Abstract

THE EFFECT OF THE CRITIQUE OF THEORETICAL THOUGHT OF THE DUTCH PHILOSOPHER, HERMAN DOOYEWEERD, UPON THE THEOLOGICAL METHOD OF RUDOLF BULTMANN IS PLACED WITHIN THE MAIN STREAM OF SCHOLASTIC METHOD. THIS IS DUE TO HIS ASSUMPTION, ALONG WITH THOMAS AQUINAS, OF A RELIGIOUSLY NEUTRAL CONCEPTUALITY (SUPPLIED BY MARTIN HEIDEGGER INSTEAD OF ARISTOTLE), THE REALM OF NATURAL REASON TO WHICH THE TRUTHS OF REVELATION MUST BE SYNTHESIZED. THE GOAL OF INTEGRITY OF FAITH, I.E., SHOWING ITS RELATION TO OTHER KNOWLEDGE IS INEVITABLE. HOWEVER, THE ASSUMPTION OF RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY IN THEORETICAL THOUGHT IS BROUGHT INTO QUESTION BY HEIDEGGER AUTHORITIES. THESE INSIGHTS ARE DEEPENED IN DOOYEWEERD’S THOUGHT. BY DROPPING THE NEUTRALITY POSTULATE, AND THEREBY THE SCHOLASTIC METHOD, THE SCIENCES INCLUDING THEOLOGY ARE DEVELOPED MORE CLOSELY TO THEIR ACTUAL FOUNDATIONS AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS