Introductory notes for readers of this thesis - Theses - Flinders ...

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elong to it ‘anonymously’. The ministry of the church is one of constant sacramentalrenewal that may be understood as a ministry of ‘evangelisation’ that both supports thecontinuing journey of its explicit members, as well as facilitating the possibility of themystical initiation of those who belong to it implicitly.‘Evangelisation’ means for me simply the ever new proclamation of the Gospel ofJesus crucified and risen as the pledge that God communicates himself inforgiveness and ‘divinisation’ in his Spirit…and in so doing shapes the ultimateunity of…[human beings] among themselves and their history until what alreadyis stands fully revealed: that God is all and in all and the inmost centre of ourexistence in the loving and hoping community of…[humanity]. Such‘evangelisation’ is addressed to all people, is therefore on the one hand‘mission’…but on the other an ever new proclamation of the Gospel to Christiansbecause they are always on their way to becoming Christians in the ever newsituations of their lives and of their society. ‘Evangelisation’ should be not merelyan ‘indoctrination’ from without, but an initiation [into the life and rhythms of theHoly Spirit in the context of the community that gathers around Jesus Christ] 123 .This is an initiation into the life and rhythms of the Holy Spirit in the context of thecommunity that gathers around Jesus Christ.Though Rahner’s idea of the anonymous Christian is illuminated by his sacramentaltheology, a question remains: what are the perceptions of its merits and deficits as aChristian idea?Criticisms of the anonymous ChristianMark Worthing notes that Rahner’s concept of the anonymous Christian has attractedboth widespread popular acceptance on the one hand and heavy criticism by variousacademic theologians on the other 124 . In his summarising of these criticisms RobertSchreiter claims Rahner’s anonymous Christiandoes not take into account sufficiently the fact that Christianity is by definition anexplicit confession of faith in Jesus Christ; that the theory owes more to Rahner’stranscendental anthropology than to the biblical witness; that it does not provideadequately for the central Christian categories of justification and conversion; thatit lacks specific Christological and kerygamatic content; that it might undermine123 K. Rahner, Christian at the crossroads (New York: The Seabury Press, 1975), 40-41.124 Foundations and functions of theology as universal science – theological method and apologetic praxisin Wolfhart Pannenberg and Karl Rahner, European University Studies, Series 23, Vol. 485, (New York:Peter Lang, 2006).167
the missionary tasks of the Church; that it clouds the meaning of Church; that itshows insensitivity to the religious commitment of other people 125 .Drawing attention to Hans Urs von Balthasar’s fears that the idea of an anonymousChristian threatens to blur the confessional boundaries between church and world, andthat the phrase belittles other faiths and ideologies, Worthing demonstrates Balthasar isanxious over the reverse implications of the anonymous Christian: of people of otherfaiths and ideologies labelling Christians as ‘anonymous’ atheists, Muslims or Buddhists,thus mutually diminishing the value of explicit faith confession126 .Eamonn Conway notes that Balthasar is against the idea of the anonymous Christianbecause he believed it was more closely related to a secular philosophical epistemologythan to the biblical witness and because he felt that its effects where both compromisingand debilitating the church 127 . Balthasar’s pointed criticism of the post-Vatican IImovements of the Roman Catholic church clearly have the concept of the anonymousChristian—perceived as having been adopted by the council—in his sights.The Church seems to me to be a little like a watering-can with a hole in it. Whenthe gardener comes to the flower-bed which he wishes to water, there is nothingleft within. The Church reflects too little on the treasure in the field. She has soldmuch. But has she really got the treasure in return? She has descended into the128valley of democracy. But can she still be the city on the hill-top?Worthing’s summary of the criticisms of the anonymous Christian 129 also show that itsinfluential Roman Catholic detractors include Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict) andthe French theologian Henri de Lubac. Worthing suggests Ratzinger considers theanonymous Christian as a general humanistic idea of self-actualisation veiled thinly withthe language of Christian theology.125 ‘The anonymous Christian and Christology,’Missiology 6 (1) (1978):30.126 Ibid, 286.127 E. Conway, The anonymous Christian – a relativised Christianity? – an evaluation of Hans Urs VonBalthasar’s criticisms of Karl Rahner’s theory of the anonymous Christian, European University Studies,Series 23, Vol. 485, New York: Peter Lang, 1993, 35-61.128 In ibid, 57.129 Foundations and functions of theology, 167-289.168
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‘A Spirituality of silence’An i
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Chapter 4: The human experience of
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Summary of thesis:This thesis offer
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The particular angle from which thi
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somewhat superseded by more recent
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Rahner: I have nothing against that
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One brief but notable spiritual inf
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dialectic between these two, has le
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odies of knowledge, history and alt
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superiors, having decided that he w
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High School Week, Rahner began his
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Earlier in this chapter, Rahner’s
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These anecdotes testify that Rahner
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As you see, at the top of the carto
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Central to Rahner’s thinking is t
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Kilby notes that in regard to this
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Introduced by Cardinal König to a
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influence will continue to spread a
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We see from Rahner’s pastoral con
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European power 4 , and that he was
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Over a period of days and weeks, th
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The outcome of this encounter: the
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Modras has pointed out that Ignatiu
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Rahner the Ignatian spiritual direc
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facilitate this joyful and liberati
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Rahner’s often-quoted comment tha
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The master of the Exercises in no w
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Endean argues that Rahner is interp
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The Ignatian Exercises—especially
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provision of appropriate spiritual
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their existential encounter, they a
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Chapter 3: Spirituality of silence
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which the spiritual pilgrim finds t
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Lord, to pray my whole life long wi
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Encounters with silence: strictures
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a long highway filled by a column o
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gaze; they prefer to stay safe, ris
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This experience is life’s true es
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Christians can experience the full
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Rahner does not claim for himself t
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example, it would limit God to say,
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will and love of God: then the diam
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Echoes of Ignatius’ Exercises are
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Chapter 4: The human experience of
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proximity, the silence that leads e
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‘listening to the freely proffere
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approach; he is not arguing against
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must occur in history—time, space
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The most obvious criticism of Rahne
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Schleiermacher: seeking to build a
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and his meditations in Encounters w
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theological method, and the importa
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spirit dancing together in apprecia
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choosing to enter into the mystery
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may be described as a ‘mysticism
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possibilities but without a definit
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theologie) in which Rahner’s prim
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• around the concept and meaning
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knowledge. For we are not saved by
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silent experience of God—is able
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the immanent life of God’ 120 . T
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Investigations much like the biblic
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Christian contemplative-prayer trad
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Of course, a small number of the vi
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For better or for worse, and despit
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energy, intellect, prayer, love and
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Rahner, K. Karl Rahner - Prayers an
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Kelly, G.B. (ed.). Karl Rahner - th
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Van Vorst, B. ‘Kung and Rahner: d
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Harden, J.A. ‘Ignatian Spirituali
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Tyson, P. ‘Contemporary Australia
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