TEOLOGI DIALEKTIS: BUAH TEOLOGI DARI RAHIM PERANG DUNIA PERTAMA

On the one hand, the First World War was the epitome of destruction, on the other hand the war spurred humanity to think deeply and be creative. An example of human creativity, a fruit of World War I, was Dialectic Theology, a theology that counter-balances and corrects Liberal Theology. It corrects the concept that identifies God with the human, such that instead of humanity talking about God, humanity deifies itself. Dialectic Theology invites theologians to return to the Sacred Scriptures to rediscover the true concept of the Divine. The God of Christians is the God who is absolutely “Other”, a concept impossible for human reason to grasp. God can only be experienced in faith. Nevertheless, Dialectic Theology is not without imperfections for its theological model excessively absolutizes God. This tendency results in Dialectic Theology falling into a similar fault as Liberal Theology. Liberal Theology falls into anthropomorphism, while Dialectic Theology falls into theocentrism. It also ignors other theological sources, namely tradition and context. Contextual theologies are a reaction to Dialectic Theology.