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A Critical Study of Hans Kung’s Ecclesiology pp 101–111Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Work of the Church

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Abstract

Having offered a definition of what he thinks the church in general really is in history (which is, at the end, a discussion about the ontology of the church even if Küng seems to be quite unhappy with ontological aspects unlike his 1962 views), Küng moves forward toward an analysis of the work of the church. The first step for him at this point is to establish some key differences and similarities between Catholic and Protestant churches.1

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Notes

  1. Puyo, Une vie pour la verite, 202–3.

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  2. In Kung, Scripture is normative, while tradition is only the whole of church history. See LaCugna, The Theological Methodology ofHans Kiing, 197.

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  3. Sin/nature and grace as closely linked are fundamental to Rahner. For details, see Taylor, God Is Love, 144. See also von Balthasar, Theo-Drama, vol. 1, 116.

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  4. Especially the fact that the pope is not infallible. See Hans Kung. New HorizonsforFaith and Thought, ed. Haring and Kuschel, 37, and O’Lenny, Hans Kiing and Papal Infallibility, 13.

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  5. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 502.

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  6. Christians should be equally occupied with the reunion of churches. See O’Lenny, Hans Kiing and Papal Infallibility, 13.

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  7. This is an indication that the church must have a clear understanding of its dogma. See also Guenther, Rahner and Metz, 243.

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  8. See The Kung Dialogue, 188.

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  9. The church must reach out ecumenically and look for unity as love. For details, see von Balthasar, Who Is a Christian? 114.

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  10. The continuity of faith also means continuity with the apostles. See Griffiss, Church, Ministry and Unity, 58.

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  11. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 503.

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  12. The church needs to evaluate itself in the light of the Gospel. See God Is New Each Moment, 79.

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  13. See Vauchez, Yves Congar, 18.

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  14. Kiing, Truthfulness, 96.

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  15. Yves M.-J. Congar, OP, ed. Redfern, 63.

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  16. Kung, On Being a Christian, 503.

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  18. See also Dynch, Karl Rahner, 96.

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  19. For details about the vision of the church, see Congar, Droit ancien et structures ecclesiales, 267.

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  20. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 503.

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  21. This ecumenical vision is oftentimes an excuse to legitimate claims to catholicity. For details about catholicity as ecumenicity, see Rebeiro, A Critical Study, 54.

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  22. John Deschner suggests that ecumenism under the cross is to be desired as if ecumenism could be realized without the cross. See John Deschner, "More than Inclusiveness. The New Christian Majority and the Shift in the Ecumenical Conversation about Church Unity,” T he E cumenical R eview 43/1 (1991): 64.

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  23. See also Rahner, Theologicallnvestigations, vol. 17, 138.

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  24. Cf. Hans Urs von Balthasar, ed. Schindler, 132.

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  25. The confession of Christ as Lord is vital for the church. See Gardner, Moss, Quash, and Ward, Balthasar and the End ofModernity, 24.

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  26. It may be interesting to notice that Kung does not use the traditional word “head” to designate Christ’s status in relationship to the church. For more information about Christ as head in Catholic theology, see Dickens, Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Theological Aesthetics, 108.

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  27. Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith, 326.

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  28. Cf. Tillard, Church of Churches, 21.

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  29. See also Webster, Holiness, 74.

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  30. Nowell, A Passion for Truth, 145.

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  31. See also Kehl, SJ, and Loser, SJ, The von Balthasar Reader, 252.

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  32. Cf. Borgman, Edward Schillebeeckx, 135.

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  33. This hypostatic union is crucial for von Balthasar. See von Balthasar, Glory of the Lord, vol. 3, 218.

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  34. See Sobrino, Spirituality of Liberation, 128–9.

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  35. This duality is reflected by the church as well. Cf. Vauchez, Cardinal Yves Congar, 18.

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  36. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 504.

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  37. Unity should be Christological. See Dynch, Karl Rahner, 97.

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  38. See Hans Kiing. His Work and His Way, ed. Haring and Kuschel, 56.

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  39. For the historical reality of the church, see Rahner, Theologicallnvestigations, vol. 9, 102.

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  40. See Hans Kiing. His Work and His Way, ed. Haring and Kuschel, 56.

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  41. In von Balthasar, for instance, following Christ is a sign of catholicity. See von Balthasar, Church and World, 46.

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  42. Holiness is extraordinary because it is given to us by God, but it is also ordinary because it must exist within us. See Holiness Past and Present, ed. Barton, 337.

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  43. In this sense, Christology is the foundation of holiness. See Hauerwas, Sanctify Them in the Truth, 110–1.

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  44. Cf. von Balthasar, Word and Redemption, 69.

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  45. See Roberts, The TheologicalAesthetics ofHans Urs von Balthasar, 150.

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  46. This is vital for von Balthasar, Glory of the Lord, vol. 5, 646.

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  47. Julia Gatta, “Justification and Sanctification: Classical Concerns and Contemporary Context,” Journal ofEcumenical Studies 23/3 (1986): 516.

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  48. For details about the presence of God, see Schillebeeckx, I Am a Happy Theologian, 60.

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  49. At this point, Kong comes very close to Schillebeeckx, who insists that every member of the church must be formed in the image of Christ and this entails following Jesus. See Schillebeeckx, Christ, the Christian Experience in the Modern World, 475.

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  50. For details about the fact that the church must take the presence of Christ in the world, see David Fergusson, “Reclaiming the Doctrine of Sanctification,” Interpretation 54/3 (1999): 382.

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  51. Karl Rahner, ed. Kelly, 267.

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  52. See Faith in a Wintry Season, ed. Imhof and Biallowons, 79.

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  53. See Kiing, The Church Maintained in Truth, 84.

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  54. Cf. Endean, Karl Rahner and Ignatian Spirituality, 162.

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  55. The idea of hope for the future should be fundamental to the church. See Thils, En dialogue, 59.

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  56. These are very important for Rahner. See Rahner, TheologicalInvestigations, vol. 12, 107.

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  57. At this point, Kung disagrees not only with traditional Catholic theology but also with classical Eastern Orthodox thought. For instance, Eastern Orthodox theology holds that as members of the church, our true home is in heaven, so the church is eschatological. See Kallistos Ware, “Catholicity and Nationalism: A Recent Debate at Athens,” Eastern Orthodox Review 10/1–2 (1978): 15.

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  58. In doing so, however, the church must existentially go further with its love for God. See von Balthasar, Glory of the Lord, vol. 2, 101.

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  59. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 504–5.

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  60. See also de Lubac, Theologies d’occasion, 67.

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  61. Cf. John W. De Gruchy, “Church Unity and Democratic Transformation. Perspectives on Ecclesiology and Ethics in South Africa,” The Ecumenical Review 49/3 (1997): 358.

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  62. Kiing, Truthfulness, 99.

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  63. See Tillard, Je crois en depit de tout, 16.

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  64. For details about the goals of the church, see MacDonald, Church and World in the Plan of God, 46.

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  65. All these should be realized in Christ. See Fameree, L’ecclesiologie d’Yves Congar avant Vatican II, 44.

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  66. Schillebeeckx discusses this issue within the context of apostolate, which is seen as service to the neighbor in taking the Gospel of Christ to those who do not know it. See Schillebeeckx, World and Church, 34.

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  67. Cf. Marmion, The Spirituality ofEveryday Faith, 303.

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  68. See also von Balthasar, Church and World, 46.

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  69. Haring, Hans Kung, 70.

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  70. See David Fergusson, “Reclaiming the Doctrine of Sanctification,” Interpretation 54/3 (1999): 384.

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  71. The church must always be fully aware of its living in history. See Schillebeeckx, Revelation and Theology, 177.

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  72. See Guenther, Rahner and Metz, 242.

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  73. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 505–6.

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  74. The entire existence of Jesus was directed toward the cross; see von Balthasar, Glory of the Lord, vol. 7, 176.

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  75. For details about the relevance of the risen Christ in Kung, see Chalakkal, The Post-Resurrection Appearances in Contemporary Catholic Christology, 27.

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  76. For the importance of mission, see von Balthasar, Theo-Drama, vol. 5, 328.

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  77. Repentance, however, seems to have a special significance in von Balthasar. See von Balthasar, Theo-Drama, vol. 4, 351.

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  78. See Rahner, Theologicallnvestigations, vol. 8, 23.

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  80. Rahner, Theologicallnvestigations, vol. 5, 15.

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  81. See also Rahner, Theologicallnvestigations, vol. 10, 130.

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  82. Kiing, On Being a Christian, 507–8.

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  83. Cf. Rahner, Theological Investigations, vol. 6, 253.

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  84. Nowell, A Passion for Truth, 143.

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  85. See also Rahner, Theologicallnvestigations, vol. 5, 54.

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  86. Love is absolutely necessary for man. See Tallon, Personal Becoming, 141.

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  88. For details about suffering and human tragedy, see Holiness Past and Present, ed. Barton, 338.

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  90. For details about the fundamental transcendence of God, see von Balthasar, Glory of the Lord, 407.

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  91. These are closely connected to the notion of holiness and they secure God’s eternal presence is us. See Willis, Notes on the Holiness of God, 87.

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  92. In Catholic theology, the church mediates God’s reconciliation to humanity. See Przewozny, Church as the Sacrament ofthe Unity ofAll Mankind, 33.

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  1. Corneliu C. Simuţ
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© 2008 Corneliu C. Simuţ

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Simuţ, C.C. (2008). The Work of the Church. In: A Critical Study of Hans Kung’s Ecclesiology. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230613393_8

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