Rector’s Reflections Thursday 27th March 2025
A Theologian for the Modern World:
Edward Schillebeeckx
In yesterday’s reflections, I wrote about Edward’s refreshingly liberating thoughts on the Eucharist, which he set in out in his book Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter of God (1st published in 1959 and translated into English in 1963).
Edward published many other works as well, dealing with a wide of topics of interest to contemporary Christians. For example, in his book Christian Marriage : Human reality and Saving Mystery (1965), Edward argued that if you take a historical perspective, Christian marriage has existed in many different forms, depending on the cultural circumstances. So why should there be any objection to further changes in the present day? Not everyone will agree with Edward’s line of reasoning, but it is interesting that he was writing about this subject some sixty years before the current debates about Same-Sex Blessings and Marriage within the Church of England.
I would encourage you to explore Edward's writings for yourself. I should warn you that you will not always agree with his opinions, and that his opinions are not always in agreement with the official teachings of the Church of England. Indeed, there were those who argued that his writings were not always in agreement with the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church itself – although he was never officially condemned. That’s one advantage of being a Dominican. As mentioned before, the Dominicans are the brains of the Roman Catholic Church, and it’s going to be a tough task to argue that a Dominican has misunderstood the theology of the Church. You need to be brave man or woman to argue theology with a Dominican.
I would add that there is an argument for saying that we learn most from those theologians who have the courage or arrogance to challenge the official teachings of the Church. Such theologians test the ongoing validity of the traditional expressions of Christian belief. If the traditional expressions with stand such testing, all well and good. But it might be that the result of such testing is that it becomes increasingly clear that the traditional beliefs and practices of the Church need to be updated, or re-expressed in a different form. Such development is nothing to be feared. It is the result of the ongoing action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, guiding and leading the Christian community into a deeper and richer encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
let me finish this series of reflections with a consideration of a general question which lies at the heart of Edward’s writings. It also happens to be a question which lies at the heart of many of the contemporary debates within the Christian church. The question is this : where does Authority lie? How is to be understood? How is it to be exercised?
Is Authority to be located in the Bible? This line of reasoning bases Christian belief and action on the foundation of God’s will as revealed in Scripture : “It’s in the Bible”.
Or is Authority to be located in human experience? Should we look to see what is conducive to human flourishing, and use this as touchstone for any claim to authority? One might sum up this approach by saying that this approach seeks to root Authority teaching and behavior in that which makes us fully human.
Or does Authority lie in the structures of the Church? This approach takes a more legalistic approach to the issue. It bases Christian belief and action on the official teaching and practice of the Church, as defined and enforced by the Church authorities. For Roman Catholics, this is often understood as meaning that Authority ultimately lies with the Pope. Within the Church of England, Authority is shared between General Synod, Parliament and the Monarch.
Or might Authority come in all three forms? And if so, what happens if these different sources of authority pull in different directions?
Edward was well aware of these questions and issues. What approach did he take? We shall look at this in tomorrow’s reflections, the last in the current series.