Theses about the Synodal Church

On this page I try to collect controversial thesis statements (i.e. some participants feel that they are important and true while others feel that they are either pointless or wrong).

TODO: remove statements that nobody would refuse/accept

TS01

Any conviction can give the wrong answer to a controversial question.

TS02

A controversial dialogue turns into a battle if and only if the participants fail to be aware of TS01.

TS03

We are called to differentiate between the (ideal) Church and “our” (visible) church. No visible church has a priority over her sister churches.

TS04

“The church teachings are [the authoritative|a satisfying] manifestation of [the truth|our knowledge] about God”

TS05

We are called to witness the [truth|knowledge] we have been given through the church teachings.

TS06

Our church is not searching for truth, it has found the truth in Jesus Christ.

In contradiction with TS19?

TS07

Every teacher is always also a learner: these two go together. [Jürgenstein] Teaching always includes learning.

TS08

Any knowledge element that is refused by at least one group of Baptized cannot be part of the church teachings.

TS09

The major outcome of the Synod on Synodality will be to discern which knowledge elements of the church teachings need an update.

TS10

We are called to protect ourselves from temptations that make us doubt in the teachings of our church.

TS11

The teachings of the Church must never be in conflict with scientific evidence.

TS12

Announcing the Gospel to all peoples means to constantly find new words for it.

TS13

The Church lives and grows like a vineyard or a cedar of Lebanon. It is not designed to “journey” around.

TS14

We are called to faithfully trust in the truth about the Gospel as it has been taught by our church from its beginnings.

TS15

The truth of the Gospel has been taught reliably and without mistakes by our church from its beginnings.

TS16

The teachings of our church are reliable, doubting in them is heresy.

TS17

The teachings of the Roman Catholic church are more valuable than those of other church denominations.

TS18

The main question of the Synod and the Catholic church is how we can live as the Church according to our teachings, and how to influence other people and especially the members of our church in a reliable way.

TS19

Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it. – Edith Stein (1891-1942)

TS20

The Church protects our community against our enemies.

TS21

Those who do not follow the teachings of the Church are not on our side, we need to protect ourselves against them.

TS22

The teachings of our church are reliable, well elaborated and carefully researched. We must not doubt in these teachings.

TS23

The Bible [teaches us clearly | tells us important stories about humanity’s searching for] what is good and true.

Q1

In the Church and in society we are side by side on the same road.

All Baptized are called to hold together because we need to learn from each other.

The gospel is a radical liberation from death, which enables us to love without fear. [Henry Nouwen, Jesus Sinn meines Lebens, p.43]

There are Baptized who misunderstand the Gospel in a given situation and therefore follow something else. And there are people who follow the Gospel in this situation but refuse to identify as Baptized.

There are people who refuse to get baptized because they have seen more harm than good caused by some church.