The Christian faith and the challenges of the contemporary world - Apologetic benchmarks

The Christian faith and the challenges of the contemporary world. Throughout time, Christians have thought about their faith and witnessed to the Gospel taking into account the world in which they lived, thereby meeting a number of challenges. Today's world is no exception; the multiple questions it raises make a twofold approach necessary: ​​thinking about the Christian faith in the present context and taking a Christian look at today's realities. It is this double orientation which guided the 49 authors of this volume in the writing of the 76 articles which make this dictionary a compendium of Christian reflection without equivalent, in its breadth and diversity. The articles, which are all benchmarks for a bold, wise and relevant testimony, are organized around six major areas of reflection:
  • theology and the main Christian doctrines and themes;
  • the Bible and the global questions it poses;
  • ethics and the major moral questions of today, sometimes burning and painful questions, whether individual or collective;
  • culture and society, and therefore the main trends in today's world;
  • faith and religion, in order to situate the Christian faith in the very diverse religious and spiritual world in which modern globalization places us;
  • philosophy and values, in other words the major currents which shape the thinking and behavior of our contemporaries.
Christophe Paya is professor of practical theology at the Free Faculty of Evangelical Theology (Vaux-sur-Seine). Nicolas Farelly is director of training for the Federation of Evangelical Baptist Churches of France (FEEBF) and associate professor of New Testament at the Free Faculty of Evangelical Theology (Vaux-sur-Seine).

The Christian faith and the challenges of the contemporary world

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Introduction

The first epistle of Peter exhorts Christians: “if you are asked to justify your hope, always be ready to defend it, with humility and reverence” (3:15-16). The suggested attitude supposes a double skill: knowing how to explain and justify one's “hope”, and being able to hear the questions of the world. The Christian apologists of the 2nd and 3rd centuries provide us with an interesting precedent, since their theology is developed in a debate, often conflictual relationship with the world. This is the well-known case of Justin Martyr (around 100 - 165), who addresses the pagan world and the Jewish world, and who is interested in the place of Christians in the city. It is the relationship with the world that puts these theologians to work and pushes them to develop an appropriate theological discourse. Other theologians will follow this path, also being involved in the world, like Tertullian (around 155 - around 225), who takes a critical Christian look at the surrounding society, or Ambrose of Milan (around 339 - 397), who frequents the circles of intellectual reflection of his time. The trend is not universal, because circumstances and convictions will sometimes push Christians to withdraw. But the reformers taught us to speak the language of contemporary culture, without withdrawal or naivety, which explains the dual purpose of this dictionary: 1o thinking about the Christian faith in today's world; 2o take a Christian look at today's world. Because we cannot account for what we know poorly; and it is difficult to communicate without understanding who we are talking to. The seventy articles are divided into six main categories, which naturally have overlaps:
  • The “theology” category, in which the main Christian doctrines and themes are presented and defended in light of the questions of today’s world.
  • The “Bible” category, in which the major and global questions posed by the Bible in today’s world are addressed.
  • The “ethics” category, in which the major moral questions of today are discussed, whether individual or collective, questions that are sometimes burning and painful.
  • The “culture and society” category, in which the authors take a Christian look at the social trends in today’s world.
  • The category "faith and religion", which allows us to situate the Christian faith in today's very diverse religious and spiritual world.
  • The “philosophy and values” category, in which the authors seek to better understand the thinking of today's world and its major trends.
We should not think that all today's questions are new. Certain subjects run through history, like constants. But it is up to each generation of Christians to ask themselves in what world they live, and to listen to the spiritual quest of their contemporaries. If Jesus had very harsh words for the people of his generation, he had no other audience than his contemporaries and it was those who, of his generation, came out of the crowd to respond to his call, who constituted his disciples. This dictionary is in line with its predecessors in the “Reference Works” collection and does not claim to reproduce everything already said in the Grand Dictionary of the Bible, the Dictionary of Biblical Theology or the Dictionary of Practical Theology. We will therefore refer to these works for biblical and theological supplements. We thank the participating authors for having made the effort to enter into this process, through relevant analyses, insightful views and appropriate formulations. All our thanks also go to the Excelsis team for their quality work and their flexibility, in the face of a sometimes chaotic schedule. Christopher Watkin thanks Grace McMahon and Morgane Vernier, who helped him with the French formulation of his article.
NICOLAS FARELLY AND CHRISTOPHE PAYA
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