#6 FPC, Lowville, NY Fall 2012 Theological Study Group

Study Notes for Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith, Chapter Four Section 1: Elements of Faith & Their Dynamics there are many forms of faith, in one sense as many forms as people who have faith but we can distinguish some basic types, which are distinct & between which there can be tension these types are only for the purpose of analysis none of them exist in any kind of pure state every act of faith, furthermore, is a combination of traits with one that predominates thus, there are 2 main elements in every experience of the holy: (1) as an immediate presence (the holiness of being); & (2) as a command or demand (the holiness of what out to be) the 1st type is ontological & the 2nd is moral both are found in every act of faith & their interaction w/ each other determines the type of faith a person has one or the other is always dominate & that dominance reaches into the very depths of faith of individuals & of the various religions yet there is an inherent tension in faith in that faith always seeks balance thus human faith is always unbalanced & relative but seeking the certainty of its ultimate concern this means that we have to combine tolerance (of our own unbalanced faith & that of others) with certainty we see in religion generally & Protestantism in particular that there is an infinite tension between the absolute claims of faith & the reality of its being finite, incomplete, & relative Section 2: Ontological Types of Faith 1st type of ontological faith: the holy is experienced as being present in something almost anything can be & has been considered to be holy, that is to have a sacramental character this is the sacramental type of religion what happens, however, is that the sacramental object becomes holy in & of itself instead of merely pointing to the holy the faithful no longer see thru the object to the ultimate transparency is lost as a principle, nothing is in & of itself sacred objects or doctrines are sacred only as they point to the ultimate 2nd type of ontological faith: mystical faith is an alternative to sacramental religion it seeks to go beyond that religion by identifying faith w/ a larger reality, which is an ecstatic experience felt in the depth of the soul the ultimate is thus beyond all divisions & particular realities or objects mystics depend on meditation & contemplation to go beyond the finite while realizing that faith can never really bridge the infinite distance between humanity & the ultimate 3rd type of ontological faith: is humanist faith humanism sees the ultimate in the essence of humanity itself it is secular and this worldly as opposed to the other 2 types, which are religious & other worldly there have been a wide variety of humanist faiths the ontological varieties of humanism are romantic (they experience the infinite in the finite) and conservative (they see the ultimate in already existing history or nature) i.e. the given (as given) is holy The romantic-conservative type of humanist faith is secularized sacramental faith because in both the divine is given here and now. (p. 74) secular faiths tend to become weak & empty & return to the religious forms of faith they parallel Section 3: Moral Types of Faith these types are based on law & obedience to the law there are laws in the ontological types of religion, but they are expressed in rituals or in ascetic practices The law in the moral type demands moral obedience. (p. 74) there are 3 types of moral faith 1st juristic faith Islam is an example revelation comes thru ritual & social laws, which are experienced as both a gift & a command faith is placed in an ordered way of life 2nd conventional faith the system of rules formulated by Confucius it is secular but still displays faith, esp. in

#6 ancestor worship & the unconditional nature of its laws 3rd ethical faith namely, OT Judaism, which focuses on obeying the law of justice as the way of reaching God its ultimate concern is Gods law the way to God is by subjecting oneself to the law OT Judaism has influenced Christianity, Islam, and progressive-utopian humanism modern humanism is based on Christianity including a deep sense of how things should be it is a secular type of faith but no less powerful for that Section 4: The Unity of the Types of Faith there is an essential unity of the two types of faith & elements of each are always present in all faiths & in the actual practice of faith they can come into conflict with each other they show both convergence & divergence in ways that can be described the NT itself includes various faith types and represents a union of ethical and mystical elements. (p. 82) but the faithful cannot come to rest in their faith or think that they have achieved the final stage of faith both the Catholic church & fundamentalists make this mistake in the case of Catholicism, Protestantism arose as a protest to: (1) the loss of the selfcritical element in Catholic faith; and (2) the dominance of sacramental over moral elements after it made its break w/ Catholicism, Protestant faith became more & more a moral type of faith & lost the balance of sacramental & mystical elements w/ the moral so both Catholicism & Protestantism have mostly lost Pauls experience of the Holy Spirit as the unifier of faith Pauls faith maintains the unity of the ecstatic & personal, the sacramental & moral, the mystical & rational Christianity must regain this Pauline balance if it is to recapture its understanding of its faith & the power of that faith

Questions 1. Why on p. 66 does Tillich say that Protestantisms ability to be self-critical and to be courageous in the face of its own relativity is the greatness and danger of the Protestant faith? How, in particular, can Protestantisms strengths be its weaknesses? More generally, why are the two major elements of faith in tension with each other? What does that tension say about the nature of faith? 2. Which types of faith are held by the members of FPC, Lowville? Which type do you personally practice? 3. In his critique of both Catholicism & Protestantism, what is Tillich aiming for? Does Section 4 suggest that he has an agenda in writing Dynamics of Faith? If so, what is that agenda? 4. Has Tillich convinced you that faith is not necessarily a matter of religion? Why or why not? 5. Do you agree that the future of the Christian faith depends on regaining a balance between the various types of faith? Is this true of FPC, Lowville, too?