The authors write out of commitment and experience of what the Church at its best could be.
Beyond the Boundaries, Janette Brednoord Elliott & Berise Heasly (ed). COVENTRY PRESS, ISBN 9781922589224
Beyond the Boundaries is an evocative title for a collection of articles about the Catholic Church. It suggests that it is written from outside the centres of authority and status within the Church, that the Church is called to go beyond its present boundaries into new territory, and that our thinking about the Church will rightly take us beyond what we can say.
Its authors share concern at the present state of the Church both in its wounds of sexual abuse and lack of leadership. They also write out of commitment and experience of what the Church at its best could be. It would encourage depth in celebrating the wonder of the world and encouraging relationships accepting of their messiness and characterised by the desire to listen.
Many contributions reflect on the writers’ own experience as a source of intangible hope. They also tease out the possibilities for our own day inherent in the Scriptures and the long life of the Church. Whether or not we are persuaded by all the arguments proposed in the collection, the witness of people taking life in the church seriously is deeply encouraging.