Theology is the systematic study of the concepts of Deities and religion. The main role of theology is to study Deities, the elements of God and the creation. According to Ormerod (2010), theology is based on the divine truth. The influence of the divinity and the truth of God in the majority of religions, such as Christianity and Islam, has massively decreased. Gorski (2000) noted that the separation of the state and religion, that had prevailed in the 19th century, generated the secularization that completely changed the basis of theological imaginations. The arguments were that the theological imaginations and religious divinity had lost their glitter. As a result, there was a discourse on the issue of theological imagination and secularization. The political, cultural and religious relations that form the behavior of humanity in the 21st century form the basis for this discourse.
Secularization can be observed when the role of religion and its influence on people’s lives decreases. On the other hand, Ormerod (2010) asserted that theological imagination was the prime role of religion, in which doctrine of God was raised. In the ancient time, theological imagination formed the basis of the amalgam of state and religion. The two formed cohesion in which religious doctrines were norms that formed the social, economic and political practices. This meant that there was a very thin line between religion, social and political orientation. However, the realm has faded rapidly, and the issue of separation of state and religion has been taken to the fist lines. Ormerod (2010) argues that, the new progress is driven by modernity and failure of the theological imagination to resonate with the changing economic, social and political forces. As such, Ormerod (2010) notes that theological imagination doctrines are being overtaken by a modern construct of secularization.
The construct of secularization is driven by the consumerism and modern science. Ormerod (2010) stated that secularism had become a mainstream normatively credited for the decline of the spiritual phase of the modern world. Gorski (2000) noted that the world had lost the traditional religious hegemony. In the modern world, there is a clear separation of the spheres that traditionally were bound by the religious doctrines. A clear division exists between the state and the religion. The primary agent of secularization and driver of modernization is the emergence of science (Ormerod, 2010). The scientific discoveries of the 21st century drive the advancement in medicine and the modern technology; hence, it has become a challenge for theological imaginations to hold the traditional influence. For example, in US and England the huge reduction in the number of Christians attending churches was noted.
The perspective that the theological imagination doctrines have been eroded by science and modernization is an assumption that has gained popularity. I believe that this assumption is false. Theological imaginations form the religious thoughts, which are still prevalent in the 21st century. The separation of state and religion is not an absolute basis for accepting the concept of secularization. In the 21st century, religious doctrines are still held by religious believers operating in small sects. In addition, the secularization theory is based on local trends in Europe and Northern America. The social vectors and forces of the economy that have changed the social order are not a definite representation of secularization. Despite separation of state and religion, theological imaginations still have significant impact on the social orientation of the world.
References
Gorski, P. (2000). Historicizing the Secularization Debate: church, state, and society in late medieval and modern Europe. American Sociological Review, 65 (1), 138– 167.
Ormerod, N. (2010). Secularization and the rise of atheism. Australian Journal of Theology, 17 (1), 13-22.