Towards a Fifth Gospel via Schillebeeckx and Solle

Harvey, Ann-Marie

The aim of this thesis, Towards ajifth gospel via Schillebeeclx and Solle, is a search for God and God's gospel. It is a quest in which I combine Edward Schillebeeckx's belief that Christian life is a fifth gospel and Dorothee Solle's praxis-orientated theology into a contrapuntal theological conversation. I argue that through each theologian's vision of Christian life a theological and hermeneutical framework is established within which men and women of faith can interpret change and prepare the world and church for God's transforming newness. The scope of this thesis identifies a life-giving Christianity by investigating common theological themes in the work of Schillebeeckx and Solle. On the basis of the insights of both theologians I argue that all believers are called to critically reinterpret belief in the God of Jesus, that human experience is the horizon for reflection and interpretation. That mystics and prophets communicate God's saving love within an ethic of responsibility for this world, and that when Christian communities engage in "serving love" their practical soteriology mediates God's reign in the world today. This thesis concludes that as ideological models of Christian self-identification are unmasked God's gospel is glimpsed in believers who actualize new paradigms of humanity. Such paradigms emerge as faith communities engage in analysis of praxis, establish compassionate relationships and struggle to humanize societies and institutions. While indebted to the theologies of Schillebeeckx and Solle I now seek to fashion theology that calls for an ethic of responsibility for the future well-being of all humanity, so that in a new century people of faith will engage creatively with change and find new ways to write with their lives a fifth gospel.