LINK: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/en-secularization-mission.htm

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New Evangelization in Europe begins with Coming to Terms with the Problem of Secularization!

The Church's Offer for Salvation in a World
Characterized by Capitalism and Secularization

Since many people in capitalism have internalized the reduction of human existence to those needs the satisfaction of which promise economic profit, they are often uninterested in the salvation offer of the Christian faith.

(1) Access to the spiritual dimension of life is possible among some of the young people, who often still ask essential questions in their phase of mental and spiritual transition, and for whom a need for a comprehensive meaning of life and for comprehensive values can be observed.

Moreover, the search of young people for their own originality and in their balancing act between detachment from parents and a lasting bond with parents, presents an important opportunity to offer assistance contained in the Christian image of man and in some aspects of Christian spirituality. (example: >>> )

Unfortunately, in the Church, there is no doctrine of faith in polarity with a scientific understanding of the emotional merry-go-round often experienced by young people in particular and for a responsible handling of it; because the psychological insights of psychic repressions and projections, which essentially cause our human conflicts, do not occur in Christian thinking.

It is similarly negative for the church if, in the area of the scientific worldview, it does not offer a contemporary doctrine of faith about man's need for redemption on the background of the insights of the evolution of all living things. (More in detail >>> )

That is why the partly completely outdated offer of the Church is more repulsive than attractive for most young people!

(2) Other than that, it is necessary to perceive people's situations of suffering and to offer both practical (scientifically based) and spiritual help - as corresponds to a polar Christian worldview.
Therefore, one of the most important tasks of the Church leadership of a country or a cultural area is to perceive the essential sufferings of the people there and to concretise the salvation offer of faith accordingly. This analysis of people's suffering must, of course, be developed in an ongoing dialogue with those affected. Since these sufferings can vary in intensity, hierarchy and diffusion in different cultures, it is necessary to adapt the organizational structure of the Church, the configuration of liturgy and spirituality, and the proclamation of values, that they bring to fruition the central values of the Christian faith, that is, being human, social responsibility and sustainable world organization in the Christian spirit as effectively as possible. This difference in the suffering structure of the cultural circles may require a difference in Church structures, in the culture of prayer and in designing liturgies in order to realize the same central truths of faith.

If, for example, in Europe many people in the family and in other areas of human relations experience the strongest emotional pain and powerlessness, it is very negative for the reputation of the Church and the Christian faith, if the Church does not have to offer a contemporary doctrine of faith and a contemporary culture of prayer to this area of suffering.

(3) Especially in developed democratic societies, where open dialogue, participation and the equality of men and women have become everyday practiced values, authoritarian Church structures and the exclusion of women from offices and essential decisions paralyze the proclamation and credibility of the “Good News”.

Of course, reforms in this area which would only be an adaptation to values already practiced in society, will not make the Church to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light on the mountain", but will only remove annoyances and blockades. The Church can rather regain a positive impact by coming to terms with secularization in the proclamation and practical realization of a polar view of the world and of life.

Proposals to Work up the Secularization Problem:

1. The Church would have to research and describe the historical development of the one-sided rationalization of secularization - and thereby confess its guilt for having abused its power.

2. The Church would have to formulate the rightly understood secularization mandate, which is laid down in the Bible and in the Church's doctrinal tradition, in a generally understandable way, concretize it for the various areas of life, proclaim it and put it into practice.

3. The Church would have to show in which areas it has already succeeded in positively realizing the secularization mission:
- Formulation and constant updating of the "Catholic Social Doctrine".
- The new orientation favorising the world ("Aggiornamento", "Gaudium et Spes" ) in the texts of the Vatican Council II.
- The proclamation of the environmental cyclical “Laudato si”, which above all formulated a
  spiritual view of the world and contains very practical impulses of global responsibility.
- The Church’s commitment to human dignity, human rights and democracy.

4. The Church would have to remedy the deficits of its secularization mandate

- Scientific and spiritual interpretation of the world
Today’s scientific view of the world is to be formulated in such a way that its openness to an additional spiritual view becomes recognizable. For this purpose, a holistic polar view of the modern worldview is to be presented and concrete spiritual approaches are to be shown. This would be particularly meaningful in confirmation catechesis for young people.

But also such fundamental questions would have to be clarified, for example, how we can imagine the need for redemption of man on the background of the knowledge of the evolution of all living things. (More detailed: >>> )

- Scientific and spiritual interpretation of life
The psychic maturation and healing processes and their blockages would have to be described and their spiritual dimensions as well. For this purpose, a detailed doctrine of faith should be developed in constant dialogue with psychology and appropriate rites for life turns and crises should be worked out. (More in detail: >>> )

5. Adapt spiritual texts
- The liturgical texts and the ecclesiastical culture of prayer must be analyzed and changed
  with regard to a depreciation of the world ("valley of tears"??) and with regard to a
  false understanding of authority ("God reigns"??).
- An updated doctrine of faith - especially in the areas of interpreting the world and life - would have to be integrated into liturgical rites and prayers.
(More detailed: >>> )

6. Understanding of authority and structures within the Church
The unilaterally rationalizing secularization was a reaction to an ecclesiastical abuse of power.
Therefore, the Church leadership would need to formulate a doctrine of faith on the subject of "Understanding and practicing authority - oriented on the words and actions of Jesus." (>>> )
Accordingly, the Church structures that still enable and promote the abuse of power today, must be analyzed and changed correspondingly.

7. Spiritual reappraisal through "Church days of mourning”
The Church would have to introduce an annual Church day of mourning to work up its historical legacies in detail. (More detailed: >>> )

Since the "secularization problem" has arisen in Europe and the whole of Europe is burdened by it in a very dramatic way, this problem should be dealt with by an European Synod. It would be irresponsible and a betrayal of the Christian faith and the Christian mandate to shape the world, if this problem was not finally and fundamentally be tackled.

Manfred Hanglberger (www.hanglberger-manfred.de )

Translated by: Ingeborg Schmutte

LINK: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/en-secularization-mission.htm

Slides for this topic: >>>

To Know and to Believe >>>

Other texts in English >>>

Secularization: Aspects, problem, meaning >>>

Säkularisierungsimpulse in AT und NT und in Konzilstexten: >>>

Die Säkularisierungsproblematik graphisch dargestellt: >>>

Zehn notwendige Schritte für eine zeitgemäße Glaubens- und Kirchenreform: >>>