The salvation of atheists and Catholic dogmatic theology

228 Pages·2012·0.909 MB·English

by  Bullivant, Stephen Sebastian

OXFORD THEOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
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The Salvation of
Atheists and
Catholic Dogmatic
Theology
STEPHEN BULLIVANT
1
3
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For Jo and Grace,
and in memory of Peter Clarke (1940–2011)
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements viii
NoteonTranslationsandReferences x
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1. WhoisanAtheist? 13
Defining‘atheist’ 14
Credere(in)Deum? 18
Livedatheism 26
Isatheismareligion? 28
Canonereallybeanatheist? 36
Conclusion 41
2. AtheismandSalvationfromPiusIXtoVaticanII 43
Salvationand‘theothers’ 44
‘Fromanathematodialogue’ 51
Salvationforatheists? 59
VaticanII 67
Conclusion 76
3. KarlRahnerandtheSalvationofAtheists 77
Rahnerasrepresentative 80
Pastoralorientation 83
Atheismandanonymity 85
Rahnercritiqued 96
Conclusion 112
4. TheSalvationof‘Jane’andtheProblemofIgnorance 115
SavingJane 117
TheD’Costanparadigm:proandcontra 126
Theproblemofignorance 131
Conclusion 146
TableofContents vii
5. Extraminimosnullasalus 149
‘Thetheologylivedbythesaints’ 154
‘JesusinHisdistressingdisguise’ 159
Possibleobjections 175
Conclusion 178
Conclusion 181
Bibliography 189
Index 211
Acknowledgements
This book would not have happened without a large number of
institutionsandindividuals.Thebulkoftheresearchwasundertaken
as a postgraduate student at Christ Church, University of Oxford.
IamextremelygratefultotheArtsandHumanitiesResearchCouncil,
without whose financial support the work would not have been
possible.
My supervisor, Dr Philip Kennedy OP, agreed to take on the
projectinitsill-definedearlystages,andhaseversincebeenunstint-
inginhistime,support,magisterialcomments,and(alwaysconstruc-
tive) criticisms. Also at Oxford, the late Prof. Peter Clarke read and
improved significant portions of the original thesis, in addition to
encouragingandadvisingontheempiricalsociologicalresearchcited
in chapter one. The counsel and example of Susan Clarkson of
St Francis House, the Oxford Catholic Worker community, were
instrumental in crystallizing the most important ideas in chapter
five. Without Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch, the Oxford Theological
Monographs Committee, and all at Oxford University Press – most
notably Tom Perridge, Cathryn Steele, Elizabeth Robottom, and
Malcolm Todd – this book would have been both much worse, and
non-existent.
Mytwodoctoralexaminers,DrPhilipEndeanSJandProf.Gavin
D’Costa,deservespecialmentionfortheirrigorousandpainstaking
critique of my original ideas, and their subsequent advice and
encouragement as I have modified them (in several cases signifi-
cantly)forpublication.Likewise,theanonymousreaderforOxford
University Press offered many judicious and insightful comments.
Numerousothershavesacrificedconsiderableamountsoftimeand
efforttoreadordiscussvariousaspectsofmyworkoverthepastsix
years. Among these are: Prof. Richard Dawkins, Fr David Evans,
Prof. Terry Eagleton, Dr Mark Edwards, Prof. Paul Fiddes, Fr
John Gaine, Prof. Michael Paul Gallagher SJ, Dr. Karen Kilby, Dr
Peter L’Estrange SJ, Lois Lee, Prof. George Pattison, Fr HughSom-
erville-Knapman OSB and Dr Johannes Zachhuber. I am indebted
to the staff at the Pontifical Council for Culture, Vatican City –
and especially to Richard Rouse – for their help and hospitality
Acknowledgements ix
in April 2008. Carl Sterkens of the Stichting Edward Schillebeeckx,
Nijmegen, was instrumental in locating, and moreover lending, an
important manuscript. This research has been greatly aided by the
librarians of Christ Church, Blackfriars Hall, the Theology Faculty,
andtheBodleianinOxford,ofHeythropCollegeinLondon,andof
St Mary’s University College in Twickenham.
StMary’shas,moreover,beenmyacademichomeformostofthe
past two years as I have been, albeit slowly, completing this book.
Here, I have been blessed with intelligent, supportive and, frankly,
fun colleagues, especially Dr Robin Gibbons, Prof. Michael Hayes,
Leonora Paasche, Dr Glenn Richardson, Fr Paul Rowan, Dr Lynne
Scholefield,DrTrevorStammers,DrAnthonyTowey,KárenTowey,
and Dr Peter Tyler. The manuscript was completed while living at
Benedict XVI House, and I am especially grateful to our students
there for all their company, help, humour, and benevolence: Shaun
Bailham, Dennis Jenkins, Daniel McNamara, Jason O’Malley, Emily
Pound,andLucyWood-Ives.
Parts of this monograph have previously been published in the
following venues: ‘From “Main Tendue” to Vatican II: the Catholic
Engagement with Atheism, 1936–65’, New Blackfriars 90/1026
(March2009),178–87;‘Sineculpa?VaticanIIandInculpableIgnor-
ance’,TheologicalStudies72(March2010),70–86;and‘TheMythof
Rahnerian Exceptionalism: Edward Schillebeeckx’s “Anonymous
Christians”’,Philosophy&Theology22/1&2(2010),339–51.
Finally, and most importantly, I must record my overwhelming
debts of gratitude to my parents, both natural – David and Norma
Bullivant, who have always loved, supported, and encouraged me –
and in-law – Graham and Sylvia Dunn, who among much else,
permitted me to marry their daughter Joanna. It is to her and our
daughterGrace,withloveandthanks,thatthisbookisdedicated.
StephenBullivant
BenedictXVIHouse
FeastofStDominic,2011