New Machines, Old Ghosts and the Bigger Soul: Opening for the Eschatological Gift

The experience of post-Soviet Lithuania suggests that the reductive coercive industrial, mechanistic reconstruction of the human and social world need not prevail. It is especially instructive because the collapse of Soviet project was also a rupture – a period of overall spiritual, cultural, political openness and creativity. Christian faith played an important part in resistance prior to this renewal and resurged in manifold ways contrary to what might have been expected. But while this period was characterized by eschatological moods and promise, its realization felt short. As similar moods resurge, the article will look at this brief moment of openness to the future through the lens of the trinitarian reflection on the activity of the Holy Spirit. The article will contend that the notion of the “event” of the Holy Spirit as eschatological Gift is crucial to assess its potential for ongoing theological engagement, offering a view of human activity and creativity.