The new life of grace
[by] Peter Fransen. Translated from the Flemish by Georges Dupont; foreword by John MacQuarrie.
- Belgium: DEsclee Company, 1969.
- x, 369 pages 22 cm.
Originally published as De Genade: werkelijkheid en leven. Antwerp, Uitgeverij Patmos, 1969.
Bibliography: p. 353-369.
Part One: What is Grace? -- A Parable -- God's Own Parable -- The Covenant of Grace -- Sin and Love -- Grace, a Presence of God -- Grace, a Likeness to Christ -- Our Unity with the Father and with the Holy Spirit -- Redemption, Grace and Church --Created and Uncreated Grace -- Election and Freedom -- Grace and History -- Grace and Merit -- Grace, an Enduring Gift of God --The Nature of Sin -- The subjective dimensions of conscience -- Grace and Psychology -- Part Two: WHat may we expect from Grace? -- Grace Changes Nothing
Our concept of the Christian life rests, in great part, on our appreciation of the meaning of grace. Paradoxically, at this stage of the theological and catechetical renaissance, there is little literature available on this vital theme. Of course the author's previous work Divine Grace and Man stands as the brilliant and seminal introduction to grace... but present pastoral and spiritual and theological needs call for more development and comprehensive study. To fill this lacuna Piet Fransen, the Church's leading theologian on grace, has written this masterful work. Grace is "the mystery of the way God's love acts within us and through us." It is the presence of God in man, an intimate sharing of his infinite love whereby we are immersed in the loving life of the Holy Trinity. The author invites us to shed some traditional notions, and to rediscover the total dimensions of the mystery. The New Life of Grace opens up new horizons. The author's expert knowledge of the sources, his deft handling of the Scriptures, his respect for tradition are reflected in his lucid pages. He gives us an inspiring and total views of the mystery; and integrates the theology of grace with such basic mysteries as the incarnation and the redemption in all their ecclesiological and eschatological dimensions. Old concepts are recast into a more vital, meaningful and total perspective ; and the reader encounters the transforming vitality of dynamic theology that presents the mystery of grace in its living grandeur and splendor. The insights of the past and the present, of modern psychology and of the East and of Protestantism contributes to authors study... and his work should cross all denominational lines. The Live of Grace is lively and liveable theology: here is a work for the pastoral and spiritual needs of our times. Priests, students and catechists will find it invaluable; and educated Christians will welcome its fresh and intelligent approach to mystery of grace and the meaning of living "in Christ".