-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
1/21
On the way to life
Summary by Robert
Colquhoun
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
2/21
On the way to life Written by Heythrop institute for
Religion, ethics and public life last
year. Document looks at contemporary
culture, theological development
and resources and responses forthe Church today.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
3/21
(Gaudium et Spes 62)
The Faithful should live in the closest contact with others oftheir time,
and should work for a perfect understanding of their modes ofthought
and feelings as expressed in their culture. They should
combine knowledge resulting from the new sciences and teaching, and
from recent discoveries, with Christian morality and formation in
Christian teaching, so that their religious worship and uprightness go
hand in
hand with their knowledge of the sciences and increasingtechnology, and they are thus able to interpret everything with full
Christian awareness.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
4/21
What is culture? A culture is a system(s) of shared
beliefs, values, customs,
behaviours and artefacts thatmembers of a society or group useto interact with each other, and to
interpret and shape theirenvironments.
Catholicism is a culture.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
5/21
Catholic culture and
contemporary culture Every member of Church stands at
boundary of secular and ecclesial
cultures. Church must engage with
contemporary culture. This must bedone with imagination and
encouragement. We must find language to talk about
sin and salvation.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
6/21
Evangelisation and Culture
Evangelisation is at the heart ofthe mission of the Church. But the
Church is also evangelised byCulture.
Religion is seen as problematic for
secular society. It is a deeplypuzzling reality!
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
7/21
ar na v r ues o mo ern y
Freedom
Rationality
Privacy
Authority of conscience
Freedom of expression
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
8/21
Secular Thinking 1 Separation of natural and
supernatural spheres. Loss of
transcendent spectacles. Science as the authoritative form
of knowledge and truth
Progress of great importance
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
9/21
Secular Thinking 2 Ethics and technology should be
separated for sake of progress.
In process of secularisation, religionshould be more marginal anddisappear altogether.
Experience and feeling mostimportant modes of seeing theworld.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
10/21
Religious Change
Rise of New Age culture. Individualgrowth, well being, individual
choice a pick and mix religion. Spirituality that lacks definition,
with no tradition.
Commodification of religion
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
11/21
Religious Change 2 Religion superseded by spirituality
Confinement of religion to theprivate sphere
Inaccuracy of Nietzsche: God isdead.
Search for purpose and meaning infragmented culture.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
12/21
Language Marx said every revolution
succeeds where the language of
the old order dies. Death of language in religion
Secular culture can pinch words
Religion must find new language inarticulating and shaping culture
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
13/21
Changes in societyTechnology has improved self
expression, definition and public
projection. Speed of communication has
distorted time.
Poverty in the modern world seenas absence of leisure.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
14/21
Religion to the Rescue
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
15/21
Church sees nothing as
inevitable Religion is central to the
transmission of cultural memory.
Crisis of transmission part ofcultural malaise, and especially thetransmission of faith.
Religious community canevangelise culture
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
16/21
Church to the Rescue Church is a gift to the world. Its
source is not conditional on the
world. Church cannot exist for herself, can
only be sent. The importance of
sacrifice and thanksgiving found inthe Eucharist.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
17/21
Church to the Rescue
Revive importance of devotional life.
Retrieve the national communal memory
of faith eg pilgrimages to national sites. Life of faith is always a project, never
complete
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
18/21
Church to the Rescue
Beautiful liturgy is the opposite ofbanality and ordinariness.
Spirituality of Communion we areall part of the mystical body ofChrist
Catholic Sacramental imagination.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
19/21
Church to the rescue
Religious education, catechesis,formation
To be Christian is to be a witnessto Christ in the world
Church promotes the good of the
person and the good of society.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
20/21
Evangelisation
Occurs when communities haveconfidence and outward looking
Done with imagination andcourage in the language andunderstanding of where people
are.
-
8/14/2019 On the way to life
21/21
