Intercommunal Ecclesiology

“Intercommunal Ecclesiology is a work of creativity and conviction. It makes a real contribution to liberationist theologies of church by identifying the pervasive dynamic of intergroup conflict as the ‘condition for the possibility’ of the many forms of marginalization and oppression that mark history—including the history of the church. Thoroughly interdisciplinary and robustly theological, this book deserves serious and sustained engagement.”


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





“This brilliant essay in ecclesiology benefits from the author’s careful attention to theologies of salvation. Professor Battin pushes forward important work undertaken since the Second Vatican Council, including the contribution of various liberation and political theologies, while drawing from contemporary research into the dynamics of intergroup violence and integrating it into his deep embrace of the entire Christian tradition. A book every theologian and bishop should read!”


—Kevin F. Burke, SJ, Professor of Theology, Regis University





“Steven Battin’s long-awaited debut monograph asks of ecclesiology a new question: Why does Christ need a church? Battin’s answer is far-reaching in its consequences: as Christ’s collective body, the church exists as a human community amidst other human communities to heal the often-violent disunity between them. Written in crisp, energetic prose, Intercommunal Ecclesiology charts an exciting new path forward for systematic and moral theologians alike.”


—Katie Grimes, Associate Professor of Theological Ethics, Villanova University