Theology from the Ground Up
In By What Authority? A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Sense of the Faithful, Richard R. Gaillardetz, a professor of Catholic studies at the University of Toledo, deconstructs Catholic teaching on divine revelation and Church authority and ends up with a theology of revelation that, despite his claims to the contrary, legitimates “cafeteria Catholicism.”
Gaillardetz’s central thesis is that God continues to reveal himself to us today in the same way he did in the person of Jesus Christ. Though he quotes from Dei Verbum, Vatican II’s constitution on divine revelation, Gaillardetz ignores this important passage: “We now await no further public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (DV 4). The author’s failure to distinguish between public revelation (which ended with the death of the last apostle) and private revelation (which continues today in the form of apparitions but only complements public revelation) makes the remainder of the book rest on the false premise that public revelation continues to this day. As a result, the various sources of revelation—past, present, and future—contain the same degree of authority: “The Bible, the liturgy, the creeds, doctrinal pronouncements, and personal testimony—each in their unique fashion represents diverse expressions or mediations of the one revelation of God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit” (6).
Throughout the book, the author criticizes what he calls a “propositional” view of revelation, which sees divine revelation as “a set of statements to be comprehended, memorized, and spouted back to others” (5). This approach—which, he says, is characteristic of the period before Vatican II—should be discarded in favor of a view that sees revelation as “a divine invitation into relationship” (5). He finds justification for his theory in Vatican II (which he misreads) and the early Church (which he mischaracterizes).
Gaillardetz misunderstands the concept of biblical inspiration, construing Dei Verbum 11 to allow for the possibility of historical errors by the sacred authors. Inspiration, he says, refers to the ideas present in the Bible that pertain to our salvation. Gaillardetz repeatedly refers to Tradition as “beliefs and practices”—manifested primarily in liturgy—failing to make the elementary distinction between traditions and Tradition. He also claims that it is possible for the Church’s magisterium to err, even in matters of faith and morals, and that the Church has acknowledged as much. He takes as an example the Church’s “official toleration of the institution of slavery” (96).
Gaillardetz’s fallacious theory of revelation reaches its nadir when it comes to the development of doctrine. He advocates a theology-from-the-ground-up approach in which the “lived experience and testimony of the Christian community” (116) is implemented by the faithful into their liturgical practice. The bishops, in constant dialogue with the laity, receive these elements and give them doctrinal formulation. They then proclaim these new doctrines to the faithful, which in turn shapes their “lived experience and testimony.” The process repeats itself indefinitely.
Often Gaillardetz simply fails to do his homework. He points out that Jerome opposed the inclusion of the deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament canon, but he fails to mention that Jerome ultimately decided to submit to the judgment of the Church. He notes that, in Apostolos Suos, John Paul II praises episcopal conferences for their contributions to the life of the Church, but he makes no mention of the Pope’s rebuke of conferences that overstep their limited canonical authority (cf. AS 12). The Monophysites were not heretics, says Gaillardetz, but simply “those who chose to emphasize the ‘oneness of Christ’ over against his possessing a distinct human nature” (98).
As can be expected, Gaillardetz takes some “progressive” views of Church life: Christ is present in the Eucharist symbolically but not physically; the author constantly refers to the Mass as “the liturgy,” in which we attain “communion with the fellow believers gathered at the eucharistic assembly” (66). He suggests that the Church’s Marian teachings be discarded for the sake of ecumenism, and he takes as a given the feminist complaint that the Bible contains anti-female bias.
But Gaillardetz goes beyond the liberal pale in some startling ways: He wonders whether the concept of divine revelation might be extended to the Qur’an or the Hindu Upanishads, and he says that, because most Catholics do not regard the unity of Christ’s nature as a significant issue, it is not central to the Catholic faith: “It is not that Constantinople III was wrong; it is just that its Christological formulation is no longer central to the faith consciousness of Catholics today” (99).
Gaillardetz’s failure to make basic distinctions and his lack of historical research result in one theological problem after another, undermining not only his own arguments but the faith of the Church and the magisterium’s authority to proclaim it.
— James Kidd
By What Authority? A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Sense of the Faithful
By Richard R. Gaillardetz
Liturgical Press (2003)
168 pages
$14.95
ISBN: 0-814-628-729
Women Imbued
In 1985, Pope John Paul II wrote in his great apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women), “The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of women is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women imbued with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid humanity in not falling.”
What God’s Call to Women gives readers of both sexes, and perhaps male readers especially, is a fascinating overview of how a dozen of these influential, effective, powerful women function within the twenty-first-century Catholic Church, along with a humbling study of the diverse ways in which the Holy Spirit works in the lives of humans to bring them to faith, shape, and mature them spiritually—and keep them Catholic in spite of suffering, doubts, and difficulties along the way.
In response to Mulieris Dignitatem, and in honor of “the witness of the Blessed Mother and those women immediately close to Christ during his life, death, and resurrection,” Mugridge collected essays by twelve prominent Catholic women—some Catholic from birth, some converts—adding her own introductory and concluding commentaries, both of which contain generous excerpts from the Pope’s letter. She writes, “This collection of personal testimonies has been assembled to serve as an instrument . . . of presenting Christ to the world, while highlighting, through example, the mission of women in the Church and the special gift of the feminine genius for humanity.”
God’s Call to Women is divided into four parts: “Receptivity: Encounter with the Divine,” “Prayer and Contemplation: Temple of Welcome,” “Life-Giving Love: God’s Self-Revelation,” and “The Call to Love: Vessels of Mercy.” Each section begins with a defining quotation and a brief introduction by Mugridge. The essayists include philosopher-author Alice von Hildebrand; author-professor Ronda Chervin, a consecrated widow; author-speaker Kimberly Hahn, who writes with compassion and conviction about women’s ordination; Chiara Lubich, a founder of and advocate for the Italian Focolare Movement; Susan Muto, who worked with Fr. Adrian van Kaam to establish (and later directed) the Institute of Formative Spirituality at Duchesne University; Genevieve Kineke, founder and editor of Canticle magazine; British journalist Joanna Bogle, Mercedes Arzú Wilson, founder of Family of the Americas and crusader in Guatemala for natural family planning; Maureen Roach, Marriage Encounter presenter and Magnificat participant; Marika Gubasci, who has been involved with the Australian healing ministry since its inception in Sydney; Joy Shiroi, lay Dominican and leader of Portuguese charismatic renewal groups in Lisbon; and author-speaker Josette Croissant, co-founder of the French Communante des Beatitudes (Community of the Beatitudes).
Although each woman’s story is unique, the group is united by strong Catholic faith and absolute adherence to the wisdom of the Holy Father’s letter. You won’t find a single disgruntled wannabe priestess in the bunch. Rather, they are mature, holy women, full of the joy and satisfaction that comes from using their feminine gifts for the glory of God, women whose lives provide counsel and inspiration for others.
Their essays combine to weave a beautifully coherent whole that casts considerable light on the mystery of femininity.
Like the women themselves, the book isn’t perfect. The material comprising God’s Call to Women might have been better organized. It would have been immensely helpful, for example, to have Mulieris Dignitatem in its entirety, either at the book’s beginning or as an appendix at the end, rather than in fragmented bits. And Mugridge’s introductory and concluding comments, which might have been much briefer, almost seemed to distract from the thrust of her book. A retreat leader and speaker, she is the founder of the non-profit organization Sacred Arts Communication, a Catholic apostolate for sharing faith and Catholic culture, based in Santa Rosa, California.
This book, originally titled The Gift of Femininity, came out in 2002 as the first book by Hermitage Press, the publishing wing of Mugridge’s organization. That edition is no longer available, and one hopes that, in addition to changing the title, Charis has corrected the first edition’s numerous typographical errors and the puzzling omission of St. Thérèse of Lisieux from a list of women saints who have been named Doctors of the Church.
Even though flawed, the breadth of God’s Call to Women and the twelve profoundly moving memoirs give it importance and universal appeal. Its good sense can contribute substantially to the continuing debate within the Church regarding the role of women and their contribution to both Church and society.
— Ann Applegarth
God’s Call to Women: Twelve Spiritual Memoirs
Edited By Christine Anne Mugridge
Charis Books (2003)
322 pages
$13.99
ISBN: 1-569-553-831