The Connection between Christianity and Modernity - Essay Example

? Christianity and Modernity Paradoxically, although modernity appeared to be a threat to Christianity, it had been nurtured, in significant part, by Christianity itself." The modern study of the Jesus has been affected by the world view. The modern academy has been founded on the mindset of Christianity. Initially, modernity was perceived to be a threat for Christianity. However, there has been a gradual shift from how we perceive issues through centrality of God to using human understanding and senses. Presumably, the threat to Christianity was associated to secular world view supported by modernity. Research shows that modernity is dominated by secular world view. The enlightenment era and the birth of modern science affected the reality of Christianity. The modernity concept suggests that is the physical world, made of energy and matter. The modern world view argues that the world is a closed system of cause and effect. It also perceives the real world to have space and time. The breathtaking achievements of science caused the western world to be impressed by the idea of modernity, science and technology. Reality has been reduced to space and time. This has made the concept of Christianity and faith doubtful has hard to grasp1. Modernity has caused facts to replace the truth. This means that any proclamation of faith must be verifiable through facts or historical evidence. However, the premise of the faith in Jesus tends to suggests realities that are beyond scientific confines of verification. A telling example is the case of mystical experiences, prayers, healing, visions and dreams. The Christian faith is inclusive and universal in terms of the requirements of becoming a faithful2. The promise of faith is the same despite the background or culture setup of the believer. Studies show that qualitative change or evolution is a characteristic of modern religion. This means that development of modern religion has come through evolutionary stages just like science. Given that religion preceded science, it is evident that Christianity nurtured modernity to a significant extent3. The theories of cultural evolution and religion show that religious change does not necessarily indicate a decline of religious influence. Rather, it is a central aspect of Christian religion. History shows that Christianity evolution was not exclusive to culture. Christianity emphasizes the difference between the natural world and the supernatural world. This does not necessarily refute the scientific gains in the natural world. Rather, Christianity insists of a truth greater than the sensual approach. The nature of science is also evolutionary. This means that science has got a striking similarity with Christianity when it comes to changes and developmental advancement. However, the fundamentals of Christianity do not change. The teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are the inspiration behind the conduct and morals of every believer4. Science tends to be solution oriented. Most scientific solutions meet have no supernatural bearing. To a certain extent, religious symbols do not necessarily contradict secular world achievements. However, Christianity represents a deeper supernatural understanding of life. The concept of evolution, flexibility and change that is espoused by the scientific world is likely to have been heavily borrowed from Christianity5. The modern day ways of thinking and sensing may not be absolute. The overdependence of common realities that can be relied upon by the senses is not entirely representative. This means that the common realities can be represented by science effectively. However, the higher common objects like wisdom and truth cannot be fully addressed by modernity and may be prove that God exists. According to the concept of notion of will, sight affects our understanding and perception of desire. This means that Christianity has the capability to nurture changes and perceptions. The notion suggests that the doctrine of will indicates the ability of human being to choose. This means that the things that surround believers can have a profound effect of their choices and will power. Modernity and scientific world view suggests that life must be qualified6. Christianity suggests that the concept of growth is a function of the faith. It is also built of the premise of learning and understanding the necessary changes7. Therefore, modernity was a form of change that required Christians to be decisive. The moral understanding of faith in Jesus demands a strong sense of reflectivity and understanding. The concept of evil cannot be merely tied to self8. The dimension of soul must be introduced in the understanding modernity and Christianity. One of the insights of understanding the Christianity in light of modernity understands the nature of the gospels. The stories and the explanations put forward by the synoptic gospels have established a relationship between modernity and Christianity. The gospels appear to be a developing tradition. The traditions of about the person of Jesus Christ grew mainly because of experiences. This means that communities played an active role in shaping the perception and the identity of Jesus. Modernity played a role developing the significance and role of Jesus Christ. This means that set the stage through which Christianity nurtured modernity in the earliest stage. The gospels tend to have more than one voice. The major voices include the voice of the community and the voice of Jesus. The layers indicate that Christianity can be layered as progressive. The gospels are known to combine metaphors with remembrance. The gospels present the various states of Jesus and how he changed to adopt new meanings. This includes the historical Jesus, the biblical Christ, pre-Easter Jesus and post-Easter Jesus. This means that the person of Jesus has been subject to tradition and experience. The same Jesus continues to be experienced as a life giving spirit. The post-Easter Jesus is meant to be experienced and realized in the lives of believers. This means that the progressive changes in the early life set a stage for an attitude for adopting modern trends and motions. The name of Jesus has tow connotations. He is viewed as the Jewish rabbi who lived in the 1st century. The same name means a living Christ. This is the Jesus who has divine power. Therefore, an acute understanding of Jesus entails having a flexible and accommodative approach to the information of His person. The biblical Jesus had the power of nature and could perform spectacular acts with an aim of winning people to the kingdom of God. There is need to appreciate His departure from the earth. This means that He is not present. However, to those who believe in Him, Jesus lives within then. There is need to differentiate between pre and post Easter Jesus. The modern study of Jesus entails understanding the gospels and the traditions of Jesus Christ. The modern world views had learned to accept multiple changes with time given the evolution of Christianity over the centuries and decades9. These changes are almost subconscious. This means that the reality of faith is substantive and not necessarily factual in all instances. The faith in Christianity has been supported by both facts and faith or convictions. Space and time are not enough to explain Christianity. This is different from modernity which is based on facts and scientific world view. The worldview has been heavily influenced by the modern Christianity. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the role and impact of Christianity in modernity. Most present day theologians focus on what makes sense to them. This has been borrowed from the premise of modernity. The focus in faith is increasingly being based on the physical attributes of scientific nature10. This has limited the perception of God and science. Initially, the idea of modernity was perceived to be a threat to Christianity. However, Christianity has nurtured the concept of modernity to a significant expect. It must be noted that faith does not deny facts of science. Modernity or scientific world view insists that facts are the fundamental basis of life. This means that most aspects of life are quantifiable and must be addressed through factual means. This was backed by the tremedous success of science and industrialization during the enlightenment era. To many people, the scientific view of life appears to be convincing and practical. However, modernity can be a product of cultural constructionism. This means that secular world view is not absolute. It also means that modernity is likely to evolve with time and the current perception are likely to look archaic in the coming decades. Modernity denies the sacredness of life and the possibility of deity. However, Christianity tends to make modernity look shallow and subject to change. A compelling example would be a case where there is a system failure. This can lead to massive losses and the physical world would seem dysfunctional. However, the Christianity is not stationary nature. The premise of Christianity is the active leadership and interaction with God. This means that true Christianity is responsive11. While Christianity does not deny scientific facts, it is not subject to them. This creates the demarcation between Christianity and science. The products of faith can be confirmed to be real but cannot be explained scientifically12. This means that tradition should be taken seriously if it carries a depth that cannot be explained by the physical world or science. Christianity has also nurtured modernity in that the interaction between Jesus and His followers does not disqualify the reality of scientific achievements13. Rather, Christianity aims at showing a higher level of reality than the common sense or scientific reality. Jesus was born when the culture atmosphere of the Jewish people was undergoing significant social change. This had been occasioned by the fact that the Jewish people had fallen under the Roman Empire in 63 BC. The Hellenistic culture and roman rule had a lot of impact of the traditions of the Jewish people. The human life became increasingly viewed as cosmopolitan14. Agriculture became commercialized. This led to the displacement of the peasant farmers. Jesus was born at a time when there were Jewish revolts. The Jewish rebellious climaxed at the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem forty years later15. The historical Jesus is relevant in the study of the relationship between modernity and Christianity. The premise of faith suggests that science was mean to confirm or complement faith. However, modernity was perceived to be a threat to Christianity. Faith is Jesus is presented as a concept that transcends time and facts. It appears to be a profound reality that is progressive. The other concept if the fact that faith came before science. Therefore, modern world view should be seen as one of the ways of promoting faith in Jesus. History shows that some of the striking and life changing discoveries were made by Christians. Therefore, Christianity has nurtured modernity in multiple aspects. In conclusion, the generations after the enlightenment era and industrialization tended to perceive science as a direct onslaught to Christianity. Initially, science was meant to be complementary to Christianity. Faith is increasingly becoming a subject of empirical procedures, reason and logic. The modernity has been trying to establish the relationship between faith and reason. However, the impact and role of religion in modern days has continued to become limited. In the western world, an increasing number of people are looking for explanations of nature from modernization. This has diminished the need for religious or Christian interventions. This has caused religious to be privatized. Bibliography Brown, Brian, John Doody, and Kim Paffenroth. Augustine and World Religions. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2008. Esposito, John L., Darrell J. Fasching, and Todd Thornton Lewis. World Religions Today, 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Theissen, Gerd, and Annette Merz. The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998. MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Viking, 2010. McGrath, Alister E. Reformation Thought: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. McManners, John. The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Meeks, Wayne A. 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