The prospects of Theological-Philosophical Dialogue in Post-Soviet Protestantism

Abstract

The article shows that the theology of post-Soviet Protestants in a nominally religious society naturally finds interlocutors in the philosophical sphere, where, it turns out, there is more freedom and diversity. The article proves that theology, with its aggregative capabilities, can become the foundation and axis for the integration of knowledge, aca-demic and spiritual culture, philosophy and practical wisdom, church and community life. According to the author’s approach, the obvious fact that the language of Protestant theology is limited in vocabulary and usage does not impoverish it, but liberates it for the adoption of other languages, languages of culture and philosophy. Theology is consi-dered, first and foremost, as a part and function of the Church, but also as an intellectual and spiritual culture. Therefore, the theology that wants to become more than theology for the Church, wants to become a witness to the world and a tool of its retransformation, must also be a philosophical theology. The article emphasizes the problem of overcoming fundamentalism, which can be accomplished not through moving backwards – from a theological-philosophical union of cultures to internal church subcultures, but by moving forwards – through a theological assimilation of philosophical culture.