Traditional Christian Thought in Postmodernity

Abstract

Historically, the twentieth century can barely be connected to traditional Christianity if one thinks of the dramatic changes produced by Protestant liberalism in the second half of the nineteenth century throughout Western Christianity. As it dawned, the twentieth century seemed an easy prey for theological liberalism, which continued to spread despite the shattering of the liberal conviction that the progress of humanity by science—also applied to theology—would eventually lead to the eradication of war. The ravages of the First World War proved the liberals wrong, but this did not mean the end of the movement. On the contrary, Western Christianity witnessed a resurgence of liberal preoccupations that affected not only Protestant denominations but also the Catholic church as it turned to the Second Vatican Council. Eastern Christianity, however, underwent a significantly different development. Largely affected by Communist propaganda, Eastern Europe found itself politically imprisoned almost immediately following the end of the Second World War. Thus, the churches in Eastern Europe—Protestant, Catholic, and the dominant Eastern Orthodox Church—clung to the traditional values of Christianity in an age of severe political persecution and social penury.