Appunti per una lettura dell’evento di Gesù Cristo nella sua rilevanza per la cultura

The article offers an outline of its theme (in point 1), followed by a few indications for further development (in point 2). It begins by clarifying two premisses: 1) if every religion has an undeniable cultural impact, this is particularly so for Christianity; and 2) the truth of the Christian faith is that of the Word of God becoming flesh, that is, of the Love of God expressing itself in taking on human flesh ‘once and for all’. In the light of this, in the first part, the article, more as an invitation to thought than as a fully expressed argument, discusses the orientation towards innovation that the Jesus event impresses upon the four fundamental directions of human existence: God (no longer seen only as above and beyond but also as here and now), humankind (the adventure of being/ becoming Son), the city (fraternity that learns friendship), the world (the garden and the worksite of the ‘new earth’). In the second part, the article, instead, takes an initial look at a few topics that open up a deeper comprehension: faith itself as culture; dialogue between the world’s cultures in the light of Jesus; towards a global society; custom, faith and culture.