Surveys and research on the religiosity of young adults in recent years has unveiled the prolific notion of one being “spiritual but not religious”. Individualism and a lack of trust in the Church as being a source of Truth and knowledge have been the driving force for many young people to embrace this sentiment of faith. The Church is viewed as an obstacle to God, placing restrictions on one’s freedom of choices and lifestyles. However, subscribing to this “understanding of faith”, or lack thereof, quenches the person from what one is truly longing for - freedom, acceptance and love. Being a Christian involves engaging the Church because one cannot have a relationship with God without having a relationship with his Bride, the Church. First,
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The use of models is a pedagogy of Jesus who taught the realities of the faith through parables, many based on agricultural imagery. A model of the Church in a particular time is shaped and reflects the lived experience of a particular generation of Christians. A model can either explain the truths believed by the faith or explore that which has yet to be understood. One generation of Christians may identify more with a certain model based on influences from the secular culture, while the next generation may have a different lived experience of the faith, thus needing a different model. The models of the Church “speak to man existentially and find an echo in the inarticulate depths of his psyche” (Models of the Church, 18). It unites one to the Christian community and gives one language to engage God with. The images and mediations of models evoke an inner depth of the Church, at the same time drawing an individual further into the mystery of God and …show more content…
Certain models may better explain aspects of the faith but cannot alone articulate the Truths of the faith. Thus it is necessary for the Church to have a blend of all the models, though one may be more prominent than the others. As stated above a Christian cannot engage the faith without the horizontally engaging the ecclesial dimension and models of the Church. While God reveals himself to each person of faith, one cannot understand the revelation without the wisdom and knowledge of the Church as well as the support of the Church community. The ecclesial dimension of the faith through the use of models empowers one with the tools and language to enter more intimately into the mystery of God. However, they cannot solve the mystery of God but further unpack it. Christians exist as an ecclesiology community that interprets and seeks understanding of the mystery of God individually and together. The faith cannot be separated from the individual and the Church. For without both, it cannot
The use of models is a pedagogy of Jesus who taught the realities of the faith through parables, many based on agricultural imagery. A model of the Church in a particular time is shaped and reflects the lived experience of a particular generation of Christians. A model can either explain the truths believed by the faith or explore that which has yet to be understood. One generation of Christians may identify more with a certain model based on influences from the secular culture, while the next generation may have a different lived experience of the faith, thus needing a different model. The models of the Church “speak to man existentially and find an echo in the inarticulate depths of his psyche” (Models of the Church, 18). It unites one to the Christian community and gives one language to engage God with. The images and mediations of models evoke an inner depth of the Church, at the same time drawing an individual further into the mystery of God and …show more content…
Certain models may better explain aspects of the faith but cannot alone articulate the Truths of the faith. Thus it is necessary for the Church to have a blend of all the models, though one may be more prominent than the others. As stated above a Christian cannot engage the faith without the horizontally engaging the ecclesial dimension and models of the Church. While God reveals himself to each person of faith, one cannot understand the revelation without the wisdom and knowledge of the Church as well as the support of the Church community. The ecclesial dimension of the faith through the use of models empowers one with the tools and language to enter more intimately into the mystery of God. However, they cannot solve the mystery of God but further unpack it. Christians exist as an ecclesiology community that interprets and seeks understanding of the mystery of God individually and together. The faith cannot be separated from the individual and the Church. For without both, it cannot