Roger Charles Lenaers (4 January 1925 – 5 August 2021) was a Jesuit pastor in the diocese of Innsbruck. He entered the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

in 1942 and followed the regular courses at the Jesuit School of

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and classical languages at a university.

Academic career

As a classicist Lenaers specialized in the didactics of the Old Languages (around 30 publications, each with commentaries for teachers). As

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

he taught religion in schools for secondary education and in schools training future religion mistresses. His special interest went out to questions about faith emerging from

modernity Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular Society, socio-Culture, cultural Norm (social), norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the ...

and

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

, modernity understood as western ideology or weltanschauung, emerging during the Enlightenment, as consequence of modern sciences and the humanism thriving during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. In 2000 and 2002 he published two rather extensive essays about the clash between modernity and modern religious convictions. By reinterpreting the essence he tried to reconcile the theological message with modernity. The two books got a positive critical review in the specialized media, in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. In 2005 the two essays were published in a single book, first in German, then in English (2006). Spanish and Portuguese translations followed. An Italian translation is ready for the press. In 2008 the linguistically corrected second German edition followed and in April 2009 a second book will be published with the provocative title "Even without a God-in-the-highest". Since 1995 Lenaers was

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in Vorder- and Hinterhornbach (Lechtal, Tyrol, Austria).

Publications

* ''De Droom van Nebukadnezar. Of het einde van een middeleeuwse kerk''. 160 blz., Berg en Dal/Leuven, 2000 * ''Uittocht uit oudchristelijke mythen''. Berg en Dal/Leuven, 2002 * ''Der Traum des Königs Nebukadnezar. Das Ende einer mittelalterlichen Kirche''. copy-us Verlags GmbH, Kleve 2005, .
English translation: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream or the End of a Medieval Catholic Church, Gorgias Press, Piscataway, NJ, U.S.A. 2007. Spanish: Otro Cristianismo es posible, Fe en lenguaje de modernidad, Editorial Abya Yala, Quito, 2008, 244 S. Portuguese: Outro Cristianismo é Possível. Paulus Editora, São Paulo. Italian: Il sogno di Nabucodonosor. Fine della chiesa cattolica medievale. * ''Der Traum des Königs Nebukadnezar. Das Ende einer mittelalterlichen Kirche''
Vortrag, 12 Seiten in German
Wien 2008 * ''Das Papsttum als Stein des Anstoßes – was können wir tun?'
Vortrag, 18 Seiten in German
Linz 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenaers, Roger 1925 births 2021 deaths People from Ostend 20th-century Belgian Jesuits 21st-century Belgian Jesuits Belgian expatriates in Austria