Evangelization and Religious Freedom: Ad Gentes, Dignitatis Humanae (review)

The publication of Evangelization and Religious Freedom:Ad Gentes, Dignitatis Humanae completes the Paulist Press series Rediscovering Vatican II. This latest volume is an excellent resource, providing a lucid overview of the state of contemporary debates and practices in the Catholic Church on the topics of missionary activity ( Ad Gentes) and of religious freedom ( Dignitatis Humanae).

Following the approach of the other volumes in this series, the two Vatican II documents chosen for this volume are each analyzed in four steps: (1) a discussion of the history and development of the document at the Council, (2) an analysis of the major points of the final text, (3) an assessment of the document's implementation since the Council, and (4) a discussion of current debates on the topic addressed by the document. This approach allows for a thorough yet concise presentation of each conciliar document, locating the text within its historical context and clarifying its contribution to theological debate and to the life of the Church. The analyses of the documents serve historians, theologians, and pastoral leaders equally well.

Nearly two-thirds of the book is devoted to Stephen Bevans's analysis of Ad Gentes, "The Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity." This engaging presentation situates Ad Gentesamid the dramatic shifts in attitudes toward Christian missionary activity that followed the end of colonialism in the twentieth century. Bevans attends especially to the contribution made by Ad Gentesand by other conciliar documents to the development of a dialogical approach to mission work that strives to value the local culture and to work for global justice, even while Bevans insists (in agreement with recent papal statements) that proclamation of the Gospel cannot be neglected. Bevans succeeds here in integrating complex historical and theological assessments into a coherent yet nuanced account that communicates a deep understanding not only of the Second Vatican Council but also of the centrality of missions to the life of the Church. In pointing to the emerging attention to reconciliation, and to the still unresolved challenges to the theology of mission posed by globalization, migration, and the role of women, Bevans clarifies that mission is inextricably involved in the ongoing development of a theology adequate to the twenty-first century.

Jeffrey Gros's discussion of Dignitatis Humanae, "The Declaration on Religious Freedom," also achieves an impressively clear and insightful analysis of the teachings of this conciliar document along with a summary of its historical context, its development, and the complexity of its varied implementation throughout the world. Religious freedom is, alas, a topic that cannot be easily contained given the variety of contexts and issues with a claim to attention; yet this section of the book is considerably shorter than is Bevans's discussion of mission activity. Hence, one is left with the impression that there is less coherence in the understanding and implementation of Dignitatis Humanaethan of Ad Gentes, which is probably true. In any case, Gros does an admirable job of guiding us quickly through the many issues at stake in Dignitatis Humanaeand through the different historico-political contexts in which the document was received. Gros's attention to the need to catechize people unaccustomed to negotiating a religiously pluralistic situation is especially commendable, but more attention to the contentious debates over the meaning of religious freedom today would not have been amiss.

If one could read only one book on either Ad Gentesor Dignitatis Humanae, this book should be it. With all that has been written on these documents and on the Second Vatican Council, the historical, theological, and practical overviews provided here are invaluable.