1. Introduction

A centuries old expression of faith was based on a biblical, later a Christian language concept that took for granted a supernatural world (Heaven) where God with his household and servants was enthroned as the heavenly king and creator of the cosmos. He was the Alpha and Omega, the origin and the goal of the entire created world, the absolute ruler who gave the laws, who was to be obeyed, to be worshipped and given sacrifices. He granted gifts like wealth or health but could also punish and take away material benefits and send disasters. All human race and cosmos was completely dependent on Him and he ruled like an absolute king; a heavenly mirror of a worldly kingdom. We call this view “heteronomy”. This was the general concept up to the start of scientific research and probing experiences which came to full development in the XIX and XX centuries.

2. Old myths

In the orthodox world the patristic fathers developed perfect balanced but highly complicated concepts based on the biblical messages and the Hellenistic philosophical concepts which were dominant at that time. The first and second Testament was impregnated by those concepts and myths. Without any doubt one can uphold that those concepts were the result of a fundamental and truly experienced relationship with God and a real encounter with him through Jesus Christ. Those, which are called to day, traditional dogmas, liturgies, and concepts, were a perfect product from and for the culture in which they were developed: a culture that was solely dominated by heteronomical thinking and in a pre-scientific time.

3. Faith challenged by scientific activity and discoveries

Beginning in the 16th century, a complete different axiom was slowly developed in Western Europe: that of an autonomic cosmos with his own inner-cosmic laws and systems. The interfering, all dominating Heavenly Power disappeared very slowly.

We see the results to day: a drastic cultural change and a fundamental different position of man vis à vis God and the religious institutes. The old axioms and traditional concepts aren’t accepted any more, except by fundamentalist-inclined people. The traditional high churches (orthodox, catholic, some protestant churches) in the daily practice do act as those heteronomically-conceived concepts were and still are art of the fundamental Christian beliefs. Most of the time the autonomy of cosmos and world is flatly denied, particularly in the liturgies and in their daily messages.

In the past most of those churches, who all still believe that their eternally valid truth and content of faith came directly from God, were engaged in a very intense battle against this autonomy and modernity. Not only did their position come under heavy discussion, the content of faith and church order was also threatened seriously. Even today, in daily practice, the Bible is still God’s own Word and the old Jewish- and Hellenistic-impregnated concept of faith and church order are still upheld as being from eternal value and ordained by the Lord himself. The fact that in all the Christian churches a fast growing and impressive number of faithful no longer accept all those articles of faith, concepts and church organisations is a matter of great concern, but apparently not a reason to ponder on the fact why those concepts are no longer considered as meaningful and life-giving and why the Bible and liturgy are considered as void of relevance today. Spirituality today in our Western World has never booked so immense a success, but the Christian churches get emptier and emptier and soon Islam and Jewish faith systems will encounter the same problem.

One has to admit that a change in axioms isn’t a very easy task. Popular beliefs and practices were always quite distinct from the more theological concepts. The old system based on a hierarchical all embracing and defining system gave power to the leaders and stability to the system. But those axioms have been proven false by the results of the scientific studies and experiments. Every minute we come to learn more about how we function and what could be the underlying laws and systems. Science has demystified quite impressive inner world phenomena and is demystifying more and more riddles, problems and is improving his capacity to prevent and or cure problems. Result: the existential reality seems to work without the power of Heaven. We come to detect that what previously was said and believed to be dictated from Heaven is a natural phenomena from the cosmos we live in.

4. Challenge

In the post-modern times we as Christians, Jews or Moslems live in a world that is becoming increasingly better at informing us, and in which information streaming rapidly become pluralistic and very intense. Also the average faithful is no longer an illiterate obedient person deadly afraid of heaven and hell and keen to shop around for relevant inspiration for making his and his fellowship’s life a happy life in today’s world.

The Catholic Church is officially backing up scientific study and methods but is upholding in its liturgy and preaching the old world language and old axioms. The Orthodox Church is in this aspect even more reluctant. Be it that Patriarch Bartholomew, during a conference he organized in 2000 (International Scientific Conference), declared “that the church rejoices in the scientific achievements of humanity; she desires the establishment of an essential dialogue with science, sharing with it the responsibility for humanity,” one has to admit that little to none is brought into practice by the orthodox theologians or even encouraged by the clergy. Faith, or its actualised form and methods, seem to be still unchallenged. Is it because of a pastoral concern (real problem though) or simply due to a prevailing, conservative fundamentalist attitude or mind?

In daily practice the Bible, very particularly used, is still the literal word of God and the full historicity of the Bible upheld entirely. The two-world scheme is used without constraint and the liturgy is bulking of the old axioms. Recent serious archaeological publications (e.g. the Bible Unearthed, Israel Finkelstein, 2000) have further revealed that Deuteronomy and Pentateuch were made/composed at the end of the 7th century BCE, mainly to enforce ideological and political program of the Judean kingdom, referring to all histories which were given as historical facts as legendary. The very basis is this; the historical interference of God with the creation and development of Israël was taken out of what we called was the solid base for our belief in the special role of the people of Israël. A serious problem arose!

One sees easily that traditional theological categories are not very helpful for creating a new integration of science and theology since they presuppose the very super national categories and the fundamental historical facts that are being contested and rejected. Actually, one of the most pressing issues facing theology is to reconceive the activity of God within the world of natural regularities that we have to come to know.

5. Personal dilemma

Academically-trained with decades long actively-realised interest in exegesis and theology, as well as an active member of an orthodox community; critical questions automatically came up for me. Media, particularly television programs didn’t make it easier. The overwhelming anti- religious and anti-institute propaganda didn’t contribute very much to sooth those problems - quite the contrary. Obviously, from the exegesis studies it was clear that the Bible isn’t the direct word of God. Its internal contradictions are too overwhelming and the mythical character too strong. The present orthodox and even the catholic world is facing a growing cleave between herself and the present world, for its language and organisation lost considerable meaning and relevancy and is consequently losing the appeal.

A real pity is that the patristic fathers were notable much less hesitant than the Latin scholastics to defend the closest of relations between God and world. There is a much lesser tendency to dichotomise God and the world. Orthodoxy upholds the idea that all that exists, exists only by participating in God and that the ultimate destiny is deification of the world. Not to deny that being very “Panentheistic”-minded there was great reluctance to accept the influence of the world on God. Of course panentheïsm is only a recently developed theological approach but many patristic fathers actually propagated the same concept, although within a different, non-scientific culture and philosophical system.

It is therefore very disappointing, to say the least, that in the Catholic and Orthodox world an overall refusal of modernity and scientifically-obtained results is prevailing and no serious study or discussion is started. Lucky I had publications of the Catholic and Anglican church at my disposal; to name only a few; cardinal Danneels, the Dutch theologian Schillebeeck, courses at the theological department in Bruges, authors such as Bodifée, Den Heyer, Vattimo, Kuitert, Peacocke, P. Clayton, Polkinghorne, Keith Ward, and Vergote to give me sufficient ground under my feet. Of course there were some Orthodox writers; Kallistos Ware, Lossky, Thunberg, Zizioulas, and Louth. The Internet of course also provides very interesting sources of information, and several websites do deal with the issues on hand. Books like those of H.Kuitert and Leanars S.J. were really divesting for the certitudes that I was given like so many of my co- citizens of my age (65). How fruitful, though, these sources have been as we have to get rid of the old, past packages and go the way of looking for the essence of our Tradition and present it in a logical, inspirational and appealing way/form to guide our life on this spiritual path in awe for our Ground and Purpose of Life, and in thanksgivings and sharing this life0giving gift of the Mystery that we call God, who is also very close to us.

A few concrete issues are still bothering me a lot and need more reflection:

1. Paradise with an ideal couple as occupancy, never existed and consequently also not the Fall caused by them and their disobedience. As a result the classical redeeming of J.C. as conceived in the past isn’t valid any more and need to be given a new perspective.
2. Death, sickness always was and still is a “condition humaine” and of the world; consequently it isn’t a punishment for our sin and surely not for the catholic concept of original sin.
3. Body/soul as an Hellenistic concept is considered as a dualistic concept that has against it very convincing scientifically-obtained evidence. Humans are created accordingly the image and likeness of God; so is a very outstanding, specific and unique creation. But it appears that all human aspects are coming out and sustained by the biological elements (material as well as energy elements). Without biological support there is no longer a person. Of course one is a person only in the contact with others, is there now only the contact with God? What is life in God in this view?