Rowland C. Croucher <> wrote:

>Reading the other thread re Paradigm Shift/s revived a question: Hans

>Kung somewhere writes that there were six major paradigm shifts in

>Christian history. I presume one of them happened at the Protestant

>Reformation. I have a hunch or two about some others…

>

>And today I believe we’re in the middle of a sexual ethics paradigm

>shift…

>

>Anyone know Kung’s suggestions? Any other suggestions?

In his ‘Great Christian Thinkers’ he associates certain people with new paradigms:

Paul Christianity becoming a world religion

Origen Synthesising antiquity and the Christian spirit

Augustine Originator of a Latin, Catholic paradigm

Aquinas University science and papal court theology

Luther The shift from medieval to Reformation theology

Schleiermacher The paradigm of Modernity

Barth Initiator of a Postmodern paradigm

That’s seven, innit … I think possibly the odd one out is Aquinas?

Alan Zanker, Leeds, England

Hans Küng & David Tracy wrote a book in 1984: Theologie – Wohin? Auf dem weg zum neuen Paradigma, which, as you can follow, is in German. An excellent book to read is one by David Bosch: Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, printed by Orbis Books. This is truly an interesting topic to study.

Arnau van Wyngaard (Piet Retief – South Africa)

The six major paradigms, according to Hans Küng is as follows:

1. The apocalyptic paradigm of primitive Christianity

2. The Hellenistic paradigm of the patristic period

3. The medieval Roman Catholic paradigm

4. The Protestant (Reformation) paradigm

5. The modern Enlightenment paradigm

6. The emerging ecumenical paradigm

Hope this helps.

Arnau