On the advancement of Humanity

The Romanian theologian Dumitru Stăniloae, a twentieth century Orthodox priest and writer, continuously considers the place of theology in the twentieth century world. His thought is as relevent today as it was in the mid to late part of that century.

His principle idea is that the world is a gift from God to creation and principally to humanity. The liturgy of the church forms the central point of reference in the giving of thanks towards its creator God.
Every person has the duty and joy to offer to God the thanksgiving for life and in so doing furthers the experience of God in the world.

Theology is not bound by constraints of tradition and convention, but is a living relationship of giver and receiver. Ultimately the purpose of religion is to make the awareness of God present in all things real. It is the responsibility of the church leader to encourage the faithful to acknowledge the workings of God in the world and in the personal lives of each believer.

In reading the second part of Stăniloae's magnum opus 'The Experience of God' I came across a startlingly refreshing thought of this Christian thinker:

A good part of more recent theology puts the idea of hope in the forefront. "Any idea of God that cements the existing social order is abandoned. Today it makes sense to speak about God only if he opens a future and has a function in transforming the world." That is, only if, as God leads the human being toward himself and toward salvation, he is leading him to higher levels.

Here Stăniloae encourages and challenges us as modern Christians to consider the present day operations of God in our world. It is imperative to be responsive to the direction which God calls us in furthering the joy of Christian fellowship as it is the divine desire that the gospel which was revealed some two thousand years ago should find its continual flourishing in our present day lives. The existence of new evils serve only to encourage us to address them as injustices and it is our privilege to overcome them with ever greater actions of that which is good. (p. 194)

The old traditions which bind humanity to convention and law can become constricting in the advancement of the will of God. Stăniloae writes:

St. Paul the apostle opposed the "newness of spirit" to the oldness of the letter or the law as he opposed the life of the resurrection to abiding in death. Now where the law is, there is found a sign that sin reigns. "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law" said St. Paul (1 Cor 15:56). When the law does not prepare men to go beyond the level it has helped them to attain, that is, when man does not draw the conclusion as a kind of constant newness, that Christ is the "end of the law" or that "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom 10:4, 13: 10), then the law is the power of sin that leads to death. Moreover, sin is the sign of the survival of the old man. (p. 195)

Ultimately we are called, as priests of creation, continually giving thanks for our existence and that which we experience through our senses, we are called to make God relevant through being ever conscious of the activity of the divine in our world. The consciousness is a marvelous gift for advancement. Humanity strives for ever increasing heights of perfection, towards the attainment of 'theosis', that is, the dwelling of individual humans with God. That which is evil calls for addressing. Goodness always prevails, and so, in what Stăniloae calls 'providence', the present evils are always balanced by ever new goods. 'God is leading the world toward ever new phases' (p. 192).


In conclusion I would say that the tradition of the church is a resource which depicts how humanity has engaged with the life of God in relation to the evils of that age. Tradition can not be convention, something to be followed as law, because it must exist in relation and thus relevance with contemporary issues. Tradition is a resource for the living, indeed tradition itself is living, because much as a person develops and grows in relation to the stimuli that affects him/her, so too does the gospel of Christ relate to the ever changing dynamic of modern life. New problems require new answers; it is through this engagement that the church maintains its relevance with life in the present age and continues to pass on to the next generation the example of God working in the midst of His creation.


Citations are taken from: Dumitru Stăniloae, The Experience of God, vol. 2, (2000), Holy Cross Press, Brooklyn MA.
It may be purchased as a book from the publisher here.