Page 208 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Challenges and Priorities 209

Finally, Armenian theology must not
imprison itself within petrified perceptions
and frozen dogmatic attitudes, conditioned
by historical factors and considerations.
Theology should not ignore the problems of
the past; nor should it underestimate the
problems of the present and the specific
context in which the encounter between God
and His people takes place. The problems of
present societies are also the problems of
our Church in a world in which globalization
has removed many traditional barriers and
destroyed boundaries. Our theology must
tackle the existential and critical issues facing
modern societies to the extent that they im-
pact the life, thought, spirituality, and wit-
ness of the Armenian Church.

A dynamic pastoral engagement

The institutional church is in crisis.
Belonging is giving way to believing. Chris-
tians are looking for different ways to express
their faith. To a certain extent, this is also
true in the Armenian Church, particularly in
western societies. Church attendance is going
down and the gap between the people and
the Church is widening. The Armenian
Church is called to rediscover the efficacy of
its pastoral vocation. To attain such a goal, it
must take the following steps:
It must go beyond institutional confines