It is no coincidence that ecclesiology, as a theological discipline, emerged in modern times alongside the rise of secularization. During this period, the Church—once embracing the entire world—suddenly found herself placed within it and surrounded by it. This world no longer regarded itself as part of the Church and often rejected her outright. Sometimes, the Church responded to this rejection by rejecting the world in turn. It was as if she were standing in front of a mirror, mimicking the gestures of the secular world, with the difference that her right hand in the mirror appeared as her left…
