Product Description

William T. Cavanaugh gives a study of radical implications of Christian believing, and a cultural critique of modern Western civilization from the perspective of a believing Catholic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #329542 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 130 pages

Customer Reviews

Eucharistic Ecclesiology
In this very short text, Cavanaugh presents an argument that the church, when it properly celebrates the Eucharist, confronts oppressive political structures as a counter-politics. Through the sacrament, the church embodies an alternative to nationalism, civil society, and globalization. In the first chapter, Cavanaugh outlines the way the emergence of the nation-state created an individualized religion. This is because the state presents a narrative of salvation. The church, on the other hand, presents a true story of salvation as it participates in the Eucharist. In the second chapter, Cavanaugh outlines the contention of some Christians that the church should particpate in civil society, since it is a "free space" and the means of reform. However, the church is a free and public space, in the best senses of the terms, as it gathers around the Lord's table. Here Christians can truly engage in acts that can transform the world. Finally, in the third chapter Cavanaugh takes on globalization. As he presents it, globalization is an extension of the project of the nation-state. Globalization allows the universal to dominate the local, to a greater degree than nation-states do. The church is a counter-politics in that the Eucharist allows for a spacial relations to be reconceived. The universal/local dichotomy is collapsed as the universal is encapsulated in the local.

This is a great collection of essays. The only problem is that the book is too short. Cavanaugh promises more to come on these topics. I hope that he is true to his word. This is a must read for those interested in the church and politics.