One thing implicit in that dense, pithy quote from JP2 is a way of transcending the tired old debate between the standard models of the Atonement, such as the "satisfaction," "exemplary," and "ransom" models. Each such model expresses the truth in a particular way but needs supplementation so as to avoid distortion of the mystery. The Pope's formulation hearkens to the preferred approach of the Eastern Fathers without sacrificing what the others have to offer.
Michael,
Nice point. I always disliked the notion of competing "theories" of atonement anyway -- Christus victor, Christus exemplar, etc. These, as you suggest, represent only facets of the whole, pictured only piecemeal and partially (even) in Scripture. Thank you.
Interesting essay here http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ241.HTM
See also my weblog on Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Fundamentalism.
Catholic fundamentalism? I know Fr. O'Leary has caricature my faith as fundamentalism. He could be on to something. According to this quiz --
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=43870
-- my "theological worldview" is 100% Catholic but 50% Fundamentalist. Here's the analysis given to me by the All-Wise, All-Knowing Theological Worldview Quiz:
You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you.
Roman Catholic 100%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 82%
Neo orthodox 71%
Fundamentalist 50%
Emergent/Postmodern 43%
Classical Liberal 32%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 32%
Reformed Evangelical 25%
Modern Liberal 21%
I'm just dying to find out how this quiz rates Fr. O'Leary.
By the way, I've read that essay of Dave Armstrong's that Fr. O'Leary has linked to. As I have frequently found with Dave's writings, it's very insightful. (Dave was a huge influence on my conversion to Catholicism.)
Of course, it's somewhat ironic that Fr. O'Leary would probably classify Dave Armstrong as a Catholic Fundamentalist too.
I filled in the questions very honestly and scored as 96% Roman Catholic! How about that!
I was 82% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan, 79% Neo-orthodox, 57% Emergent/Postmodern, 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal, 43% Classical Liberal, 39% Modern Liberal, 29% Reformed Evangelical, and 14% Fundamentalist.
"You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you."
This is all true enough, but I think the little oracle had trouble categorizing me!
Who is fundamentalist? Joe 14% Polycarp 50%.
It turns out that Polycarp and I are equally Roman Catholic but that his infusion of fundamentalism is replaced in my case by an infusion of liberalism. I hope this will now persuade him and Dr Blosser to stop insinuating that I am a heretic!
Very interesting.
My scores were:
Roman Catholic 100%
Neo orthodox 71%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 71%
Fundamentalist 68%
Classical Liberal 32%
Reformed Evangelical 21%
Emergent/Postmodern 14%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 11%
Modern Liberal 7%
Interesting. I think this really does reflect me.
One thing, though, O'Leary. Either you're 100% Catholic, or you are a heretic, don't you think? Hehehe
Well, not equally Catholic -- if that quiz is to be trusted, you don't believe everything that Jesus has handed on to the Church, but you do believe nearly all of it.
What I thought was most interesting about my results is that 43% Emergent/Postmodern score (which Fr. O'Leary has at 57%). But then Regine Pernoud has suggested that such an outlook has more in common with a medieval outlook than with the Renaissance/Modern outlook, so maybe that has something to do with it. Perhaps my worldview isn't medieval enough. 
OK, but let's not make the mistake of thinking our little wizard oracle is Infallible! That way lies direst superstition.
Very true -- but I'm stil curious to see how it would rate Dr. Blosser . . . .
Roman Catholic 96%
Neo Orthodox 79%
Evangelical Holiness/Weslayan 79%
Fundamentalist 61%
Emergent/PostModern 39%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 39%
Reformed evangemical 36%
Classical Liberal 36%
Modern Liberal 21%
Same comment as Polycarp.
Now: someone please explain what "emergent/postmodern" and "neo-orthodox" mean.
Ooooh! Ralph and Fr. O'Leary both got a 96% score on Roman Catholicism! Fie on you both, you heretics!
Just kidding.
I'm not sure what emergent/post modern and neo-orthodox refer to. Well, I "know" what post-modernism is, or is supposed to be, but I doubt I could explain it properly. But I haven't a clue what neo-orthodoxy is supposed to be.
By chance I happened upon quiz farm's comments regarding "emergent/postmodern". Eugh.
To quiz farm, the e/p-m:
(1) is "alienated from older forms of Church"
(2) the older Church "doesn't relate to culture vrey well"
(3) "no one knows the whole truth about God"
(4) "we have much to learn from each other"
(5) "dialogue is preferable to crusades and altar-calls"
(6) "Church should help people ask questions" -- I guess as opposed to answering them.
Much of this is relativistic liberal mush; the rest strikes me as simplistic tripe that could be taken in a number of ways (ie, #1 & 2). I guess I can't fault quiz farm for not finding a spine in a bowl of oatmeal.
Quick research to answer my own question. Neo-orthodoxy is associated with Barth (although there are others & they all disagree with one another yada yada yada). It stresses (1) revelation as opposed to reason (2) the transcendence of God as opposed to His immanence and "knowability" (3) Christian existentialism, which emphasizes the paradoxicality (absurdity?) of man's relationship to God, and a Kierkegaardian emphasis on each man's determining his own relationship with God independent of doctrine, dogma, etc.
Nice try, Karl.
Well, this little quiz is interesting in that it at least shows how much in common we have with Christians of other traditions. Even Fr. O'Leary, no friend of fundamentalism, may agree with fundamentalists about 14 percent of the time, whereas I would agree with Barthian "neo-orthodoxy" 71 percent of the time.
Assuming this quiz is really a trustworthy yardstick, that is. It's certainly fun, though.
(1) is "alienated from older forms of Church"
Nope, I certainly am not.
(2) the older Church "doesn't relate to culture very well"
Nope, I disagree with that.
(3) "no one knows the whole truth about God"
Of course -- any Catholic who doesn't know that had a shoddy catechesis.
(4) "we have much to learn from each other"
No argument there.
(5) "dialogue is preferable to crusades and altar-calls"
No, I don't think it's preferable -- it should be something we do along with evangelism, indeed, as an evangelistic effort.
(6) "Church should help people ask questions" -- I guess as opposed to answering them.
I don't have a problem with the Church helping people ask questions -- that's the only way to learn -- as long as She also fulfills her divine mandate of answering the questions that She can answer.
Yeh, except that if you accept flat out that "we have so much to learn from each other", you turn evangelism and apologetics into good vibes and pattycake. Not that there's no truth to the proposition, but if it is the foundation of your "dialogue", you pretty much toss evangelism in the ash can.
I guess, if you're an "emergent/postmodern", that's the whole idea anyway.
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