Meaning, Mystery, Method, and Mystagogy

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Meaning, Mystery, Method, and Mystagogy MEANING, MYSTERY, METHOD, AND MYSTAGOGY ACCORDING TO REINHOLD NIEBUHR Harold Penner Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, Montreal February 2009 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research of McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in philosophy of religion © Harold Penner, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l’édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-61837-0 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-61837-0 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L’auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l’Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L’auteur conserve la propriété du droit d’auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author’s permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n’y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ii A B S T R A C T This study is about Reinhold Niebuhr’s notions of meaning, mystery, method, and mystagogy. Niebuhr’s understanding of myth is the binding thread through these notions, and it is to be found in issues dealing not only with protology (the idea of creation and the biblical accounts of the ‘beginnings’), but also with eschatology (the biblical idea of the ends of time and history) and the relevance of this idea for Christian faith today. The first chapter highlights Niebuhr’s basic premise regarding meaning, namely the conviction that mystery does not obstruct, but augments, the meaning of life, history, and human existence. The second chapter deals with the notion of God as mystery and symbol, and with Niebuhr’s emphasis on the close correspondence, indeed profound unity, between ultimate meaning and ultimate mystery. The analysis of the text “Incoherence, Coherence, and the Christian Faith” in the last section of this chapter aims at deepening the relation between partial fulfillments, incomplete meanings, and the problem of truth as presented at the end of chapter one, thus paving the way for considerations concerning method. This is the issue of chapter three. After a critical examination of various attempts to characterize Niebuhr either as a liberal, a neo- orthodox, a dialectical, or a biblical thinker, emphasis is put on Christian Realism as the guiding principle in Niebuhr’s thought and action as a Social Gospel theologian both belonging to, and critical of, the Social Gospel movement. Niebuhr’s Christian Realism, though, does not provide the final answer to the question pertaining to the center of his theological method. Niebuhr’s preaching, writing, and teaching activities from the times of his appointment as pastor in Detroit up to his work at Union Theological Seminary in New York can all be summed up in the term ‘mystagogy’. This approach is characterized and developed in chapter four. Niebuhr became increasingly involved in political movements of his day and concerned with what is commonly called the secularism of today’s culture, which helped him to better situate Christian faith both as individual and social orientation toward what he called the Hidden Christ. This is similar to Karl Rahner’s thought from the 1950s on which finds its inspiration in the notion of Anonymous Christianity. In this way, this study is an attempt to further develop Langdon Gilkey’s comparison between Niebuhr and Rahner. By relying on past Niebuhrian research this study aims at gaining insights into some challenges for the future of both Christian faith and culture. iii R É S U M É Cette thèse doctorale porte sur les notions de sens, de mystère, de méthode et de mystagogie telles que comprises et développées dans l’œuvre de Reinhold Niebuhr. Elle montre dans quelle mesure la compréhension originale du mythe chez Niebuhr constitue la toile de fond de ces notions et se retrouve dans les questions concernant autant la protologie (l’idée de création et les récits bibliques des ‘commencements’) que l’eschatologie (l’idée biblique de la fin des temps et de l’histoire) et l’importance de cette idée pour la foi chrétienne aujourd’hui. Le premier chapitre illustre l’option fondamentale de Niebuhr concernant le sens, notamment la conviction que le mystère n’obscurcit pas, mais au contraire augmente le sens de la vie, de l’histoire et de l’existence humaine. Le deuxième chapitre traite de Dieu en tant que mystère et symbole ainsi que de l’insistance de Niebuhr sur l’étroite corrélation, voire la profonde unité, entre le sens ultime et le mystère ultime. Dans la dernière section de ce chapitre, l’analyse du texte concernant les thèmes de l’incohérence et de la cohérence en rapport avec la foi chrétienne selon Niebuhr vise un approfon- dissement des rapports entre accomplissements partiels, sens incomplets, et la question de la vérité tels qu’abordés à la fin du premier chapitre, et prépare ainsi les considérations concernant la méthode, objet même du chapitre trois. Après l’examen critique de diverses manières de situer Niebuhr comme penseur libéral, néo-orthodoxe, dialectique, ou encore biblique, l’accent est mis sur le Réalisme Critique en tant que principe de base de la pensée et de l’action de Niebuhr en tant que théologien qui, à la fois, appartient au mou- vement dit du Social Gospel et critique ce mouvement. Toutefois, le Réalisme Critique de Niebuhr ne peut constituer une réponse définitive à la question du centre même de sa méthode théologique. Les activités de Niebuhr en tant que prédicateur, écrivain et enseignant, depuis le temps de son pastorat à Détroit jusqu’à ses tâches au Union Theological Seminary de New York, peuvent toutes se rapporter à ce qu’on peut appeler la mystagogie. Cette suggestion est décrite et développée au chapitre quatre. Niebuhr s’impliqua de plus en plus dans les mouvements politiques de son époque, et il devint ainsi réellement préoccupé par ce qu’on appelle habituellement le sécularisme de la culture présente. Cela le conduisit à situer la foi chrétienne, aux plans à la fois personnel et communautaire, par le moyen de ce qu’il appelle le Christ Caché. Cette orientation comporte de nombreuses affinités avec la pensée de Karl Rahner : depuis les années 50, celle-ci trouve son inspiration dans la notion de Christianisme Anonyme. De cette manière, cette thèse doctorale est une tentative de développer plus avant la comparaison entre Niebuhr et Rahner tentée naguère par Langdon Gilkey. Prolongeant ainsi la recherche sur Niebuhr, cette thèse doctorale cherche à préciser certains défis concernant l’avenir autant de la culture que de la foi chrétienne. R É S U M É Cette thèse doctorale porte sur les notions de sens, de mystère, de méthode et de mystagogie telles que comprises et développées dans l’œuvre de Reinhold Niebuhr. Elle montre dans quelle mesure la compréhension originale du mythe chez Niebuhr constitue la toile de fond de ces notions et se retrouve dans les questions concernant autant la protologie (l’idée de création et les récits bibliques des ‘commencements’) que l’eschatologie (l’idée biblique de la fin des temps et de l’histoire) et l’importance de cette idée pour la foi chrétienne aujourd’hui. Le premier chapitre illustre l’option fondamentale de Niebuhr concernant le sens, notamment la conviction que le mystère n’obscurcit pas, mais au contraire augmente le sens de la vie, de l’histoire et de l’existence humaine. Le deuxième chapitre traite de Dieu en tant que mystère et symbole ainsi que de l’insistance de Niebuhr sur l’étroite corrélation, voire la profonde unité, entre le sens ultime et le mystère ultime. Dans la dernière section de ce chapitre, l’analyse du texte concernant les thèmes de l’incohérence et de la cohérence en rapport avec la foi chrétienne selon Niebuhr vise un approfon- dissement des rapports entre accomplissements partiels, sens incomplets, et la question de la vérité tels qu’abordés à la fin du premier chapitre, et prépare ainsi les considérations concernant la méthode, objet même du chapitre trois. Après l’examen critique de diverses manières de situer Niebuhr comme penseur libéral, néo-orthodoxe, dialectique, ou encore biblique, l’accent est mis sur le Réalisme Critique en tant que principe de base de la pensée et de l’action de Niebuhr en tant que théologien qui, à la fois, appartient au mou- vement dit du Social Gospel et critique ce mouvement.
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