<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: First Book of New Era in Ecclesiology
Review: Healy argues that traditional 'blueprint' ecclesiologies fail both church and scholarship through over-rationalization and judgmentalism which fail to help the church live more faithfully. He offers an interpretation of Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar's 'theo-dramatic' model of divine-human interaction, which contrasts the epic view of life with the (interactive) narrataive view, and uses this insight to develop concepts of church that are, in his view, of better service to the church in issues of inclusivity, pluralism and the 'practical-prophetic'. The book serves as a good introduction (although this is not its purpose) to the 'radical orthodoxy' movement of Milbank et al, and will be most useful to those seeking to develop their thinking along those lines. For me (a mainstream protestant), chapters 1 (blueprints) and 7 (practical-prophetic ecclesiology) were most useful, chapters 2 through 6 engaged Roman Catholic scholarship and utilized 'liberalism' as something of a foil. Healy engages epic academics rather than liberal narrative (there is one), and his vision of what is the faithful church is spelled out with insufficient clarity, indeed, it seems to be presumed. An engagement with H. Richard Niebuhr's ¨Meaning of Revelation' and'Radical Monotheism' would broaden his argument, which is more restricted than Healy realizes. This does not diminish my excitement for the treatise, which certainly is to be added to the 'must read' list in ecclesiology.
Rating:
Summary: First Book of New Era in Ecclesiology
Review: Healy argues that traditional 'blueprint' ecclesiologies fail both church and scholarship through over-rationalization and judgmentalism which fail to help the church live more faithfully. He offers an interpretation of Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar's 'theo-dramatic' model of divine-human interaction, which contrasts the epic view of life with the (interactive) narrataive view, and uses this insight to develop concepts of church that are, in his view, of better service to the church in issues of inclusivity, pluralism and the 'practical-prophetic'. The book serves as a good introduction (although this is not its purpose) to the 'radical orthodoxy' movement of Milbank et al, and will be most useful to those seeking to develop their thinking along those lines. For me (a mainstream protestant), chapters 1 (blueprints) and 7 (practical-prophetic ecclesiology) were most useful, chapters 2 through 6 engaged Roman Catholic scholarship and utilized 'liberalism' as something of a foil. Healy engages epic academics rather than liberal narrative (there is one), and his vision of what is the faithful church is spelled out with insufficient clarity, indeed, it seems to be presumed. An engagement with H. Richard Niebuhr's ¨Meaning of Revelation' and'Radical Monotheism' would broaden his argument, which is more restricted than Healy realizes. This does not diminish my excitement for the treatise, which certainly is to be added to the 'must read' list in ecclesiology.
Rating: 
Summary: Where ecclesiology needs to go
Review: Healy has written a book with sensitivity, depth and great theological prescience. He first describes much of the problems with current ecclesiological "blueprints": People of God, Body of CHrist, etc., saying that they are all fine as blueprints, but all suffer from a dualist essence. By using Balthazar's theodramatic horizon, he addresses the realities of a concrete chuch in a hypermodern and postmodern age.
His section of plurality is a breath of fesh air, after having read the writings of peopel like Hick who really just want to force a totalizing system uponall religions, really rendering them incapable of making any truth claims without being branded as "parocial" or "fundamentalist". He exposes the ultimately liberal underpinnings of this view, which is really roots in another kind of tradition.
The theodramatic horizon in name is new to me, but uts idea has been seen in authors such as Brian Walsh, who espouse seeing Christianity as havings its own "metanarrative" that must engage with faithfulness with other traditions. This is not only honest ecclesiaology, but it addresses the reality of a sinful church that must be corrected, often from the outside.
This is a must for anyone concerned about where the church is headed.
Read and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Where ecclesiology needs to go
Review: Healy has written a book with sensitivity, depth and great theological prescience. He first describes much of the problems with current ecclesiological "blueprints": People of God, Body of CHrist, etc., saying that they are all fine as blueprints, but all suffer from a dualist essence. By using Balthazar's theodramatic horizon, he addresses the realities of a concrete chuch in a hypermodern and postmodern age.
His section of plurality is a breath of fesh air, after having read the writings of peopel like Hick who really just want to force a totalizing system uponall religions, really rendering them incapable of making any truth claims without being branded as "parocial" or "fundamentalist". He exposes the ultimately liberal underpinnings of this view, which is really roots in another kind of tradition.
The theodramatic horizon in name is new to me, but uts idea has been seen in authors such as Brian Walsh, who espouse seeing Christianity as havings its own "metanarrative" that must engage with faithfulness with other traditions. This is not only honest ecclesiaology, but it addresses the reality of a sinful church that must be corrected, often from the outside.
This is a must for anyone concerned about where the church is headed.
Read and enjoy!
<< 1 >>
|
