THE PONTIFICATE OF BENEDICT XVI: ITS PREMISES AND PROMISES

Few persons of the theological stature of Joseph Ratzinger -- and with such a developed corpus of theological works -- have been elected Pope. There is no question that his pontificate will be extremely influential for the Roman Catholic Church and the world. But the question is In what ways? This volume, published on the fourth anniversary of Benedict's election as Pope, offers considered insights into that key question. William Rusch has pulled together an ecumenical gathering of viewpoints -- Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Reformed, and Roman Catholic. Coming from this spectrum of Christian traditions, the authors examine how the life experiences and theological reflections of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger will likely influence the pontificate of Benedict XVI. "Again and again, [conference] participants expressed their pleased surprise at discovering that Ratzinger . . . was an intense but modest partner in exploring the truth of the Christian tradition and its more effective communication in a world frequently hostile to that truth. Those who have known Ratzinger over the years know him to be a man eager to listen, learn, and candidly respond to questions such as those addressed by the contributors to this volume." -- Richard John Neuhaus (from the afterword) Contributors Cheryl Bridges Johns (Pentecostal) Sara Butler (Roman Catholic) Dale T. Irvin (Baptist) Metropolitan Maximos (Greek Orthodox) Harding Meyer (Lutheran) Richard John Neuhaus (Roman Catholic) Ephraim Radner (Episcopalian) William G. Rusch (Lutheran) Joseph D. Small (Presbyterian) Geoffrey Wainwright (Methodist)