Beyond Scripture, few books demand we “take up and read.” Fr. Tomas Halik’s The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change, however, may just be one of those books.
The malaise of indifference permeating the post-secular age left the church to ponder its mission in the world. Ironically, an adversary in secularism once prompted the church’s clear and urgent, even if needlessly combative, message. No such counterpart now exists as even the once shrill voices of the New Atheism have fallen quiet.
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With wisdom only few can summon, Halik calls the church to consider how the most faithful expression of its mission may be in its future. To that end, he contends:
“I believe that the Christianity of tomorrow will be above all a community of a new hermeneutic, a new reading, a new and deeper interpretation of the two sources of divine revelation, scripture and tradition, and especially of God’s utterance in the signs of the times.”
When heeding revelation and God’s utterance, Halik argues the church, as noted in the subtitle, must also summon the courage to change.
‘The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change’ by Monsignor Tomáš Halík. Image: Supplied
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If you wish to purchase materials written by Monsignor Halík, you can purchase them from Pauline Books and Media online or at their Sydney or Melbourne bookstores.
With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter, where this article originally appeared.
