Art and media in theological discourse
Since 1990, the relationship between art, media and religion has been a research focus of Systematic Theology at the Faculty of Theology in Graz. The realization that the potential of human creativity, which expresses itself in a wide variety of works and art projects, is not only significant in its (historically important) use for proclamation, but is also a completely independent and essential interlocutor, has profoundly changed the relationship between art and theology in the 20th century. Today, the most unbiased (and unprejudiced) view possible of this field and its expressions - even in the commercial entertainment business - is an important source of inspiration for thinking about the role of fundamental theological questions in the context of secular society.
Dialogue of theologies
The phenomenon of one world growing together in the age of globalization and the pluralization of societies are among the greatest challenges facing contemporary societies. The conviviality of different cultural worlds, partly due to increasing global migration movements, calls for in-depth discussion and reflection on the meaning of identity, commonality and difference. In this sense, religions and theologies are also called upon to engage in dialog, as the 21st century appears to be a century of "great" or "interreligious ecumenism" due to the aforementioned phenomena. The Dialogue of Theologies working area is intended to contribute to such a process. The associated work is to be understood in the spirit of openness as formulated in the Second Vatican Council in the declaration Nostra Aetate and in the world prayer meetings in Assisi. These events have opened up new paths for a dialog between theologies and religions in both theoretical and practical ways, which are taken into account in the various projects and dialog initiatives of the working area.