#2 FPC, Lowville, NY Fall 2012 Theological Study Group

Study Notes for Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith, Chapter One, Sections 1-3 Section 1: Faith As Ultimate Concern Faith is a state in which the person of faith holds an ultimate concern the dynamics of faith are the dynamics of mans ultimate concern. (p. 1) humanity is the only living being that has spiritual concerns, which can be urgent & can be taken to be ultimate ultimate concerns demand total surrender by those who hold them they also promise total fulfillment thus all other concerns are secondary to ultimate ones ultimate concerns are unconditional as such, they contain the demand of participation in the object of ultimate concern (e.g. the nation), the promise of fulfillment for participation, and the threat of exclusion from fulfillment for the failure to take part We see this pattern of demand, threat, & promise in the Old Testament (OT) there the God of justice is the ultimate concern the OT demands total surrender to God & contains both threats & promises concerning the surrender another example of an ultimate concern is success, which demands its own total surrender and both offers fulfillment & makes threats to those who dont give themselves to success Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned. the content of faith maybe important to the faithful, but we dont have to focus on the content of various faiths in order to define faith itself, which is our first insight into the dynamics of faith Section 2: Faith As a Centered Act Faith has to do with the center of our lives it more than anything else takes place at the core of our life & our thinking thus it is a part of our daily lives and of the polarities of life, which include: [1] the polarity between the unconscious & the conscious faith is a conscious act that includes unconscious elements in it it is not primarily unconscious impulses because faith requires conscious acts it is a matter of freedom, the freedom to act on our most central concerns, which means that freedom & faith are identical [2] the polarity between ego & superego superego inhibits the libido & produces resentment of cultural restrictions on the individual it also functions, according to Freud, as a father image that can become tyrannical but which thru faith becomes a principle of truth & justice this leads us to ask about the relationship of our personality & our sense of reason to our faith our essential nature is greater than reason & we are able to choose or reject reason out of the power of our self self is our core being & unites all elements of our being faith is an act by which we transcend both the rational & nonrational elements of our being faith is ecstatic in that it transcends both of these elements & gives us an awareness of truth & of ethical value (ecstasy means standing outside of oneself while remaining oneself) [3] the tension between cognition [the process of knowing] & emotion/will healthy faith is rooted in both faith thus is not just a matter of rational inquiry & involves acceptance of & surrender to the thing one has faith in one also doesnt simply by deciding to believe (it is not will power) & while faith has an emotional content, it is not emotion faith is the unity of every element in the centered self. (p. 8-9) faith can be dominated by one element, but that element is not the cause of faith by the same token, faith is not caused by other psychological factors, such as fear and it, in fact, it comes before even science, which is based on faith Section 3: The Source of Faith the fact that we have ultimate concerns shows that we are able to focus on things beyond ordinary life & suggests that there is an

#2 element of infinity in us thru our own lives we are able to understand the ultimate, unconditional, absolute, infinite we have then a potential for faith we are driven to it by a restlessness in this restlessness there is a critical principle seeking to discern what is truly ultimate (God) & what is not the term ultimate concern unites the objective & subjective aspects of faith, that is both our faith itself & the object of our faith these 2 aspects can exist only together There is no faith without a content toward which it is directed. (p. 12) this means that we can only understand faith by practicing faith in God, the distinction between subject & object is overcome God is the object of faith but God is also present in us as the source (subject) of faith false faiths are ones where the object of faith doesnt transcend the subject-object distinction it can be known & dealt with in ordinary ways some false faiths, such as nationalism, are closer to being truly ultimate than others, such as success the objects of these false faiths are idols idolatry is when we take something that is not ultimate and treat it as if it is ultimate idolatry always leads to deep, gut-wrenching disappointment idolatrous faith is, however, faith, which means sooner or later the loss of our center & disruption of our personality idolatry always fails in the end Questions 1. Is faith, in fact, a state? How do you define faith in your own words? One criticism of Tillichs description of faith is that it is too theoretical. Would you agree or disagree? Why? 2. Is the pursuit of success actually a form of faith? If so, how so? More generally, faith according to Tillich doesnt seem to have to have anything to do with religion. Would you agree? Why or why not? 3. What is the core of your personal life? Is it faith of one sort or another? How would you describe your personal faith? 4. What does Tillich mean by our essential nature? What is the essential nature of humanity? What does he mean by rational & nonrational elements of our being? How is it possible for us to be ecstatic, that is stand outside of these elements? 5. What is a centered self? 6. Is it correct to claim that science is based on faith? If so, how so? If not, why not? 7. Tillich seems to be asserting that faith cannot be understood except by an act of faith. This suggests that faith isnt objective & cant be understood objectively. Does this make sense? If that is true, can social scientists study faith as such? 8. What are common forms of idolatry in our society today? Which of them is most powerful & therefore most dangerous?