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Secular theology is a term applied totheological positions influenced byhumanism andsecularism, rejecting supernaturalmetaphysical positions related to the nature of God. Secular theology can accommodate a belief in God, like many nature religions, but as residing in this world and not separately from it.
Aristotle'sconception of God as the Soul of the World was such a secular concept.[citation needed]Historians such asCharles Freeman hold that theAD 325 Council of Nicaea did much to establish dualism in Christian thought. Dualism has greatly influenced religion and science as well.[citation needed] By desacralizing the natural world, dualism has left it vulnerable to exploitation and damage. (SeeChristian views on environmentalism)
Lutheran andsocial constructionist sociologistPeter L. Berger states thatSchubert M. Ogden'sThe Reality of God (1966),Paul van Buren'sThe Secular Meaning of the Gospel and Anglican bishopJohn A. T. Robinson'sHonest to God "marked the rather loud inauguration of what came to be known as secular theology on the Anglo-American scene". Berger further states that Ogden advocates a "secular interpretation of the Christian faith", which, "while rejectingsecularism, will also reject supernaturalistic theism", and "distinguishes between secularism and secularity".[1]
The field of secular theology, a subfield ofliberal theology advocated by Robinson somewhat combinessecularism andtheology. Recognized in the 1960s, it was influenced both byneo-orthodoxy,Dietrich Bonhoeffer,Harvey Cox, and theexistentialism ofSøren Kierkegaard andPaul Tillich. Robinson, along withDouglas John Hall andRowan Williams, saw that Secular theology had digested modern movements like theDeath of God Theology propagated byThomas J. J. Altizer or the philosophical existentialism of Tillich and eased the introduction of such ideas into the theological mainstream and made constructive evaluations, as well as contributions, to them.[2][additional citation(s) needed]
John Shelby Spong advocated a nuanced approach to scripture, as opposed toBiblical literalism, informed by scholarship and compassion which he argues can be consistent with both Christian tradition and a contemporary understanding of the universe. Secular theology holds thattheism has lost credibility as a valid conception ofGod's nature.[3] It rejects the concept of apersonal God and embraces the status ofJesus Christ,Christology andChristian eschatology asChristian mythology without basis in historical events.[4][5]
The movement chiefly came about as a response to general dissatisfaction with the Christian establishment's tendency to lapse into "provincialism" when presented with the "unusual" theological ideas common during the 1960s.[6][7][8] The movement also suggested the legitimacy of seeking theholy outside the church itself. Thereby it suggests that the church did not have exclusive rights to divine inspiration. In a sense, this incorporated a strong sense of continuous revelation in which truth of the religious sort was sought out in poetry, music, art, or even the pub and in the street.[citation needed]
Certain other religions besides Christianity have developed secular theologies and applied these to core concepts of their own traditions. Notable among such movements has been theReconstructionist Judaism ofMordecai Kaplan, which understands God and the universe in a manner concordant withDeweyan naturalism.[9]
InHinduism, theAdvaita school of theology is generally regarded as non-theistic as it accepts all interpretations of God orIshvara.
