I'm excited about Lausanne III, the conference on world evangelization taking place now in South Africa. Quotes from there forthcoming. In the mean time, here are words on the same subject from the late John Paul 2.
From Redemptor Missio:
“The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion. As the second millennium after Christ's coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service. It is the Spirit who impels us to proclaim the great works of God: 'For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!’ (1 Cor 9: 16)
“In the name of the whole Church, I sense an urgent duty to repeat this cry of St. Paul. From the beginning of my Pontificate I have chosen to travel to the ends of the earth in order to show this missionary concern. My direct contact with peoples who do not know Christ has convinced me even more of the urgency of missionary activity, a subject to which I am devoting the present encyclical ...” [John Paul II, 1990, §1]
“For missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others! It is in commitment to the Church's universal mission that the new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support.
“But what moves me even more strongly to proclaim the urgency of missionary evangelization is the fact that it is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity in the modern world, a world which has experienced marvelous achievements but which seems to have lost its sense of ultimate realities and of existence itself.” [John Paul II, 1990, §2]
“God is opening before the Church the horizons of a humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel. I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church's energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.” [John Paul II, 1990, §3]
2 comments:
You know as a cradle rc and having crossed the bridge to Geneva, I think what you regard as enlightened and "broad" or "inclusive" in engaging with the rc magisterium as partners in a shared gospel is terribly ahistorical, convenient and treasonous to the Pauline gospel.
"No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”
You and I agree on the content of the Gospel. I suspect we both agree on the quote above as well.
I'm not trying to be broad, inclusive, or any such thing. The differences are clear and can't be bridged by ignoring the differences or the history that gave rise to these. Yet when someone - especially a leader in Rome - says what is clearly true, we should rejoice in that. You don't have to agree with everything someone says to affirm those things they say that are undeniably true.
"Convenient"? Not sure what you meant.
By the way, it might be good to ask about my thoughts on this issue before simply assuming you know what those are. My talks on "The Protestant Way", contra Rome, Constantinople, and the Anabaptist approach are available from our church.
I trust you are pleased that Lausanne III is happening, even if you would not perhaps agree with every presenter or every emphases and conclusion.
And do you pray for the Church to be visibly one? I hope so.
Kind regards
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