Church, Category, and Speciation

What is it about?

The category of "Church" is complicated -- especially for Catholics. This article looks at parallels in how species develop and differentiate, along with cognitive linguistic descriptions of how categories function in human language to help clarify how Catholics talk about groups of Christians, including those who are not Catholic.

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Why is it important?

Ecumenical dialogue has changed much about how theology is done. Reception of that dialogue, however remains a struggle. Much of Catholic discourse still merely denies the title "church" to others, without the nuance that official Catholic positions take. Reflecting on how categories work and why they are important can help us to more adequately explain the Catholic position and lead to better engagement between Catholics and other Christians.