MODULE 1 everybody have faith, religious or non-

FAITH IS A WHOLISTIC CONCEPT religious

• Second, it is a process which may echo James
“Faith without works is dead” James 2: 14-16 Fowler's 1981 theory of faith development.
- Even without deep exegetical analysis or without For now, it's safe to assume that faith does
going into the official interpretation of this text not start in full and complete state; it passes
by the Church, common sense tells us that Faith on to certain stages of development. It is a
to God or faith per se, in itself, requires ACTION. process.
It is not just limited to the aspect of the MIND, of • Third, it is interesting how Niebuhr uses the
BELIEVING. Faith obligates us to extend it to word "trying" to describe the action by
ACTION... which the person finds meaning in his/her
- But what kind of action? life. It underscores the complexity and
somehow the difficulty of attainment of life's
Wholistic Framework of Faith (3 Dimensions of Human meaning and purpose because no matter
Living or Totality of Human Person) what happens, anybody's attempt to search
1. Cognitive for meaning is just that - an attempt... a
- faith is an act of belief or conviction that continuous cycle of trial and redoing.
something is true
• Fourth, Niebuhr emphasizes that the process
2. Affective
of faith involves finding meaning. But how?
- faith is an act of trust to something or someone
It is by placing their trust and loyalty to
because one deems it as not only true but good
something or someone that is considered
- naturally, a person desires or entrusts oneself
their "center of value". The center of value is
to someone or something that's desirable
a reality (imagined or actual) that sustains
because he/she finds it good and true
the person and something he/she can rely
3. Performative
upon and depend.
- refers to the performance of faith through the
- faith for Niebuhr is “one that emerges from the
act of love, compassion and care
human person's initiative and choice”
- earlier, it is mentioned how faith is inadequate
without works; faith is complete only when it
Paul Tillich
corresponds to performance into action
- refers to faith as a “total and centered act of the
personal self, the act of unconditional, infinite
THEORISTS ON FAITH
and ultimate concern.”; “faith is the state of
Richard Niebuhr
being ultimately concerned”
- one of the most important Christian theological
- a Protestant philosopher and theologian and if
ethicists in 20th-century America
God is the Ultimate Concern (in capital letters), it
- best known for his 1951 book “Christ and
demands a complete surrender of the person
Culture” and his posthumously published
- God is both the object of faith as well as the
book “The Responsible Self”
subject of a person's faith
- taught in Yale Divinity School for decades
- speaks of faith as something integrative to the
- defines faith as "a universal human process that
life of the person
involves people trying to find meaning in their
- says that includes all elements of the personality,
lives by placing their trust and loyalty in some
both conscious and unconscious... that although
attractive centre(s) of value that represent(s) for
it is a conscious act, it causes the unconscious
them a reality that is sustaining, reliable and
elements of the personality to take into the
dependable"
center of the personality and transcend
- examining his definition:
themselves
• First, faith is universal, in other words, it - Another key idea that Tillich posits in the theme
does not limit itself within a certain religious of faith is the idea of mediated experiences
background or tradition. Everyone and
 - Faith as an abstract category is mediated by higher than oneself. In the context of organized
various human experiences and in those sensible religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism,
experiences of beauty, warmth, pain, emotions, Buddhism, Hinduism, the main question is which
moods, etc. are things that we feel as human faith makes sense?
persons and by going beyond those mere
sensorial experiences is the place of meaning, Similarity of Neibuhr, Tillich, and Haight
value, and faith - All of them speak about the importance of faith
- Faith is the realm of the abstract mediated by in one's life particularly on how faith is
sensorial experiences. concerned about the things that are beyond
perception and sensation. Where faith delves in
Roger Haight the affairs of the heart and soul on making sense
- an American Jesuit theologian of things around us through meaning-making
- “faith is the center of gravity”; faith is the anchor and purpose-driven endeavors
or the fulcrum that holds your life. It's the center Differences of Neibuhr, Tillich, and Haight
of the pendulum that no matter where one - Niebuhr on faith as the center of value; Tillich on
sways in the event of life, faith holds the center the concept of sensorial and actual life
of gravity to make one stable and grounded experiences as mediations of faith; and Haight
- To illustrate, say Juan, a 20-year-old guy has on the idea of faith as the center of gravity.
been overwhelmed with vices and bad company.
He has been dragged into a life of immoral and Wholistic Framework of Faith (Cont.)
illegal activities. He has lost connection with his - faith as integration of 3 important components
family. His parents especially his mom is hoping of mind, heart, and limbs (legs & arms)
he could find a way to get back and straighten his - mind component refers to the intellectualist
crooked life. Until one day, Juan realizes that he dimension of faith (cognitive) where the image
has lost himself in his pursuit of wealth and of God is a Teacher and the mode of faith is the
power. He realized that it's his parents who has act of BELIEVING
stood behind him despite everything. He wanted - heart component refers to the fiducial
to change and only because there are such dimension of faith where God is seen as a
people like his parents who has been the anchor Merciful Benefactor or Lover and the dominant
that holds his life no matter what. They are his mode of action is faith as personal trust
center of gravity; no matter where he is pulled or - performative component is based on the limbs
pushed in life. It is a life with his parents that he component of faith that zeroes in on the action
finds life meaningful. or performance dimension of faith where God is
- faith is manifested in the very ordinariness of the Great Emancipator and the mode of faith
life. Our common daily human activities are activity is praxis or emancipative action
manifestations that can provide further meaning
to faith. It is laid hidden and implicit but if only Seven Primary Stages of Faith by James Fowler
we decide to find it, it is the where the heart has Stage 1
been set. - "Intuitive-Projective Faith"
- Faith is in one's very heart (central) as it also - between the ages 3-7
defines the character and behavior of the person - Faith at this stage is experiential and develops
(centering). through encounters with stories, images, the
Everyone has Faith influence of others, a deeper intuitive sense of
As faith is universal and that every person has what is right and wrong, and innocent
faith, admitted or not, confessed or not, the perceptions of how God causes the universe to
main question to ask is actually which faith to function.
choose and which faith makes sense. Everyone Stage 2
has faith. Everybody believes to such extent that - "mythic-literary faith"
it may be referred by others as God or a being - ages 7-12
 - Children at this stage have a belief in justice and - Fowler describes people at this stage as having
fairness in religious matters, a sense of "a special grace that makes them seem more
reciprocity in the workings of the universe (e.g. lucid, more simple, and yet somehow more fully
doing good will result in a good result, doing bad human than the rest of us."
will cause a bad thing to happen) and an - People at this stage can become important
anthropomorphic image of God (e.g. a man with religious teachers because they have the ability
a long white beard who lives in the clouds). to relate to anyone at any stage and from any
- Religious metaphors are often taken literally faith. They are able to relate without
thus leading to misunderstandings. condescension but at the same time are able to
Stage 3 challenge the assumptions that those of other
- "synthetic-conventional faith" stages might have.
- ages 13 to 18, however, some people stay at this - People at this stage cherish life but also do not
stage for their entire life hold on to life too tightly. They put their faith in
- This stage is characterized by the identification action, challenging the status quo and working to
of the adolescent/adult with a religious create justice in the world.
institution, belief system, or authority, and the - Notable persons like Gandhi and Mother Teresa
growth of a personal religious or spiritual are examples of people who have reached this
identity. stage.
- Issues of religious authority are important to
people at this stage
Stage 4 Faith as a Dimension of the Human
- "individuative-reflective faith" Faith is a universal human phenomenon. All
- from 18 to 22 years old people live by some faith.
- People in this stage start to question their own People accept some center of gravity that
assumptions around the faith tradition. Along balances the weights of the various values in their lives.
with questioning their own assumptions about They adopt a system of meaning that establishes certain
their faith, people at this stage start to question truths as fundamental. Societies inculcate a variety of
the authority structures of their faith. objects of faith that provide a unity, comprehensive
- In the end, the person starts to take greater order, and intelligibility to life. These are objects of faith,
ownership of their own faith journey. because faith is the clinging commitment to those
Stage 5 objects, truths, and values which give meaning to human
- "conjunctive faith" existence at its most fundamental level.
- People do not usually get to this stage until their Faith is a common human phenomenon, an
early thirties. This is when the struggles and essential dimension of human action that constitutes
questioning of stage four give way to a more integral human existence. All people have faith. Such a
comfortable place. view may seem contradicted by certain data….Like
- Some answers have been found and the person butterflies, some people cannot commit themselves to
at this stage is comfortable knowing that all the anything stable…. North American culture has
answers might not be easily found. engendered passionate consumers, whole society of
- People at this stage are also much more open to people who need, by, and use things up, ever new things,
other people's faith perspectives. This is not and whose life of work seems geared to this end.
because they are moving away from their faith Although H. Richard Niebuhr describes faith in
but because they have a realization that other one central and commanding transcendent value as an
people's faiths might inform and deepen their ideal, the fact is that people are usually polytheists or
own. henotheists who either have many different faiths or
Stage 6 whose god is always compromised by lesser gods.1 Yet
- Rarely does any person reaches this stage of faith beneath seemingly erratic behavior, insofar as it is
responsible at all, one can find by reductive analysis a a developed way. Yet one should see continuities; basic
dedication, a faith commitment, a direction, a path upon human trust can be nurtured from the very beginning of
which the heart has been set. The object of faith may human life.6
rank fairly low on any scale of values. It may be concealed
from reflective evaluation. It can lie embedded in the Source: Roger Haights, sj. Dynamics of Theology.
implicit logic of a person’s or a people’s behavior. But Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001.
some object of faith is always operative insofar as it is
constituted by the sum total of all one’s actual decisions.
The ultimate issue in the question of faith does Faith within the Hebrew-Jewish Context
not deal with yes or no, faith or unfaith. Rather the point The first expression of Christian theology was
at issue is always which faith to choose: Which faith within the Jewish culture. It was in Palestine, among Jews
makes most sense? …. that Christianity was born (or a movement around Jesus).
Paul Tillich, in his classic Dynamics of Faith, Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew, who spoke Aramaic, and it
[defines] faith as ultimate concern…faith is being grasped was among the Jews that he lived and died. His teachings
by an ultimate concern.2 When the objective concern is were framed within the Jewish worldview and his first
really ultimate, transcendent, and infinite, it is disciples received them as Jews. Is there something in the
experienced as that upon which one stakes one’s being. cultural context of the disciples and early communities of
The essential point of this characterization of Christ, which made them see Jesus in a more significant
faith lies in the recognition that faith consists in a manner? Were there some elements in their tradition as
dynamic commitment of the whole of human freedom in Jews, which were re-interpreted and re-formulated to
action…. This response cannot be reduced to any specific give meaning to their experiences of Jesus, the Christ,
“faculty.” It is not simply intellectual assent; not a pure Emmanuel, Messiah, Son of David, and so on?
decision of the will; not merely an emotional feeling.3
None of these aspects should be excluded from Who is God and what is God’s will?
faith….Faith reaches out from the depth of human In order to understand the message of Jesus and
freedom. Whether it be defined as ultimate concern or how his disciples interpreted it (read: how they
as “setting one’s heart upon,”4 it takes the form of an “theologized”), it is important to situate them against the
engagement of all of a human being’s energies and background of Israel’s faith in God. The written texts, in
powers. It can in turn be mediated by a variety of now what we call Old Testament (or the First Testament),
different kinds of experiences: a response to beauty, a did not develop its own concept of God’s self-
negative response to human suffering, an attraction to a communication but elaborated categories in which the
supreme value or good, a decision to direct one’s whole reality is expressed. The revealing activity of God shows
life in a certain way. itself: (a) in inner experiences of God (inner voices,
Faith is central and centering: central because it visions, oracles, dreams, such as in Nm 22-24, Isa 1:1, 6:1-
emerges out of the center of one’s free being; centering 13, 1 Sam 10:17-27, Gen 20:60); (b) in historical
because it unifies, integrates, and holds together all experiences that are grasped conceptually in the
aspects of the personality. Of course, such a categories of promise/fulfillment, slavery/freedom,
characterization of faith describes it in an almost ideal perdition/salvation (e.g., Dt. 26:5-9) and that have high
form. Faith takes on different psychological forms points like the calling of Abraham, of Moses in Israel’s
according to different stages in its development.5 The process of becoming a people, and of the prophets in the
principal or confessed object of faith may actually have stabilization of Israel; (c) in the experience of the word of
rivals that may or may not be conscious. Faith most God that reveals God’s self as the God of human beings,
distinctively is an adult phenomenon, although it can still the God of people (Ex 6:7, 8:6, 9:14; Ez 7:9, 21:10); (d) in
exist in less developed forms. Even though they are the experience of the covenant through which Israel, the
human, new-borns do not have faith in the sense unique people from the very beginning, is made God’s
described here, any more than they possess language in people (Gn 17:1-14).
 Central to the Christian faith is the fundamental Secondly, taking into account the cultural mind-
horizon of a God-with-us. Nothing is exempted, no space set of the Hebrew believer, the human being is
is left out, and no time is constrained by God’s presence. inescapably a social being, one who is related to others,
The presence never ceases and is never withdrawn; it to the world, and to God. The “world” is seen from a
keeps on pouring, as it were, or something dynamically communal perspective through families, the tribe, or
in movement. The Scriptures is filled with images that tell clan. This way, human existence is not only historical but
of the creative and freeing power of God let loose in the also social. In the Hebrew context, “to be” is relational;
world. God is a God who creates, sustains, and guides all that is, to exist is to be with others. Ancient Israel prizes
things. In the reflections of Israel, God was, is, and will community; one’s identity is bound to the community
forever be with them, giving hope and encouragement in (family, tribe, nation) where she or he belongs. The
a troubled world, fulfilling divine fidelity to the promise individual is incorporated into the tribal alliance. Israel
of shalom. The plurality of human speech for God’s free, thought and lived out its want faith in Yhwh in a very
enduring and unwavering presence, coaches us that His strong tribal alliance. Yhwh is not there for the individual,
or Her presence is thoroughly inclusive, existential and but for the community as such. Certainly, the Israelite
experiential. does not ignore the redemption of individuals, but it puts
strongest emphasis on the truth that full human life is life
The content of this manifold revelation is above in the community. A God who is intimately related to
all: Yhwh is the God of Israel, lord of history, creator of humankind, therefore, is the God whom Israel puts its
the world, person, and initiator of the covenant. For the faith (cf. Genesis story wherein the Israelite puts his faith
Hebrews (the name for the Semitic people in ancient in a God who does not want the human being to be
Israel), history is the scene of God’s mighty acts. The alone.
Exodus deliverance is the exemplar or paradigmatic act
of a God who saves and liberates. From this perspective Thirdly, “to be” in the Hebrew thought is
we have a story of an enigmatic encounter in the book of affective; to be is to be in action; to exist is to influence
Exodus 3:1-15. or affect others. As already mentioned above, God is
known through his mighty deeds in history, i.e., by what
A bush is burning in the wilderness without being he does as God in the ordinary events of people’s lives.
consumed. In respect for the presence of the holy, Moses The question of “who is God” is reflected upon by the
removes his sandals. From the bush, he hears words of believer via the question, “what has God offered or
divine compassion for people who are enslaved, and effected to our lives?” This way of thinking will be carried
feels challenged to partner this God of the Hebrews in out also by the disciples in their reflection of Jesus. It is
winning their release. In this context, the exiled shepherd because God has effected deliverance, liberation,
asks the central God for a self-identifying name. It is salvation, or redemption, that the name of this God is
graciously given: ehyeh aser ehyeh, safeguarded in the solidarity (cf. Emmanuel, God-with-us). In such a culture,
sacred tetragrammaton YHWH. to have a name in the community means that one has
done good things in and for the community. The worst
In the first place, “to be” in the Hebrew thought thing that can happen to anyone is for his or her name to
is phenomenal; to be is to be there concretely and in be blotted out and forgotten, i.e., he or she failed to do
evidence. The God of Israel is a God who acts out his good things to be remembered by people. As the men
word within history. Israel has a strong sense of looking and women of wisdom have it: “The mourning of men
at its secular history as religious history, i.e., the world, and women is about their bodies, but the evil name of
life, people, events are the locus of God making himself sinners will be blotted out. Have regard for your name,
or herself present and known. One of the beautiful since it will remain for you longer than a thousand great
symbols or metaphors used to describe the presence of stores of gold. The days of a good life are numbered, but
God is that of a tent or dwelling (shekinah). It conveys the a good name endures forever” (Sir 41:11-13; cf. Prov
idea that Yhwh has no other shekinah than the world, 22:1, Eccles 7:1). Everything possible must be done to
and it is in the world that he or she both discloses and gain a good name, which Yhwh deserves this God has
saves. (Jürgen Moltmann) shown that his/her presence is effective.
 Within the Hebrew/Jewish, there is no such thing as
Taking into account these three aspects of sacred and profane, soul and body, spirit and matter
“existence” in the Hebrew culture, it can be posited that which are divided dualistically. They see reality
the name which Moses heard from the voice, ehyeh aser historically; hence when we say that God cares for the
ehyeh, is the name of God as “I am with you” or “I am “secular, social, historical and political realities,” we are
solidarity with you” - a God who is experienced us emphasizing in words the whole of reality which later
phenomenally, relationally, and effectively. Herman tradition and language in the church used because of the
Hendrickx puts it more clearly: “When we use the word changed (Greco-Roman) context.
revelation, we usually think first of all of God or Jesus
speaking. But strictly speaking, God does not speak. God God promises this well-being and the protection
has no mouth! What the Bible means is that at a given for this well-being. In this covenant perspective, Yhwh
moment God makes something known to people or to a initiates the covenant relationship, forging the people
particular person, like Abraham, or Moses. But God has a into a relationship. This covenant is sealed by a dual
hundred ways to make his will or his plan known.” The ceremony: a meal and a blood rite (Exod 24:1-11). Those
interpretation of ehyeh aser ehyeh, if it is at least valid, who eat together share the nourishment that sustains
can also explain another response of the Hebrews to the their lives, and ancient custom understands that to share
question, “what is God’s will?” This will of God is bread with someone is to become responsible for that
expressed in the central idiom of the covenant. person’s life. The sprinkling of the blood on the altar,
which signifies Yhwh, and on the people indicates that
The covenant is an international political treaty Yhwh and the people have become blood relatives, next-
between a great king and a lesser prince or the vassal. In of kin (again, remember the Semitic mind-set of a
ancient Mediterranean system of treaty, the great king communitarian personality). Blood was a symbol of life
gives the conditions of the treaty and makes promises for for the Hebrew people, as it was for many other ancient
the well-being of the vassal, including its protection. The peoples. Moses’ action of sprinkling the blood on the
promise of well-being consists of economic, social, twelve pillars (representing the twelve tribes of Israel)
political, and so forth. To make the treaty operational, thus affirmed that the life of Israel was joined to the life
the lesser prince or the people pledge their obedience of Yhwh. Yhwh’s deliverance of the people in the exodus,
and enjoy the protection of the great king. For obedience which is an exercise of the responsibility of the next-of-
means life; disobedience means death. This entails kin to ransom one who is enslaved, has already
following laws and decrees of the king. demonstrated this relationship. The Sinaitic covenant
idiom affirms a God whose primary investment has to do
The Old Testament term for covenant is berith. with the total welfare of people.
Israel uses this interpretative model of the covenant to
express and explain the relationship between God and It is within this covenant that Israel understood
humanity. its identity and mission. It provides the Jewish people
with a special identity, the twelve tribes are now one
The story of the Sinai covenant begins as the people whom God had gathered and sent. It also
people suffer oppression in Egypt in the 13th century BCE. provides them with a mission; Israel now had special
God hears their cry and moves to deliver them because responsibilities in the spheres of ethics and worship, and
“he remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and to bring the knowledge of the one living God to all
Jacob” (Exod 2:24). The exodus from Egypt creates for humankind.
God a special people. The experience at Sinai solemnizes
the bond created through the exodus. The covenant experience affirms how Israel’s
faith understood God’s revelation as something that
Experienced as a God whose name is “I am happens in history. A crucial element I the belief that God
solidarity with you,” Yhwh is like a great king who desires is faithful to his promise, that this God works within
nothing less, and cares decisively, about the secular, history and will show that he/she will conquer evil i.e.,
social, historical and political realities of people. The suffering, injustice, and oppression. This fidelity is
“will” of this God-king is humanity’s total well-being. embodied protologically in the biblical account of the
covenant of Yhwh with Israel, where God is portrayed as year kingdom of peace after his judgment
pledging everlasting faithfulness (e.g., Exod 19:24). The over the people and the downfall of “this
theme of divine fidelity is the dominant theme in biblical world,” that is, the world of injustice,
religion, and revelation is the story of the mighty acts of oppression, betrayal, and so forth. Only
a God who remains faithful in spite of our lack of trust. initiates who knew the signs would escape
What the Hebrews appropriated from the cultural- the wrath.
religious milieu was this basic framework of a binding
b. The kingdom of God as the restoration of the
relationship (i.o.w., walang iwanan). They, however,
kingdom of David. Some of Jesus’
rejected eventually the politico-legal aspects of
contemporaries hoped for the restoration of
protection and submission while injecting new things, national political theocracy in Israel, against
such as the elements of faithfulness (from the imageries all its colonizers, oppressors, and enemies,
of parent-child, husband-wife) and the ethical response, which at the time was the Roman colonizers.
which in the words of prophet Micah, consists of acting The Zealots represented this view.
justly, loving tenderly, and walking humbly with God. In
short, Israel’s mission is to proclaim a God who cares c. The kingdom of God is provisionally hidden in
decisively for his people, and so, we too must care the hearts and lovers of the Torah, a kingdom
decisively for the total well-being of people. We may which had to take shape in social
infer thus that “faith” in the Old Testament, from the righteousness in Israel. Without
covenant perspective, is rooted in God’s fidelity to the righteousness, the kingdom of God cannot
divine promises. Faith is not so much a matter of come to completion. Rabbis and Pharisees
held this view. The malkuth Yhwh (Hebrew)
believing as of hearing: hearing the word of God and
or basiliea tou theo (Greek) comes to
accepting it with trust and obedience. The prophet Micah
fulfillment in faith-observance of God’s will.
puts it aptly: What Yahweh demands is this – act justly, Accordingly, conversion, change-of-life
love tenderly, and walk humbly with Him/Her. orientation and observance of the law again
make it possible the rule of God in oppressed
Jesus of Nazareth and the Kingdom of God Israel and in the long run (it was thought, if
Central to the words and deeds of the historical not in the near future) would break foreign
Jesus was his proclamation of the kingdom of God. As a rule. Following the precepts of the Torah was
Galilean Jew, Jesus used the kingdom of God as a doing God’s will, and this accelerated the
category to speak of Yhwh’s relationship with and coming of the kingdom. Finally, the Lord
promise for humanity. The idea finds origin in the notion would exercise universal rule over all people
of the Kingship of Yhwh (cf. covenant) or the reign of God who accepted belief in Yhwh, “the One.”
(in Hebrew: malkuth Yahweh; in Greek: baseliea tou
theo). In the first century Palestine, the world where During the time of Jesus, there was high
Jesus lived, the kingdom of God is associated with the expectation of the coming of the kingdom of God. This
Roman empire, and the emperor called himself as Son of expectation rests on Israel’s own history, which was
God. Among the Jews, God’s kingdom was an anticipated marked by oppression, injustice, exile, and
reality in the light of Israel’s hope for the covenantal marginalization (i.e., the negative experience of
promise of total well-being. Such expectation, in contrast). In such contexts, hope played a central role in
connection to the framework of our course, belongs to Israel, and the hope for God’s promise took the form in
the pole of “tradition.” For the Jews, God’s reign is the expectation of a kingdom where God rules.
understood in three ways.
Jesus himself did not define the kingdom of God.
a. The kingdom of God as an eschatological He went around to carry out a mission. In relation to the
promise, a transcendent, universal rule tradition that God’s reign is a future transcendent reality,
which God alone would establish in the end- Jesus was convinced of the nearness of God’s kingdom
times. The “community of the poor” in (Mt 3:17; Mk 1:15). It is highly probable that he got the
Qumran had this kind of understanding. It idea of God’s kingdom from John the Baptist. Unlike
was thought that God would come in the John’s proclamation of God’s kingdom with a threatening
imminent future to establish a thousand- warning, Jesus proclaimed it as good news. God’s
kingdom is not disastrous or something to be feared but Hebrew: mashiah); in Greek: christos; cf. 2 Sam 7:11-14).
a welcome hope of new life. The nearness of God’s reign In Jewish tradition, the messiah is the anointed one who
was spoken in parables and sayings, but Jesus also would bring justice, peace, and righteousness. The
demonstrated through actions what the experience of political dimension of Israel’s prophets and that of Jesus
God’s reign is. In his healings, people experienced referred to the relevance and impact of their practices on
wellness of the whole self; in his identification and public affairs in general. The proclamations of Jesus were
protection of the poor, people felt their human dignity is primarily concerned not with private behavior but with
restored; in his table-fellowship with the outcasts, public behavior. Furthermore, their political dimension
people realized how important they were in God’s eyes; did not exclude their religious dimension: the political
in his forgiveness of others, people were released form interacted closely and reflexively with the religious.
the ideologies of their culture that had placed them in Moreover, Jesus rejected the title “messiah” because of
the margins of society. Jesus thus was seen by his its narrow meaning in terms only of political activity in
disciples as a prophet of the kingdom in the tradition of relation to administering a state, as the Zealots thought.
the old. Yet unlike the old prophets, Jesus put into action Jesus’ kingdom of God is in its broader and in fact more
the kingdom of God as a here-and-now experiential fundamental meaning: it is about the restoration of
reality and still a future reality. justice, peace, and righteousness.

In relation to the tradition that says God’s reign Historically, Jesus’ concept of the rule or reign of
is a matter of political governance, Jesus’ words and God is closely related to that of the Pharisees. However,
deeds were not directly about political governance as for Jesus, this rule is something original and distinctive.
much as they have significant political repercussions. As the stories in the Gospels attest, Jesus rejects the
According to Juan Luis Segundo, for Jesus the poor are Pharisee’s identification of righteousness with cultic
the primary beneficiaries of God’s Rule not because of purity. He also rejects domination and exploitation of
any merit of theirs or because poverty in itself is holy. The urban elites (Pharisees, temple priests, Sadducees). For
Kingdom is for them because of their inhuman condition Jesus, human beings, not temple and Torah, are locus of
as poor people, a condition that God does not want. God’s power and presence. Through his parables and
God’s Rule implies that the poor will cease to be poor. sayings, and evidently in his healings, caring for the poor
This conviction of Jesus was considered irregular or even outcasts and sinners that Jesus indicated how he
scandalous by many of his contemporaries because it understood this kingdom. For Jesus, the kingdom of God
suggested a close and positive relationship between is not a place but an event or an experience: the kingdom
God’s Rule and the situation of poor people. In his of God is to be found where human life becomes whole,
declaration of beatitude to the poor, Jesus was not where “salvation” is realized for men and women, where
concerned with the poor’s inner dispositions or their righteousness and love begin to prevail, and enslaving
moral and religious worth. His declaration pointed at the conditions end. Jesus made this reality of the kingdom
kind of God he believed in and the will of this God. Jesus imaginable in terms of a common participation in a
reveals a God who does not want the miserable state of festive and splendid banquet in which the cripples, the
the poor even if some of the poor themselves have vices poor and the social outcasts can share. Clearly connected
or are inclined to vices. Furthermore, by declaring that with this is the fact that he ate illegally (in religious terms)
God’s Rule, the highest kind of rule, belongs to the poor, with people who were ignored, rejected and denied of
Jesus indicates that God takes their side in their hidden their human dignity in his society. Jesus radicalized and
and open conflicts with their oppressors among the rich transcended the Pharisaic notion of table-fellowship. In
and the elite. Thus, for Segundo, the beatitudes and the communal eating together, Jesus implemented God’s
God’s Rule are not only religious proclamations but also kingdom by his concern for his fellow humans of the
political ones. Jesus of Nazareth was definitely a politico- coming reality, and thus anticipated the coming to
religious figure and not a solely religious one. fullness or completion of the kingdom of God. The
coming kingdom is a kingdom of God. It is at the disposal
The political dimension of Jesus was comparable of men and women, though they are demanded to
to the political dimension of the ancient Israelite participate in its realization. This kingdom takes concrete
prophets who announced the coming of a messiah (in form in human action. The kingdom is not wholly present
and final, but wherever and whenever Jesus performed on revelation as coming in the form of verbal statements,
his work of salvation, the kingdom of God is realized. but it insists that the truths, once known, can be
Whereas in the Old Testament and the Pharisees already formulated in declarative sentences, for example, “The
understood it to be strongly focused on the whole of Word was made flesh,” “The Lord is risen.” (1994)
human reality, Jesus made this visible by his action: Peter Holmes
physical and social life are also part of the sphere of the The … model seems to find some support in the
offer of wholeness of life or salvation. The kingdom of Scriptures. In the Old Testament the people of Israel are
God is a new world in which suffering is done away with invited to receive the laws of the covenant, to ―write
(e.g., not by master-slave relationship). them on your doorframes of your houses and on your
gates.7 The covenant of God with his chosen people
Conclusion seems to take the form of specific propositions. The law
In the Hebrew-Jewish culture, God reveals God’s is emphatically pronounced from the stone tablets
self in and through human experiences not only of the Moses brings from the mountain, placing great emphasis
individual but also the Israelite community. God’s on the fact they are written, literally carved in stone, for
revelation happens in history. Faith is not so much a all to see, seek to understand and to do.8 In the New
matter of believing but as the prophet Micah puts it Testament Christ himself affirms that all of God‘s Word
aptly: What Yahweh demands is this – act justly, love is eternal. He insists that man shall live ―by every word
tenderly, and walk humbly with Him/Her. that comes from the mouth of God.9
On the other hand, it could be argued that the covenant
Emmanuel S. de Guzman cannot be reduced to mere propositions. It describes a
Agnes M. Brazal relationship between God and his people. The covenant
contains a great deal more physical action or ceremony
than specific propositions. The establishment of the
INTRODUCTION TO THE MODELS OF FAITH covenant itself includes a few verses of commandments,
Avery Dulles followed by approximately forty chapters consisting
….There is no one thing “out there” that demands to be largely of liturgical instructions.10
called “faith.” The word “faith” is a conventional sign that
has been used to designate certain aspects of the Fiducial: Faith as Personal Trust
religious life, especially in the biblical religions. Christians Avery Dulles (1994)
use it predominantly to designate a basic saving [In this model, faith is identified] more closely with
relationship with God into which people enter by trust…. In the Bible, terms such as pistis are often more
responding to God as he reveals. Beyond this, there is suitably rendered into English by “trust” than by “faith.”
little agreement. The biblical usage of terms such as the Avery Dulles (1977)
Hebrew ‘emunah, the Greek pistis, and their cognates [The fiducial model] highlights the believer’s personal
(usually translated in the Vulgate by fides and its relationship with God. [It] looks on God less as revealer
cognates) is sufficiently flexible to allow [interpretation than as Savior….In general the biblical…notion of faith
in] ….different directions. (1994) (enumah, pistis) is much wider than in the intellectualist
approach. The believer confidently relies on God who has
Intellectualist: Faith as Believing fully committed himself to the people of his choice, who
Avery Dulles has promised them salvation, and who has shown
[Faith is] an assent to revealed truths on the authority of himself faithful to his promises in the past. The central
God the revealer….The theory does not necessarily look promises in both the Old and the New Testaments are

7 instructions are primarily liturgical, and other matters are

Dt 6:9, 11:20. 7 Ex 24:7, Dt 6:6-7, Ps 19:7-11, Ps 119. 8 Mt
5:18. ―Not one letter, not the least stroke of a pen will placed into a liturgical context with liturgical implications. cf
disappear from the law. cf Mt 24:35, Mk 13:31, Lk 16:17, John W. Kleinig, Leviticus (St Louis: Concordia, 2003), 22.
21:33, Isa 40:8, Ps 119:89-91. 9 Mt 4:4 (citing Dt 8:3). 11. For example Ps 19, 119. 12 1 Tm 6:20, 2 Tm 1:14. 13 1
8
Ex 24:7, Dt 6:6-7, Ps 19:7-11, Ps 119 Tm 1:13. 14 cf 1 Cor 11:2, 15:3, Gal 1:12, Eph 4:20
9
Mt 4:4 (citing Dt 8:3) E
10
Laws and advice on moral matters are often interwoven
with liturgical instructions but the point remains that these
represented in the form of covenants, that is to say, may not be done on the Sabbath. But Jesus begins
collective contracts in which God, as senior treaty with something else. He tells them that the
partner, offers to protect the people who faithfully serve Sabbath is made for the human being, and not the
him. Through the revelation given to the patriarchs, human being for the Sabbath. That is, whether the
prophets and kings, the Israelite nation was urged to rely Sabbath is sacred or not is not in the word of God
on God’s covenant promises and was blessed if they did speaking of what is permitted or forbidden on tht
so. day, but in what God intends for the human being
In the Synoptic Gospels, faith is practically for the good of the human being. God has made
equivalent to trust. Praise is given to those who rely on the Sabbath for the good of the human being, and
the power of Jesus to heal, to forgive sins, and to bestow therefore only those who seek the good of the
salvation and life. After the resurrection, the apostles in human being understand what is written
their kerygma and proclamation called for confident concerning the Sabbath. (Segundo,123)
trust in Jesus as the one in whom alone justification and One who intends human well-being and acts accordingly
remission of sins were to be sought “for there is no other is able to get into right interpretation of God’s will or law.
name under heaven given among men by which we must Segundo relates this reversed order of theologizing to St.
be saved (Acts 4:12)…. Augustine’s expression: “If you cannot make me better
In Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians, than I was, then why are you talking to me?” Human
Abraham is the prototype of faith because “in hope he beings understand only what affects them, what makes
believed against hope that he should become the father them better or worse.
of many nations as he had been told (Rom. 4:18, cf. Gal. Peter Holmes
3:6-9). The live by the promises given by God in Jesus [The father of liberation theology Gustavo
Christ. They are saved neither by the justice of naturally Gutierrez] insists that faith, while not providing a specific
good works, nor by obedience to the Law, but by the plan for social organisation, demands that we work
promise of free grace stemming from Christ who is both actively for a just society. This faith, lived within human
just and obedient. (23-24) history, brings Christ ‘s victory into the world in order to
overcome it. He contends that the God of the Bible is a
Performative: Faith as Praxis God who acts in concrete historical salvation within
Agnes Brazal history, and that God orients history in a specific
Unlike in previous models where faith is direction. Through his faithful people, God changes the
regarded a response to revelation (our understanding of world better to resemble his kingdom. God calls his
God’s will), here anthropological faith as expressed in people to be faithful to his social ideal, specifically in his
commitment to the poor and the oppressed precedes constant call to uphold the downtrodden, oppressed and
revelation. Faith comes first before revelation; powerless. In Jesus Christ, God becomes the poor and
orthopraxis (right action) precedes orthodoxy (right suffering whom we must tend and defend. Faith does not
teaching). In a person’s social engagement with the poor, end in personal belief but shines in action, in lived faith.
one gets to know who God is and what God’s will is for To believe, then, is to ―love God and to be in solidarity
us. This reversed order is biblically-based: John 3: 21 with the poor and exploited of this world‖, and an
states: “whoever does what is true comes to the light.” engagement in the struggle for greater justice and
Jeremiah 22: 13-17 likewise states, “To know God is to do liberation.11
justice.”
Juan Luis Segundo, sj, illustrates this reversed Sources:
order in his reading of the biblical text on the correct Dulles, Avery, sj. “The Meaning of Faith Considered in
interpretation of the Sabbath. Relationship to Justice,” in The Faith That Does Justice:
Jesus’ adversaries have already gone to Scripture, Examining the Christian Sources for Social Change, 10-46,
seemingly with all necessary scientific apparatus ed. John C. Haughey. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1977.
and a neutral heart, to ask what may and what

11
Gustavo Gutierrez, “A Theology of Liberation,” in
Wogaman & Strong, Readings in Christian Ethics, 341.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996.
Dulles, Avery, sj. The Assurance of Things Hoped For: A movements emerge from needs of particular situations
Theology of Christian Faith, Chap. 8 “Models and Issues.” and a product of love and concern of the people for the
NY: Oxford University Press, 1994. Church. And because more people are enjoined to
Holmes, Peter. “Models of Faith and Reason.” Master of participate, each one's giftedness and talent is put to full
Theology (Th.M)), University of Notre Dame Australia, use allowing for an immense appreciation of charisms or
2010. gifts from all people.
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/50?utm_source Pros and Cons in Ecclesial Movements
=researchonline.nd.edu.au%2Ftheses%2F50&utm_medi
um=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages Pros
Segundo, Juan Luis, sj, “Option for the Poor: - more homogenous and focused as each
Hermeneutical Key for Understanding the Gospel,” in movement is specifically catered to a ministry
Signs of the Times: Theological Reflections, 119-127. allowing people to participate according to their
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1993. giftedness and vocation.
- there is also a more relational and communal
ambiance in ecclesial movements due to less-
MODULE 1 hierarchical and more collegial structure of
THE ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS leadership and organization.
- Laypeople are also more attracted to participate
Ecclesial movements and join as these are usually the areas of church
ministry that they can join in to given the limited
- a collective term for many volunteer groups and sacramental offices that laypeople can join into.
associations that have arisen within the Church, - It is also appealing to cultural minorities due to its
mostly in the twentieth century (McCord 2012). more focused charism or orientation in relation to
- In a message by Pope John Paul II in 1998 during its ministry and target activity.
the 1st World Congress of Ecclesial Movements
and New Communities, the pope acknowledges Cons
the encouraging presence of ecclesial movements
and liken them to springtime moment in the - the impression that these movements, at least
Church where it offers freshness of experience some of them, have become elitist and absolutist,
based on personal encounter with Christ. perhaps owing to the fact that some of them have
- In the Philippines, we have a significant number of only catered to exclusive groups and classes.
them and are very much immersed and embedded - a tendency of these organizations to demand their
in local dioceses and parishes as well in national members strict adherence as membership has
fronts. Examples of these are El Shaddai become exclusive and highly selective.
movement, Couples for Christ, Focolare, Opus Dei, - Some of them have also become too much
Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary and more. identified with their founders resulting to
tendencies of false worship or quasi-idolatry.
Slide 2: Parishes too sometimes clash with these groups as
some of these groups have their own national
As defined, ecclesial movement is a collective term for offices that do not want their local networks to
many volunteer groups and associations that have fully comply with parish directives as they assert
emerged in the 20th century particularly after the Second full authority of their national leadership and
Vatical Council. In one of the documents of Vatican II, policies.
Lumen Gentium #12 defines "movement" as having
characterized by "newness, dynamism, spontaneity, and Examples of ecclesial movements in the Philippines
charismatic quality". It is new as it offers freshness in the
Church whose air had been stale due to long centuries of - movements founded by clerics or religious as well
cleric-centered hierarchy and structure that denied any as those by laypeople
non-ordained laity (non-priests) any meaningful - movements initiated by religious communities like
participation and involvement in Church affairs and the De La Salle Brothers Philippines as well as
ministry. Its dynamism is a result of increased participation communities that are transparochial or those that
by laity ithrough their high-spirited and lively initiative in do not emerge as a parish-based initiative but are
ecclesial affairs. It is spontaneous too as many of these present in a network of parishes but whose
 leadership, policies, and management are beyond accountability, implantation, authentic doctrine,
and outside the parish priest and council. complementarity, social involvement, and holiness.

Slide 4:

There are about 122 associations that are officially

recognized by the Pontifical Council of the Laity yet
only about 15 of them are active in the Philippines.
On the other hand, there are also initiatives from
the parish ground but have not achieve official
designations but inasmuch as the local parish priest
and bishop allows it, then it is fine.

Slide 5:

We can categorize ecclesial movements according to their

apostolic direction or to which specific direction their
ministry and mission is in relation to Church and the world.
The ecclesial movement is categorized as "ad intra" if it is
mainly concerned with internal engagements and affairs in
the Church. For example, the ministry of Legion of Mary is
more on developing and practicing habits of prayer
particularly the praying of rosary among the faithful hence
the focus is internal formation of people within the church
space. Ad extra movements are those that are concerned
with the affairs of the world or those that are outside the
church space; venturing into dialogue and address of
political situations, economic, cultural and ecological
concerns. The main aim of ad extra movements is to
contribute to the transformation of social structures in the
name of social justice and charity. Examples of these
movements are PPCRV (on safeguard of honest and fair
elections) and some activities on environmental
awareness and education.

Slide 6:

A certain ecclesial movement may also fall in the middle of

the so-called spectrum of movements where it is a mix of
both the ad extra and ad intra orientations. Here, the
movements provide their members activities that range
from spiritual and sacramental formation as well as extra
ecclesial activities like service to environment and
alleviation of poverty of people.

Slide 7:

In order to safeguard the entire faithful of the Church and

guide them in their choice of membership to an ecclesial
movement, the Church offers certain criteria and
attributes for a movement to gain a sense of legitimacy. In
an exhortation by Pope John Paul II in 1988, he offered the
criteria of ecclesiality as the ultimate sole basis for
legitimacy of any emerging ecclesial movement. This
criterion is further explained in six (6) attributes, namely,