Frontiers for the Church Today by Robert McAfee Brown (review)

394 BOOK REVIEWS that it fails to deal principally or exclusively with such questions is to evince a lack of philosophical precision. Professor Centore's criticism of The Problem of Evolution on this score, thus, exemplifies the second of the two common faults of book reviewers that I mentioned at the beginning , namely, the fault of criticizing a book for not dealing with topics the reviewer would have preferred to read about. I hope my remarks have made clear that The Problem of Evolution deserves a more careful reading than some would have us believe, and that it should be a book of general interest to the readers of this journal. Institute for Philosophical Research Chicago, Illinois MoRTIMER J. ADLER Frontiers for the Church Today. By Robert McAfee Brown. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. Pp. 166. $5.95. Robert McAfee Brown over the last two decades has made significant contributions to our understanding of twentieth-century Christianity. He has demonstrated the enviable ability both to perceive problems and to offer realistic solutions. It is no surprise, therefore, that his latest book evidences these same qualities. It is not a thorough systematic treatment of the theology of the Church, but rather a collection of pointed observations on several critical issues facing the Church today. His controlling image is that of the frontier, because, as he states, "The Church in our day is called to live out a frontier existence." (p. xiii) To use the term frontier is to suggest spontaneity, adaptability, mobility, and creativityattitudes that are urgently needed in the present ecclesial community. In this context he discusses mission, ecumenism, revolution, technology, structures , images of the Church, and the liturgy (" the peoples' work ") . His thoughts are provocative and challenging. The basic theological underpinning that Brown espouses is that of secularization theology. His thesis is that the Church is not an end in itself but exists for the world. An ecclesia gloriae with its triumphalism and self-perpetuating institutionalism is clearly rejected. Moving beyond an earlier generation of secular theologians, Brown insists that we must affirm the unity of the entire human family and the nonsectarian concern for mutual help. In other words, the major problems of any one segment of humanity are the problems of all humanity. Consequently, Christianity, if it is to faithful to its vocation, must grasp this universalist theme and act positively on it. Brown writes with a sense of urgency, but he never resorts to strident BOOK REVIEWS 395 rhetoric. He is obviously not satisfied with the present state of the Church and the world, but he refrains from tiresome carping or excessive negativism . His criticism is rather one of loyal opposition, a " healthy iconoclasm ," (p. 47) a" lover's quarrel." (p. xii) Brown believes in the Church and is committed to it, but he wants to see it become more sensitive to socio-political needs, more a reconciling agent of God's mercy, more a defender of the rights of the dispossessed. This means, of course, that the Church has to become less " other world " oriented, less and exclusivist assembly, and less than simply a haven for affluent believers. Of special interest in this book are the sections dealing with the penetential dimension of the Church, the value of Christianity, the nature of genuine ecumenism, the necessity and expendibility of structure, and the images of the Church. Brown devotes two chapters to images and presents some fascinating and refreshing thoughts on the Church as diaspora, counterculture, servant, movement, and cantus firmus. Two areas, however, seem to be neglected in Brown's admittedly selective analysis of the Church. Both would have afforded a needed balance and perspective. The first is an explicitated eschatology. Contemporary ecclesiology (Protestant as well as Catholic) places a growing emphasis on the proleptic relationship between the Church and the Kingdom; in so doing it delineates more precisely the nature of the Church and its mission. The second is the charismatic aspect of the Church with the affirmation of the dynamic and creative role of the Holy Spirit. Inclusion of these two points would have rounded out Brown's discussion of the Church, giving it, moreover, a fuller theological dimension. Frontiers for the...