Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 81 No. 3, 2011.
Original scientific paper
(In)comprehensibility of Theological Discourse in the Modern World
Nela Gašpar
; Theology in Rijeka, Dislocated Studies of Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
The actual theme of the Theological-Pastoral Week »The new discourse of faith as a response to the needs of contemporary man«, indicates the urgency to ponder on the comprehensibility of theological speech in the modern world. Thinking about that issue in light of new evangelisation, Pope Benedict XVI emphasises that this is a grand task facing us and that »comprehensible interpretation presumes existential interpretation. Following the first section of the article in which the author starts from the character and features of theological discourse, the second section speaks about the challenges and influences of modern gnosis on theological content. Theology stands and falls in that in its time and space man understands just who God is and what God means to man and general reality. In the objective of realising this mission the duty of theological discourse is »to mutually connect faith and reason, looking beyond the reachable while at the same time being reasonably responsible. Because it is granted to us from God, this is what excels man. The communion of faith and reason remains the fundamental feature of theological discourse in creating new expression and »replacing paradigms« in the modern world. Apart from individual attempts to create »new paradigms« as noted in section four of the article, the fifth section focuses on K. Rahner's special contribution. K. Rahner believes that all hardships faced by contemporary man can be brought down to the fact that theological expression is not formulated in such a way for man to replace its meaning or how it stands in relation to his self-comprehension as shown in his experience. Rahner often recalls that until recently the thought prevailed in theology that the task of theology had already essentially been conducted; the history of dogma completed; statements by Church teaching and notions used in them were in principle unsurpassable; and that these were not issues that were open to advancement. According to Rahner, »Theology, as the first and most significant, must create new expressions for the content of the oldfaith«. And that requires a new method.
Keywords
theological discourse; comprehensibility; task; modern world; man; holy mystery
Hrčak ID:
72523
URI
Publication date:
19.10.2011.
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