Translation of Wereld en kerk.

Includes bibliographical references.

Religion and the world: renewing the face of earth -- Humble humanism -- The sorrow of the experience of God's concealment -- Church and world -- The church and mankind -- The ecclesial life of religious man -- Supernaturalism, unchristian and christian expectations of the future -- Christians and non-christians: I. The theory of toleration -- Christians and nonchristians: 2. Practical cooperation -- Man and his bodily world -- The intellectual's responsibility for the future -- The significance of a Catholic university for the world and the church

World and Church deals specifically with the situation of Christianity in our own time, in the world that has emerged in the twenty-five years since the end of World War II. Professor Schillebeeckx focuses on phenomenon of "secularization". His approach is based on the conviction that the whole of human history, even outside or in opposition to Christianity, is the working out of Christ's redemption. He shows that to regard the world outside the visible church as outside salvation is a misunderstanding of the New testament. Christianity, he argues, believes that in Christ the whole of human existence has begun a new life. This is not just an ecumenical cliché, but explains why Christians must learn from Marxists and others genuinely committed to the welfare of their fellow men. The growth of this secular human commitment can be seen, even amid the decline of religious practice, as "the central event of grace in postwar world history." This also means that Christians must first try to understand processes such as secularization before attempting to evaluate them theologically. Within this framework Professor Schillebeeckx discusses particular problems of Christian pastoral work in modern society and the place of specifically Christians institutions such hospitals and universities. The book also includes an account of the development of the Catholic Church's attitude to freedom of conscience and a brilliant essay on the significance of the human body.