Theology in the global context
What kind of theology appropriate with the modern/postmodern age in Christianity? Perhaps revisionist and liberal theology are some of the answer. Revisionist theology and post liberal theology are responds for modernism in which world more globalized and human living closely related by breaking traditional boundary that has been strictly formed by religious differentiation. Revisionist theology aim is to find the ways in which Christian can explain what they believe and argue for its truth in the ways of non Christian. In short, revisionist theology is to answer how religion involved in conversation in public domain in society and own culture. While, post liberal theology is showing the view of Christian in seeing the bible teaching in which appropriate with current development of human by interpreting bible.
The idea of both revisionist and post liberal theology has been questioned because of have such problem in inner concepts. Firstly is the concept of public and tradition. David Tracy as the founding of revisionist theology likely said that Christian theology better understood as philosophical reflection upon meanings present in human common experience and the meaning in the Christian tradition. Common human reflection is common human experience or it should morally follow the scientific finding. Where is Christian doctrine and how to placing Christian tradition in the public domain? In the core of that theology seems is theological claim of truth.
In the other hand, post liberal theology in which seemly on the hand of Hans Frei absolutely reflection on biblical hermeneutic more focus to questioning the formulation of truth. He assumes that religion have to deal with truth because it will be human guidance in life. But the problem is whether all religious teaching as narrated in bible completely true. In the bible most verses are story in which is cannot be understood in the modern context. The stand point of interpreter and regard to text seem the task of Frei. He proposed understanding text trough the context of utterance, not in the modern context. However, modern context is still important, but the issue is how to find the value of truth in the text. His approach drives him to see scripture, even god, in the linguistic cultural term. The consequence he see the element of religions is not merely sacred text, but also myth, narrative, etc.
Perhaps both revisionist and post liberal has reflected modernity and democracy as challenge and trigger to construct new theology. In this ways these are starting point to reform religious doctrine that seems orthodox or fundamentalist. In the modern word there is no universal religion that available to acknowledge as the true one. All religion positioned in the same position as the element of modernity in which technology and science was more dominant. Religion although defined firstly by western, but it world phenomena that has erected and nurtured by different culture. There is no superiority religion as well because of the fact that all religions have unique logic ways to find and say the way adherent belief. Thus, every religion should be placed itself as local belief not in universality. The claim of universality of truth or the only truth one will lead to colonializatiation of belief. Other religion will be placed as minority religion in which have nothing truth beside the shadow of the universal truth.
That claim is boundary of religious dialogue of course. Whereas religious doctrine in which framed the thinking of lonely own truth is not the only religious construction of religion. Religion is also about religious experience, functionality of doctrine to shape religious adherent living, and the ability to appropriating religious doctrine teaching with the debate happened in the public domain. Public domain is plural as plurality of belief in religion. It is seemly impossible to seek the common source of various religions as done by academician. In the other hand, not all religion has an ability to show the inner teaching that is having well responsible for social manner.
The core finding of these theologies is actually to find common ground to begin the conversation and build new democratic world. Human being and its living become important factors in determining the new doctrine. Theology revisionist in simple is earth theology in which theology that has very much talk about god and his law in the scripture being turn down to the human issue and what human face in live. There are many problem of human that cannot be answer by old theology. In addition, not all verses of scripture functioned without the interpretation. Common ground is impossible begin by the god theology, because inherently the concept of theology are different.
One of the solutions is trying to understand the other by mastering the theology and its culture. But that hard to realize, not many people can do that. In fact in general conversation to speak one did not need it at all. Just begin conversation by saying hello sometimes is enough. Democracy perhaps is the condition that will help conversation in equal positioned happened. However, we need some vision that can be the issue of religious conversation in order the energy of religion can be focused to build the world. Actually, the issue as Paul Knitter I his article one earth many religions said can be trough the actual issues, like global warming, suffering, poverty. However, before that all happens the hard struggle is how all religion in order to accept the conversation and deal with the global issues. Perhaps, as Jhon Rawls (political liberalism: 2007) said, we need priority of right over true. That will guarantee people to get all the right without hesitancy.[]
