 |
The face of Christianity changed with the advent of the Printing Press. Modern social changes and innovations in technology are having an equally profound impact on who studies theology and the way it is done. No longer is theology the near-sole domain of clerics and professional theologians. More than ever before, people from all walks of life are availing themselves of the opportunity of studying the Scriptures and the diverse strands of the Christian tradition. In turn, these people whose primary background is less often professional religion than education, science, literature, social work, health care and the arts, to name a few, are bringing new questions and different perspectives to challenge and extend the Christian theological imagination. For Catholics, the watershed for this change in theological direction was the Second Vatican Council. Forty years on, we are faced with a plethora of theologies variously described as mystical, political, feminist, ecological, indigenous and liberationist. Some will see this as the very liberation of theology from all kinds of clerical domination. Others may be more inclined to think it represents the watering down of the purity of the Catholic tradition. Whatever else, the best of today's theology is open to the mystery of God's presence revealed through Word and Spirit to living faith communities. It is from such communities who seek to be faithful to the fullness of the Christian tradition but also alive to contemporary concerns that good theology arises. The School of Theology at the McAuley Campus of Australian Catholic University is committed to such a dialogical and open kind of theologizing. It speaks from the Christian tradition but with its eyes firmly set on the challenges of the twenty-first century. This E-Journal initiative will hopefully demonstrate these dual qualities of fidelity and creativity. It is also our hope that you will find it authentically Catholic and genuinely ecumenical. In this first edition you will be introduced to various staff essays that reflect on the Christian mystery in the light of interreligious, intercultural, feminist and scriptural hermeneutics. Student essays show a remarkable ability to engage Christian understanding of the Trinity, the Eucharist, Christology and theological method from contemporary and classical perspectives. Feature articles include essays by recent visiting scholars to McAuley, namely, Professor Charles Kannengiesser on "The Relevance of Exploring Christian Origins" and Lutheran Professor Hans Schwarz on "Faith and Science: Opposition or Necessary Complementarity." Book reviews, art and poetry make up an impressive and varied list of first-class contributions. A number of student and staff contributors have been at the forefront of online interactive theological education. This E-Journal is an automatic development of such technological innovation. It is also an expression of the adventurous and creative spirits of those staff and students involved in doing theology at McAuley. May Theology @ McAuley continue to inspire and challenge the theological imagination well into the third millennium. 12 February 2002 Rev Dr Gerard
Hall |
