134 - Foundations for a Social Theology: Praxis, Process and Salvation

Foundations for a Social Theology:
Praxis, Process and Salvation
By Dermot A. Lane
New York, Paulist, 1984. 192 pp. $6.95.

For those who use the word praxis a little too easily, those who are put off by its constant use in contemporary theological discourse, or those who are baffled by what it means, this book will prove useful. Drawing on a tremendous variety of resources, the author positions the word and what it stands for in terms of its recovery in contemporary theology, its philosophical antecedents, the way in which both "social analysis" and process thought enhance its new importance, and, then, with a kind of shift of emphasis, shows how Christian teaching about the church, Christology, and the eucharist are deepened and renewed by giving fresh centrality to the praxis dimension.

That represents an exceedingly ambitious agenda, and the author would be the first to acknowledge that even 192 pages can barely scratch the multiple surfaces. (One can scarcely hope to summarize Roman Catholic teaching since Vatican II in nine pages, as the author tries to do.) But granted that limitation, the author (who is Director of Studies at Mater Dei Institute of Education in Dublin) gives us a helpful initial road map for a long journey, and through his summaries and documentation shows us how to track down the more detailed topographical information that will be needed to get the most out of the pilgrimage.

135 - Foundations for a Social Theology: Praxis, Process and Salvation

The viewpoint of the work is current and incisive. Many of the gains and breakthroughs on the theological scene are less impressive, the author informs us early on, when we note that "a glaring discrepancy does exist between theory and practice, faith and experience, life and religion" (p. 7). It is not enough, he tells us, to produce new liturgies, hold conferences, or issue statements; "social theology" (the title) must develop "the creative interplay of praxis and process in the promotion of salvation" (the sub-title).

I am encouraged by the attention given to Johann Baptist Metz, one of the few Europeans to give serious attention to praxis and liberation concerns coming from the third world, and to Gustavo Gutiérrez, who represents the best of Latin American thought on these matters, although the issues do not seem to me truly joined in the heavy reliance on Ogden to challenge certain liberation assumptions.

Many readers will find the chapter on the philosophical background of praxis heavy going (I know of at least one reviewer who did), but the recognition that praxis goes back to Aristotle, and is not just a diabolical invention of Karl Marx, is important in the light of much current polemical treatment of the concept by the theological right. Matthew Lamb and process thought are usefully employed to relate the necessity of praxis to current re-thinking in theology.

Perhaps the most imaginative reconstruction takes place in the final chapter on "The Eucharist and the Praxis of Social Justice," where various historical and "traditional" interpretations of the meaning of eucharist are subjected to re-thinking in the light of the praxis dimension established in the preceding pages. Although the discussion here (and throughout the book) centers on Roman Catholic history, thought, and practice, Protestants can find much food for theological reflection, and energizing for more significant praxis of their own, by careful study of these pages.

Robert McAfee Brown
Pacific School of Religion
Berkeley, California