A Paradigm Shift in Catholic Theology Led by Vatican II Proponents
Some definitions
Microsoft Encarta dictionary defines paradigm shift as "a radical change in somebody's basic assumptions or approach" [1].
A search in Google will give this Dictionary result: "a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions" [2].
Wikipedia.org gives another definition: "a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline" [3].
What is common among these 3 definitions is the term change . Two definitions agree that the change is fundamental, while the other definition states that the change is radical. Something fundamental is crucial; something radical is often a significant departure.
Our question therefore is: "Was the paradigm shift in theology since Vatican II from scholastic (theology from above) to human experience-based (theology from below) fundamental or radical?
Judging from the documents produced since Vatican II, popes like St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI veered the direction of the Church's theology to a balanced theology - both rooting it in traditional theology (scholastic), and moving it towards a more human and experience-based understanding of the faith. As to a pope like Pope Francis, his theological approach to the understanding of the Christian faith displays a move that significantly emphasizes human experience as primary ground for seeing the face of Christ in the world.
Examining main differences
Theology from above is a theological approach that begins with God and divine revelation as its primary starting point. It emphasizes God's revelation of His authority found in Scripture and often interpreted through tradition and reason. A main proponent of theology from above was St. Thomas Aquinas . St. Thomas Aquinas stressed dogmatic truths and realities that are spiritual in nature, but rooted in faith and reason. Thus, we understand from this theological school the truths on the Blessed Trinity, the angels and the archangels, the eschatological (in relation to the end times) realities of heaven, purgatory, limbo and hell.
Theology from below is a theological approach that begins with human experience, culture, and the world as its primary starting point. It seeks to understand God and divine realities through the eyes of human existence, history, and social contexts. It is a theological direction that has its emphasis on human experience as the basis for understanding one's faith in a personal God. A good example of this theological direction are the theologians who advocate liberation theology and theologies that see Christ as the emancipator of a people oppressed by authoritian governments. Two well-known proponents for the theology from below are Gustavo Gutierrez, a key figure in liberation theology, and Paulo Freire, whose work on pedagogy emphasizes critical reflection and action [4].
The paradigm shift in Catholic theology
The paradigm shift in Catholic theology happened when those who advocate a theology from below radically departed from the theology from above. Since the theology from below is a contextualized theology, it has produced many schools of theology that are contextualized in specific human experiences or causes such as the liberation of the poor oppressed by corrupt administrations and the preservation of the world's environment. Before, theology has as its assumption and approach the truths and realities abstracted from Scripture and Catholic tradition. This is what many call a "theology from above". After the "paradigm shift" in theology caused theological thinking to shift to a "theology from below", a lot of traditional thinking in the Church was left out. This happened gradually after the Second Vatican Council and its documents were applied to the actual living expression of the Christian faith.
What developed from the "theology from below" is a greater integration of many fields in the social sciences: psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The fields of business, economics, politics and the cultural world of the media was also integrated. Many texts in the document Gaudium et Spes, "The Church in the Modern World", gives the Church's moral stand in relation to all these fields of human endeavour. It is this stress on judging human experience from the point of view of the Scriptures which gives the Church its impetus to involve herself in a world under the ideal of 'solidarity with the suffering' and 'preferential option for the poor'.
So, let us go back to the basic question of this study: is the paradigm shift from a theology from above to a theology from below fundamental or radical?
- Was the theology promoted by St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI a fundamental change from scholastic theology or a radical change?
- How about Pope Francis? Was the theology he promoted a fundamental or a radical shift from traditional theology?
- What should be the direction of theology in the Catholic Church now? Should it follow the theological line of thinking of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, or should it continue with the line of thinking of Pope Francis?
- Should there be some middle ground where a more moderate or integrative theological thinking is called for?
- Were is the Holy Spirit leading the Church in terms of its theological understanding of
- Christ,
- ecclesiology,
- religious life,
- seminary formation,
- the lay apostolate,
- society and culture,
- the realities of poverty,
- the equal distribution of wealth among nations,
- the protection of the environment?
- What kind of theological thinking ought to be followed that is faithful to the teaching of Christ in the gospels and the apostles?
