People of God

by Jose Comblin, Phillip Berryman (Editor), Phillip Berryman (Translator)

Overview

The church as "People of God" was one of the most striking images to emerge from Vatican II. It set in motion a dynamic revolution in Catholic self-understanding, opening the church to the role of the laity, the dignity of the poor, and the unfolding of history. Yet many sectors of the church preferred fairly quickly to shelve this term, favoring instead the image of the church as "communion." Jose Comblin, one of the great Latin American theologians, believes that the agenda implied in "People of God" remains vital and necessary for the church today -- especially at the dawn of a new pontificate. Progress in the church, according to Comblin, must begin with a recovery and return to the principles of Vatican II.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570755217
Publisher:	Orbis Books
Publication date:	04/28/2004
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction	vii
1.	The People of God at Vatican II	1
	Council Texts	1
	Human Reality of the Church	4
	People of God and Ecumenism	10
	Promotion of Lay People in the People of God	13
2	History of the Idea of People of God	20
	The Pre-Vatican II Hierarchical Model	20
	The "Other" Church	23
	Back to the Sources	36
3.	People of God in Latin America	38
	Theology of the People of God in Latin America	38
	The People of God and the Church of the Poor	39
	Church of the Poor on Trial	47
4.	Reversal at the 1985 Synod	52
	Cardinal Ratzinger's Theology	52
	The Theology of the Synod	54
	The Ambiguities of "Communion"	58
5.	The Church as People	63
	Scope of the Choice of the Theme of the People of God	63
	People: Bonds of Shared Life	68
	The People: Community of Destiny	74
	The People and Its Martyrs	78
	The People and Its Culture	84
	The People over Time	91
6.	The People as Actor	97
	People: Subject of History	101
	The People in Eschatology	105
	People and Freedom	109
	People Means Covenant	113
7.	People of the Poor	118
	In Search of the Poor of Jesus Christ	119
	Church for the Poor	122
	Defense of the Poor	126
	The Consciousness of the Poor	129
	The People of the Poor	131
8.	The People within Other Peoples	142
	What the Church Receives from Peoples	144
	Inculturation	153
	What Peoples Receive from the Church	157
9.	Action of the People of God in the World	164
	Seeking the Action of the People of God	164
	Conditions of Action as People of God	168
	Experience of Latin American Praxis	173
10.	People of God and the Church Institution	178
	Debate at Vatican II on the Place of the Hierarchy in the People of God	179
	Participation of the People in the Liturgy after Vatican II	183
	Presence of the People of God in Church Governance	185
	Participation of the People of God in the Magisterium	191
	Relationship between Clergy and People	194
	Conclusion	205
	Notes	207
	Index	222