Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2019-7-68

VB. – № 7, 2019. – P. 355-372

Summary

The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that, at first glance, theology and postmodernism seem incompatible, however, the pluralism is the basic of the modern “theology of religions”, whose proponents consider it possible to include any religious or quasi-religious system here. The purpose of the article is to analyze modifications of the theology of modernity. We regard postmodernism as the key to understanding of the present, when Eurocentrism was replaced by polycentric globalization and Modern’s belief in human titanism – a return to religion. Analyzed in the article material proves that crisis phenomena have already been observed in the bosom of Protestant biblical criticism and since the Enlightenment, which cast doubt on the right of theology to exist. This was the impetus for the formation of liberal theology, that paved the way for Catholic modernism, which was initially condemned but subsequently actually recognized. And the spiritual crisis of Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the violent spread of secular pseudo-religions such as communism and fascism led to the recognition of the inability to solve the theodicy by the old methods. In Protestantism, a “dialectical theology” (neoorthodoxy) is formed, that based on the principles of the early Reformation; in Catholicism, the “new scholasticism” which seeks to update the fundamental principles of theology; this is enshrined in the “Aggiornamento” installation and in the official neotomizm-based system. Catholicism and Protestantism converge in the ecumenical movement. There are many areas of postmodern theology, but a relationallyfunctional approach to phenomena is adapting everywhere, leading to the idea of superecumenism (religious pluralism), which recognizes the equality of all religions, each of which seems to be the true path. Nowadays we can fix two main directions of development of modern theology – exclusivism (belief in the truth of one religion) and inclusivism (one religion is the highest, others contain only part of the truth). Orthodoxy believes that these innovations lead to the destruction of the Church. However, even non-Christians instinctively feel the mercy of God – for example, Buddhism with its expectation of the Savior can be understood as a movement toward Christianity. Further direction of research can be developed in the aspect of studying the problem of hierarchical correlation of axiological systems of religions of the world.

Key words: theology, Christianity, modernism, postmodernism, ecumenism.

References:

1. Architecture and Philosophy: Interview with Jacques Derrida. (1986). Parizh: Beseda [in Russian]. 

2. Vinogradov F. (1863). New Tubingen School // Trudyi Kievskoy duhovnoy akademii. № 6 [in Russian]. 

3. Germanova de Dias E. V. (2017). Postmodernism and Christianity: The Problem of Interaction (Review of Concepts) // Visnik HNU Im. V. N. Karazina. Seriya «Teoriya kulturi i filosofiya nauki». Vip. 57 [in Ukrainian].

4. Grigorenko A. (2014). Postmodern Theology of Religion and Modern Religious Studies) // Vestnik Russkoy hristianskoy gumanitarnoy akademii. T. 15. Vyip. 4. [in Russian]. 

5. Kyung H. (1990). Religion at the Turn of the Ages // Inostrannaya literatura. 1990. №11 [in Russian]. 

6. LiotarZh.-F. (1994). Rewrite modernity // Stupeni: Filosofskiy zhurnal. №2 [in Russian]. 

7. Marahovska E. (2018). General trends in the development of Western Christian theology of the Postmodern era // Kultura Ukrayini. Seriya: Kulturologiya. Vip. 60 [in Ukrainian]. 

8. Matetskaya A. (2017). Postmodern and religion // Istoricheskie, filosofskie, politicheskie I yuridicheskie nauki, kulturologiya I iskusstvovedenie. Voprosy I teoriii praktiki. Tambov: Gramota. №12(86): v 5-ti ch. – Ch. 3 [in Russian]. 

9. The problem of the demarcation of science and theologians: a modern view (2008). M.: IFRAN [in Russian]. 

10. Rayhert K. (2018). Postmodern theology of the superhero movie comic strip “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of the Justice League” by Zack Snyder) // Doksa. Vip. 1 (29) [in Russian]. 

11. Stepanova E. (2002). Western Christianity: From Modern to Postmodern // Nauchnyi yezhegodnik Instituta filosofii I prava UrO RAN. Ekaterinburg: UrO RAN. Vyip. 3 [in Russian]. 

12. Habermas Yu. (1992). Modern is an unfinished project // Voprosy filosofii. 1992. №4 [in Russian]. 

13. Eko U. (1997). The Name of the Rose. SPb.: Simpozium [in Russian]. 

14. Charlesworth M. (1996). Postmodernism and Theology // The Way. July [in English]. 

15. Halbfass W. (1988). India and Europe: An Essay in Understanding. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press [in English]. 

16. Lakeland P. (1997). Postmodernity: Christian Identity in a Fragmented Age. Minneapolis: Fortress Press [in English]. 

17. Merrigan T. (1997). Religious Knowledge in the Pluralist Theology of Religions // Theological Studies. № 58. [in English]. 

18. Mettepenningen J. (2010). Nouvelle Theologie – New Theology. Inheritor of Modernism, Precursor of Vatican II. L.: T & T Clark International [in English]. 

19. Min A. (2004). The Solidarity of Others in a Divided World. A Postmodern Theology after Postmodernism. New York: T @ T Clark International [in English]. 

20. Nah D. S. (2013). Christian Theology and Religious Pluralism: A Critical Evaluation of John Hick. Cambridge: James Clarke @ Co [in English]. 21. Rahner Cf. K. ( 1978). Foundation of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity. London [in English]. 

22. Rutz J. (2011). Megashift. WND Books [in English]. 

23. Smart N. (1990). Worldviews: Crosscultural Exploration of Human Beliefs. London: Bassingstoke [in English]. 

24. Smith W. C. (1981). Towards a World Theology: Faith and the Comparative History of Religion. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis [in English]. 

25. Soulen R. K. (1996). The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress [in English]. 

26. The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology (2003) / Ed. K. J. Vanhoozer. Cambridge: University Press [in English]. 

27. The Myth of Christian Uniqueness: Toward a Pluralistic Theology of Religions (1987) / Ed. J. Hick, P. Knitter. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis [in English]. 

28. Towards a Universal Theology of Religion (1987) / Ed. L. Swidler. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis [in English]. 

29. Vlach M. J. (2009). Various Forms of Replacement Theology // TMSJ. № 20(1) [in English].