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I
They Agree And Disagree
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1966 GEORGIA BULLETIN PACE 3
Cox, Marty And Kung Discuss
Future Of Theology At Meet
By MARYLOUiSE BIRMINGHAM
MONTREAL (RNS) — Three
Christian theologians of dif
ferent denominations celebrat
ed an intellectual agape here
that was distrubed only briefly
on the last day when one of
them, Lutheran Martin Marty,
said that a remark by Roman
Catholic Hans Kung had made'
him, for the first time in five
days, "feel Protestant."
Baptist Harvey Cox, Roman
Catholic Hans Kung, and Luthe
ran Martin Marty were the dis
tinguished trio of theologians
who met to discuss "The Fu
ture of Theology*’ at the third
annual Contemporary Theology
Institute held at Loyola College.
The CTI has from the outset
been unique among theological
conferences. Neither a sum
mer school nor a workshop, it
supplies a context compounded
of lectures, panel discussions,
general discussions, seminars,
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and personal encounters in
which original theologizing gets
done.
The week began with infor-
mal discussion of the uses of
the past for die theology of to
day. Father Elmer O'Brien,
S.J., founder and directoroftbe
Institute and moderator of the
panel, inquired whether history
-was to be seen as the only
source of theology, or alter
natively as a kind of guard
rail against error, or whether
on the other hand the Christian
theologian had come of age —
whether it was time to cut the
umbilical cord and use present
Christian witness as our
source.
Dr. Marty of the University
of Chicago, author of "Varie
ties of Unbelief," and editorof
The Christian Century, replied
that the past and the past-
oriented person are now on
trial, because we are and must
be in a future-oriented socie
ty — while Christian theology
lacks terms*for dealing with
the future. Nevertheless, "we
can’t call it Christian theology
if it totally rejects tradition.'’
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He went on to cite a warn
ing of C.S. Lewis against ig
norance of history, which makes
us victims of "recent bad his
tory" that has little to do with
Scripture or creed-making and
much to do with the 19th Cen
tury.
All three men agreed that
Jesus Christ — the Jesus of
history and the Christ of faith
— is the point in the past to
which the Christian is uncon
ditionally committed.
Dr. Kung of the University
of Tuebingen, author of "The
Council: Reform and Reunion”
and one of the most Influential
theologians of Vatican II, em
phasized the importance of be
ginnings and the original testi
mony — not just the incarna
tion, not just the resurrection,
but the whole event. He added
that a test of the authentic use
of the past is whether we use
history critically or coercive
ly. He mentioned as an exam
ple the question, in the Catholic
Church, of ordaining women —
which may or may not be de
sirable or possible. However,
he said, it would be an unfaith
ful use of history to remain
closed to the possibility mere
ly because it had never been
done in the past.
Prof. Kung then described a
conversation with a traditional
theologian who complained that
It is a mistake to use Scripture
to attack the magisterlum in
stead of to support the magis-
terium. Prof Kung had replied
that he wishes neither to attack
nor to support, but to check
up — to examine in the light of
Scripture,
Prof. Cox of Harvard Uni
versity, author of "The Secular
City," a best-seller on cam
puses, deplored the "failure
of the Catholic element to be
brought to bearonChristology"
and called for a variety of
Christologies. Prof Kung would
prefer to see not a variety, but
; a history of Christologies. Drv
Marty agreed about the need for
pluralism on the fundamental
event and remarked that "the
church is an interminable ar
gument in history. The mo
ment the quest stops, we lose
the critical principle." He
applauded the open, experimen
tal, provisional character of
• today’s theologizing.
Dr. Cox remarked that Chris
tian theology has been "99 per
cent past-determined until now
— but will be increasingly es
chatological.’’ He added that
hope for the future is now as
relevant as memory of the past.
Up to now, the history of dogma
has been "written by the win
ners" -- which is why we have
so-called heretics and schis
matics. “Are we ready today,
with our unprecedented oppor
tunities, for a massive recon
struction of the history of the
church — in which the regula
tive now becomes a disfunc
tion?" he asked.
Dr. Marty would insist that the
historian retain both regula
tive and prophetic roles. He
would have us "overcome his
tory with history, not with dog
ma.’’ For instance, he sees
no point in dogmatizing at the
American South concerning its
racial difficulties. Let us
rather ask, ’How did they get
into this fix? And how can they
get out of it?” He modified Dr,
Cox’s position by terming the
church "a community of mem
ory and hope.*
Dr. Cox spoke of "our brand-
new ability to annihilate the
world; our brand-new ability to
feed everyone — while some
historians keep saying nothing
is new." He sees demands on
the church to transcend its his
tory, having recently ‘re-read
the Fathers on the subject of sex
to see if they were as bad as
I remembered. I discovered
that they are worse. Although
we live in a community of con-
M Stilt. JOHN KXOTT.
director of the Family Life
Bureau, N.C.W.C.. since 1961.
has been named by Arch
bishop Henry J. O'Brien of
Hartford to be pastor of St.
Francis parish. Torrington.
Conn, i NC Photos i
tinuity, there are areas where
we must begin de novo — in
1966".
Dr. Marty pointed out a com
parison to the just war theory.
"You must re-read it to see how
little it says to the nuclear
age." He had also been study
ing the question of guaranteed
annual income, having sensed
"a massive conviction that
there is a fixed work ethic"
that holds the work-income nex
us to be inviolable. He found
that there is no single tradi
tional work ethic but m3ny. He
asked, "Are you a Christian
or only a man in discussing sex
ual ethics, or the justice of war,
or the guaranteed annual in
come? How would your answers
be Christian? Is the critical
task of the historian to get you |
out of history so that you can
start being a man?" Dr.Marty
added that "there are many
things we cannot judge as Chris
tians,” and deplored the mis
use of religion for political
purposes. He noted that in the
controversy over open housing
both sides claim to be standing
for Christian freedom.
In succeeding sessions there
were wide-ranging and pro
vocative discussions, typified
by important agreements de
spite differences in emphasis,
of the tension between reason
and revelation, of "the new
hermeneutic" (pew modes of
interpreting), of relaionships
between theologies and cul
tures, and of new areas for the
ological exploration.
Among memorable moments
in these encounters were Prof,
Kung’s discussion of faith,
which emphasized that it is a
commitment of the whole man.
If there is too exclusive a
stress on reason — or on sen
timent — or on faith as an act
of the will — there is too nar
row a meaning for faith. He
would disagree with the notion
that "the less people think, the’
more they believe," and point
ed out that- without doubting one
cannot think, and without think
ing one cannot believe, He-
later suggested that the Gospel
does not say "You must," but
rather, "You can, and you
may.” He added that man tends
to feel that the law is bad news
— but the Gospel is, Good News.
In considering new modes of
interpreting the Resurrection,
Prof. Kung said that it is the
reality which is important —
and not how: "not modus quo
but id quod." He went on to
affirm that "For me it is
only important that J esus Christ
is alive and not dead,” He sug
gested that even if the bones
were to be found and authenti
cated by an archaeologist this
need not alarm our faith.
Dr. Cox described three stag
es in his own understanding of
the Resurrection. He was orig
inally interested in historicity:
**What really happened?" Then
his concern became existentia
list, asking: "What is its
meaning today?" His present
understanding is eschatologi-
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DR. HARVEY Cox, left, Dr. Martin Marty and Dr. Hans Kung, (right, exchange remarks at a
meeting on the future of theology. (RNS photo)
cal: he sees the Resurrection
not as a completed event, but
as the beginning of a new his
tory. ”We want something on
our side to provide the contin
uity — but it is God that pro
vides the continuity, not our
institutions.’'
Dr. Marty evoked laughter by
remarking that the biggest typo
in the history of journalism last
year listed Harvey Cox among
the Death of God theologians.
The most tense exchange of
the week, which occurred in one
of the final sessions, was Dr.
Marty’s friendly but insistent
questioning of Prof. Kung about
the dogma of the Assumption.
Prof. Kung stated that he by no
means denies the Assumption,
although he does not under
stand it; unless it were clear
to him from the "beginnings,*'
from the Gospel, that this teach
ing were false, he believes that
he is required to be humble —
not to reject it merely because
he cannot find it in the original
testimony.
Dr, Cox commented, "That's
a bad answer," and Dr. Marty
added that it made him feel, for
the first time since the insti
tute had opened, like a Protes
tant. Prof. Kung replied that
he considers both beginnings
and community to be normative,
and ”1 value unity with my
Church.” He would wish free
dom for Marian piety, and a
clearer understanding of the
difference between what is
peripheral and what is central
to Christian life. Even a text
book theologian (Prof. Kung in
dicated) would agree that the
timing of this definition was
inopportune — not that the dog
ma was false, but that it was
poorly timed.
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KIXTKRS OF MKROV are wearing new religious habits.
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cago, left, wears the old habit, while Sister Mary Alexis
wears the new. The new garb is a blue habit of dacron and
wool in a Bengaline weave with a semi-scapular of the
same material, and a white cowl collar. The shortened
black veil reaches to the waist. INC Photosi
Catholic Vets Back
Actions In Vietnam
WASHINGTON (NC) — The
Catholic War Veterans assured
President Johnson that it
“wholeheartedly supports your
actions in the bombing of mili
tary targets in Hanoi and Haip
hong as well as other policies
in the Vietnam conflict.
The CWV position was out
lined in a statement issued here
by Martin G. Riley, CWV na
tional commander.
‘To further emphasize our
support of our forces in Viet
nam, be advised that we are
awarding to Gen. (William)
Westmoreland (chief of Army
forces in Vietnam) our high
est honor—the Honor et Veritas
Award," Riley’s statement to
the President said.' This award
Institute Set
For Clergymen
HOUSTON, Tex. (PC)--John
-D. Donovan, president of the
American Catholic Sociological
Society, will address a special
institute for parish priests Aug.
22 in the Sheraton-Lincoln Ho
tel here in conjunction with the
1966 Liturgical Week.
Morning and afternoon ses
sions of the pastoral day will
precede with the opening of the
Week that evening in the Sam
Houston Coliseum.
Donovan's address at the
morning session, ‘The Dilem
ma of the Christian Priest
hood," will deal with the role
of the priest in contemporary
urban society. A panel on "re
constructing parish life," will
feature the afternoon session.
is rarely given and it was last
presented to (the late) Gen.
(Douglas) MacArthur in 1961."
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