The Church proposed itself to the world throughout history by culture, and not by any culture, but first class culture. The Church is a treasure of culture filtered in a refined manner during its history. We can talk about our Church as a Church of culture and we can tell a lot about the culture of the Church. Culture generally has no cult in a formal sense, because it seems restrictive and narrow. And when it has, it is most often an idolatrous cult, even if it lacks structured forms. It is either a cult of culture itself, or a cult of cultural personality, always watched by a contracult trying to debunk, even to demolish it. In return, clergymen also cultivate the cult, till exclusive confinement in it and disinterest in any fundamental areas of culture. This is damaging, because biblically and theologically speaking, people of culture, intellectuals, artists have a certain talent from God. Clergymen also have many shortcomings when it comes to relate to the world of professional culture: a bad timidity or an unjustified aggression, when exaggerated bow before intellectuals, when ignoring and keeping them away, continuous transition from an inferiority complex to one of superiority and vice versa. On the other hand, we can see how, in history, there are many cases of clergymen who were also great scholars, as there have also been cases, though rare, of scholars who became marvelous clergymen. Two things should be sought. One would be meeting and discussing in a peripatetic manner in the same territories, structured by the same major values. Then, finding and using a common language characterized by brightness, flavor and beauty.

Keywords: culture, religion, intellectuals, clergy, Church Fathers, mission

COSTION NICOLESCU