Rethinking the Ecclesial Mission from a Relational Viewpoint
Church is called today to rethink its very identity more from the viewpoint of its relationships than its institutional structures, doctrine, or activities. Analogously, as the nature of the church is essentially missionary, it must rethink its evangelizing mission. This contribution deals with corr...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2018]
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| In: |
International review of mission
Year: 2018, Volume: 107, Issue: 2, Pages: 347-361 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations CD Christianity and Culture KDB Roman Catholic Church NBE Anthropology NBN Ecclesiology RJ Mission; missiology |
| Further subjects: | B
Image of God
B Evangelization B Integration B Creation B Diversity B Conversion B Acknowledgement B Salvation B Dialogue B Relationships B Unity B Witness B Reform B Identity B Mold |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Church is called today to rethink its very identity more from the viewpoint of its relationships than its institutional structures, doctrine, or activities. Analogously, as the nature of the church is essentially missionary, it must rethink its evangelizing mission. This contribution deals with correlated issues. The first part introduces the ecclesiological figure of the church that goes forth: as the community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, and bear fruit and rejoice (see Evangelii Gaudium, 24). This model of church, which can be qualified as responsible, decentralized, inclusive, and dynamic, allows us to link the ecclesiological approach more closely with the anthropological one. In this framework, the second part of the contribution introduces three issues. First is the biblical notion of the imago Dei (image of God) and its implications. At the heart of common dignity lies the fact that each and every person has a trace of affinity with God, who creates and summons everyone into a personal relationship with himself and naturally orients the person to a life of communion. The second issue is the acknowledgement and integration of cultural and religious diversity from a dialogical standpoint. Recognizing the common dignity of human beings entails first acknowledging cultural and religious diversity as an element of the divine project for humankind; and then integrating it into a communal model by promoting and implementing processes of integration and adopting a dialogical methodology. The third issue is theological education and missionary training. Today, the evangelizing mission of church is pushed by the Holy Spirit even closer to the implementation of human relations with God (among human beings and with creation) and to the acknowledgement and integration of diversity in a communal model of church and mission. |
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| ISSN: | 1758-6631 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International review of mission
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/irom.12235 |