Autor: Ormerod, Neil

Buch: Creation, Grace, and Redemption

Titel: Creation, Grace, and Redemption

Stichwort: Schau Gottes, Gnade; K. Rahner vs. De Lubac; übernatürliches Existential; anonymer Christ; Heil außerhalb der Kirche - Frage d. historischen Vermittlung (, J. B. Metz)

Kurzinhalt: On Rahner's notion of the supernatural existential, grace is always and everywhere on offer, in transcendental mode, that is, as offer within human consciousness. This has important consequences, especially in interreligious dialogue.

Textausschnitt: 120a Among those who rejected de Lubac's position was Karl Rahner. Rahner has been without doubt the most influential theologian in the theology of grace.1 His positions have become a theological commonplace with friend and foe alike. Like de Lubac, Rahner wanted to overcome the extrinsicism of the standard position. However, he was far more determined to maintain the grace/nature distinction, and hence more careful than de Lubac in that regard. The reach of Rahner's theology of grace is extensive and encompasses more than the grace/nature debate, though that debate and the position Rahner develops in light of it are the key to his theology. (Fs)

120b Rahner's solution to the problem of extrinsicism is to introduce the notion of what he calls a "supernatural existential." This is a supernatural orientation or desire for God which nonetheless is empirically constitutive of human nature. What this means is that Rahner holds that every human being has a supernatural desire for God. This desire, however, is not essential to human nature as a nature-and so we would still be human without it-but in fact, every concrete human being has such a desire instilled in him or her by God. Rahner argues that just because such a desire is supernatural does not mean it cannot also be universal. Grace need not be rare just because it is gratuitous. While Rahner recognizes a natural orientation to God, this is not sufficient for his purposes. Although it is an openness, it is not an unconditional ordination for grace, for God. Such an ordination is not part of pure nature but is supernatural, even though in this concrete historical order it is a universal element of our concrete human nature. It is present as offer, even when we reject it through sin. (Fs)

121a On Rahner's notion of the supernatural existential, grace is always and everywhere on offer, in transcendental mode, that is, as offer within human consciousness. This has important consequences, especially in interreligious dialogue. It led Rahner to develop the notion of "anonymous Christians" as a way of speaking about salvation outside the church. However, some have questioned whether this undermines the historical mediation of grace, notably through the church and sacraments. Johannes Baptist Metz, a student of Rahner, has been very strong on this point. For him, Rahner "wins the race without even running it," by avoiding the difficulties raised in the issue of historical mediation.2 In a sense Rahner's notion of the supernatural existential seeks to develop a mediating principle between grace and nature, by giving the existential qualities of both grace (as supernatural) and nature (as universal). It raises the question of why such a mediating principle is needed. (Fs) (notabene)