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Editorial
The Editors

Secularization » is a word which has been used and is being used in so many different situations and by such a variety of people that it seems to have lost all precise meaning. One has the impression that for some people « secularization » refers to everything which, according to them, is going wrong with the world, particularly in the area of religion. For others it seems to indicate a movement of liberation from religious ties or other oppressive bonds. In recent years many studies have been made on this subject (see bibliography). These show the distinction to be made between secularism, a theory or movement which denies all realities or values which cannot be grasped by the human intellect, and secularization, which, while recognizing (or at least not denying) transcendent values and realities, emphasizes human independence, autodetermination and responsibility.
It is well known that, in post-renaissance Christianity, the values of the world, the human person, the profane realm, etc., have come in creasingly to be recognized in their own right. It is evident that the result of this historical process is affecting both the scientific world and everyday environment. Quite understandably, secularization as defined above has sometimes lead to a-religious secularism, but this is not the general trend. It is also natural that authorities, especially religious authorities, are reserved or even afraid in the face of this movement, for they fear it may lead to loss of faith. However, many people today, living in a secular city and surrounded by secularized patterns of society, seem to be searching for spirituality and deep religious experience, but spirituality expressed in new forms and lived in an « incarnated » way. Such a « secularized » spirituality often implies a more personal, conscious commitment to God than that of some of the traditional forms.
This issue of SIDIC, then, is consecrated to the subject of secularization, to that question which touches the everlasting tension between the sacred and the profane. Christianity and Judaism have had different attitudes to this tension; they have lived the sacred and profane in different ways. But both are inspired by the Word of God. Has not the Word of God something to say about this question? We are convinced that the presentation of Jewish and Christian conceptions of the problem can lead to a fruitful exchange of insights. These in turn could contribute to a deeper understanding of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of history, who holds out for us the vision of a new heaven and a new earth (cf. Is. 65:17; Rev. 21:1, etc.).