A century has passed since Karl Rahner’s birth, and two decades have passed since his death. Yet this remarkable theologian has left a legacy of wisdom as relevant today as it was during Rahner’s time. In God in the World: A Guide to Karl Rahner’s Theology, Thomas O’Meara looks anew at Rahner’s insights and theological principles. Through O’Meara’s clear and engaging style, readers will discover—or rediscover, as the case may be—how invaluable Rahner is for the church today.
Rahner’s is a theology that considers both people and history as important. It is a theology that begins with grace as God’s self-communication, God’s gift of life shared with humankind. It is a theology that directly speaks to some of the tensions we as the church, the people of God, struggle with today: religious pluralism and salvation through Jesus Christ, the roles of priests and lay ecclesial ministers, the offices of bishops and popes, the movements of secular modernity and religious fundamentalism. O’Meara helps the reader find in Rahner a traditional revolutionary whose theology sees the depth, extent, and vitality of faith, hope and love in the hearts of all people.
Thomas O’Meara, OP PhD, is the William K. Warren Professor of Theology Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. He studied with Karl Rahner at the University of Munich and continues to receive numerous invitations to teach and speak on Rahner. Among his recent publications are A Theologian’s Journey, Theology of Ministry, Thomas Aquinas Theologian.