PREFACE
George J. Dyer
The Grace of the World
Much has been written during the past ten years about the Sin of the World. The idea is persuasive because it resonates so powerfully with our perception of the human situation. It conjures up a kaleidoscope of headlines that banner the senseless cruelty that men have inflicted not only on their fellowmen but upon the very planet that nurtured them. Not even little children can escape the pervasive poison of this Sin; even in their preconscious moments they feel its influence. Without a counterpoise the Sin of the World is a pernicious idea that could easily leave us paralysed by apathy or cynicism. Perhaps we might term that counterweight the Grace of the World. It is the idea that lies behind this special issue of Ch¡icago Studies. In the essays that follow we will be reminded that the Sin of the World provides us with a limited view of our milieu. God has always been present to his world as the gracious ground of its on-going development. In Jesus we find the full revelation of that grace-filling presence. The Good News of Jesus is the announcement that the long-awaited reign of God is already at work in him and in the world. This reign is patently both a present and a future event. As Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is already upon us. Yet it 115