Ecclesiology Bibliography
In this and other NDCL bibliographies, materials have been selected primarily with parish ministers (rather than professional scholars) in mind. Most of the resources are in English and were published in North America.
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- Barr, William R. and Yocom, Rena M., eds. The Church in the Movement of the Spirit. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994). Essays exploring the theme taken by the World Council of Churches at a meeting in Canberra: "Come, Holy Spirit, Renew the Whole Creation." AMAZON~~POWELLS
- Blanchi, Eugene C. and Reuther, Rosemary Radford, eds. A Democratic Catholic Church: The Reconstruction of Roman Catholicism. (New York: Crossroad, 1992). Essays exploring the history of democratic elements in certain aspects of church government. Argues that democracy better suits the understanding of church as redemptive society than does monarchical hierarchy. AMAZON
- Boff, Leonardo. Church, Charism and Power: Liberation Theology and the Institutional Church. (New York: Crossroad, 1983). AMAZON
- Brown, Raymond. "The New Testament Background for the Concept of Local Church," Catholic Theological Society of America Proceedings. Vol. 36 (1981), 1-14. The New Testament shows many and varied models of church organization. This essay contains background information useful for theological discussions on "local church."
- Cwiekowski, Frederick. The Beginnings of Church. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1988). An overview of recent scholarly work on the beginnings of the church. Presents current understandings of the period which extends from Jesus' ministry to the end of the first century. AMAZON
- Dulles, Avery. "A Half Century of Ecclesiology," Theological Studies 50 (1989), 419-442. Concentrates especially on creative contributions to ecclesiology by Roman Catholics. Focuses on the 25 years prior to Vatican Council II (1940-1965) and the 25 years after its conclusion (1965-1989).
- _____. Models of the Church. Expanded edition. (New York: Doubleday Image Book 1987). Examines some models of church from the ecclesiologies that developed during and after Vatican II. This expanded edition of Dulles's classic book includes a sixth model of church: Community of Disciples. AMAZON
- _____. The Reshaping of Catholicism: Current Challenges in the Theology of the Church. (New York: Harper and Row, 1988). AMAZON
- Eagan, Joseph F. Restoration or Renewal?: The Church in the Third Millennium. (Kansas City: Sheed and Ward, 1995). AMAZON
- Fahey, Michael A. "Church," in Francis Schüssler Fiorenza and John P. Galvin, eds., Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives. Vol. 2. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991), 3-74. Deals with the contemporary context of ecclesiology, the origins and early development of the Church, nature of church in modern Roman Catholic teaching, responsibilities within the Church, evangelization and other church tasks and unanswered ecclesiological questions for future resolution. AMAZON
- Hebblethwaite, Peter. The Next Pope: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Forces that Will Choose the Successor to John Paul II and Decide the Future of the Catholic Church. (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1995). AMAZON
- McBrien, Richard P. Catholicism. Revised Edition. (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1994). A monumental work giving an historical overview of church life, thought, practice and doctrine. It is intended as a bridge between the pre-Vatican II and the post-Vatican II Church. An invaluable reference book. AMAZON~~POWELLS
- _____, gen. ed. The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1995). Over 4,700 entries. Includes tables of the liturgical calendar, ecumenical councils, a brief biography of each pope, extensive timeline placing persons and events in wider context of church and secular history. AMAZON
- National Council of Catholic Bishops (U.S.A.). Communities of Salt and Light. Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish. (Washington, DC: NCCB, 1993).
- Reuther, Rosemary Radford. Women-Church: Theology and Practice of Feminist Liturgical Communities. (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985). AMAZON
- Schillebeeckx, Edward. Church: The Human Story of God. (New York: Crossroad, 1990). AMAZON
- Sullivan, Francis. Magisterium: Teaching Authority in the Church. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983). Systematic presentation of Catholic thinking on the nature and function of teaching authority in the Church. AMAZON
- _____. Salvation Outside the Church? Tracing the History of the Catholic Response. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1992). Outlines the development of understanding of Church, and how this has helped changed the understanding of the means of salvation. AMAZON
- _____. The Church We Believe In: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1988). Ecumenical dialogue as a concerted effort, by people from different theological traditions, to seek a deeper understanding of the creed in which Christians already profess a common faith. AMAZON
- Tillard, Jean Marie R. Church of Churches: The Ecclesiology of Communion. (Collegeville MN: The Liturgical Press, 1992). The notion of communion as key to visible unity. Offers an ecclesiology of communion based on the biblical notion (koinonia) and the intuitions of the great ecclesial traditions. AMAZON
- Willebrands, Cardinal Johannes. "Vatican II's Ecclesiology of Communion," Origins 17:2 (28 May 1987), 27-33. Examines what the II Vatican Council meant by saying that the one true church of Christ "subsists in" the Catholic Church, rejecting the wording that the church of Christ "is" the Catholic Church.
- Williams, Oliver F. and Houck, John W. Catholic Social
Thought and the New World Order: Building on One Hundred Years. (Notre
Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1994). AMAZON~~POWELLS
