With the aim of improving missionary activity, the portal „Kinonia“ is launching a new series called „Theological Essays on Contemporary Issues“. The management of the aforementioned series has been entrusted to Darko Krsman, M. A., Assistant Professor at the Department of Systematic Theology of the Orthodox Theological Faculty „St. Basil of Ostrog“ in East Sarajevo. The first text belonging to the aforementioned series will be published in August.
Below is the text of the review of the series „Theological Essays on Contemporary Issues“, prepared by Darko Krsman, a permanent contributor to the portal „Kinonia“.
Basic thematic orientation
The thematic framework of the series includes issues that define contemporary civilization and simultaneously pose new challenges to theological thought. Special attention will be paid to anthropological and ethical issues arising from the development of artificial intelligence, bioethical dilemmas of modern medicine and biotechnology, philosophical foundations of pragmatism and its influence on the understanding of truth, arguments and assumptions of the new atheism, as well as linguistic dilemmas that accompany the use of theological concepts in the contemporary church, academic and public domain..
Although the above topics are different, they are all connected by a common thread, which is the following question: in what way Orthodox dogmatics, as an expression of the experience of the Church, can become a place of true encounter with the challenges of the modern age. Therefore, each study will strive to show that dogmatic truths are not only the subject of theological teaching, but the foundation for understanding man, his freedom, dignity, relationship to God, his neighbour and creation as a whole.
The aim of the series
The series “Theological Essays on Contemporary Issues” aims, starting from the dogmatic tradition of the Orthodox Church, to offer a theologically grounded understanding of the most important issues shaping today’s world. The basic premise of these essays is the fact that dogma is not a set of abstract and historically conditioned statements of faith, but a living expression of the Church’s experience, which reveals the truth about God, man and creation. This is precisely why dogmatic theology remains an inexhaustible source for understanding contemporary spiritual, cultural, scientific and social challenges.
The intention of the author of the series is not to offer finite and simple answers to the complex questions of our time, but to open up space for serious theological reflection, which will view contemporary phenomena in the light of the Church Tradition. In this way, he seeks to show that theology is not only an interpreter of the past, but a living thought of the Church that can still shed light on the issues facing man today.
Method
Each essay is based on a dogmatic theme, which will represent a hermeneutical key for understanding a particular contemporary problem. Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition, patristic heritage and liturgical experience of the Church represent the basic criteria of theological reasoning, while contemporary philosophy, natural and social sciences will be viewed as interlocutors in a critical and responsible dialogue.
Special attention will be paid to conceptual precision and linguistic culture of theological expression, since it is precisely in language that the way in which we understand faith is revealed. Therefore, essays will be created to avoid both the simplification of theological truths and their uncritical adjustment to contemporary ideological or cultural trends. The starting point of each text will be the church experience, and the goal will be the theological understanding of reality.
In a time when the speed of technological and cultural changes is often presented as a measure of progress, and the question of truth is reduced to the question of utility, Orthodox theology is called upon to bear witness to the eternal quality of Truth, which does not alter with the passage of time, but which enlightens every era. It is in this spirit that „Theological Essays on the Issues of the Contemporary Age“ are being created as an attempt, relying on the dogmatic tradition of the Church, to open a serious and responsible conversation on the most important issues of contemporary man, hoping that it will not only contribute to a better understanding of the world in which we live, but will also offer a deeper understanding of the living faith which we profess.
Source: Portal Kinonia
