Tradition as a key to the Christian faith. Issue 5 (20th October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abspoel, Peter
• Is Part Of: International journal of philosophy and theology. Volume 79:Issue 5(2018)
• Page Start: 470
• Page End: 492
• Publication Date: 2018-10-20
• Subjects: Christianity -- Catholicism -- Christology -- apologetics -- tradition -- culture -- transcendence -- spontaneity -- inculturation -- incarnation -- Maurice Blondel -- Cusanus; Philosophy and religion -- Periodicals; 230
• DOI: 10.1080/21692327.2017.1389654
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-2327

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Catholic Christianity possesses a distinctive power, which has remained latent and undertheorised for a long time: the power to adapt itself to cultural traditions. In theology, it has often been seen as accidental, even when it was manifest in practice, especially in local traditions. Since Vatican II, inculturation has been actively encouraged, and new approaches were developed in missiology and ecclesiology. In this article, Christianity's power of adaptation is presented as central to the 'salvific event' itself. Human beings need to be formed by concrete traditions in order to be human. A redemption that would stamp out their attachment to tradition would amount to their destruction. The relative autonomy of traditional life in relation to God, would, so to speak, constitute a problem for God, if he wanted to provide humankind with a divine assistance geared to its real needs. The incarnation, and the founding of a 'kingdom of heaven', populated by human beings from different traditions, can be seen as ways to accommodate the workings of grace and the Spirit to human tradition-conditioned existence, and thus to answer this 'problem'. This heuristic exploration suggests new clues, not only for philosophical apologetics, but also for Christology, soteriology and exegesis.