Building in the wreckage: the reconstruction of Christian theology

The so called conflict between religion and science arose with the rise of natural science in the sixteenth century when it was held that scientific discoveries could not contradict what the bible said. This was the beginning of a mistake that left theology out in the cold as natural science and the technology it produced went from strength to strength.

Christian theology operates in the realm of narrative, poetry, and metaphor. It is systematic in that ideas are connected so that a web of meanings is constructed. For example there is an Annunciation by Fra Anglico in Cortona. The large panel depicts the usual meeting of the Angel Gabriel with Mary. What is interesting is that on the upper left corner of the picture is a version of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden. When these two images appear in the same painting theological sparks fly. The reference to the Fall throws light on the new beginning in the virginal conception of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. This illustrates the logic of theology. Such a painting does not make an argument or provide evidence, its effect is immediate, like a blow.

One of the problems of trying to communicate to a people immersed in the modern project is that it is expected that we should be able to give clear descriptions of the meaning of the gospel. It is expected that we should be able to reduce the gospel to propositions that have clearly defined outcomes or applications. This is the result of the fact that, in modernity, theories of causation and utilitarianism have overtaken an understanding of the ontological, of Being. The hearing of the gospel comes in the form of an encounter with ultimate human Being and the encounter itself is transformative. This encounter is pure act, it cannot be constrained within the modern construct.

There is no such thing as a standard Christian, the single outcome of belief. Each will go on a journey in the encounter and although we expect certain outcomes of the journey they can never be specified in each particular case. Reception of the gospel is situational. The central command of Jesus is "follow me". This means that Christianity can never become an ideology but a "way" that has as many paths as there are those who hear the command. While ideology would imprison us, the "way" sets us free.

The above consists of a brief sketch of what theology will look like in the age that comes after the modern. Much of the philosophy that generated the modern age has been pulled apart leaving us with a ground cleared of false presupposition and false foundations.