Church and Christians Between Prophecy and Conformism

Nesumnjivo je da je utjecaj proroka na religiju u Izraelu vidljiv u tome da su oni proširili doseg i utjecaj religije izvan granica kulta i obreda. Iako su blagdani i kult bili nezaobilazan dio identiteta izabranog naroda, proroci su nastojali da kult ne izgubi poveznicu s poviješću. Iz perspektive vjere ustajali su protiv nepravde i time izraelskoj religiji udijelili jednu izrazito etičku komponentu. U skladu s time i mi smo mnogo više stranica posvetili proročkom, odnosno konformističkom odnosu Crkve prema vani, u odnosu na politiku, gospodarstvo, društvena i svjetonazorska pitanja. Postavlja se pitanje koliko smo bili proročki ili konformistički kada je trebalo govoriti o korupciji, političkom pragmatizmu, podmićivanju, nepravednostima u društvu. Ipak, očito je da je tema o proroštvu i konformizmu danas »nametnuta« postupnim gubljenjem povjerenja u Crkvu i u njezinu vjerodostojnost, proizašla je iz svojevrsne krize u Crkvi, uzrokovane, između ostalog, nemilim događanjima kao što su financijske manipulacije i spolno zlostavljanje. To nameće dodatno pitanje o kojem se manje govorilo: Koliko smo proročki ili konformistički u našem pastoralnom djelovanju, u ophođenju sa sakramentima ili sakramentalijama, u odnosu na probleme i afere u samoj Crkvi, uspjeli postići uravnoteženost između institucionalizma i karizme u samoj Crkvi? Nije dovoljno da Crkva i kršćani budu »savjest društva «. Ključno je pitanje: Imaju li Crkva i kršćani nekakvu viziju budućnosti, kamo idemo ili nam je ići, i jesmo li proročki sposobni biti korak ispred svijeta i njegovih pragmatizama?It is without doubt that the influence of prophets on the religion in Israel is evident in the fact that they enlarged the reach and influence of religion beyond the boundaries of cult and ritual. Although feast-days and cult were an unavoidable part of the identity of the chosen people, prophets tried to keep the link between cult and history. From the perspective of faith they rose up against injustice and, thus, provided a manifestly ethical component to the religion of Israel. In accordance with that, the author discusses at length the prophetic (and conformist) relation of the Church towards other domains, such as politics, economics, social, and worldview issues. The issue is raised about the extent to which we were prophetic or conformist when we needed to talk about corruption, political pragmatism, bribe, and injustices in the society. However, it is obvious that the topic of prophecy and conformism is »imposed« today through the gradual loss of trust in the Church and its authenticity, i.e., it emerged from a certain crisis in the Church caused, among other things, by unfortunate events such as financial manipulations and sexual abuse. This raises an additional issue that has not been discussed extensively until now: How prophetic or conformist are we in our pastoral activity, in our dealings with sacraments and sacramentals, in relation to problems and scandals in the Church and whether we managed to find a balance between institutionalism and charisma in the Church? It is not enough for the Church and Christians to the »the conscience of society«. The key issues is: Do the Church and Christians have some sort of vision of the future, where are we going or should be going, and are we capable of leading the world prophetically and to be a step ahead of its pragmatisms