Paul Tillich: A Faith of Action

       "Faith is an essential possibility of man, and therefore its existence is necessary and universal. It is possible and necessary also in our period. If faith is understood as what it centrally is, ultimate concern, it cannot be undercut by modern science or any kind of philosophy".—Paul Tillich

            Although it has been fifty years since Paul Tillich's publication of Dynamics of Faith, man continues to struggle against many of the same issues, and many that have worsened the dilemma for the church of the twenty-first century. The modern church is bombarded with challenges which it has never before encountered. Church participation declines, contributions drop, and congregations split over the content and nature of worship. Older members desire traditional ceremonies, and younger ones prefer a contemporary format that speaks to their generation. Church councils differ on conservative and liberal interpretations of the Scripture, while other denominations disagree over the role of priests, women, and homosexuals. The list appears endless. The increasing number of church scandals has sharpened public awareness, and prompted the need for closer scrutiny of pastors and priests alike. Drug addiction, alcoholism, rising divorce rates, latchkey children, and the psychological trauma associated with each of these dilemmas pose new problems for the pastor/psychoanalyst. While cases of embezzlement and child molestation challenge the faith of the laity, the issue of gay marriage shakes the foundation of church and state alike. Married couples are now in the minority, and when polled, most women placed their career before family. As a result, church leaders must confront these dilemmas and assume many roles. For pastors, being faithful to the Word, in the modern sense, is no longer what it was a generation ago. A pastor today must also be proficient in public relations, welfare consultation, advertising, and finance. Overwhelmed by these challenges, many men of God abandon their calling, and it is not surprising that the church is losing its respect in American society.

           In this environment, one senses a need for the immediacy of God's presence. For Paul Tillich, God's answer comes through faith, an active faith which is flexible (29) and unafraid (16). Facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, many congregations, or communities of faith, as Tillich calls them, will opt for the easy solution, but it is not enough just to leave these problems to God. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is "the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen." This definition suggests two characteristics essential for growth in the Spirit and hope for the problems of our age. The first portion of this verse suggests that man must envision the solutions hoped for. This does not mean that the subject merely thinks about it. He must first pray, wait for God's response, and then be willing to put his faith into action even if it means doing the unconventional or acting unconditionally , without fear of reprisal. The choice will require courage and risk (18). Opposition is inevitable, but one must be willing to see beyond the earthly consequences of his actions into the realm of God's potential. Tillich describes this relation as man's ultimate concern. He defines faith as the surrender of the total personality to God's purpose, not man. In essence, the subject must realize that the subject-object construct of his physical behavior also includes a third component, namely God's intent. True faith consists of this subject-object- God relationship, which simultaneously focuses on the finite events of the real world and the infinite potential of the Divine (11). Every act of faith must include this final component; otherwise, human endeavors fail to maintain their focus on God's plan for fulfillment, and as result, they end disastrously. When people use money, power, prestige, or even their country as their ultimate concern, they suffer in this way when these false gods fail to sustain lasting fulfillment. They have placed their trust in what Tillich calls an idolatrous faith or false ultimacies (11). Faith must embody both physical and spiritual realities. The believer, acting through faith, identifies concerns of the finite world that awaken a spiritual imperative from the infinite. The process of discerning the universal from the particular also enables man to understand and appreciate the symbolic importance of prayer and Scripture. Although man cannot imagine the world of the spirit, he must remain steadfast in his vision of God's potential through his every human action. This is the essence of true faith, Tillich says. When a person makes God his ultimate concern, his fear of failure fades before the thought that God stands at the destination of every earthly undertaking. Courage and risks become normal responses in the life of faith (103). Man's greatest earthly comfort lies in the assurance even if he fails, a person never loses with God (105). Tillich describes this heavenly promise as the very heart of Christianity which makes possible the courage to affirm faith in the Christ, namely, that in spite of all forces of separation between God and man, this is overcome from the side of God" (104).

            Tillich first discusses the concept of free-will to show how man develops a faith of ultimate concern. A person must first make the choice to serve God, not the idolatrous god of the world. This stage is characterized by the subject's awareness of his need to change, and denotes the initial phase of the person's spiritual transformation. He must, in Tillich's words, make a cognitive affirmation to follow the will of God in total acceptance and surrender. This realization marks the turning point of the subject's life from which individuation or spiritual growth commences. The believer now begins living the life of faith, ultimate concern. He explains how faith is not a single product of the rational or irrational mind, but rather is an act in which both the rational and the irrational elements of his being are transcended (6). The experience of transcendence, which he calls the ecstasy of faith, includes an awareness of truth and ethical value (7). What Tillich calls cognitive affirmation closely Martin Buber's concept of relations. In essence, Buber laments man's abandonment of his relationship with God or the material values of the world. In the opening lines of I AND THOU, he describes what he terms to twofold nature of man and differentiates between the spiritual and secular man by referring to them as I-Thou and I-It, respectively. The key to spiritual growth lies in what he calls relations, as I-Thou and I-It suggest. Relations exist in three spheres: nature, man and spirit. The relation is vital, Buber notes, because relationships necessitate a choice, be it God or the world. Relations also require a mutual affirmation, which is equally essential (Buber 8). To sustain the relationship, a choice is imperative. In Either/Or, Soren Kierkegaard also advocates what he terms ethical choice as the solution to man's existential dilemma (Kierkegaard 167). Action is implicit in the term, for the choice serves as an essential feature in the transformation of the personality. In contrast, denying the choice, by omission or commission, leads to the deterioration of the inner self (Kierkegaard 167-168). The concept of ethical choice, like repentance, requires the subject to alter his current selfish course of action in favor of a life of eternal service to God (Kierkegaard 220). This act of devotion, or spiritual obedience, much like Tillich's acceptance-and-surrender, denotes the significant phase of the subject's coming of age, Jungian individuation, or spiritual maturation (Kierkegaard 212-213). In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer also emphasizes Choice as the essential feature. According to Bonhoeffer, obedience must come both before and after faith. There is no sequence or presupposed condition (Bonhoeffer 70). Faith must exist in order to gain any subsequent degree of faith. Without God, no faith or obedience is possible. Thus, faith and obedience emerge from a single concept which is in no way causally linked. Both conditions derive from God alone. Therefore, the greater gift is God's grace, which predisposes man for faith itself. Unlike Bonhoeffer, Tillich maintains that faith precedes obedience "because no command to believe and no will to believe can create faith" (Tillich 38). Tillich goes on to say that reason, although traditionally regarded as the antithesis of faith, actually serves as the precondition of faith. It is reason, he believes, that compels man "to be ultimately concerned , to distinguish ultimate and preliminary concerns, to understand the unconditional demands of the ethical imperative, and to be aware of the presence of the holy" (Tillich 76). In their particular contexts, both theologians appear correct, and more importantly, both encourage man toward a practical faith of action. According to Tillich, faith contains four major components: 1) it is definite in its direction and concrete in its content, 2) it claims truth and commitment, 3) it is directed toward the unconditional, and 4) it appears in a concrete reality that demands and justifies such commitment (Tillich 40).

            Tillich also stresses the practical application of faith. In a chapter entitled "The Life of Faith," he says, "There are various ways in which faith unites man's mental life and gives it a dominating center. It can be the way of discipline which regulates the daily life; it can be the way of meditation, and contemplation; it can be the way of concentration on the ordinary work, or on a special aim or on another human being. In each case, faith is presupposed; none of it could be done without faith" (Tillich 107). In essence, faith permeates every aspect of the believer's life, affecting his total personality. He says that where there is faith, there will always be "a tension between participation and separation, between the faithful one and his ultimate concern" (99). This means that some degree of doubt will invariably be present, but it should only serve as a sign of faith, not the negation of it (22). Faith cannot be defined as an emotion because subjective feelings have no claim on God as the ultimate concern (39). Science (85), history (89), and philosophy (91) cannot measure the truth of faith either because they, too, fail to consider their respective definitions of truth as man's ultimate concern (80). Tillich repeatedly describes faith as "the state of being grasped by the divine Spirit which abounds in love, justice and truth (71). This is basically what the Apostle Paul says in his Epistle to the Romans: "The God of hope fill you, with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). This reciprocal relationship of man, God, and mankind through love is one of the wondrous mysteries of creation. In essence, God provides the love through which men love one another and manifests their love for Him. Faith works in the same way. This process occurs each time a Christian answers God's call, just as the cycle of loss-and-redemption repeats itself once the believer realizes that sin has corrupted his relationship with God. Thus, the truth of faith lies within faith itself. In other words, only the person with the faith of ultimate concern experiences this faith and believes in it. Those who see God's purpose as the culmination of their actions are the only ones who can affirm faith's validity. As Tillich suggests through the concept of relations, and Bonhoeffer affirms, man must have the Spirit of God within him in order to reach God through his prayers.

            Tillich next emphasizes the relevance of the symbols of faith. He stresses that symbols are timeless, universal, and because of their universal character, the only means of expressing the ultimate (41). People associate moods and emotions with particular symbols such as the rose, water, the setting sun, or the color black. These symbols speak to one's inner being and enable a person to transcend the literal meaning of the object by ascribing a figurative or spiritual interpretation associated with it. For instance, many people associate the peace, beauty, and majesty of God with the ceremonies of the Church. To the Christian, God is the fundamental symbol of faith; however, qualities ascribed to Him can also serve as symbols (47). The Cross and the Eucharist, for example, often inspire feelings of spiritual ecstasy or tranquility (42-43). This form of faith is meditative, and frequently manifests itself in the act of prayer and purification. Before beginning His ministry, Jesus spent a period of time in the desert preparing in this manner. Many people also sense the power and glory of God through the wonders of nature. To the Romantics, Nature assumed the role of prophet and priest, and these two functions, in essence, comprise the dual nature of faith (56). The prophet, for one, foretells events and prescribes a moral admonition to avert spiritual apostasy. The priest, in turn, provides the ritual that both establishes and re-establishes a relation with the Almighty. Many times the two characteristics merge and become quite difficult to isolate because true faith requires both processes (69). Tillich call the priestly meditative aspect the ontological, that is, the science of being; and the prophetic aspect the moral (56). He also describes the former as the holiness of being, and the holiness of what ought to be, respectively. The first type is based upon the visionary experience of the individual. It consists of sacramental and/or mystical qualities. The Christian associates God, his ultimate concern, with a piece of bread, a cup of wine, the lighting of candles, or a particular ceremony, and undergoes a heightened inner awareness or spiritual inner awareness or spiritual ecstasy which transcends the normal religious experience. In order for the believer to allow this mystic insight to fill his personality, he must "empty himself of the finite contents of ordinary life" and "surrender all preliminary concerns for the sake of the ultimate concern" (60-61). The second type of faith concerns the role of God as the one who gives man the law as a gift and commands him to obey it (65). This category embodies a spiritual imperative which suggests that man must follow the Law in order to please God (67), and from it, man derives the concept of ethical and moral obligation (67-68). Here man receives the revelation that motivates him to act toward his ultimate concern and to accept by faith the Divine potential working through it.

           Tillich also discusses the importance of myths, which he defines as "symbols of faith combined in stories about divine-human encounters" (49). Heroes who undergo quests to save kingdoms, rescue damsels in distress, or struggle within themselves to discover basic truths about their nature or their world form the essential content of myths. Biblical myths, in the same manner, contain universal truths about man's relationship with God, whether it is the Fall of Man, the Flood, the Exodus, or the Virgin Birth (50). What is most important to understand is that myths, in this respect, are true to the faithful. The value of these myths lies in their universal relevance to man's spiritual condition with God. To the unbeliever, myths fall under the category of the irrational or incredible, but to the believer, faith makes these events possible, if not literally, figuratively. In fact, the underlying truth, or mythic quality, of the stories always points symbolically to man's ultimate concern. The themes of death-and-rebirth, loss-and-redemption, or death-burial-and resurrection can apply equally in the lives of all men if one accepts the idea of dying to sin and being reborn in Christ. This is basically what the Apostle Paul expresses when he says in Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." The difficulty in accepting the term myth stems from the scientific world's definition of it, not the world of faith. Informing someone that the Bible contains numerous myths suggests to the scientific community that it contains lies and is therefore inconsistent. This erroneous conclusion damages the credibility of the believer, discredits the Word itself, and discourages potential believers. The truths of science, mathematics, history, psychology, and other disciplines that rely upon empirical proof from the physical world cannot verify the concept of faith, which derives solely from the truth of God, or man's ultimate concern. For instance, although historical and scientific truth cannot verify many of the accounts in the Scripture, this fact does not in any degree lessen the validity of the message of faith in man's ultimate concern (52). Various disciplines attempt to break myths by replacing them with others, but Tillich emphasizes that the myths of Christianity will always remain intact because they contain symbols of man's spiritual condition, or ultimate concern (50). In fact, a person's faith should be strengthened by myths because they require a stronger belief in both things hoped for and things unseen. Often the believer must suspend his empirical perception of reality in order to accept the supernatural or irrational elements within biblical accounts, a process which is nothing more than the acceptance of miracles, as evidenced throughout the Old Testament and in the life of Christ. The presence of symbols and myths also makes the believer aware of spiritual dimensions that pertain to him, not just the characters in the accounts. In a sense, the reader vicariously lives through the trails and ordeals of the character, symbolically. Herein are the universal truths of the Scripture: that the truths of one generation also apply to other people and times. In this regard, the Bible reflects both the universal and the particular. Tillich also suggests that great care be exercised in the presentation of myths because the faith of many believers rests entirely in the literal sense, and to weaken their faith would be sinful and counterproductive to man's ultimate concern (52).

            Tillich's concept of the functions of reason and faith is very similar to an idea that Karl Jaspers expresses in Reason and Existenz. Tillich maintains that reason is the precondition of faith, and faith is the act in which reason reaches ecstatically beyond itself. It is reason that enables man to be ultimately concerned. According to Tillich, "Reason is the presupposition of faith, and faith is the fulfillment of reason (76-77).Here the two concepts must function collectively for man to approach God. For Jaspers, reason serves as the bond between the empirical, conscious, and spirit modes of the individual's total personality, or Encompassing. Reason is the impulse that orders or organizes the events of man's inner being, or Existenz. Reason provides the guidance and direction for the moral or spiritual purpose within the Existenz. In this regard, both concepts are also essential, and must function collectively for the subject to attain Transcendence, a spirit level through which man approaches the Infinite, or God.