The Religion and Medicine of the Future: An Orthodox Critique of Scientific Theology and Ecumenism
Ryan Nash, M.D., MA, Director, Center for Bioethics, Ohio State University
At least since the Council of Bari (1098), Roman Catholic and later Protestant theology has taken the form of a science. It is shortly after this time that Thomas Aquinas declared theology the queen of the sciences. Whether engaging Aquinas’ definition of science or Thomas Kuhn’s or that of Imre Lakatos, most Western theology follows a scientific methodology. This science has not been relegated to finding more precise determinations within a specific dogmatic understanding but is also used to further comparative religious studies and ecumenical dialogue. Moreover, such studies are not limited to the various christianities, but, increasingly from at least the 14th century, they have sought to engage or even incorporate non-Christian religious perspectives. The 20th and now 21st centuries have perhaps realized the greatest movement of this sort as many have embraced an ecumenical spirituality as opposed to faiths marked by particularity. Hindish Roman Catholics and New Age Protestants abound. In the midst of this movement, medicine, not coincidentally, has realized a revival of interest in spirituality and religion. Far from any traditional understanding, however, this religion is marked by a modern, cosmopolitan ethos. This presentation will present a critique of the ecumenism witnessed commonly in modern medicine and religious scholarship. It will do so by focusing on the relationship of religion – particularly Christianity – with science. It will diagnose as malady not only the common relationship of Christianity with science but more importantly the distorting influence of a scientific theology which has intentionally or unintentionally has shaped a new religion. This new religion resembles one that Orthodox Christian Fathers and Elders have warned of. These warnings will be reviewed, and a potential path forward for religion and medicine will be explored. The initial presentation will be based on the work of one Orthodox Christian physician that engages bioethics. Following his presentation a response from a prominent Protestant Christian physician will present a practical response. This first respondent leads a program for physicians on religious and spiritual formation from an ecumenical perspective. He will explore the aims and goals of such an endeavor and how it can respect particularity while inviting participants from a diversity of perspectives. Finally, another Orthodox scholar will examine the presenter’s argument and method, offering a nuanced alternative approach.
At least since the Council of Bari (1098), Roman Catholic and later Protestant theology has taken the form of a science. It is shortly after this time that Thomas Aquinas declared theology the queen of the sciences. Whether engaging Aquinas’ definition of science or Thomas Kuhn’s or that of Imre Lakatos, most Western theology follows a scientific methodology. This science has not been relegated to finding more precise determinations within a specific dogmatic understanding but is also used to further comparative religious studies and ecumenical dialogue. Moreover, such studies are not limited to the various christianities, but, increasingly from at least the 14th century, they have sought to engage or even incorporate non-Christian religious perspectives. The 20th and now 21st centuries have perhaps realized the greatest movement of this sort as many have embraced an ecumenical spirituality as opposed to faiths marked by particularity. Hindish Roman Catholics and New Age Protestants abound. In the midst of this movement, medicine, not coincidentally, has realized a revival of interest in spirituality and religion. Far from any traditional understanding, however, this religion is marked by a modern, cosmopolitan ethos. This presentation will present a critique of the ecumenism witnessed commonly in modern medicine and religious scholarship. It will do so by focusing on the relationship of religion – particularly Christianity – with science. It will diagnose as malady not only the common relationship of Christianity with science but more importantly the distorting influence of a scientific theology which has intentionally or unintentionally has shaped a new religion. This new religion resembles one that Orthodox Christian Fathers and Elders have warned of. These warnings will be reviewed, and a potential path forward for religion and medicine will be explored. The initial presentation will be based on the work of one Orthodox Christian physician that engages bioethics. Following his presentation a response from a prominent Protestant Christian physician will present a practical response. This first respondent leads a program for physicians on religious and spiritual formation from an ecumenical perspective. He will explore the aims and goals of such an endeavor and how it can respect particularity while inviting participants from a diversity of perspectives. Finally, another Orthodox scholar will examine the presenter’s argument and method, offering a nuanced alternative approach.