A Constant Word in a Changing World Recognising and Resolving Tensions and Tendencies in a Postmodern Context

This paper argues that the Catholic theological community is fundamentally divided on the question of what can be expected of 'the world' in terms of openness and receptivity to God's Word, and that recognition of this helps us to understand some of the theological tensions currently operative within Catholic theology. It argues further for a via media between the two general tendencies as represented in the work of Karl Rahner and Hans U rs von Balthasar. Catholic theologians would all agree that God's Word somehow precedes our proclamation of that Word. But precisely how God's Word precedes our proclamation, and how salvifically efficacious is what we might call this implicit or inner Word; precisely how it is related to the explicit Word spoken in the Christ event; on this we are not in agreement. This, I suggest, is essentially the 'fault line' in contemporary Catholic theology, or, as some would like to see it, the 'creative tension'.' While accepting that in some shape or form this division and debate is coterminous with the history of Christianity itself, the paper will take up the discussion in the context of the pre-conciliar debate on the relationship between nature and grace. The second part of the paper will highlight the current practical implications of the debate in terms of the hardening of certain ecclesiastico-political positions. The third part will attempt to suggest a possible via media in a postmodern cultural context.