Roman Catholicism, Christianity and Anonymous Christianity

Résumé du livre

The Church is mission. Proclaiming the good news is not a function accessory to her; rather it determines her essence. By definition, the Church is that gathering in the Spirit of the chosen people of God who provide the visible heralds of Christ. As "the universal sacrament of salvation", the Church embodies God's constant offer of salvation to all men of all time. But if beyond the frontiers of the visible Church, Christ and his Spirit are already at work, why bother about the missions? What is their aim and meaning? If in fact a man can reach Christ and have his Spirit without the structures and paraphernalia of organized Christianity, why require him to submit to the Catholic Church, and what is the point of being a Christian at all? It is to be hoped that the ventilation of these questions, which concerns all Christians and even all religious-minded men, may be enlightening, stimulating and comforting.