The Common Catechism: A Book of Christian Faith ed. by Johannes Feiner, Lukas Vischer (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 501 The Common Catechism: A Book of Christian Faith. Edited by JOHANNES FEINER and LUKAS V1scHEH. New York: The Seabury Press, 1975. Pp. xxv +690. $10.95. A recent revival of the catechism must rank as one of the most unlikely outcomes of post-Vatican II Catholicism. The book under review is but one of four new catechisms which are currently advertised on the American scene. This phenonemon is in sharp contrast to the rapid decline of the catechism in the 1960's. Why this revival, particularly of catechisms of such theological diversity? A convincing answer could well be in the growing recognition of that very diversity as a permanent feature of presentday Catholicism. Where once a single theology dominated catechesis there is now plurality. This shift from uniformity to variety is mirrored in a diversified catechesis which attempts to answer the needs of a diversified Catholic community. The distinguishing characteristic of the theology pervading The Common Catechism is its ecumenical dimension, vaguely hinted at in the title. This book, the work of mostly German-speaking Catholic and Lutheran scholars, is an effort to provide a joint statement of Christian faith. As such the overall plan of the "Catechism" reflects both consensus and disagreement. Parts One to Four (God, Christ, Church, and Faith) are described as "the common content of opposing viewpoints" (p. 553). Part Five, however, which comprises the last one hundred pages of the text, is intended to address "opposing viewpoints among those who hold common views;" in other words, it deals with issues concerning which no common statement is yet possible. Most readers will applaud the authors for their achievement and endorse their concern for ecumenical understanding. The authors also deserve full marks for the high quality of their scholarship on specific topics, e.g., Jesus's Resurrection. As a pioneering enterprise in ecumenical theology The Common Catechism ranks high. No comparable work has been attempted elsewhere and the odds against other such ventures are great, given the difficulties both with respect to methodology and with respect to agreement on content. Some of these difficulties, however, impair the total effectiveness of this book. First, as to the ecumenical dimension: since the common agreement is the work of theologians primarily from Lutheran and Catholic traditions, a modification of the book's title to that effect would have been helpful. This attempt at a common agreement is probably well suited to the ecumenical needs of the German Churches, but when transplanted to the pluralistic Christianity of the United States its limitations become obvious. Inclusion of joirit statements (by way of the Appendix) on Eucharist and 502 BOOK REVIEWS Ministry from Anglicans and Methodists is hardly adequate to represent the theology of both these churches. The book falls short, therefore, in meeting the ecumenical needs of American Christians for a common handbook of their Churches' teachings. Second, as to the "catechism" format: this is likely to generate some confusion. Traditionally the catechism was conceived of as a confessional document and an authoritative one at that. Compilers sought to communicate the basic message of the creed to a largly illiterate populace and used the question and answer framework as the most appropriate for their task. The book under review neither represents an official Church body nor follows the traditional question and answer mode. Admittedly there is a precedent for a new kind of catechism in the work produced in Holland a decade ago, the " Dutch Catechism." While its format was a radical departure from previous catechisms, it was nonetheless commissioned by that country's hierarchy. Since this ecumenical catechism does not have a comparable authority, one must question the appropriateness of the term " catechism " for what the authors intended as a common statement of faith. Furthermore, one has to take into account the kind of audience for whom this book was written. A volume of over seven hundred pages, it was written by a team of specialist theologians and appears to be oriented towards the highly educated if not theologically sophisticated reader. Yet in the introduction the authors assure us that they have tried to reach " all those who are in any way interested in religious questions " (p. xiii...