1. Signs of the Times

2. Associated with Roman Catholicism after Vatican II; Means: that the Church should listen to, and learn from, the world around it; The Church needed to attend more closely to the world if it was to remain faithful to its calling.

3. Turn to your neighbor who sits next to you. Together write down a list of the major world’s events!! What is going on in the US and the world today? They can be positive or negative…

4. What are some of the major signs of the times? Postmodernity -Plurality in knowledge -Loss of confidence in modern stories of progress -Rejection of neutral, universal, objective truth -Embrace of relativism (the truth is what the next person says it is) -Distrust in metanarratives

5. Metanarrative Shared by the whole society Moral, cultural, social framework in order to help people to develop their potential; Provide a stable cultural and moral guidelines for communal living.

6. Major Metanarratives Christianity: life is a difficult path to salvation that can be walked thanks to the historical incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. We are all children of God and we should work for the common good of all people;

7. Major Metanarratives Enlightenment: Life is a path toward individual and social wellbeing through the progress of our knowledge not only in the natural sciences but in the social sciences as well. Secularization of the Christian one; Children of God – national citizens.

8. Postmodernity and consumerism A sense of vacuum in contemporary culture This vacuum is filled with pragmatic consumerism: the religion our world The postmodern is rightly associated with a society where consumer lifestyles and mass consumption dominate the waking lives of its members.” (David Lyon)

9. Consumerism as “Our Story” Free market economy – as metanarrative of our pluralistic, post-modern, globalized world; In the beginning: the self-made, self-sufficient human being; At the end: the big house, the big car, the expensive clothes; In the middle: the struggle for success, the greed, the getting- and-spending in a world in which there is no such thing as a free lunch.

10. What is Freedom Freedom in modernity: Liberty from tradition and religion Freedom today: Freedom to choose whatever product or experience you want

11. Architecture and center of culture Middle Ages: Cathedral was central Today: Shopping mall is central It is in the marketplace that all people come together—rich and poor, old and young, black and white. It is the democratic, unifying, universal place which gives spirit and personality to the city (James Rouse).

12. The problem with malls -actively encourages us to forget any ideals of collectively meaningful life beyond those that the market creates;

13. The problem with malls - creates no enduring community, -rests upon no tradition, -promotes no values beyond those determined by corporations to whom consumers are all but anonymous units or marks.

14. The problem with malls - We are “united” by the place only in the hierarchy determined by our ability to consume. - It is no coincidence that this hierarchy—where the rich get more and the poor get the door—also dominates American politics (Jon Pahl).

15. Signs of the Times (-) Global economic crisis of 2008 Failure of a major financial mechanism/institution Rise of corporate power world-wide Severe income disparity in developing economies Slavery: child labor, forced labor, trafficking, military use of children

16. Times of the Times (-) Rise of religious fundamentalism Israeli/Palestinian struggle War in Syria Violence of the group Islamic State in Northern Iraq and Syria Violence in Ukraine

17. Times of the Times (-) Aggressiveness of media – to keep us busy, distracted, taking us out of ourselves and emptying our consciences; Mass incarceration: people being arrested and put into jail for insignificant infractions; Surveillance state: NSA spying on people; Racism in the US? Riots in Ferguson, Baltimore; Refugee crisis in Europe and US.

18. What are some of the major signs of the times? ( - ) Degradation of the environment Greater incidence of extreme weather events (e.g. floods, storms, fires) Water/ food crises in certain parts of the world

19. What are some of the major signs of the times? ( + ) Rise of alternative sources of energy other than oil, gas, coal; Rise of use of diverse technologies that improve the lifestyles of people. Finding cures for different diseases. Young people becoming more tolerant and accepting of the other.