -John Mbiti sociopolitical options behind tradi­ Father Ukpong is familiar with writ­ tional Chrisjologies and to the impor­ tance of a Christology of liberation for the present task of evangelization in Latin America. After reading this sample it cannot be said anymore that there is a "Chris­ tological vacuum" in Latin American theology. But, as the editor reminds us in his introductory chapter, this is just a beginning and it represents an invi­ tation to an unfinished task. The direc­ Christian tion is: "First, the Christ of the gospels must be rescued ... by means of a crit­ ical and topical rereading"; and "Sec­ Perspectives on ondly, this cannot be a mere exercise in intellectuality and erudition.. . . it is active commitment itself, the historical ~~ praxis of the oppressed ..." (p. 5). womens This is a volume to work through...... ".."..... Issues Unfortunately, it does not incorporate some of the more recent and system­ atic contributions from Latin American Christologies, like Jon Sobrino's Chris­ THE CHURCH AND tology at the Crossroads (Orbis Books, 1978; published in Spanish in 1976), WOMEN IN THE THIRD WORLD Hugo Echegaray's The Practice of Jesus Edited by john C. B. and Ellen Low Webster (Orbis Books, 1984; published in Span­ The contributors to this book-women and men, Protestants and ish in 1980), and Juan Luis Segundo's Catholics, from the third world as well as the first-explore issues Jesus de Nazaret y el hombre comun (Ma­ drid: Cristiandad, 1982). that affect the image of women, their role in the church, and their - Mortimer Arias status. They bring together two major concerns of the church, overseas missions and the role of women, and examine these con­ cerns from an ecumenical perspective. Paper, $9.95 (Tentative) African Theologies Now: A IS GOD THE ONLY RELIABLE FATHER? Profile. by Diane Tennis While challenging women and men to rethink their relationship By Ju stin S. Ukpong. (Spearhead, No. 80.) Eldorei, Kenya: Caba Publications , 1984. with God and with each other, Diane Tennis urges Christians not to Pp. 64. Paperback$3.65. abandon the Father image ofGod. This provocative book brings into focus biblical understandings of God, who transcends patriarchal African Theologies Now is a very small models, and presentsjesus as a feminist and an example for contem­ book about a very big theme. It is in­ porary males. Paper, $7.95 (Tentative) tended for "the ordinary reader who is not a theologian." As far at that inten­ WOMEN, FAITH, AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE tion goes, the book is a useful intro­ Edited by jackie M. Smith duction to contemporary discussion of Using a workbook format, the author challenges women to become African theology. Father Justin Ukpong is lecturer at more involved in the economic realities that affect the lives of all the Catholic Institute of West Africa, members of the human family. Ideal for use in workshops, retreats, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His book con­ or study groups, this book can also be used effectively by fines itself to three areas, which he individuals. Paper, $7.9'5 (Tentative) names as " African inculturation theol­ ogy," "South African black theology," Available from your local bookseller or direct from the publisher (please include S1.00 per book for postage and handling).

John Mbiti, from Kenya , is minister in a parish Id?JI!e~~~a~t~~~ in Burgdorf, and part-time projessorat the Uni­ versity of Bern , Switzerland.

October 1985 203 INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF MISSIONARY RESEARCH INDEX-VOLUME 9

January through October 1985

(pages 1-48 arein the January issue; pp. 49-96 in April; pp. 97-144 in July; and pp. 145-208 in October)

ARTICLES

"And Brought Forth Fruit an Hundredfold": Sharing Western Docu­ A History of the English Presbyterian Mission in East Guangdong Prov­ mentation Resources with the Third World by Microfiche, by Harold ince, by George Hood, 77. W. Turner, 110--114. Hopewell, James F. [obituary], 8. Anglicans in China: A History of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui, by Interpreting Nostra Aetate through Postconciliar Teaching, by Eugene J. G. Francis S. Gray, 71. Fisher, 158--165. Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission: 1985, by David B. Barrett, KomMissieMemoires: An Oral History Project of Dutch Catholic Missions, 30-31. by John M. Hogema, C.S.Sp., 78--79. The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of Other Religions, by The Legacy of C. F. Andrews, by Eric J. Sharpe, 117-121. the Secretariat for Non-Christians (March 3, 1984), 187-191. The Legacy of V. S. Azariah, by Carol Graham, 16.-19. Blake, Eugene Carson [obituary], 167. . The Maryknoll China History Project, by Jean-Paul Wiest, 50-56. Cauthen, Baker James [obituary], 114. The Midwest China Oral History Collection, by Jane Baker Koons, The Challenge of the Gospel in Nicaragua, by John Starn, 5--8. 66-68. The China History Project of the Passionist Congregation, by Robert Car­ Mission Theology Revisited: Keeping Up with the Crises, by William B. bonneau, C.P., 69-70. Frazier, M.M., 168--182. China Mission Studies (1550--1800) Bulletin, by David E. Mungello, 109. Noteworthy, 68, 167. Chinese Recorder-Index and Biographical Guide: Strategies Used in Personalia, 8. Creating a Multivolume Work on China and Asia, by Kathleen L. Recommended [New journals for mission studies], 70. Lodwick, 74-76. Resources [for China Mission Research] in the Archives of the Billy The Church and Other Religions, by Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P., Graham Center, by Paul A. Ericksen, 106.-107. 154-158. Resources [for China Mission Research] in Yale Divinity School Library, The Columban History Project, by Parig Digan, S.S.C., 76.-77. by Martha Lund Smalley and Stephen L. Peterson, 104-106. Computerized Data Retrieval-The Maryknoll China History Project, by Responses to the Article by William B. Frazier, M.M., by Carlos Pape, Susan Perry, 61. S.V.D., 182-183; by James A. Scherer, 183-184; by Tom Houston, The Covenant Restructured: A Shift in Afrikaner Ideology, by Charles 184-185. Villa-Vicencio, 13-16. Rhoades, Ruby [obituary], 114. Crisis Management in the Event of Arrest, Disappearance, or Death of Roman Catholic Missions since Vatican II: An Evangelical Assessment, Mission Personnel, by United States Catholic Mission Association, by Paul E. Pierson, 16~167. 11~116. Sample Findings from Interviews with Maryknoll Sisters, by Patricia Current Research on the History of the Jesuits and China, by Theodore Jacobsen, M.M., 59--61. N. Foss, 62. Sharper, Philip J. [obituary], 114. The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions Scholars' Guide to China Mission Resources in the Libraries and Archives (Nostra Aetate), by Pope Paul VI (October 28, 1965), 186.-197. of the United States, by Archie R. Crouch, 107-109. Diary of a Country Missioner-Manchuria, 1940, Selected and Introduced Southern Baptist China Mission History Project, by Frank K. Means, by Donald MacInnis, 56--59. 64-65. Documentary Sources in the United States for Foreign Missions Research: Tensions in the Catholic Magisterium about Mission and Other Religions, A Select Bibliography and Checklist, by Robert Shuster, 19-29. by William R. Burrows, S.V.D., 2--4. Efforts of the Imperial German Government to Establish a Protectorate Theological Mass Movements in China, by K. H. Ting, 98--102. over the German Catholic Missions in South Shantung, by Karl Josef United States Catholic Missionaries [serving abroad, 1984], 75. Rivinius, S.V.D., 71-74. Vatican II's Ad Gentes: A Twenty-Year Retrospective, by W. Richey Hogg, The Evolution of Evangelical Mission Theology since World War II, by 146.-154. Arthur F. Glasser, 9-13. Visser 't Hooft, W. A. [obituary], 167. Fifteen Outstanding Books of 1984 for Mission Studies, 41. Goodall, Norman [obituary], 114.

204 International Bulletin of Missionary Research CONTRIBUTORS OF ARTICLES

Carbonneau, Robert, C. P.-The China History Project of the Passionist Means, Frank K.-Southern Baptist China Mission History Project, Congregation, 69-70. 64--65. Crouch, Archie R.-Scholars' Guide to China Mission Resources in the Mungello, David E.-China Mission Studies (1550-1800) Bulletin, 109. Libraries and Archives of the United States, 107-109. Pape, Carlos, S.V.D.-Response to the Article by William B. Frazier, M.M., Barrett, David B.-Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission: 1985, 182-183. 30-31. Paul VI, Pope-The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non­ Burrows, William R., S.V.D.-Tensions in the Catholic Magisterium about Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate), (October 28, 1965), 186-187. Mission and Other Religions, 2-4. Perry, Susan-ComputerizedDataRetrieval-TheMaryknollChina History Digan, Parig, S.S.C.-The Columban History Project, 76-77. Project, 61. Ericksen, Paul A.-Resources [for China Mission Research] in the Archives Pierson, Paul E.-RomanCatholicMissionssince VaticanII:An Evangelical of the Billy Graham Center, 106-107. Assessment, 165-167. Fisher, Eugene J.-Interpreting Nostra Aetate through Postconciliar Teach­ Rivinius, Karl Josef, S.V.D.-Efforts of the Imperial German Government ing, 158-165. to Establish a Protectorate over the German Catholic Missions in Foss, Theodore N.-Current Research on the History of the Jesuits and South Shantung, 71-74. China, 62. Scherer, James A.-Response to the Article by William B. Frazier, M.M., Frazier, William B., M.M.-Mission Theology Revisited: Keeping Up with 183-184. the Crises, 168-182. Secretariat for Non-Christians-The Attitude of the Church towards the Glasser, Arthur F.-The Evolution of Evangelical Mission Theology since Followers of Other Religions (March 3, 1984), 187-191. World War II, 9-13. Sharpe, Eric J.-The Legacy of C. F. Andrews, 117-121. Graham, Carol-The Legacy of V. S. Azariah, 16-19. Shuster, Robert-Documentary Sources in the United States for Foreign Gray, G. Francis S.-Anglicans in China: A History of the Chung Hua Missions Research: A Select Bibliography and Checklist, 19-29. Sheng Kung Hui, 71. Smalley, Martha Lund and Stephen L. Peterson-Resources [for China Hogema,JohnM., C.S.Sp.-KomMissieMemoires: An Oral HistoryProject Mission Research] in Yale Divinity School Library, 104-106. of Dutch Catholic Missions, 78-79. Starn, John-The Challenge of the Gospel in Nicaragua, 5-8. Hogg, W. Richey-Vatican II's Ad Gentes: A Twenty-Year Retrospective, Stransky, Thomas F., C.S.P.-The Church and Other Religions, 146-154. 154-158. Hood, George-A History of the English Presbyterian Mission in East Ting, K. H.-Theological Mass Movements in China, 98-102. Guangdong Province, 77. Turner, Harold W.-"And Brought Forth Fruit an Hundredfold": Shar­ Houston, Tom-Response to the Article by William B. Frazier, M.M., ing Western Documentation Resources with the Third World by 184-185. Microfiche, 110-114. Jacobsen, Patricia, M.M.-Sample Findings from Interviews with Mary­ United States Catholic Mission Association-Crisis Management in the knoll Sisters, 59-61. Event of Arrest, Disappearance, or Death of Mission Personnel, Koons, Jane Baker-The Midwest China Oral History Collection, 66-68. 115-116. Lodwick, Kathleen L.-Chinese Recorder-Index and Biographical Guide: Villa-Vicencio, Charles-The Covenant Restructured: A Shift in Afrikaner Strategies Used in Creating a Multivolume Work on China and Asia, Ideology, 13-16. 74-76. Wiest, Jean-Paul-The Maryknoll China History Project, 50-56. MacInnis, Donald, Selected and Introduced by-Diary of a Country Mis­ sioner-Manchuria, 1940, 56-59. BOOKS REVIEWED

Bade, Klaus J., ed.-Imperialismus und Kolonialmission: Kaiserliches Derr, Thomas Sieger-Barriers to Ecumenism: The Holy See and the World Deutschland und koloniales Imperium, 42--43. Council of Churches on Social Questions, 84-85. Bakole wa Ilunga-Paths of Liberation: A Third World Spirituality, Dickinson, Richard N. D.-Poor, Yet Making Many Rich: The Poor as 195-196. Agents of Creative Justice, 83--84. Belli, Humberto-Nicaragua: Christians under Fire, 135. Dilling, Yvonne, with Ingrid Rogers-In Search of Refuge, 134-135. Berryman, Phillip-The Religious Roots of Rebellion: Christians in Central Donders, Joseph G.-Non-Bourgeois Theology: An African Experience of American Revolutions, 33-34. Jesus, 201-202. Billings, Peggy-Fire Beneath the Frost: The Struggles of the Korean People Dorr, Donal-Option for the Poor: A Hundred Years of Vatican Social and Church, 201. Teaching, 127. Boff, Leonardo-Church: Charism and Power. Liberation Theology and Dussel, Enrique-A History of the Church in Latin America: Colonialism the Institutional Church, 192. to Liberation (1492-1979), 194. Boff, Leonardo and Clodovis-Salvation and Liberation, 192-193. Earhart, H. Byron-The New Religions of Japan: A Bibliography of West­ Bollinger, Edward E.-The Cross and the Floating Dragon: The Gospel in ern-Language Materials, 137. Ryukyu,87. Ellison, Marvin Mahan-The Center Cannot Hold: The Search for a Global Braswell, George W., Jr.-Understanding World Religions, 137-138. Economy of Justice, 38. Cabastrero, Teofilo-Ministers of God, Ministers of People: Testimonies Evans, Robert A. and Alice Frazer Evans-Human Rights: A Dialogue of Faith from Nicaragua, 34. Between the First and Third Worlds, 90. Camara, Dom Helder-Hoping against All Hope, 199. Ezcurra, Ana Maria-The Neoconservative Offensive: U.S. Churches and Carrigan, Ana-Salvador Witness: The Life and Calling of Jean Donovan, the Ideological Struggle for Latin America, 92-93. 196. Garrett, John-A Way in the Sea: Aspects of Pacific Christian History with Chupungco, Anscar J.-Cultural Adaptation of the Liturgy, 129. Reference to Australia, 136-137. Clifford, James-Person and Myth: Maurice Leenhardt in the Melanesian Gaustad, Edwin S., ed.-A Documentary History of Religion in America World, 41-42. since 1865, 91-92. Cosmao, Vincent-Changing the World: An Agenda for the Churches, Goldsmith, Martin-Islam and Christian Witness: Sharing the Faith with 194-195. Muslims, 87-88. Coward, Harold-Pluralism: Challenge to World Religions, 197-198. Grassi, Joseph A.-Broken Bread and Broken Bodies: The Lord's Supper Dayton, Edward R. and Samuel Wilson, eds.-The Future of World Evan­ and World Hunger, 196. gelization. "Unreached Peoples '84," 131-132. Gutierrez, Gustavo-The Power of the Poor in History, 137.

October 1985 205 Hanks, Thomas D.-God So Loved the Third World: The Biblical Vocab­ Price, Keith A., comp.-Co-operating in World Evangelization: A Hand­ ulary of Oppression, 3S-37. book on Church/Para-Church Relationships, 40. Hoover, Theressa-With Unveiled Face: Centennial Reflections on Women Rausch, David A.-Messianic Judaism: Its History, Theology and Polity, and Men in the Community of the Church, 128. 139-140. Hultkrantz, Ake-The Study of American Indian Religions, 40-41. Reed, James-The Missionary Mind and American East Asia Policy, 1911­ Hunter, Jane-The Gospel of Gentility: American Women Missionaries in 1915, 80-81. Turn-of-the-Century China, 81-82. Richard, Pablo, et al.-The Idols of Death and the God of Love: A Theology, Ilunga, Bakole wa-Paths of Liberation: A Third World Spirituality, 93-94. 195--196. Samuel, Vinay and Chris Sugden, eds.-Sharing Jesus in the Two Thirds Jennings, George J.-A Missions Consultant Views Middle Eastern Cul­ World, 142. ture and Personality, 91. Scharper, Philip and Sally, eds.-The Gospel in Art by the Peasants of Jordan, Philip D.-The Evangelical Alliance for the United States of Amer­ Solentiname, 198. ica, 1847-1900: Ecumenism, Identity and the Religion of the Republic, Sumithra, Sunand-Revolution as Revelation: A Study of M. M. Thomas's 45--46. Theology, 199-200. Keller, Robert H., Jr.-American Protestantism and United States Indian Takeuchi, Yoshinori-The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Policy, 1869-82, 37. Spirit of Primitive Buddhism, 44. Kerr, Hugh T. and John M. Mulder, eds.-Conversions: The Christian Ujvarosy, Helen, ed.-Signs of the Kingdom in the Secular City, 127. Experience, 136. Ukpong, Justin S.-African Theologies Now: A Profile, 203. Lam, Wing-hun-Chinese Theology in Construction, 82. van Buren, Paul M.-A Christian Theology of the People Israel, 128. Lowe, Kathy-Opening Eyes and Ears: New Connections for Christian Verstraelen-Gilhuis, Gerdien-From Dutch Mission Church to Reformed Communication, 129-130. Church in Zambia, 126-127. McLoughlin, William G.-Cherokees and Missionaries, 1789-1839, 38-39. Visser't Hooft, W. A.-The Genesis and Formation of the World Council Miguez Bonino, Jose-Faces of Jesus: Latin American Christologies, of Churches, 86-87. 202-203. Wagner, C. Peter-On the Crest of the Wave: Becoming a World Christian, Nazir-Ali, Michael-Islam: A Christian Perspective, 142. 133-134. Noll, Mark A., et al.-Eerdmans' Handbook to Christianity in America, Wainwright, Geoffrey-The Ecumenical Movement: Crisis and Opportu­ 91-92. nity for the Church, 132-133. Noone, Judith M., M.M.-The Same Fate as the Poor, 193-194. Walker, Sheila S.-The Religious Revolution in the Ivory Coast: The Prophet Nouwen, Henri J. M.-iGracias! A Latin American Journal, 43. Harris and the Harrist Church, 140--141. Oduyoye, Modupe-The Sons of the Gods and the Daughters of Men, Waugh, Earle H. et al, eds.-The Muslim Community in North America, 44. 139. Osthathios, Geevarghese Mar-Theology of a Classless Society, 85. Whiteman, Darrell L.-Melanesians and Missionaries: An Ethnohistorical Parshall, Phil-Bridges to Islam: A Christian Perspective on Folk Islam, Study of Social and Religious Change in the Southwest Pacific, 140. 89-90. Paton, David and Charles H. Long, eds.-The Compulsion of the Spirit: Williams, Walter L.-Black Americans and the Evangelization of Africa, A Roland Allen Reader, 126. 1877-1900, 138-139. Wolterstorff, Nicholas-Until Justice and Peace Embrace, 131.

REVIEWERS

Arevalo, C. G., S.J., 192. Fung, Raymond, 82. Newbigin, Lesslie, 199-200. Arias, Mortimer, 202-203. Gros, Jeffrey, F.S.C., 84-85. Parshall, Phil, 142. Bachmann, E. Theodore, 132-133. Guerrero, Andres G., 192-193. Phillips, James M., 137. Bayly, Joseph, 3S-37. Guider, Margaret E., O.S.F., 199. Quigley, Thomas E., 33-34. Bird, Phyllis A., 44. Haines, Byron L., 139. Rambo, Lewis R., 136. Bishop, Dale, 91. Handy, Robert T., 45--46. Rickard, C. Harold, 87. Boer, Harry R., 126. Harakas, Stanley 5., 85. Rubingh, Eugene, 127. Bohr, P. Richard, 80-81. Hillman, Eugene, 129. Scott, Waldron A., 40. Brown, Earl Kent, 91-92. Jennings, Ray, 134-135. Shank, David A., 140--141. Brown, Robert McAfee, 92-93. Kollbrunner, Fritz, 5.M.B., 42-43. 510mp, Jan, 140. Carr, Burgess, 126-127. Kvarme, Ole Chr. M., 139-140. Sookhdeo, Patrick, 137-138. Chartier, Richard A., 138. Lamb, Christopher, 142. Spindler, Marc, 41-42. Clarke, Thomas E., S.J., 43. Laracy, Hugh, 136-137. Starn, John, 135. Claver, Francisco F., S.J., 127. Lutz, Jessie G., 81-82. Starkloff, Carl F., S.J., 37. Cobb, John B., Jr., 44. Lyons, Jeanne Marie, M.M., 196. Stockwell, Eugene L., 34. Costas, Orlando E., 131-132. Maclin, Alice, 128. Traber, Michael, 129-130. Cox, Harvey, 83-84. Mbiti, John, 203. Turner, Harold W., 40--41. Dekker, James C., 93-94. McConville, William, O.F.M., 196. Underwood, Horace G., 201. De Ridder, Richard R., 128. McVeigh, Malcolm J., 201-202. Vander Werff, Lyle, 87-88. Dillon, Mary Ann, R.S.M., 193-194. Miller, Julie, M.M., 198. Wilmore, Gayraud 5., 138-139. Donders, Joseph G., 195--196. Mills, Howard M., 131. Wipfler, William L., 90. Escobar, Samuel, 194. Muelder, Walter G., 38. Zago, Marcello, O.M.L, 197-198. Ford, John T., 194-195. Neely, Alan, 133-134. Zuern, Ted, 5.J. 38-39. Forman, Charles W., 89-90. Nelson, J. Robert, 86-87.

DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS BOOK NOTES

Dissertation Notices: Doctor of Missiology Dissertations, Fuller Theological On back page of each issue--48, 96, 144, 208. Seminary School of World Mission, 1971-1984, 122-125. Dissertation Notices from the United States, 46, 94.

206 International Bulletin of Missionary Research A lace to be-

~ [or mission O AISC'~j 'I y • study and renewal The Overseas Ministries Study Center, Ventnor, New Jersey, is just the kind of place where you'd expect to find these three talking together: an Anglican theological educator from Kenya, a Tanzanian missionary working in urban North America, and a cross­ cultural advisor from Missionary Internship, Farmington, Michigan. Every year several hundred international church and mission leaders and overseas missionaries enrich OMSC. Many come for furlough and study leave. Others come for shorter periods, drawn by the annual arra y of mission seminars and courses. You are invited to apply now-for residence, or for any of the following forthcoming programs.

~JANUARY 20-24 APRIL 1-4 Med icine, Jeannett e M. Thie ssen , MAP Mission and Global North/South Middle East Update: Christian Witness in Internati onal, and Mr. Eldon Stoltzfus, Tensions: A Question of Ultimate the Heart of the Muslim World. Mennonite Central Committee. Co­ Loyalties. Profe ssor Samuel Escobar, Dr. Norman A. Horner, form er missionary sponsored by Ame rican Leprosy Mission s, International Fellowship of Evangelical in West Africa and the Middle East. Associ ated Med ical Mission Office/Nf.C, Students, and Eastern Baptist Theological MAP lnt'I, and World Conc ern . Seminary. APRIL 8-11 Crucial Issues in Mission Today. ~ APRIL 28-MAY 2 ~JANUARY 27-31 Dr. Gerald H. Anderson , Direct or, OMSe, The Gospel and Urbanization: Mission's Thy Kingdom Come: The Intersection of form er missionary in the Philippines. Task at Home and Abroad. Dr. Roger S. the Theology of Shalom with the Gree nway, Westm inster Theological ~APRIL 14-18 Theology of Mission. Dr. Kosuke Semina ry, and Dr. John M. Perkins, author Koyama, Professor of World Ch ristianity, Spiritual Growth in Mission: Entering the and lecturer in community de velopment. Union Theological Seminary, New York. Future with Hope. Sr. Maria F. Rieckelman, Co-sponsored by Christian Reform ed M.M ., M.D., Loyola College of Baltimore, ~FEBRUARY World Mission s, Inter-Varsity Evangelism, 11-14 and Rev. Thomas E. Clarke, S.J., author Latin Ame rica Mission, Mission to the Mission, Development, and the Urban and lecturer. Co-sponsored by Marykn oll World (PCA), Southern Baptist FMB, and Crisis. Dr. Anthony Cam polo, Eastern Mission Institute, at Maryknoll, New York. World Vision , U.S. College, Dr. John Wiley Nelson , urban ~APRIL pastor and author, and Herb Van Denend, 21-25 · 'ndicates seminar format (16 hours with lecturer, beginning President, Glenco, Inc. , Paterson, New Community-Based Primary Health Care: The Challenge for Christian Missions. Monday aiternoon and concluding F,iday noon); tuition $45. Jersey. Co-sponsored by Princ eton All other courses run four mornings, beginning Tuesday (8 Seminary Center of Continuing Education, Drs. Jean and Jim Morehead, International hours with lectu rer); tuition $30. Contin uing Education Units at Princeton . (Note : Begins Tuesday Child Care and Tufts University School of available. afternoon, ends Friday noon.) ~MARCH 3-7 Missionary Spirituality: Letting the ,.4.... lA'.... , OVERSEAS MINISTRIES STUDY CENTER Gospel Govern Our Lives. Dr. Anna­ ~-.... Ventnor, NJ 08406 U.S.A. Marie Aagaard, Aarhus University, 'o{1 Publishers of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research Denmark. Co-sponsored by Prin ceton ~ ~ Gerald H . Anderson, Director; Jame s M. Phillips, Associate Director Seminary Center of Continuing Education, o Please send application for residence and Marykn oll Mission Institute. o Please send more information about the follow ing seminar/course: MARCH 11-14 New Forms of Mission for Tomorrow's Name _ World . Dr. Jame s M. Phillips, Associate Address _ Director, OMSC; former miss ionary in Korea and Japan. City/State/Zip _ Book Notes In CODling Balz, Heinrich. Where Faith Has to Live: Studies in Bakossi Society and Religion. Issues Basel, Switzerland: Basel Mission, 1984. Pp. xvi, 404. Paperback SFr 28.50. Current" Trends in North Bussmann, Claus. American Protestant Ministries Who Do You Say? Jesus Christ in Latin American Theology. Overseas Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1985. Pp. vi, 1985. Paperback $9.95. Samuel Wilson

Champagne, Claude. Black Americans in Mission: Les debuts de la mission dans Ie Nord-Ouest canadien. Setting the Record Straight Ottawa, Ontario: Univ. of Ottawa Press, 1983. Pp. 275. Paperback $20. Gayraud S. Wilmore

Crawley, Winston. A Vision for Evangelizing the Global Mission: A Story to Tell. An Interpretation of Southern Baptist Foreign Real America Missions. C. Peter Wagner Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman Press, 1985. Pp. 400. $11.95. Another Look at Mission in Culver, Robert Duncan. Eastern Europe A Greater Commission: A Theology for World Missions, Walter Sawatsky Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1984. Pp. xvi, 176. Paperback $9.95. Theology and Strategy of Fitts, Leroy. Pentecostal Missions A History of Black Baptists. Grant McClung Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman Press, 1985. Pp. 368. Paperback $9.95. The Reorientation of African Gensichen, Hans-Werner. Church History: Some Polemic Weltreligionen und Weltfriede. Thoughts Goitingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1985. Pp. 164. Paperback DM 22. Paul Jenkins

Hansen, Holger Bernt. Annual Statistical Table on Mission, Church and State in a Colonial Setting: Uganda 1890-1925. Global Mission: 1986 Neto York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. Pp. xix, 649. $39.95. David B. Barrett

Lawrence, Carl. My Pilgrimage in Mission-A The Church in China. New Series, with articles by Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers, 1985. Pp. 169. Paperback $5.95. Harry R. Boer Walbert Biihlmann, O.F.M. Cap. Lind, Christopher, and Terry Brown, eds. Barbara Hendricks, M.M. Justice as Mission: An Agenda for the Church. Katharine B. Hockin Burlington, Ontario: Trinity Press, 1985. Pp. 249. Paperback $12.95. J. Herbert Kane Donald McGavran Mundadan, A. Mathias. Eugene A. Nida Indian Christians: Search for Identity and Struggle for Autonomy. M. M. Thomas Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 1984. Pp. ix, 224. Paperback. No price indicated. J. Verkuyl and others Reed, Lyman E. Preparing Missionaries for Intercultural Communication: A Bi-cultural In our Series on the Legacy of Approach. Outstanding Missionary Figures Pasadena, Calif.: Wm. Carey Library, 1985. Pp. xvi, 204. Paperback $6.95. of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, articles about Singh, Godwin R., ed. Roland Allen A Call to Discipleship: Baptism and Conversion. Charles H. Brent Delhi: ISPCK, 1985. Pp. vi, 217. Paperback. No price indicated. Arthur Judson Brown A. J. Gordon Webster, John C. B., and Ellen Low Webster, eds. William Wade Harris The Church and Women in the Third World. Maurice Leenhardt Philadelphia, Pa.: Westminster Press, 1985. Pp. 167. Paperback $11.95. John Alexander Mackay Stephen Neill Samuel M. Zwemer