The charismatic experience as an experience of God’s action in the world: a study of Karl Rahner's theology as a charismatic theology

Abstract

The first chapter of this thesis examines some of the Pauline material concerning charismatic experience and argues that such experience is bound up with the experience of grace. This grace is the grace of Christ and consequently involves self-sacrificial love and a sharing in the sufferings of Christ. The second chapter takes a broad look at Rahner's thought, bringing out his concern with experience of the Spirit and the charismatic nature of his theology. The third chapter examines the philosophical influences behind Rahner's thought. This is an essential task since Rahner's metaphysics of knowledge provides the framework for his understanding of experience of God in grace and the philosophy of Martin Heidegger influences the way Rahner thinks about grace. The fourth chapter shows the importance of love for Rahner's understanding of experience of God and is the philosophical counterpart to the exegetical material in the first chapter. The fifth chapter examines the nature of Rahner's understanding of grace and its christocentric character, picking up a theme started in the second chapter. The sixth chapter questions the adequacy of Rahner's understanding of God's involvement with the world. The seventh chapter develops the notion of charismatic transformation and points to a deficiency in Rahner's thought in this area, due to an inadequate pneumatology and also, a point developed in the previous chapter, the inability to posit change in God which compromises Rahner's understanding of God's involvement with the , world. The final chapter examines the corporate nature of the charismatic experience and corrects the individualistic bias in Rahner's thought.