Witnessing in a secularized society
Article summary proposed by the Contacts review with LLM assistance
This article by Olivier Clément, a teacher at the Saint-Serge Institute of Theology in Paris, addresses the question of Christian presence in contemporary Western societies, characterized no longer by an ongoing secularization but by a state of accomplished secularization. Proceeding through historical, sociological and theological analysis, the author examines the biblical and rational origins of secularization, its beneficial effects and its excesses, notably the ambiguous return of the religious in the form of gnoses and sects. He proposes a model of "prophetic partnership" through which the Churches, renouncing all domination, bear witness in society through the promotion of the gratuitous, ethical commitment and a discreet symbolic visibility. The theological contribution of the article lies in the mobilization of the notion of divino-humanity, inherited from Russian religious philosophers, to articulate Orthodox faith, modern culture and the eschatological vocation of the Church.
This article has not been translated yet — it is available in its French version here.
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