Dialogue of Love: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic Ecumenist
The Dialogue of Love is written from the perspective of an evangelical Catholic Ecumenist. Raised Catholic, but having responded to the Gospel at L'Abri Fellowship in 1970, Eduardo J. Echeverria's journey took the paths of Reformed and then Anglo-Catholic Christianity on his way back to full communion with the Catholic Church in 1992. Engaging in ecumenical conversation as a committed Roman Catholic whose views have been shaped by, among others, Romano Guardini, John Paul II, and Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI), the author discusses in an articulate, bracing, and constructive manner, the positions of representative thinkers in the Dutch neo-Calvinist tradition of Reformed Christianity: Herman Bavinck, G. C. Berkouwer, and Herman Dooyeweerd. Fundamental issues of ecclesiology, meaning and truth, sacramental theology, the relation between the Church and the world, nature and grace, and issues on the relation of faith and reason are examined with the aim of achieving clarification and understanding. Readers will experience ecumenical "Dialogue . . . not simply [as] an exchange of ideas," but also as "an 'exchange of gifts'," indeed, "a dialogue of love" (John Paul II).
"This is an amazing book. Professor Echeverria, artfully and
persuasively, shows how the Catholic and Reformed traditions can
better understand, as well as learn from, each other. This book is
a model on how Christians ought to think about the relationship
between faith and reason and how that understanding informs
ecumenical dialogue."
--Francis J. Beckwith
Baylor University
"An 'evangelical Catholic ecumenist' of the most attractive sort,
Eduardo Echeverria engages in a dialogue between Catholicism and
neo-Calvinism that is concerned, equally, with love and with truth.
With a background both in neo-Calvinist and Catholic thought,
Echeverria displays the theological riches of both traditions. He
shows that, genuine differences notwithstanding--on Church,
sacraments, and the relationship between faith and reason--Catholic
and neo-Calvinist theologians have every reason to pursue a
dialogue of love."
--Hans Boersma
Regent College
"Although the temptation of some, both Protestant and Catholic, may
be to dismiss the possibility of such a 'dialogue,' happily the
days of deep distrust are past. Indeed, we may affirm, in the
spirit of Dorothy Sayers, that the 'drama is in the dogma' while at
the same time taking Christian unity seriously. Our Lord's high
priestly prayer, as recorded in John 17, impels all who love our
Lord's church to seek unity within the bounds of orthodoxy. This, I
am delighted to say, is the burden of Eduardo Echeverria, who more
than anyone I know, embodies what it means to be a true
'evangelical Catholic ecumenist.' Read his splendidly elucidating
argument and find out why."
--J. Daryl Charles
The Bryan Institute for Critical Thought & Practice
"Drawing upon his personal knowledge of Neo-Calvinism as a one-time
adherent, Eduardo Echeverria manifests the finest qualities of a
Catholic theologian and ecumenist in this remarkable book. By
comparing the rich Catholic theology of Vatican II with the
teachings of Neo-Calvinists like Bavinck, Berkouwer, and
Dooyeweerd, a fruitful 'dialogue of love' emerges, one that
illuminates the key points of convergence and divergence between
the two faith traditions."
--Robert L. Fastiggi
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
"This is an amazing book. Professor Echeverria, artfully and
persuasively, shows how the Catholic and Reformed traditions can
better understand, as well as learn from, each other. This book is
a model on how Christians ought to think about the relationship
between faith and reason and how that understanding informs
ecumenical dialogue."
--Francis J. Beckwith
Baylor University
"An 'evangelical Catholic ecumenist' of the most attractive sort,
Eduardo Echeverria engages in a dialogue between Catholicism and
neo-Calvinism that is concerned, equally, with love and with truth.
With a background both in neo-Calvinist and Catholic thought,
Echeverria displays the theological riches of both traditions. He
shows that, genuine differences notwithstanding--on Church,
sacraments, and the relationship between faith and reason--Catholic
and neo-Calvinist theologians have every reason to pursue a
dialogue of love."
--Hans Boersma
Regent College
"Although the temptation of some, both Protestant and Catholic, may
be to dismiss the possibility of such a 'dialogue,' happily the
days of deep distrust are past. Indeed, we may affirm, in the
spirit of Dorothy Sayers, that the 'drama is in the dogma' while at
the same time taking Christian unity seriously. Our Lord's high
priestly prayer, as recorded in John 17, impels all who love our
Lord's church to seek unity within the bounds of orthodoxy. This, I
am delighted to say, is the burden of Eduardo Echeverria, who more
than anyone I know, embodies what it means to be a true
'evangelical Catholic ecumenist.' Read his splendidly elucidating
argument and find out why."
--J. Daryl Charles
The Bryan Institute for Critical Thought & Practice
"Drawing upon his personal knowledge of Neo-Calvinism as a one-time
adherent, Eduardo Echeverria manifests the finest qualities of a
Catholic theologian and ecumenist in this remarkable book. By
comparing the rich Catholic theology of Vatican II with the
teachings of Neo-Calvinists like Bavinck, Berkouwer, and
Dooyeweerd, a fruitful 'dialogue of love' emerges, one that
illuminates the key points of convergence and divergence between
the two faith traditions."
--Robert L. Fastiggi
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Product Details
- Title : Dialogue of Love: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic Ecumenist
- Author: Echeverria, Eduardo J.
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Publication Date: 2010
- ISBN: 9781498271493
Eduardo J. Echeverria is Professor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of Slitting the Sycamore: Christ and Culture in the New Evangelization (2008).