Abstract
Evolution, Christology and spirituality – a second (post-)axial perspectiveHow can theologians speak anew of Christ and our responsibility towards creation from an evolutionary perspective? It is a question that is embedded in the acknowledgement by scientists such as astro-physicists of the cosmos as mystery on its deepest level. It is a question that is prompted by the unmasking in the second axial period of the myth of autonomous man – a myth that led to the exploitation of the earth as part of a culture of consumerism. It is argued that the proposed answer to the question comes from evolutionary perspectives in which the human being has lost its place as being in the centrum of the cosmos. Instead, being human depends on everything else in the cosmos and is realised in interconnectivity. Making sense of the evolutionary unmasking from newly re-formulated theological perspectives lead to the acknowledgement of God as mystery that has been revealed in a unique way as the Logos in Jesus Christ. These theological perspectives on God find expression in ‘wider’ and ‘deeper’ understandings of Christ from what is called a second person approach. It is an approach that stands over against the objective-ontological third-person approach and the subjective experiential-expressive approach of the first person. The second-person approach is wide in a twofold sense, namely in being relational, and in communicating with human beings and the cosmos as a whole. It is also deep since from an understanding of ‘deep incarnation’ – and also ‘deep suffering’ – it reaches out to the roots (radixes) of creation. It ultimately finds expression in a cosmic Christology that demands of human beings responsibility for the cosmos as gift of God.
Highlights
Dikwels is daar by mense ’n weerstand teen verandering.[1]
Christology and spirituality – a secondaxial perspective How can theologians speak anew of Christ and our responsibility towards creation from an evolutionary perspective? It is a question that is embedded in the acknowledgement by scientists such as astro-physicists of the cosmos as mystery on its deepest level
It is argued that the proposed answer to the question comes from evolutionary perspectives in which the human being has lost its place as being in the centrum of the cosmos
Summary
Dikwels is daar by mense ’n weerstand teen verandering.[1] Tog is daar meer en meer mense wat vandag openlik vrae oor die betekenis van geloof en die kerk vra. Die Amerikaanse Nuwe-Testamentikus, Marcus Borg (2004:xi-xii), sê dat baie Christene in Amerika nog tevrede is met die “vroeëre paradigma” wat vir eeue deel van die geloofslewe van die kerk was. Vandag maak hierdie tradisionele kerklike paradigma vir ’n groot deel van die nuwe generasie eenvoudig net nie meer sin nie. Tog neem dit nie weg dat daar nog by baie van hierdie generasie ’n soeke na ’n bron van betekenis en waardes vir hulle lewe is nie. Die Amerikaanse navorser en sistematiese teoloog, John Haught (Voorwoord: I Delio 2008:ix), verwys na die Franciskaanse teoloog, Ilia Delio, wat daarin slaag om ’n vars evolusionêre teologie te ontwikkel in ’n tyd waarin die intellektuele en akademiese wêreld toenemend vyandig word teenoor die wetenskaplike naturalisme van die “nuwe ateïsme.”[3]
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