Critical Essays on Edward Schillebeeckx's Theology

From Theological Radicalism to Philosophical Non-Realism

Corneliu C. Simut

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9781608993895, 9781498255950
• eBook ISBN: 9781498272667
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

This book presents the main teachings of Edward Schillebeeckx, widely considered one of the most important Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century. Schillebeeckx is known for his radical departure from traditional theology, which he saw as no longer relevant to the modern world. Because today's world has been shaped by a process of secularization heavily based on reason and progress in science, technology, economics, urbanism, etc., modern people seek relevant answers to their deep existential questions that can be explained rationally. In his quest to foster relevant and meaningful answers for today's world, Schillebeeckx changed the traditional metaphysical content of Christian theology into explanations that radically reinterpret traditional Christian doctrines. Primarily, the supernatural essence of Christianity is given up as irrelevant and is replaced by a natural perspective on the world. In Schillebeeckx's thoroughly historical and truly immanent theology, God is man's terrestrial future; Christ the symbol of universal human values; and the Church is identified with the world as those communities which share these universal human values. Schillebeeckx is convinced that these explanations--emptied of metaphysical content--can help today's people understand their existence in a new, relevant, and meaningful way.

1

Re-Branding Christian Theology through Secularization

Edward Schillebeeckx’s thought is a tremendous effort to reinterpret traditional Christian theology so that it can be understood by modern people. Schillebeeckx is convinced that Christian theology in its traditional format is no longer useful in explaining the realities of the world to the people living today. This is why he defends the idea of a general re-assessment of the entire Christian theology by putting aside the traditional formulae as well as the traditional way of approaching Christian theology in general. He suggests that we promote a different perspective on Christianity in such a way that it should be relevant to the men and women of today’s society. In short, if society and its evaluation of the world have changed, then Christian theology should change as well if it still wants to be useful in today’s society.1 Society has become secularized, so Christian theology should undergo a similar process of secularization in order to find proper answers to the secularized minds of contemporary people.

Secularization and Rationality

Schillebeeckx approaches Christian theology from a purely natural—as opposed to supernatural—perspective, in which he draws heavily on the idea of rationality.2 He notices that the world has changed dramatically and that the people of today face issues which require a specific answer from Christianity, answers which have to be in accordance with what their reason tells them.3 This is why he almost takes for granted the fact that Christian theology should take off the traditional interpretation of its doctrines so that it can illuminate the world when it comes to theological issues.4 According to Schillebeeckx, traditional Christianity seems to be totally incapable of providing adequate reasonable answers to the problems of today’s people and this prevents the church, as well as Christianity in general, from sharing into the construction of today’s society.5 Thus, Schillebeeckx warns that the men and women of today have questions concerning their existence and, when they turn to Christianity for an answer, the traditional approach to their burning problems is completely unsatisfactory. Modern people also have questions about God, but—if we are to believe Schillebeeckx—traditional Christianity appears to be totally overcome by the burden of an answer which needs to please the ears of today’s technologized and rationalized society.6 The novelty of contemporary society, given mainly by seemingly unstoppable scientific progress, needs an equally informed reply which should be also characterized by novelty.7 This prompts Schillebeeckx to postulate the necessity of a radically different impetus to be given to Christian theology to the point of transforming it into a different theology, namely a theology which is fit to offer answers that meet the rationalized expectations of modern people.8 Schillebeeckx is convinced that unless the church does so, the world will detach itself from the church forever and the church will permanently lose touch with the realities of today’s society.9 In other words, the church will continue to use traditional theology for its own narrow use while the world will lose even the last drop of respect for the church’s credibility. Schillebeeckx highlights the fact that the church must not close itself to the realities of the modern world and explain the word of God in a way which turns out to be fundamentally relevant to the men and women living today.10 The church’s traditional interpretation of the word of God must also be given up in favor of a brand new interpretation which sheds light on modern expectations. Modern people are eager to understand their own world and especially their place in the world and this is why they seek answers in Christian theology.11 It is very likely that Schillebeeckx refers to Western society in general where the secularization of life due to scientific progress has led to the obvious technological progress which forces people to reconsider religious and theological matters in the light of the newly-established scientific, urbanized and technologized way of life.12 In spite of the external technological progress, modern men and women seem to have an urgent need to find answers for their inner existential questions which cannot be solved by science and technology. Scientific progress does not necessarily help people existentially and this is why religion or theology is seen as a prospective source for existential answers.13 Schillebeeckx seems to be acutely aware of the contemporary situation of the modern person who lives in our scientifically dominated society.14 This is why he recommends that theology adapt in such a way that its traditional message can be turned into a totally new proclamation which is scientifically relevant and existentially appealing:

It is clear that Christian revelation in its traditional form has ceased to provide any valid answer to the questions about God asked by the majority of people today, nor would it appear to be making any contribution to modern man’s real understanding of himself in this world and in human history. It is evident that more and more people are becoming increasingly unhappy and dissatisfied with the traditional Christian answers to their questions. It is their questions about God himself which are involved above all and there is unmistakable evidence of a growing desire everywhere for new answers to be given to new questions concerning him. The situation requires us to speak of God in a way quite different from the way in which we have spoken of him in the past. If we fail to do this, we ourselves shall perhaps still be able to experience God in outmoded forms, but clearly our own witness of and discussion of God will be met by most people with headshaking disbelief as mumbo-jumbo. It is partly because we are blind to the “signs of times” that God’s word, in all that we say of him, is returning to him void . . .15

Schillebeeckx’s interest in modern society is commendable and so is his desire to help today’s men and women in their quest for existential meaningfulness.16 It seems, however, that his observation that modern people need modern answers while traditional answers should be left aside as they were good only for people of times past is predominantly empirical, not theological. The fact that modern society has become secularized as well as highly rationalized and technologized due to scientific progress by no means implies a readjustment or even a total re-branding of the entire traditional theology.17 Society may well change from today’s scientific progress to an even greater social progress in future or, one can never know this for a fact, lapse into a total disaster because of the fatal misuse of science. Regardless of whether the world is heading towards scientific progress or a generalized social collapse the inner constitution of humanity seems to remain unchanged. This may also be inferred from Schillebeeckx’s own words because modern people still seek answers which can only be provided by theology or religion, not by science and technology.18 The conclusion can be drawn quite easily, namely that despite his evident progress in science the modern man has remained the same unique being in constant search for non-scientific answers that do not concern his external life in society but his internal state of affairs or his own inner relationship with himself (which eventually defines his outer relationship with society). Therefore, if the essential core of the inner life of modern man has remained unchanged, why should we want to change theology from traditionalism to modernism? Society and science may have reached their “modern” stage of historical development but the inner being of man seems to have remained existentially unchanged. If this is true, then Schillebeeckx is wrong in trumpeting the necessity of changing traditional theology for the sake of the modern man’s scientific mind. Or it may well be the case that Christian theology addresses issues that are not concerned with science and technology; they are not anti-science and anti-technology, but they are just not preoccupied with providing illumination in scientific matters. Having said that, one could rightly ask whether Jesus died for our future scientific progress. Did he suffer death so that w...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Re-Branding Christian Theology through Secularization
• Chapter 2: Re-Defining the Concept of God
• Chapter 3: Re-Kindling the Natural Awareness of Man
• Chapter 4: Re-Shaping Christology from Jesus to Christ
• Chapter 5: Re-Assessing the Doctrine of Resurrection
• Chapter 6: Re-Imagining Religious Belonging in Ecclesiology
• Chapter 7: Re-Tracing the Boundaries between the Church and the World
• Chapter 8: Re-Inventing the World
• A Concluding Synthesis
• Selected Bibliography