The Church

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The Church

• Avery Dulles Models of the Church

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First, an old definition

• Robert Bellarmine
• The one and true Church is the community of men
  brought together by profession of the same
  Christian faith and conjoined in the communion of
  the same sacraments, under the government of the
  legitimate pastors and especially the one vicar
  of Christ on earth, the Roman pontiff.

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What does this definition imply?

• Exclusionary
• profession of faith rules out pagans, Muslims,
  Jews, heretics
• participation in the sacraments rules out
  catechumens and excommunicants
• under the government of pastors rules out
  schismatics (e.g., Protestants)
• Institutional emphasis . . . Why?

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Lets look at it again . . .

• The one and true Church is the community of men
  brought together by profession of the same
  Christian faith and conjoined in the communion of
  the same sacraments, under the government of the
  legitimate pastors and especially the one vicar
  of Christ on earth, the Roman pontiff.

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Dulles five original models

• Institution
• Mystical communion
• community of the Spirit
• Sacrament
• Herald
• assembly of believers
• Servant
• community of liberation

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Dulles later adds a sixth model

• Community of disciples
• Discipleship is the common factor uniting all
  Christians with one another, for no one of them
  is anything but a follower and a learner in
  relation to Jesus Christ.
• Dulles thinks this model embraces and corrects
  the other five.

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Discipleship model

• Biblical basis Acts 62, use of disciples to
  mean the church
• Rooted in Jesuss own discipleship
• John 519-20, Matthew 1127
• Fits with contemporary experience hearing and
  responding to a call
• not just accepting doctrines but following Jesus
  in all situations
• there would be no sacraments, New Testament, etc.
  without community of disciples
• Power should be vested only in mature and
  faithful disciples