This book was originally planned as the ecclesiological third part of Schillebeeckx Jesus trilogy It indeed concludes his thinking about the relevance of the living Jesus through history but with a different approach than originally intended By the end of the 20th century many believers have left the unworldly super naturalistic preconciliar church behind Those who leave the church often leave a church that claims to be the direct mediator of God s will However the church is not a flawless gift from heaven It is the vulnerable work of human beings which tries to find accurate ways to comply to the heart of the gospel message In a time that is characterized by polarization in the church Schillebeeckx does not forget to look at the unprecedented and authentic flourishing of the gospel This book therefore contains the testimony of a theologian who tried during the course of his life to describe what God can mean for people today