Between the Scylla of Ontotheology and the Charybdis of Subjectivity: Theology within the Life-Form of the Church

abstract: This study argues that contemporary theological discourse must navigate between the unreachable project of a universal science and a subjective individual vision of God and between the metaphysical frames of ontotheology and a lived theology bereft of reflection on God and doctrine. In this context, Orthodoxy can articulate a middle-way theology as a theorization of the life-form of the ecclesia. It is not a science or metaphysical system but a description of the lived faith of the Church and a prescriptive guide of this life-form. Theology becomes a unique exercise—personal and collective—in which theologians match their views with the grammar of this form of life. Theology finds its foundation in a tradition that distilled its patterns through centuries and is ultimately grounded on Christ's revelation. In the life-form of the ecclesia, tradition has evolved from Christ's theophanies and functions as the grammar of its faith.