Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale342

tomb.14 The ultimate effectiveness of their preaching did not depend on

''lofty words'' or ''human wisdom'',15 but rather on the work of the Spirit 16

who confirmed the authoritative witness of the Apostles.17 The nucleus of

Paul's preaching and that of the early Church was none other than Jesus

Christ, and ''him crucified''.18 But this proclamation had to be guaranteed by

the purity of normative doctrine expressed in creedal formulae - symbola -

which articulated the essence of the Christian faith and constituted the foun-

dation for the unity of the baptized.19

My dear friends, the power of the kerygma has lost none of its internal

dynamism. Yet we must ask ourselves whether its full force has not been

attenuated by a relativistic approach to Christian doctrine similar to that

found in secular ideologies, which, in alleging that science alone is ''objec-

tive'', relegate religion entirely to the subjective sphere of individual feeling.

Scientific discoveries, and their application through human ingenuity, un-

doubtedly offer new possibilities for the betterment of humankind. This does

not mean, however, that the ''knowable'' is limited to the empirically verifi-

able, nor religion restricted to the shifting realm of ''personal experience''.

For Christians to accept this faulty line of reasoning would lead to the

notion that there is little need to emphasize objective truth in the presenta-

tion of the Christian faith, for one need but follow his or her own conscience

and choose a community that best suits his or her individual tastes. The

result is seen in the continual proliferation of communities which often es-

chew institutional structures and minimize the importance of doctrinal con-

tent for Christian living.

Even within the ecumenical movement, Christians may be reluctant to

assert the role of doctrine for fear that it would only exacerbate rather than

heal the wounds of division. Yet a clear, convincing testimony to the salva-

tion wrought for us in Christ Jesus has to be based upon the notion of

normative apostolic teaching: a teaching which indeed underlies the inspired

word of God and sustains the sacramental life of Christians today.

14 Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30. 15 1 Cor 2:13. 16 Eph 3:5. 17 Cf. 1 Cor 15:1-11. 18 1 Cor 2:2. 19 Cf. 1 Cor 15:3-5; Gal 1:6-9; Unitatis Redintegratio, 2.