Why the Church?

Rating:
Summary: What the Church is and What the Church is Not
Review: In an age in which the perception of Catholic Christianity tends to be marred by ideological bias, it is refreshing to see a book that explicates the existence of the Church as the continuation of the presence of Jesus Christ in history. Giussani's goal makes clear that it is possible to have a concrete, historical relationship with Christ--not as a figure of our imagination or a product of wishful thinking (we know that would be as flawed as we ourselves are) but as God who is present and still acts through the Holy Spirit's use of men and women who are both saints and sinners. Giussani clarifies how it is that our individual temperaments and personalities can remain vehicles for the divine in time and space, and how throughout the history of revelation, those chosen to carry out God's plan in history, beginning with Abraham, Moses, David, were not perfect, but rather, were human beings as prone to weakness as we ourselves are. Nevertheless, this is only a part of the book's thesis. The entire work itself is a fitting and complete elucidation of Giussani's thought, beginning with "The Religious Sense" and continuing with "At the Origin of the Christian Claim." This is an author who brings the newness of his personal charism to truths that are eternal, and the mix of these two aspects of his work are both thrilling and life-giving.