The Church of God and Its Human Face

“The Church of God and Its Human Face represents an indispensable contribution to contemporary ecclesiology because of its thorough analysis of work of Joseph Komonchak on the theology of the local church. Madar carefully situates Komonchak’s work in the broader context of 20th century Catholic ecclesiology, and rightly identifies the central problem of this ecclesiology in the search for adequate theological foundations. Both a worthy tribute and thoughtful development of the work of one of the great ecclesiologist of the post-Vatican II era.”


—John J. Markey, Professor of Theology, Oblates School of Theology





“The Church of God and Its Human Face is the first major study of one of the most important American ecclesiologists of the post-conciliar period. Madar’s careful exposition illuminates Joseph Komonchak’s unwavering insistence that God’s church exists in history as a human and social reality. It is a brilliant introduction to the question of theology’s engagement with the social sciences and required reading for anyone entering into today’s debates over method in ecclesiology.”


—Edward P. Hahnenberg, Breen Chair in Catholic Theology at John Carroll University





“By introducing readers to the work of Joseph Komonchak, Martin Madar gives access to one of the foremost Catholic ecclesiologists of the past fifty years. He situates Komonchak’s contributions within the context of the history of ecclesiology with a special focus on the reception of the Second Vatican Council as he explores interconnections among the core themes of method, the local church, and authority. Madar demonstrates how Komonchak’s historically grounded and analytically rigorous method for understanding the Church offers an alternative that goes beyond approaches that remain tethered to images, models, and idealized conceptions of communion.”


—Dennis Doyle, University of Dayton