Review article
Church-empire, nation state and a pluralistic society: the essence of Erik Petersen’s thinking
Ivica Raguž
orcid.org/0000-0002-0083-0325
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo - University of J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek, Đakovo, Croatia
Abstract
This article sets out to present an interpretation of the relationship between the Church and empires, nation states and pluralistic society in the thought of Erik Petersen. The first section briefly outlines Peterson’s understanding of the Church. The second part analyzes his critical approach to the idea of empire. The Christian faith does not reject the idea of empire but is critical toward it. The third section considers the relationship between church and nation state. The author accepts Peterson’s negative evaluation of 19th century nation states, but argues that the idea of nation states still has and should have a positive role from the theological point of view. In fact, the nation state should be understood as being in opposition to all the ungodly empires of history. Of course, the Church should have a critical stance toward the idea of the nation state, because any nationalism is foreign to the Church. The final section describes Peterson’s critical approach to today’s “metaphysical pluralism”, in the context of which the Church ought to play the role of resisting the Gnostic vision of “generic man”
Keywords
Erik Peterson; empire; nation state; pluralistic society; Church; gnosis
Hrčak ID:
272167
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2014.
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