In Christianity the understanding of the human condition in the world is elaborated by the doctri... more In Christianity the understanding of the human condition in the world is elaborated by the doctrine of original sin which is based on the key biblical texts of Genesis 2:4-3:24 and Romans 5:12-21. The essence of the doctrine in Western theology is the claim that by virtue of being born into the human race, the human person inherits a nature which has a proclivity to sinful behaviour and is therefore in need of God's redemptive grace in the person of Jesus Christ, which is received in baptism. The validity of this doctrine continues to be upheld as central to the Christian faith because it asserts, against a purely naturalistic view of humankind, that the human person stands in basic need of the grace of Jesus Christ in order to attain the free gift of 'justification' by which the sinner is reconciled to God and destined to the glory of 'eternal life' as the person's final and true end (Cf. Rom 5:15-21).
The issue of the covenant from the point of view of the coming together of right place, right tim... more The issue of the covenant from the point of view of the coming together of right place, right time, and right people is discussed. An appropriate form of Zionism that is congruent with the Christ-event, upholds the mystery of Israel, and will serve to promote critical dialogue between Jews and Christians is highlighted.
The concept of culture has assumed much importance in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatica... more The concept of culture has assumed much importance in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council and it has also become a topic of crucial importance for the World Council of Churches. For the first time in church history, an ecumenical council debated at length on the issue of culture, and the result was that culture is now recognised as not only integral to the flourishing of the human person but also to the revelation of God and Christian evangelisation. The Catholic notion of the 'inculturation' of the Gospel of Christ captures the crucial relationship that obtains between evangelisation and culture. Perhaps Pope John Paul II expressed the matter most succinctly when he asserted that: 'The synthesis between culture and faith is not just a demand of culture, but also of faith ... A faith which does not become culture is a faith which has not been fully received, not thoroughly thought through, not faith fully lived out'. The idea of a private faith, so c...
IT IS COMMONLY acknowledged that Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), which was promu... more IT IS COMMONLY acknowledged that Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), which was promulgated against the backdrop of the rise of modern industrial society, inaugurated a new beginning for Catholic social thought and that it represents a kind of magna carta for modern Catholic social teaching. This is evidenced by the fact that Popes subsequent to Leo XIII, namely Pius XI (1931), Paul VI (1971), and John Paul II (1991), all promulgated encyclicals that revised and updated the analyses of Rerum Novarum in light of changing economic, social, and political conditions. The manner in which each newly promulgated encyclical revisits and re-evaluates the earlier ones alerts us to the evolving character of Catholic social teaching as open to the dynamics of history and seeking to discover new tasks in the process of humanizing our world. In other words, Catholic social teaching is truly focused upon reading the signs of the times and is therefore an arena of the development of doc...
The word 'eschatology' means doctrine about the eschata or 'last things.' In the ... more The word 'eschatology' means doctrine about the eschata or 'last things.' In the neo-Scholastic manual style of theology that dominated Catholic theology before the twentieth century, eschatology was the doctrine of those things that awaited the individual person beyond death (particular judgment, purgatory, heaven, hell, the interim state), as well as those things that awaited the whole of humanity at the end of time (the return of Christ, the general resurrection, the universal judgment, the consummation of the kingdom of God). The teaching on the last things appeared as an appendix at the end of dogmatic theology where it led a rather barren existence as instruction on what comes 'after' the pilgrim life, with the result that it had little critical and transforming effect upon the state of the present world. Since the manual style of eschatology treated the last things as objects, Yves Congar described it as a 'physical' style of eschatology. Dermo...
ing truth,’ from which it will become apparent in what manner it can be said that Christianity is... more ing truth,’ from which it will become apparent in what manner it can be said that Christianity is to be regarded as more than a religion. The first part of this essay will examine Tillich’s understanding of Christ as the New Being, the second part will discuss the meaning of doing the truth, and the conclusion will highlight two fundamental pitfalls to be avoided in respect of Christianity’s relation to contemporary culture. In particular, the intention will be to caution against an overly ‘integralist’ portrayal of Christian faith, which is a perennial tendency in Roman Catholicism. In the presentation of Tillich’s thought the essay will draw from his two works The Shaking of the Foundations and The New Being, which belong together as one piece.
This essay critically examines traditional formulations of the doctrine of original sin in Wester... more This essay critically examines traditional formulations of the doctrine of original sin in Western theology and the contemporary “situationist” and “personalist” reformulations of the doctrine in the search for an adequate understanding of original sin that acknowledges both the evolutionary view of the world and Jesus Christ risen as the new “emergent whole” in evolutionary history. The negative portrayal of original sin as a situational privation of sanctifying grace and the positive portrayal of original sin as rebellion against God are both held to be valid and complementary, but it is argued that only a thoroughly eschatological perspective can illuminate the state of the human condition which is destined for a supernatural end in the Risen One. The essay concludes with the proposition that original sin is best thought of in terms of the lack of personal, social and cosmic integration that humans invariably experience in this life, and that the person of the risen Christ saves ...
We all know that these are difficult times for the Catholic Church in Australia as it grapples wi... more We all know that these are difficult times for the Catholic Church in Australia as it grapples with the scandalous and painful issue of child sexual abuse by some clergy, religious, and lay church personnel. The Commonwealth Royal Commission investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse, announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 12 November 2012, has made life for the faithful even more difficult, as the Catholic Church in Australia comes under intense and continual public scrutiny. The church's Towards Healing protocol for responding to incidents of child sexual abuse acknowledges that not just the victims and their families but the 'whole Church community has been affected by incidents of abuse, for all Catholic people have been dismayed by the stories they have heard'. Thankfully, a spirit of sincere cooperation with the work of the Royal Commission is discernible on the part of the Catholic Church today, as both share in the objective of providing sa...
The New Testament is undoubtedly a book of joy. The verb chairein, which means to rejoice, occurs... more The New Testament is undoubtedly a book of joy. The verb chairein, which means to rejoice, occurs seventy-two times in the New Testament and the noun chara, which means joy, occurs sixty times. The word chairein is found both at the beginning of the gospel story and at the end: at the annunciation the angel greets Mary by saying, 'Joy be with you' (Luke 1:28), and on the resurrection morning the risen Jesus greets the women who had come to mourn him by saying, 'Joy be with you' (Matt 28:9). The triumphant message of joy forms the framework of the gospel story and rings resoundingly throughout the pages of the New Testament. Paul makes it very clear in his letters to the Corinthians that he is committed to helping them in their progress and joy in the faith (2 Cor 1:24) and almost the last thing that he writes to the Corinthians is: 'Joy be with you!' (2 Cor 13:11). When Paul writes to his Philippian friends, again joy is a constant theme: 'Rejoice in the ...
In Christianity the understanding of the human condition in the world is elaborated by the doctri... more In Christianity the understanding of the human condition in the world is elaborated by the doctrine of original sin which is based on the key biblical texts of Genesis 2:4-3:24 and Romans 5:12-21. The essence of the doctrine in Western theology is the claim that by virtue of being born into the human race, the human person inherits a nature which has a proclivity to sinful behaviour and is therefore in need of God's redemptive grace in the person of Jesus Christ, which is received in baptism. The validity of this doctrine continues to be upheld as central to the Christian faith because it asserts, against a purely naturalistic view of humankind, that the human person stands in basic need of the grace of Jesus Christ in order to attain the free gift of 'justification' by which the sinner is reconciled to God and destined to the glory of 'eternal life' as the person's final and true end (Cf. Rom 5:15-21).
The issue of the covenant from the point of view of the coming together of right place, right tim... more The issue of the covenant from the point of view of the coming together of right place, right time, and right people is discussed. An appropriate form of Zionism that is congruent with the Christ-event, upholds the mystery of Israel, and will serve to promote critical dialogue between Jews and Christians is highlighted.
The concept of culture has assumed much importance in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatica... more The concept of culture has assumed much importance in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council and it has also become a topic of crucial importance for the World Council of Churches. For the first time in church history, an ecumenical council debated at length on the issue of culture, and the result was that culture is now recognised as not only integral to the flourishing of the human person but also to the revelation of God and Christian evangelisation. The Catholic notion of the 'inculturation' of the Gospel of Christ captures the crucial relationship that obtains between evangelisation and culture. Perhaps Pope John Paul II expressed the matter most succinctly when he asserted that: 'The synthesis between culture and faith is not just a demand of culture, but also of faith ... A faith which does not become culture is a faith which has not been fully received, not thoroughly thought through, not faith fully lived out'. The idea of a private faith, so c...
IT IS COMMONLY acknowledged that Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), which was promu... more IT IS COMMONLY acknowledged that Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), which was promulgated against the backdrop of the rise of modern industrial society, inaugurated a new beginning for Catholic social thought and that it represents a kind of magna carta for modern Catholic social teaching. This is evidenced by the fact that Popes subsequent to Leo XIII, namely Pius XI (1931), Paul VI (1971), and John Paul II (1991), all promulgated encyclicals that revised and updated the analyses of Rerum Novarum in light of changing economic, social, and political conditions. The manner in which each newly promulgated encyclical revisits and re-evaluates the earlier ones alerts us to the evolving character of Catholic social teaching as open to the dynamics of history and seeking to discover new tasks in the process of humanizing our world. In other words, Catholic social teaching is truly focused upon reading the signs of the times and is therefore an arena of the development of doc...
The word 'eschatology' means doctrine about the eschata or 'last things.' In the ... more The word 'eschatology' means doctrine about the eschata or 'last things.' In the neo-Scholastic manual style of theology that dominated Catholic theology before the twentieth century, eschatology was the doctrine of those things that awaited the individual person beyond death (particular judgment, purgatory, heaven, hell, the interim state), as well as those things that awaited the whole of humanity at the end of time (the return of Christ, the general resurrection, the universal judgment, the consummation of the kingdom of God). The teaching on the last things appeared as an appendix at the end of dogmatic theology where it led a rather barren existence as instruction on what comes 'after' the pilgrim life, with the result that it had little critical and transforming effect upon the state of the present world. Since the manual style of eschatology treated the last things as objects, Yves Congar described it as a 'physical' style of eschatology. Dermo...
ing truth,’ from which it will become apparent in what manner it can be said that Christianity is... more ing truth,’ from which it will become apparent in what manner it can be said that Christianity is to be regarded as more than a religion. The first part of this essay will examine Tillich’s understanding of Christ as the New Being, the second part will discuss the meaning of doing the truth, and the conclusion will highlight two fundamental pitfalls to be avoided in respect of Christianity’s relation to contemporary culture. In particular, the intention will be to caution against an overly ‘integralist’ portrayal of Christian faith, which is a perennial tendency in Roman Catholicism. In the presentation of Tillich’s thought the essay will draw from his two works The Shaking of the Foundations and The New Being, which belong together as one piece.
This essay critically examines traditional formulations of the doctrine of original sin in Wester... more This essay critically examines traditional formulations of the doctrine of original sin in Western theology and the contemporary “situationist” and “personalist” reformulations of the doctrine in the search for an adequate understanding of original sin that acknowledges both the evolutionary view of the world and Jesus Christ risen as the new “emergent whole” in evolutionary history. The negative portrayal of original sin as a situational privation of sanctifying grace and the positive portrayal of original sin as rebellion against God are both held to be valid and complementary, but it is argued that only a thoroughly eschatological perspective can illuminate the state of the human condition which is destined for a supernatural end in the Risen One. The essay concludes with the proposition that original sin is best thought of in terms of the lack of personal, social and cosmic integration that humans invariably experience in this life, and that the person of the risen Christ saves ...
We all know that these are difficult times for the Catholic Church in Australia as it grapples wi... more We all know that these are difficult times for the Catholic Church in Australia as it grapples with the scandalous and painful issue of child sexual abuse by some clergy, religious, and lay church personnel. The Commonwealth Royal Commission investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse, announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 12 November 2012, has made life for the faithful even more difficult, as the Catholic Church in Australia comes under intense and continual public scrutiny. The church's Towards Healing protocol for responding to incidents of child sexual abuse acknowledges that not just the victims and their families but the 'whole Church community has been affected by incidents of abuse, for all Catholic people have been dismayed by the stories they have heard'. Thankfully, a spirit of sincere cooperation with the work of the Royal Commission is discernible on the part of the Catholic Church today, as both share in the objective of providing sa...
The New Testament is undoubtedly a book of joy. The verb chairein, which means to rejoice, occurs... more The New Testament is undoubtedly a book of joy. The verb chairein, which means to rejoice, occurs seventy-two times in the New Testament and the noun chara, which means joy, occurs sixty times. The word chairein is found both at the beginning of the gospel story and at the end: at the annunciation the angel greets Mary by saying, 'Joy be with you' (Luke 1:28), and on the resurrection morning the risen Jesus greets the women who had come to mourn him by saying, 'Joy be with you' (Matt 28:9). The triumphant message of joy forms the framework of the gospel story and rings resoundingly throughout the pages of the New Testament. Paul makes it very clear in his letters to the Corinthians that he is committed to helping them in their progress and joy in the faith (2 Cor 1:24) and almost the last thing that he writes to the Corinthians is: 'Joy be with you!' (2 Cor 13:11). When Paul writes to his Philippian friends, again joy is a constant theme: 'Rejoice in the ...
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