10
The Formation of a Catholic
Concept of Christian Humanism
and of Inclusive Secularity
Martin Schlag
INTRODUCTIONIn this study, the concept of Christian humanism refers to the contribution
that the Christian faith makes to human happiness on earth, not only to
happiness in heaven. In order to do so, faith must take a positive stance
towards the‘world’and to humanflourishing. If a secular age, as Charles
Taylor has shown, is linked to a concept of exclusive, self-sufficient human-
ism, then Christian humanism in its turn is linked to a concept of inclusive
secularism, meaning a vision of the world that includes God as creator,
redeemer, and re-integrator of all human affairs, and of human happiness
in particular.
Such an inclusive vision of Christian secularism has two preconditions.
Firstly, human nature and culture in itself must be conceivable as an imme-
diate manifestation of God’s will, as its natural revelation. This idea of the
goodness of creation and of the secular world has been expressed in concepts
of natural law and natural morality as the‘grammar of the world’needed for
an intelligible discourse on life in peace.^1 Secondly, God himself has revealed
his will by supernatural revelation in the Holy Scriptures, which are embedded
in the living tradition of the church. In its light, as well as in the light of reason,
we discover that the world is stained by sin and needs to be cleansed. God’s
grace and mercy intervene, and we have the challenge offitting together nature
and grace, reason and faith, justice and charity.
(^1) See e.g. John Paul II, Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, 10 October
1995, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1995/october/documents/hfjp-ii
spe_05101995_address-to-uno.html.