Church to University: Ukrainian Context

Abstract

The article is a response to the three books published in different countries at different times: Newman’s The Idea of a University, Pelikan’s The Idea of the University: A Reexamination and the recent book of the two Ukrainian Protestant thinkers Church to University: Christian Mission in University Space. After general reasoning about what one should mean by “Church” and “University” in general, speaking about the peculiar Ukrainian context, it addresses, as the most controversial topic, the question whether Theology should be taught as a separate major in a state (i.e., secular, not Church-affiliated) university. In order to approach this question properly, one should take a fresh look at what is secularism; for this purpose the article critically reviews Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age and shows that an important worldview attitude is missing here: namely, the one which could be found in the philosophy of Sextus Empiricus. A proper understanding of secularism entails that there are no barriers for Theology entering a “secular”, state-run university. Moreover, this move is for the benefit of University even more than for the benefit of Theology and Church.