By Richard P. McBrien
From the struggles of the first actual Christians to the demanding situations and scandals of this day, the Catholic Church has wrestled with the best way to arrange itself, show its ideals, and nurture its individuals. The Church has grown from a handful of disciples within the first century to over a billion participants within the twenty-first, leading to profound adjustments that call for a theological reaction. during this sweeping historical past, popular pupil Richard McBrien finds the evolution of the Church's courting to the divine, its management of the trustworthy, and its function as an international faith. The Church solutions the questions raised via this awesome historical past, including:
- Where did the assumption of the pope's infallibility come from?
- Why are monks celibate and girls barred from the priesthood?
- What encouraged the Inquisition?
- What used to be the placement of the Catholic Church on Hitler's regulations in international struggle II?
- What is the Church's courting to Islam?
- How will the expansion of the Church in South the United States, Africa, and Asia form its future?
McBrien is helping the reader comprehend the evolution of the Catholic Church's figuring out of itself throughout the centuries, its management, and its courting to nationwide governments and international religions. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church explains in layperson's phrases the evolution of the Catholic Church, its strength, its scope, its theology, and its influence.
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Extra info for The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism
Sample text
Thus, the Church as a pilgrim people works, but a sheepfold does not, especially among well-educated, urbanized people. In a time of rapid change, like ours, some images lose their power, while newer images, drawn, for example, from a new technological age, have not yet emerged. When an image is employed reflectively, conceptually, and critically to deepen our understanding of the Church, it becomes a model. There are two types of models: explanatory and exploratory. Explanatory models synthesize what we already know, for example, that the Church is an institution.
I also want to single out Kris Ashley, former assistant editor, who was for several years my most frequent link with the publisher and who always rendered prompt and efficient assistance. PA R T I Introduction The Content and Scope of Ecclesiology What Is Ecclesiology? Ecclesiology is literally the study of the Church (from Gk. logos, “study of,” and ekklesia, “assembly,” or “church”). But this is only a generic, etymological definition. Many other disciplines study the Church, for example, history, anthropology, political science, sociology, and philosophy.
S. Catholic bishops commissioned a series of studies on priestly life and ministry: one on the history of the priesthood in the United States, a second on its sociological aspects, and a third on its psychological aspects. The sociological study was conducted under the direction of the well-known sociologist Father Andrew Greeley. The summation of its principal findings was set forth in the form of questions and answers. One in particular had special relevance to ecclesiology: Does the dissatisfaction of the young [clergy] with the distribution of [pastoral] power indicate trouble for the Church?
