Thesis advisor: Richard Lennan / Thesis advisor: Roberto Goizueta / A number of theologians claim that the church has not tapped into the fullness of Vatican II’s teaching on the sensus fidelium. As an attempt to address that concern, this thesis examines the teaching authority of the laity as a key element of the sensus fidelium in the church. It argues for a fuller realization of Vatican II’s emphasis on the laity’s participation in Christ’s prophetic office. It proposes a three-part lay hermeneutic (hermeneutic of everyday life, hermeneutic of desire, and hermeneutic of trust) as a relevant, authoritative framework for discerning the sensus fidelium. This thesis employs a method that is primarily critical, hermeneutical and practical. It is structured in three chapters. Chapter One offers a comprehensive theology of the sensus fidelium. Chapter Two focuses on the laity, their sense of the faith and the process through which they receive the faith. Chapter Three presents a vision of church that is attentive to the teaching authority of the laity. Through an analysis of the laity’s sensus fidei as an integral dimension in the discernment of the sensus fidelium, this thesis emphasizes that authority in the church derives from all its members and that the interpretation of faith is a process that invites the participation of all the baptized as sharers in Christ’s prophetic function. In such a church, the laity and ordained together equally belong to the guild of interpreters of God’s revelation. Consequently, the laity possess a teaching authority that contributes significantly to the life of the church. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Translated from Korean. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-167).

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-184).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-265).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-86).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-159).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-224).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Abstract. "May 2003." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-175).

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Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 359-364).