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DustinsDad
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Bishop Braxton -A Reflection on Theological Pluralism
What in the world is the Bishop of Belleville, IL trying to say here? Can anyone help me out? There are some good things in there, but some red-flags going off when I read such things as…
“At its best, dialectic may demonstrate that, from a higher viewpoint, theological positions, which appeared contradictory, are, in fact, complementary.”
“Of course, in the Catholic context, effective dialectics is not accomplished by theologians alone. Eventually, those who hold positions of ecclesial authority in the community of faith must determine whether the new insights and formulations of theologians are compatible with the perennial beliefs of the community of faith…Bishops, and preeminently the Holy Father, play an essential role here, but it is not arbitrary. Ultimately, a certain level of reception must be made by the Christian faithful themselves.”
“This conversion is not primarily about changing from one ecclesial family to another, though it may come to that. It is about the transformation of one’s horizon and ultimately the transformation of the horizon of one’s community of faith…Conversion is not simple but manifold. It involves at least the embrace of a religious sense of reality, an affirmation of God, a radical response to the person, life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus Christ, a genuine commitment to a community of faith, an ongoing struggle for moral responsibility and authentic living, and the liberation of intellect made possible by critical thinking freed of the Enlightenment bias against faith and commitment. Thus, we may speak of religious, theistic, Christian, ecclesial, moral, and intellectual conversion.”
Anyone care to take a stab at this article?
(*Link to full article here - *http://www.bellevillemessenger.org/bishop/pluralism.aspx )
Peace in Christ,
DustinsDad
What in the world is the Bishop of Belleville, IL trying to say here? Can anyone help me out? There are some good things in there, but some red-flags going off when I read such things as…
“At its best, dialectic may demonstrate that, from a higher viewpoint, theological positions, which appeared contradictory, are, in fact, complementary.”
“Of course, in the Catholic context, effective dialectics is not accomplished by theologians alone. Eventually, those who hold positions of ecclesial authority in the community of faith must determine whether the new insights and formulations of theologians are compatible with the perennial beliefs of the community of faith…Bishops, and preeminently the Holy Father, play an essential role here, but it is not arbitrary. Ultimately, a certain level of reception must be made by the Christian faithful themselves.”
“This conversion is not primarily about changing from one ecclesial family to another, though it may come to that. It is about the transformation of one’s horizon and ultimately the transformation of the horizon of one’s community of faith…Conversion is not simple but manifold. It involves at least the embrace of a religious sense of reality, an affirmation of God, a radical response to the person, life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus Christ, a genuine commitment to a community of faith, an ongoing struggle for moral responsibility and authentic living, and the liberation of intellect made possible by critical thinking freed of the Enlightenment bias against faith and commitment. Thus, we may speak of religious, theistic, Christian, ecclesial, moral, and intellectual conversion.”
Anyone care to take a stab at this article?
(*Link to full article here - *http://www.bellevillemessenger.org/bishop/pluralism.aspx )
Peace in Christ,
DustinsDad