FREEDOM AND OBEDIENCE
Freedom, obedience, authority, all of these and their relation to one another are much discussed these days. There are some who refer to our current difficulties as the crisis of obedience; some, as the crisis of authority; still others, as our crisis of freedom. The mode of expression makes little difference, for all are related facets of the one problem. But since the problem is of profound importance,
this hour of religious renewal calls for a fundamental re-evaluation of our thinking on freedom, obedience and authority. Now any penetrating re-evaluation of this problem area with a religious interest in mind must seek out its theological origins. And if, as we hope, these hours of anguish are a prelude to a better appreciation and a more faithful practice of obedience, then the steps to this end can only be seen in view of the philosophical context in which the problem was conceived. Regretfully, it is in this that much of the recent discussion and writing on obedience and freedom fails. It has so isolated the problem, lifting it out of its historical setting, that discussion and writing frequently go off on tangents, or merely remain on the surface of the problem. By the same token, if we do not penetrate into the underlying causes of our present crisis, then we shall never reach a satisfactory solution. At best we might achieve a temporary remedy with the ever-present risk of only adding to the difficulties by applying the wrong treatment. The burden of this paper is to investigate the philosophical and theological background of our current crisis. I would like to point out some values derived from… more later on.
Derived from: http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ctsa/article/viewFile/2564/2201