Религия: прочее
Различные книги в жанре Религия: прочееThe Nature of the Will in the Writings of Calvin and Arminius
Looking for deeper insights into an age-old debate on the question of the issue of free will in the theology of Calvin and Arminius? You've come to the right place. When the general question, «does man have a free will?» is directed to John Calvin and James Arminius, the received and oft-repeated answer is that Calvin, jealous for the glory of God, opposes free will and that Arminius, being human-centered, advocates for free will, thus robbing God of his glory. This book shows, through a fresh look at the original sources, that the above characterization of the differences between Calvin and Arminius on the nature of the human will is misguided. For, by using the fourfold state of human beings as the lens through which to ask and answer the question, it is shown here that the glory of God constitutes the main reason underlying both Calvin's opposition to, and Arminius's advocacy of, free will. Moreover, though for different reasons and with many nuances, Calvin and Arminius do agree seventy-five percent of the time–in the created, the redeemed, and the glorified state–that human beings possess free will. However, they differ significantly on the location, efficacy, and function of that free will. For Calvin, free will is a gift of grace; for Arminius, it is a gift of grace and nature.
Luther’s Augustinian Theology of the Cross
"These theological paradoxes … have been deduced well or poorly from St. Paul, the especially chosen vessel and instrument of Christ, and also from St. Augustine, his most trustworthy interpreter." These are some of Martin Luther's words that introduce his Heidelberg Disputation (1518), a collection of doctrinal theses that serves as a manifesto of Luther's theology. The German Reformer claimed that his theses were a faithful exposition not only of Pauline theology, but also of Augustine's doctrine of salvation.
Luther's Augustinian Theology of the Cross is an unprecedented commentary of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation. Through a wide range of Augustinian texts, the author shows the accuracy of Luther's claim. Moreover, the work offers some original considerations that are of interest to both theology and philosophy.
In the year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this volume is a lively and stimulating addition to the debate about the relationship between Augustine's soteriology and the theology of the Reformation.
De-Fragmenting Modernity
We live in a strangely fragmented lifeworld. On the one hand, abstract constructions of our own imagination–such as money, «mere» facts, and mathematical models–are treated by us as important objective facts. On the other hand, our understanding of the concrete realities of meaning and value in which our daily lives are actually embedded–love, significance, purpose, wonder–are treated as arbitrary and optional subjective beliefs. This is because, to us, only quantitative and instrumentally useful things are considered to be accessible to the domain of knowledge. Our lifeworld is designed to dis-integrate knowledge from belief, facts from meanings, immanence from transcendence, quality from quantity, and «mere» reality from the mystery of being. This book explores two questions: why should we, and how can we, reintegrate being, knowing, and believing?
The Cynic and the Fool
The questioning of religion is the beginning of a flood, one that cannot be contained and will soon drown every theological, political, economic, and cultural orthodoxy that pledged its allegiance to a sinking cause. We are in just such an era of revolt, and those with eyes to see are learning to interrogate motives. When we are told of an idea that cannot possibly be true, the most immediate question is this: does the speaker so very foolishly believe their own words, or is the person a cynic who knows perfectly well how they manipulate the truth? As individual personalities transform into a collective drive, the aftermath is a brutal mix of motives, fictions, and anxieties.
The Cynic & the Fool explores theology and politics through the lens of our unconscious motives, our clever repression, and our deceptive denial. In nine chapters interspersed with nine parables, DeLay unites psychoanalysis, philosophy, and theology together for an accessible yet critical theory of culture. There could not be a more crucial moment to settle these questions. Why do we feel such anxiety over the most abstract orthodoxies, what conflicts of interest are we facing, and why we are commanded to see the world a certain way?
My So-Called Biblical Life
My So-Called Biblical Life gives fresh perspectives to stories from the Bible, imbuing them with powerful, honest emotion. The editor's translation of biblical passages grounds twelve original narratives, which engage the reader and invite a personal response. Imagine sending away your precious daughter to be a concubine. Suppose your family's survival depended on the sacrifice of your brother's life. Picture Jesus looking you in the eye and telling you to sell everything you own. What would you do? The collected essays in this volume explore these scenarios and more. Readers easily learn about life in biblical times through well-researched stories with supporting footnotes. Questions follow each essay, stimulating individual reflection and group discussion, and making this book a unique resource for classes, book groups, seminars, sermons, retreats, and Bible studies. My So-Called Biblical Life transforms one-dimensional portrayals of Bible characters into vibrant portraits of men, women, and children from antiquity whose struggles and hopes still speak to us today.
Three of the contributors to My So-Called Biblical Life are incarcerated; a portion of the royalties from this book are donated to the Exodus Transitional Community (www.etcny.org), which helps people re-enter into society after spending time in prison.
Contributors: Aundray Jermaine Archer Lawrence Bartley Evan Cameron Sarah Condon Joseph A. Ebert Clara Garnier-Amouroux Kenyatta Hughes Emily Phillips Lloyd William H. Mohr Richard P. Poirier Emily Sher
The Elohist
Though many Old Testament scholars prefer no longer to speak of the Elohist source in the Pentateuch, Gnuse seeks to defend the existence of this pentateuchal tradition by responding to scholarly critics, isolating texts belonging to the source and offering a theological assessment of these texts. Dream reports in ancient Near Eastern texts from the seventh and sixth centuries BCE bear striking familiarity with the biblical dream reports in the Elohist. Prophetic narratives in the books of Samuel and Kings appear to have inspired the subsequent creation of the Elohist narratives in the Pentateuch. Thus, Gnuse situates the Elohist tradition in the seventh century BCE after the fall of the state of Israel in the north in 722 BCE, which is a later date than scholars have attributed to this source in the past. Because of this setting the Elohist texts may be assessed differently than they have been in the past. The texts might have spoken to exiles from the northern state with themes that bespeak devotion to one God, hope of restoration, and absolute obedience to a transcendent deity who is revealed through dreams, fire, and prophets. The author also ponders what these texts say to our modern age.
Social Science and the Christian Scriptures, Volume 3
Sociologist Anthony Blasi analyzes early Christianity using multiple social scientific theories, including those of Max Weber, Georg Simmel, Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Max Scheler, Alfred Schutz, and contemporary theorists. He investigates the canonical New Testament books as representative of early Christianity, a sample based on usage, and he takes the books in the chronological order in which they were written. The result is a series of «stills» that depict the movement at different stages in its development. His approaches, often neglected in New Testament studies, include such sociological subfields as sect theory, the routinization of charisma, conflict, stratification theory, stigma, the sociology of knowledge, new religions, the sociology of secrecy, marginality, liminality, syncretism, the social role of intellectuals, the poor person as a type, the sick role, degradation ceremonies, populism, the sociology of migration, the sociology of time, mergers, the sociology of law, and the sociology of written communication. Needing to treat the New Testament text as social data, Blasi uses his background in biblical studies and a review of a vast literature to establish the chronology of the compositions of the New Testament books and to present the «data» in a new translation that is accessible to non-specialists.
Social Science and the Christian Scriptures, Volume 2
Sociologist Anthony Blasi analyzes early Christianity using multiple social scientific theories, including those of Max Weber, Georg Simmel, Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Max Scheler, Alfred Schutz, and contemporary theorists. He investigates the canonical New Testament books as representative of early Christianity, a sample based on usage, and he takes the books in the chronological order in which they were written. The result is a series of «stills» that depict the movement at different stages in its development. His approaches, often neglected in New Testament studies, include such sociological subfields as sect theory, the routinization of charisma, conflict, stratification theory, stigma, the sociology of knowledge, new religions, the sociology of secrecy, marginality, liminality, syncretism, the social role of intellectuals, the poor person as a type, the sick role, degradation ceremonies, populism, the sociology of migration, the sociology of time, mergers, the sociology of law, and the sociology of written communication. Needing to treat the New Testament text as social data, Blasi uses his background in biblical studies and a review of a vast literature to establish the chronology of the compositions of the New Testament books and to present the «data» in a new translation that is accessible to non-specialists.
God’s Shining Forth
God's Shining Forth offers a theological presentation of divine light in which the leading motif is the doctrine of the Trinity. More precisely, this study is organized around a double trinitarian theme: God is light in himself, and from himself God is radiant in relation to human creatures. This double affirmation is expounded by considering its extensions in the work of God's grace, in ecclesiology, and in the nature of theological intelligence. The chosen conversation partners in this study are some of the leading pro-Nicene trinitarian theologians of the fourth century, plus John Calvin, Karl Barth, and a selection of contemporary authors. Andrew Hay argues that the scriptural statement «God is light» is best understood as a confession of the eternal, fully realized life of the triune God in its wholly gratuitous electing, reconciling, and illuminating human creatures in the darkness of sin and death.
Identity and Ecclesiology
Questions of identity continue to intrigue theologians in Africa, and African intellectuals often note communal emphases in African thought. This raises the question, How do ecclesiologies in Africa engage with identity concerns, and how do they envision the Christian identity? Stephanie Lowery argues in this book that theologians in Africa provide theological and biblical arguments regarding Christian identity that are relevant to individual Christians and ecclesiologies in all contexts. She also proposes the social identity approach as a tool that can both further articulate and advance these discussions.