Religie en zingeving in een democratische samenleving. Van dominantie naar dialoog Translated title: Religion and the search for Meaning in a Democratic Society. From Dominance to Dialogue

Abstract

In this response to the contributions in this special issue dedicated to his latest book In vredesnaam, Gijs Dingemans first indicates several major recent changes in the world views of western societies. Next, he indicates how the role of churches and religions has changed over the last 25 years, from ‘dominance’ to ‘dialogue’. Finally, he analyzes how a theological position that puts the concept of the covenant central stage can embark on a fruitful dialogue with our present-day society whose intellectual under-pinnings must be seen in theories of a contractual agreement of free individuals rather than in outdated theories of a natural law.