Revelation through Correlation

The nature of revelation is how we understand and learn about God.

Public theology is looking at the different ways that we learn about God.

Correlation is looking at the relationship with how we have and do view God and how we learn about God in different ways throughout history; it is where Christianity and culture interact.

                                                          

This interaction can change Christianity or Christianity can change the process of the interaction. One question that emerges from this is whether Christianity continues to re-shape itself in light of contemporary philosophical thought or does Christianity say contemporary philosophical thought is wrong? Christianity within culture can either attempt to change culture and tell culture to adopt the underlying messages of Christianity. Or it can be argued that one can find God within culture. Sometimes God can be found within the things that occur within our culture. For example, Marxism; although atheistic some Christian theologians can take a lot from it because it looks at how the poor can gain justice and equality and therefore it can be said to be of God. Some of the messages in Marxism are good which remove the contradiction and therefore God can be found in that culture. One can further learn about God from culture. For example, the church’s view on women has begun to change because society changed its view on women. The women’s movement began outside the church but was then filtered into the church as feminists encouraged a feminist reading of scriptures which revealed women had been very important key players within the bible and in church history. Therefore the revelation developed outside the church but was filtered into church. Many argue the church works better when it notes and learns from contemporary culture.

Paul Tillich developed the term correlation defining it as “the task of articulating a body of understanding by which people can live meaningfully in today’s world which is fundamental to the theological enterprise”. He argued that Christian theology could answer the questions which are posed by contemporary society. He found connections between psychology (guilt, freedom, repression) and Christian concepts (sin, grace, forgiveness). In his 'Systematic Theology' we are urged to “not seek anything…simply accept the fact you are accepted” Tillich’s answer to contemporary culture’s questions’ is the notion of how to live well and how to live authentically; Christianity fills the gaps in our lives and encourages us to live healthily-spiritually, physically and intellectually. However, Hiltner questions Tillich’s view that ‘Christianity is the answer to culture’ as he proposes that contemporary society may be the answer to the question of theology. For example, if theology raises the question of the nature of creation, then contemporary culture can answer that question through science- Darwinism, ‘survival of the fittest’, the ‘big bang’ theory and so on.

Ultimately public theology makes Christianity relevant and accessible to a contemporary society. With each new thought and idea within culture Christianity is allowed to reform and create a new or developed identity. However, because of this Christianity has a fluid identity or many identities. As culture is in a constant process of change, so is Christianity and therefore it will always look different, whether geographically or historically, Christianity will never be the same.