oa [Meer vertrouwen, minder vervreemding?, More Trust, Less Alienation?]

Notwithstanding the differences between the three responses to ‘Alienation and Trust’, they agree in their criticism of a lack of ‘trust’, based on the reliability of God. The element of alienation is neither recognised nor even discussed in these responses. In our reply, we distinguish three aspects in their criticism: a) a lack of faith, b) a lack of openness to the realities behind the interpretations, and c) the modernistic subject-object distinction. We point out the specific character of the faith that is implied in our hermeneutic approach, i.e, a faith that springs from dealing with given confessions as meaningful to our existence. As a result, hermeneutic questions cannot be ignored, nor can the danger of misinterpretation. Especially in times as indifferent or hostile to religion as ours, this danger cannot be passed over by emphasising God’s self-evident presence, or the mutual dependency of God and the believer.