Nature, Grace, and Missions: What's at Stake?

Missiologists have been debating the following scenario for centuries. A missionary finds him or herself in a foreign context with foreign religions and pagan practices. How does he/she present the gospel to the people, their culture, and their worldview? The answer depends on how foreign religions are viewed and understood. For a Roman Catholic response to this important question, Pope Pius XII's 1951 encyclical Evangelii Praecones is extremely insightful. While it predates the Second Vatican Council by more than a decade (1962-1965), it accurately represents traditional Thomist Roman Catholic theology concerning this matter.

Perplexing Pastoral Proposals in Modern-day Roman Catholicism

How can one focus on what unites people of different faiths, while also insisting on the proclamation of salvation in Christ, the only Mediator between God and man? How can one seek out shared convictions, while not diminishing the Church's commitment to evangelization? These juxtapositions, when understood in the light of Scripture, are simply not compatible. This is a serious problem, and it is poor pastoral advice.

A Church That Desires Encounter

This is the title of a recent book by Francesco Celestino, instructor of pastoral theology and catechism at San Bonaventura in Rome, Italy. The book offers a fresh reflection on the pastoral life of the Catholic Church in light of Pope Francis's 2013 encyclical Evangelii gaudium. A Church that desires encounter is a church that wants to be near to others and accompany them in life, being ever aware that dialogue with others is key to drawing them closer to God. A Church that desires encounter, then, is a church in constant dialogue.

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