Abstract
This collection gathers a diverse group of reflections commemorating the centenary of the birth of the eminent theologian and Cardinal, Avery Dulles. They range from brief but insightful and moving personal recollections by former students and confreres Patrick Ryan and Joseph Lienhard to appreciations and applications of D.’s thought by renowned colleagues such as Elizabeth Johnson and Peter Phan. Distinctive to the volume is the contribution of younger scholars who, steeped in D.’s theology, creatively and critically engage and extend it. I single out three.
In “The Undomesticated Church,” Mary Beth Yount draws upon D.’s classic Models of the Church to subvert too tame and restrictive a notion of the family as “domestic church.” To do so she draws upon the radical challenges inherent in the model of church as the community of disciples of Jesus.
Addressing a topic that has only grown exponentially since D.’s death, Katherine Schmidt finds resources in his theology to navigate the perils and possibilities of “The Church and the Digital.” She shows how D.’s theology holds in tension both the countercultural dimension of the church’s mission and the imperative to engage the culture constructively and creatively.
Finally, in a closely argued exposition and critique, Vincent Strand treats a crucial concern of both D. and the post-conciliar popes: evangelization. Strand contends, provocatively, that though evangelization is intrinsic to D.’s theological vision, “[h]is theology of evangelization tends to remain at the idea of symbol, rather than being an immersion in the symbols themselves.” Hence D.’s relatively scant attention to liturgy.
The book’s cover photo depicts a rather debonair young D. in a sleek convertible, short-sleeved and smiling, one hand on the wheel, the other waving—in a time long before seatbelts became de rigueur. One can only be grateful, then, that he not only survived but bequeathed us the treasure trove of his books and his splendid testimony of faith. Cover aside, as this book demonstrates, D. continues to instruct and inspire.