For the Sake of Gospel

Theologian Edward Schillebeeckx once said, 'All thinkers, even if they should occasionally transcend the boundaries of their time, should always remain children of their time.' This statement is certainly true of this text, as Schillebeeckx warns the reader, it is a collection of sermons, and sermons are delivered in a particular time and place for a particular audience and context. 'Sermons are not articles,' Schillebeeckx states. While there are similarities, and the theological content may be the same, they are different kinds of communication. This collection of sermons grew out of the popularity of Schillebeeckx's first such collection, 'God Among Us,' published in 1982/83 (the earlier year in Dutch, the later year in English). This book was published in 1989, before Schillebeeckx's third volume of his Christology had been published, so there are some articles and pieces here that, at the time, were eagerly sought for advance information from the then-upcoming book 'Church'. Almost all of the sermons in this collection come from the basis of gospel texts. There are a few from Isaiah (often called the fifth gospel), and some are designed around events. Schillebeeckx was active theologically before, during and after the Second Vatican Council; due to certain circumstances, he was denied an official post during the Council, but has become a popular and leading Catholic theologian since that time. Tending toward the liberal side of the church's theology, he has had a few points of problem with the official Catholic hierarchy. According to his official website, 'As a theologian Schillebeeckx operates at the interface between a bygone age and our own time. Many see him as pioneering a fresh understanding of faith, in which mission is acquiring a new character marked by greater appreciation of the distinctive properties of both Christianity and other religions. For, according to Schillebeeckx, God's truth is so abundant that no single religion can interpret him fully, nor can our knowledge of God be grasped by the best of all religions put together. For God is new every moment and greater than all religions combined.' This kind of ecumenical and interfaith approach can be problematic to more traditional elements in the church - one such group is the Lefebvre movement, a right-wing traditionalists group also at odds official with the Roman hierarchy. In one piece in this text, Schillebeeckx gives his assessment of the Lefebvrian schism and his hope for church unity in spite of human actions, both within and outside of the church. This is a very good collection of sermons and writings that do much to show the heart of Schillebeeckx's method of applying his theological erudition to the more practical theological task of preaching.