Salt, Leaven and Light The Community Called Church (Revised)

There are many fine books on the church, but none till now that so fully integrates the historical, sociological, and theological approaches necessary for complete understanding. The Second Vatican Council, often called "the council of the church, " created new possibilities and new challenges, but it also raised many basic questions about the nature and mission of the church. This book describes how the church - or rather how we the church understand ourselves on the threshold of the third millennium. One of the hallmarks of modern consciousness is the awareness of how all thought (not just theology!) is conditioned by time, place, and social location. Accordingly, Part 1 describes the contemporary context for reflection on the church, and sets out the methodology for such reflection. Part 2 then recalls the various ways in which the church's understanding of itself has developed over time. This section is not church history, but rather the history of the church's self-understanding, or ecclesiology. Part 3 is devoted to five major issues confronting the Christian community at present. They are, in short, ministry, liberation, inculturation, the specific challenges facing the church in the United States, and the relationship between Christian churches (ecumenism) and between the church and other religions (interreligious dialogue). Underlying all these challenges is the fundamental issue of the church's relationship to the world - a relationship, argues Professor Sanks, that should be one of permeation rather than subordination or separation. Hence the title of this book: Salt, Leaven, and Light, the biblical images of permeation.