Spannende Theologie mit schwarzen Elefanten
«Black elephants» sparked lively discussions at the 2021 Forum for Communicative Theology, which attracted 65 online participants. Black elephants? These are events that are likely and can trigger major changes, but no one wants to see. Under the motto «Surprised by the Expected,» the St. Chrischona Theological Seminary (tsc) invited four theologians to present their respective black elephants.
Is Christian nationalism a threat in Switzerland?
Marc Jost’s Black Elephant is a highly topical issue. In light of the storming of the Capitol, the Secretary General of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance wonders whether Christians are succumbing to a new nationalism. He also perceives nationalist tendencies in Switzerland, for example, in discussions about migration. «Only a multicultural church offers a true foretaste of the heavenly community,» Marc Jost concludes from Revelation 7. He therefore advises carefully examining political movements and daring to look beyond national boundaries.
Theology in the VUCA world
Christian Haslebacher sees a black elephant in theology. The chairman of Chrischona Switzerland sees it as a challenge to practice theology in a world characterized by change, uncertainty, complexity, and contradiction (VUCA). «I experience a great deal of polarization between liberal and neo-conservative theology,» he reported. As a possible third path, Christian Haslebacher suggested making an appropriate distinction between the weighting of theological questions. «We need unity on the necessary core issues, freedom on all non-core issues, and love in everything,» he explained. But who decides that? What are the criteria? This was hotly debated.
Rediscover the fullness of the gospel
Even more fundamentally,Dr. Andreas LoosThe lecturer in systematic theology at the tsc demonstrated, among other things, through surveys, that the gospel is barely understood today. So how can we reach people? He advocated rediscovering the «inexhaustible fullness of the gospel» with the help of the Holy Spirit. It might be parables that currently exert the greatest attraction. For example, that of the prodigal son, whose father loves him so infinitely that he runs to meet him.
When the church curries favor with the state
A fourth black elephant lurks in the tension between church and state. This showedDr. Stefan FelberHe criticizes both the politicization of the (state) church and the religious overtones of politics. «The concept of civil religion combines both into a single paradigm,» he explained. The church should not curry favor with the state. Its vocation is to remind the authorities of God’s commandments.
Lively exchange at the Forum Communicative Theology
Participants discussed each topic in online discussion groups. In many cases, there was a lively, constructive exchange between people from the community service and TSC faculty. Thanks to the forum, future encounters with these black elephants will no longer come as a surprise.
Is a new Christian nationalism looming? Marc Jost recognizes trends and advises carefully examining political movements.
Creative approach: This is what the black elephants look like for e-lecturer Corina Frank.
Dr. Stefan Felber sees the relationship between state and church as being in a state of imbalance.
Communicatio Magazine
The content of the 2021 Communicative Theology Forum will be published in the next issue of Communicatio Magazine, which will be published at Easter. You can subscribe to it free of charge.
Forum 2022
The next Forum Communicative Theology will take place on January 20 and 21, 2022.