Foundations of Christian Faith by Karl Rahner
"Foundations of Christian Faith" by Karl Rahner is a significant theological work that seeks to clarify the relationship between God and humanity through a modern lens. Rahner, a prominent Roman Catholic theologian, examines fundamental questions about human existence, the nature of God, and the role of Jesus Christ and the Church in salvation. He emphasizes that humans, as free beings, inherently seek to understand their existence and can experience God's presence if they are open to it. Central to Rahner’s argument is the concept of grace, which he defines as God's self-communication to humanity, integral to human nature rather than a reward for good behavior.
Rahner's exploration incorporates philosophical insights from figures like Martin Heidegger, alongside the theological heritage of the Catholic Church, particularly the teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He addresses complex issues such as the possibility of salvation for non-Christians and the Church's essential role in facilitating a relationship with God. The work serves as a catechism for contemporary believers, aiming to make traditional Catholic theology accessible and relevant, while also prompting readers to reflect on their spiritual journeys. Rahner's approach ultimately invites a deeper understanding of faith that resonates with both believers and those seeking to explore Christian concepts.
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Foundations of Christian Faith by Karl Rahner
First published:Grundkurs des Glaubens: Einführung in den Begriff des Christentums, 1976 (English translation, 1978)
Edition(s) used:Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity, translated by William V. Dych. New York: Seabury Press, 1978
Genre(s): Nonfiction
Subgenre(s): Critical analysis; theology
Core issue(s): Freedom and free will; God; grace; Jesus Christ; salvation
Overview
While the prolific and influential Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner developed no systematic overview of his ideas, Foundations of Christian Faith approaches that end. In this volume Rahner organizes his ideas about the way humankind comes to know God, the ways God offers himself to humans as a means of their salvation, the role of Jesus Christ in God’s plan for salvation, and the role of the Church in both human and salvific history. Although Rahner insists in his preface that he is writing for an audience of literate readers who have little familiarity with theology or philosophy, his careful exploration of fundamental questions regarding God’s relationship with humankind has proven difficult for many to comprehend without significant glosses by subsequent commentators.
One of Rahner’s principal aims in Foundations of Christian Faith is to make traditional Catholic theology understandable for modern believers. To structure his argument, he relies heavily on twentieth century philosopher Martin Heidegger and to a lesser extent on other existentialist philosophers. He also makes use of the theories of Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. His theological arguments are grounded in the work of Catholic theologians, especially Saint Thomas Aquinas. Rahner offers this study, which was not intended to convert skeptics, as a way of explaining how and why believers in the modern world can have assurance that God exists and that God communicates with humans who are open to receiving his presence. He also wants to explain the relationship between Christianity and human existence.
Combining philosophy and theology as disciplines of equal importance in his analysis, Rahner begins with a long chapter describing what it means to be human. He asserts that humans are free subjects whose very nature leads them to question their existence. Such inquiry leads humans to recognize their limited existence, bound by time and space. When people begin to look for ways to transcend their own limited being, they can, if they are open to God’s gift of self, realize that beyond individual existence there lies what Rahner calls the Absolute Holy Mystery. This great mystery, and the limitless ground of all existence, is God. Rahner insists God is a person—though not identical to human persons—and Rahner explains the nature of the Trinity as an intersection of personal relationships in one being. In addition to being transcendent—that is, beyond the limits of human existence—God is also immanent, communicating directly with humans who are open to entering into a personal relationship with God. Unfortunately, because humans are free, they can refuse to recognize God or to willfully shut God out of their lives; this, Rahner says, is the root of guilt in humankind. God’s gift of the divine self to humans is what Rahner calls grace.
To this point Rahner’s explanation of God’s presence to and within humans suggests that the process happens without regard to history. Rahner is insistent, however, that God’s revelation is historically based, and the majority of Foundations of Christian Faith details how God has been revealed to humans historically, most directly in the person of Jesus Christ. In the longest chapter in the book, Rahner discusses the nature of Jesus as both fully human and fully divine. Through his birth, death, and resurrection, Jesus is a living example of how all humans can transcend the limitations of their own existence and be united with God by accepting the gift God offers them—the gift of God’s own self.
Rahner also devotes attention to two issues that have long caused controversy among Christians: the possibility that non-Christians can be saved and the role of the Church in God’s plan for the salvation of humankind. On the first point, Rahner carefully explains how it is possible for good people to accept God into their lives without explicitly knowing about Christ. On the second, he is more traditionally Catholic in asserting that the Church plays a fundamental role in salvation because the Church was established by Christ to aid humans in accepting God’s communication with them. Rahner makes a case for the primacy of the Catholic Church as the legitimate church established by Jesus and explains its teaching function as vital because it constantly confronts Christians with the demand to enter into a relationship with God. Rahner also devotes a chapter to explaining what is fundamental to leading a good Christian life and a final chapter on “eschatology,” or the consideration of last things—individual death and the end of the world.
Christian Themes
In some respects Foundations of Christian Faith is a catechism outlining the basic tenets of faith for all believers. The theology on which Rahner bases his investigations is largely that developed over the centuries by the Catholic Church, although a number of prominent Protestant scholars have embraced much of his work and acknowledged Rahner as one of the premier theologians of the twentieth century. The questions he poses in this book are indeed fundamental to all Christians: How do humans know God? What does it mean to have a relationship to God? What is the nature of Jesus Christ, and what is Jesus’ role in salvation? What is the role of the Church in humankind’s salvation?
In answering these questions, Rahner offers an explanation of the nature of God and especially of Christ. His chapter on Jesus is an extensive treatise on Christology that gives believers a sound grounding for their acceptance of Christ as both human and divine. What Rahner also does with exceptional care and skill is explain the nature of grace, a concept much debated for centuries among Christians. Rahner defines grace as the self-communication God makes with humans, positing it as integral to human nature rather than portraying it as some added bonus that humans may earn or receive.
In keeping with the doctrines of the Catholic Church, of which he is a member, Rahner insists that individuals participate in a communal effort to participate in God’s process of salvation. He does not go so far as to say that salvation is not possible except for those who belong to the Church, but he is insistent that the Church—by which he means the Catholic Church—has a definite role to play in salvation history.
Sources for Further Study
Fischer, Mark F. TheFoundations of Karl Rahner. New York: Crossroad, 2005. Critical paraphrase of Foundations of Christian Faith, explaining key terms Rahner uses to delineate humankind’s encounter with God. Outlines Rahner’s view of key concepts of Christianity. Includes a topic index keyed to the Dych translation.
Hines, Mary E. The Transformation of Dogma: An Introduction to Karl Rahner on Doctrine. New York: Paulist Press, 1989. Examines Rahner’s writings on dogma to demonstrate how the philosopher explains the function of dogma in helping Christians meet modern religious challenges.
Imhoff, Paul, and Hubert Biallowons, eds. Karl Rahner in Dialogue: Conversations, and Interviews, 1965-1982. Translated by Harvey D. Egan. New York: Crossroad, 1986. Overview of Rahner’s work and an explanation of his methodology, intended as an introduction to his thought.
Kress, Robert. A Rahner Handbook. Atlanta, Ga.: John Knox Press, 1982. Critical summary of Rahner’s thought and a commentary on his philosophical and theological sources. Reviews major criticisms of his work. Contains a glossary of specialized terms used throughout Rahner’s work.
Marmion, Declan, and Mary E. Hines, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Karl Rahner. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Essays by noted Rahner scholars exploring the philosophical and theological background to his work, his major theological investigations, and his significance for future studies in theology, especially within the Catholic tradition.