Группа авторов
Список книг автора Группа авторовReading Minjung Theology in the Twenty-First Century
This edited volume brings Ahn Byung-Mu's minjung theology into dialogue with twenty-first-century readers. Ahn Byung-Mu was one of the pioneers of Korean minjung theology. The centerpiece of his minjung theology is focused on the Greek word ochlos, understood as the divested, marginalized, powerless people.
Part 1 introduces readers to his life and theological legacy. Part 2 includes four important writings of Ahn Byung-Mu: «Jesus and Minjung in the Gospel of Mark,» «Minjung Theology in the Gospel of Mark,» «The Transmitters of Jesus Event Tradition,» and «Minjok, Minjung, and Church.» Part 3 contains a collection of articles from international scholars who evaluate and engage Ahn's ochlos/minjung theology in their own fields and formulate critical readings of minjung theology. Responses include postcolonial, black theology, and feminist perspectives.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
The repeal of the government's policy on homosexual military service, known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT), has caused much concern among Christian military service members, especially chaplains, and has led to much debate about the morality of homosexuality, the ideal of free speech, and the role of clergy in public service. Can it be scientifically demonstrated that homosexuality is normal? What has homosexual political activity shown to be their agenda, if any? What does the Bible say about homosexuality? How can chaplains who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle respond to the repeal in a way that retains their prophetic voice, but protects them from prosecution? How can chaplains minister to homosexual service members and their families in a post-DADT military? These are just some of the questions addressed in this important work by a group of scholars and chaplains, many of whom serve or have served in the academy, the military, and the church.
Just Peace
Christian theology and ethics have wrestled with the challenge to apply Jesus's central message of nonviolence to the injustices of this world. Is it not right to defend the persecuted by using violence? Is it unjust if the oppressed defend themselves–if necessary by the use of violence–in order to liberate themselves and to create a more just society? Can we leave the doctrine of the just war behind and shift all our attention toward the way of a just peace?
In 2011 the World Council of Churches brought to a close the Decade to Overcome Violence, to which the churches committed themselves at the beginning of the century. Just peace has evolved as the new ecumenical paradigm for contemporary Christian ethics. Just peace signals a realistic vision of holistic peace, with justice, which in the concept of shalom is central in the Hebrew Bible as well as in the gospel message of the New Testament.
This paradigm needs further elaboration. VU University gathered peacebuilding practitioners and experts from different parts of the world (Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia, and Europe) and from different disciplines (anthropology, psychology, social sciences, law, and theology)–voices from across generations and Christian traditions–to promote discussion about the different dimensions of building peace with justice.
Isaiah and Imperial Context
Interpreting Isaiah requires attention to empire. The matrix of the book of Isaiah was the imperial contexts of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. The community of faith in these eras needed a prophetic vision for life. Not only is the book of Isaiah crafted in light of empire, but current readers cannot help but approach Isaiah in light of imperial realities today. As a neglected area of research, Isaiah and Imperial Context probes how empire can illumine Isaiah through essays that utilize archaeology, history, literary approaches, post-colonialism, and feminism within the various sections of Isaiah. The contributors are Andrew T. Abernethy, Mark G. Brett, Tim Bulkeley, John Goldingay, Christopher B. Hays, Joy Hooker, Malcolm Mac MacDonald, Judith E. McKinlay, Tim Meadowcroft, Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, and David Ussishkin.
Fundamentalism and Gender
This anthology addresses the topic of «fundamentalism and gender» from inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives. By referring to three major themes–"Literalism, Religion, and Science," «Nation, State, and Community,» and «Body, Life, and Biopolitics»–the book focuses on the analytical diversification of the term «fundamentalism» and on intersections between religion, gender, sexuality, race, and nation. International scholars in cultural history and theory, religious studies, Christian theologies, Islamic studies, history, social sciences, anthropology, comparative literature, and women and gender studies examine the historical and current specifics of religious as well as of secular forms of fundamentalism. They also take a critical look at the Western discourse about religious fundamentalism and the ambivalent role feminism plays in this context, considering questions such as, Why do all religious fundamentalisms claim normalizing definitions of sexuality, gender roles, and intergender relations? In what way do gender and sexual politics play a role in secular criticism of religious fundamentalism? And how are forms of secular fundamentalism characterized by gender constructs and sexual politics?
Servantship
Servantship is essentially about following our Lord Jesus Christ, the servant Lord, and his mission–it is a life of discipleship to him, patterned after his self-emptying, humility, sacrifice, love, values, and mission. Servantship is humbly valuing others more than yourself, and looking out for the interests and wellbeing of others. Servantship is the cultivation of the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: making yourself nothing, being a servant, humbling yourself, and submitting yourself to the will and purposes of the triune God. Since servantship is the imitation of Christ, it involves an unreserved participation in the missio Dei–the Trinitarian mission of God.
In this pioneering work, sixteen servants describe the four movements of radical servantship. Servantship is the movement 1.from leadership to radical servantship; 2.from shallowness to dynamic theological reflection; 3.from theories to courageous practices; and 4.from forgetfulness to transforming memory.
Servantship recognizes, in word, thought, and deed, that «whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave–just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.»
Theology and the Crisis of Engagement
What does theology have to do with sociology? Do the social sciences in general provide helpful assistance to theologians? Does theology have anything to contribute to social theory?
This compendium of essays attempts to address such questions. In so doing, it confronts assumptions about how academic disciplines are best articulated, whether within their own airtight frames or in dialogue with one another. The essays in the first half of the book accomplish this from historical and methodological perspectives, while the remaining essays present case studies or constructive proposals for how theology might engage the social sciences in productive ways.
For those particularly interested in the ongoing development of theologies of liberation, this book will be timely. The essays, reflecting a definite international flavor, are written in honor of Lee Cormie, a long-standing advocate of what he calls the «new voices» in theology that have irrupted in the wake of Vatican II. Cormie has spent over three decades teaching theologies of liberation at the Toronto School of Theology on the campus of the University of Toronto. This book continues the many conversations that his teaching has provoked.
Corners in the City of God
David Simon's The Wire lays out before us a city in which people struggle under the weight of poverty, political corruption, economic despair, educational collapse, and the drug trade. This volume explores the various theological, ethical, and philosophical challenges presented by The Wire. As each season of The Wire unfolds, the moral complexities of life in the city deepen, as the failures of one system have unforeseen effects in other corners of the city. Fleshing out the ongoing tension between the «earthly city» and the City of God, Corners in the City of God is a theological companion to David Simon's masterpiece, inviting the reader to wrestle with the implications of belonging fully to the cities of the world, in all of their splendor and tragedy.
Integrating the New Science of Love and a Spirituality of Peace
In Integrating the New Science of Love and a Spirituality of Peace, the contributors explore the intersection between the science of attachment theory and the vision of Anabaptism. What emerges is a deeper sense of what it means to be human and a hope for a different tomorow, inspired by the kingdom of God as preached by Jesus of Nazareth.
Chapters of the Heart
Chapters of the Heart: Jewish Women Sharing the Torah of Our Lives invites readers into the lives of twenty women for whom Jewish language and texts provide a lens for understanding their experiences. The authors don't just use religious words (texts, theologies, or liturgies) like a cookbook. Instead they serve readers something closer to a real meal, prepared with love and intention.
Each essay shares one piece of its writer's heart, one chapter of experience as refracted through the author's particular Jewish optic. The authors write about being daughters, mothers, sisters, partners, lovers, and friends. They share their experiences of parenting, infertility, and abortion. One describes accompanying her young husband through his life-threatening illness. Another tells of her daughter's struggle with an eating disorder. Still another reflects on long decline of a parent with Alzheimer's.
All these writers wrestle with Jewish texts while growing as rabbis, as feminists, and as interfaith leaders. They open their hearts and minds, telling when Jewish tradition has helped make meaning and, on occasion, when it has come up empty. The results are sometimes inspiring, sometimes provocative. Readers will find new insights into God, into Judaism, and into themselves.