A
Ahimsa
Guest
Karl Rahner
**The Christian of the Future
**
He will not anxiously scan statistics to see whether the Church is really the biggest ideological organization or not, or whether it is growing proportionately quicker or slower than world population. He will indeed go out into the world with missionary zeal and bear witness in the name of Christ…But he will know that if his zeal is serene and patient it will have a better chance of success. He will know that he can imitate God’s forbearance which, according to St Paul, is of positive significance for salvation, not condemnation… Consequently, the Christian will meet boldly and hopefully as brothers those who do not wish to be his brothers in his “view of the world”. He will see in them persons who do not yet know what in fact they are, who have not yet clearly realized what in the depths of their life they are, it is to be assumed, already accomplishing. (This is so much the case that we are in duty bound hopefully to presume it. It would be uncharitable to assume less. For can I, as a Christian, simply take it for granted that others are not in the grace of God?) He sees, in others, anonymous Christianity at work in innumerable ways.
**The Christian of the Future
**
He will not anxiously scan statistics to see whether the Church is really the biggest ideological organization or not, or whether it is growing proportionately quicker or slower than world population. He will indeed go out into the world with missionary zeal and bear witness in the name of Christ…But he will know that if his zeal is serene and patient it will have a better chance of success. He will know that he can imitate God’s forbearance which, according to St Paul, is of positive significance for salvation, not condemnation… Consequently, the Christian will meet boldly and hopefully as brothers those who do not wish to be his brothers in his “view of the world”. He will see in them persons who do not yet know what in fact they are, who have not yet clearly realized what in the depths of their life they are, it is to be assumed, already accomplishing. (This is so much the case that we are in duty bound hopefully to presume it. It would be uncharitable to assume less. For can I, as a Christian, simply take it for granted that others are not in the grace of God?) He sees, in others, anonymous Christianity at work in innumerable ways.