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Jon Sobrino, the Pope, and Catholic Christology

Catholic Vatican Watcher, John Allen, Jr., has provided some additional insight into what is going on with Jon Sobrino. In an article entitled "Sobrino's Notification: A Sign of Things to Come," Allen writes that this crack down, which has not as yet silenced Sobrino, isn't like earlier crackdowns on Gustavo Gutierrez and Leonardo Boff, which were centered on fears of a mixture of Marxism with Catholic faith.
This time, Allen, suggests, things focus on Christology. It is therefore part and partial of other investigations and Benedict's fear of relativism.

Benedict's concern is not just a matter of defending what he regards as a core truth of the faith. He also believes that defective Christological doctrines can have two dangerous consequences:

  • If Christ is not understood as the lone and unique savior of the world, then Christian missionary efforts may be undercut, something the pope believes has already happened to some extent in the post-Vatican II church;
  • If Christ is seen as merely a human being, then Christian service to the world could be reduced to a "purely sociological" endeavor, as opposed to something that points to a spiritual message about supernatural redemption and salvation.

Given all that Benedict XVI and his team at the CDF believes to be at stake, this is likely not the last time we'll hear from the Holy See about debates in Christology. In that sense, this week's notification on Sobrino is not so much a remembrance of things past, but a sign of things to come.

If so, it will be interesting to see where Benedict takes things. Will we see an over-reaction that totally diminishes the humanity of Jesus?
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Mystical Seeker said…
It seems to me that this is really more about the exercise of power by the pope than anything else. Anyway, in my view, saying that Christ is a human being no more reduces the Christian message to a sociological endeavor than saying the Buddha was a human being reduces Buddhism to a sociological endeavor. Belief in the humanity of a religious leader does not strip that religion of its spiritual value. I hear this argument all the time as a justification for the idea of Jesus's divinity, and it seems like an argument from fear more than anything else. Fear that the implications of a belief will threaten the validity of one's religion is not a very convincing argument, but I think in this case it makes no sense anyway. There might be reasons for thinking that Jesus was divine, but fear that it threatens the spiritual basis of the faith is surely not one of them.
7:18 PM
episcopalifem said…
Mystical - I have to agree completely.

Assumptionism is probably my own brand of heresy.

Jesus was calling us all to action - calling us to LIVE in a certain way. In my mind, this is the most important aspect of his ministry. We need to change our lives here and now - not wait to be resurrected at some point in the future. (Can you imagine the lovely site of a bunch of folks resurrected in their current form? And what about the people who are cremated? Do their particles just float about? but I digress...)

The "mystery" surrounding His death and resurrection, while profoundly moving - a crushing example of what is most evil in human beings - are more about the guilt his apostles felt about selling him down the river, so to speak.

Excellent article Bob. Reminded me vividly of what I've run screaming from Rome about.

Of course, I own that brand of Christology that Benny so desperately wants to quash. One learns in parenting that the bigger a deal you make of a thing, and the tighter you hold on for control, the more you lose it.

But, since RC priest's can't marry, they don't have families, and don't learn this intimate lesson personally. ;-)
6:28 AM
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