Berkouwer and Catholicism

Eduardo J. Echeverria, Ph.D. (1981), Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, is Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, USA. He has published, most recently, "In the Beginning. . ." A Theology of the Body (Pickwick Publications, 2011).

"With ecumenical dialog between Catholics and evangelical Protestants at what may be an all time high, the forgotten legacy of Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer has never been more relevant. Few modern Protestants dealt as carefully, fully, or sympathetically with twentieth-century Catholicism as did Berkouwer. Eduardo Echeverria's meticulous study admirably brings Berkouwer's work to a contemporary audience." – Dr. Peter Leithart, Senior Fellow of Theology, New Saint Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho"This is an ecumenically sensitive and historically contextualized study of G. C. Berkouwer, the most important Reformed theologian of the twentieth century next to Karl Barth. Eduardo Echeverria offers here a fresh Catholic engagement with the great Dutch theologian who was at once a deeply committed confessional Protestant and a hopeful interlocutor with the Catholic Church." – Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University and general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture"This fascinating book [is] not just a book in historical theology, but in systematic theology and in practical theology as well, and Echeverria manages to discuss all three aspects without becoming diffuse or complicated." – Herman Selderhuis, in: Theologische Literaturzeitung 139 (2014) 5"Echeverria’s substantial tome is an impressive work. [...] The volume can be recommended for those interested in Berkouwer and in Reformed – Roman Catholic dialogue. For the more general student of systematic theology, Echeverria’s work is a good case study in theological dialogue that invites emulation in analogous projects on other theologians and traditions." – Peter-Ben Smit, in: Ecclesiology

• Acknowledgements ... ixForeword ... xiIntroduction ... 11. The Renewed Church and the Nouvelle Théologie ... 20EcumenicityEssential and Accidental ProtestantismHermeneutical PrincipleRessourcement and AggiornamentoRevelation and Truth: Different Expressions of the Same TruthHierarchy of TruthsConclusion2. Revelation, Faith, and the Knowledge of God ... 110IntroductionGeneral Revelation, Natural Theology, and Special RevelationUnity and Distinctness of God’s RevelationBerkouwer’s Reformed Objections to Natural TheologyConclusion3. On the Dynamics of Faith and Reason: The Differentiated Unity of Nature and Grace ... 187What does General Revelation mean for acquiring a Natural Knowledge of God?Is Natural Theology implied in an acceptance of General Revelation?What can man’s reason, if anything, truly know of God after the Fall?Nature and Grace, Structure and DirectionAfter Vatican II: Did Berkouwer change his mind about the relation between faith and reason as well as Natural Theology?Conclusion4. Scripture and Tradition in Relation to Revelation and to the Church ... 273An Introductory OrientationFocus of this Chapter and the NextBefore, During and After the second Vatican CouncilImplications for the Principle of Sola ScripturaConclusion5. Scripture, Tradition and Theological Authority ... 319Objection I: ReplyObjection II: ReplyObjection III: replyObjection IV: ReplyConclusion6. The Development of Dogma ... 394Berkouwer on Dogmatic DevelopmentWhat is the Nature of Dogmatic Development?Truth and Noetic ProgressTruth and the Inadequacy of its FormulationsFaithfulness to the GospelWhat are the Issues at stake in Dogmatic Development?Theological EpistemologyIn what sense is faith a way of knowing divine reality?Marian DogmaA Minimalist Reply to Berkouwer’s ObjectionsConclusionEpilogueThe Significance of Berkouwer for the Adventure of Ecumenicity ... 472Bibliography ... 489Index ... 503