ChurchRenewal
metanoia – think anew

Enabling Church Renewal

This website aims to contribute to the process of enabling our bishops to shape reforms on a sustainable and epistemologically grounded foundation. A central concern is to introduce constructivist perspectives into theology.

The goal is to show how knowledge is formed and how time-bound insights shape societal paradigms. While scientific developments have long led to profound changes in worldviews and ways of life, the Church has so far only partially kept pace with this transformation.

This is not about the Church unconditionally adapting to the world. Rather, it is about subjecting its inherited body of faith – which has, at times, also become a burden of belief – to honest and critical examination, so that it can continue to credibly fulfill its mission in a changed world.

From Scripture to the Source

This blog is not a scholarly treatise on constructivism, epistemology, or theology- there are excellent books available for in-depth analysis.

My purpose is different: I want to offer food for thought and encourage the development of new perspectives. My aim is to penetrate through scripture and tradition to the source – the power that gives life. This source is God, the divine mystery, the origin and source of all being.

When we return to the source, align our lives accordingly, and bring heart and mind into harmony, we can regain our voice for the good news. In doing so, the church can regain its radiance and contribute to the unity of Christians.

I welcome feedback, suggestions, and dialogue – feel free to leave a comment. Perhaps a network will emerge here that will work together toward a renewal of the church.

Uncovering the Core of Faith

The findings of natural science and textual criticism have opened up profound new insights, but at the same time, they have also caused a great deal of uncertainty. What can even be believed today?

I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but rather rediscover the core of our faith and uncover its source. The faith of the early Christians spread rapidly – ​​entirely without scripture or tradition, sustained by their trust, courage, and openness.

The method I present here can be applied to all religions and their writings. It helps preserve the positive content and intentions while simultaneously developing the courage to break away from contemporary constructions. In this way, religions could also come closer to one another.

Images of God and Their Limits

When we look at religions and their scriptures, we must always keep in mind: God cannot be grasped through logic or science. Even people’s experiences with the divine defy objective description. They can only be expressed in the images and words of their time – as attempts to convey the indescribable.

This presents a danger: Such statements can easily be misunderstood as fixed truths or dogmas – as if they were actual representations of divine reality. But they are expressions of human ideas that evolve with the paradigms and experiences of their time.

We should not and cannot create any picture of God. When we say that God became human in Jesus, we must not take this literally, but should recognize the crucial clue: The divine is present in the world and we encounter it in every human being.