Kurt Koch, Die Kirche Gottes: Gemeinschaft im Geheimnis des Glaubens

KURT KOCH ON THE CHURCH This article discusses Kurt Koch’s book on the church as a crucial text for con¬tem¬po¬ra¬ry theology. Koch adopts a ‘hermeneutics of reform’ and emphasizes that the image of the church as the people of God should not be employed in isolation from the image of the church as the mystical body of Christ. He proposes that we return to the early Christian order in the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, eucharist. He also suggests that a return to some form of disciplina arcani might enable the church to safeguard its time-honored sacramental liturgy, while simultaneously making room for new ritual forms for those who no longer understand the traditional liturgy. Finally, he emphasizes that the ecumenical movement should not be content with cooperation and mutual recognition, but should aim at real unity.