The Philosophical Basis of Reformism in the viewpoint of Paul Tillich

Paul Tillich is certainly regarded as one of the most prominent theologians of the twentieth century. His fundamental concern is reconciling religion with the contemporary culture. Religion, in his viewpoint, must correlate with the present culture. This correlation happens through the questioning and the answering process. The present culture presents its fundamental questions and problems to the religion, and then, religion answers them in terms of its own genuine symbols. The principle condition of religion for answering to the questions depends on rereading the religion's genuine concepts. The traditional language cannot answer to the modern questions. In fact, neither the traditional method of karl barth nor the demythologizing methodology of Rudolf Bultmann are able to answer to the new and modern questions. Against these two approaches, there is the Tillich's attitude that interest in the rereading of religious concepts and categories on the basis of original content of bible.\ud Systematic and methodical rereading of religious concepts is certainly regarded as the essential components of religious reformation. This essay deals with the philosophical foundations of Tillich's religious Reformations