Abstract
Christian ethicist Nancy Duff has suggested that an apocalyptic hearing of the gospel elicits a parabolic understanding of the Christian moral life. How might the theological basis and rationale of this claim be elaborated? What is it about human life funded by the gospel of God’s apocalypse in Jesus Christ that makes ‘parable’ an apt description of the quality of its action? And how might these notions be elaborated to enrich our understanding of responsible moral action more generally? This article explores these questions by way of a running conversation with the work of J. Louis Martyn, Christopher Morse and Paul Ricoeur. It concludes by showing the salience of these themes in relation to Bonhoeffer’s later reflections upon the distinctive quality of Christian life in the wreckage of Christendom. Overall, the solid currency of a parabolic construal of the character of Christian moral action for the present pursuit of theological ethics is recommended.
Highlights
Apocalypse and ParableThis article ventures to reflect upon the specific direction in which a theological ethics self-consciously set in the register of Paul’s apocalyptic gospel might run
Christian ethicist Nancy Duff has suggested that an apocalyptic hearing of the gospel elicits a parabolic understanding of the Christian moral life
How might the theological basis and rationale of this claim be elaborated? What is it about human life funded by the gospel of God’s apocalypse in Jesus Christ that makes ‘parable’ an apt description of the quality of its action? And how might these notions be elaborated to enrich our understanding of responsible moral action more generally? This article explores these questions by way of a running conversation with the work of J
Summary
This article ventures to reflect upon the specific direction in which a theological ethics self-consciously set in the register of Paul’s apocalyptic gospel might run. Louis Martyn in reading Paul as the apostle of a ‘gospel of God’s apocalypse’.6F7 Her central claim is that, as she says, ‘apocalyptic themes in Paul challenge descriptions of responsible Christian action as autonomous choices between alternatives’ and instead invite us to ‘describe responsible action as anticipatory reflections of the New Age inaugurated and promised in Jesus Christ’.7F8 The upshot of her examination of several of these apocalyptic themes—salvation as redemption, Christ’s contestation of antithetical lordships, the advent of the new creation, the turning of the ages, and the lively expectation of the parousia—is to suggest that Christian ethics here is not so much a matter of knowing the good as it is of acknowledgment in act of the One ‘who is the Lord of our existence’.8F9 Awakened in faith to our having been seized and secured within the orbit of Christ’s lordship, our actions assume the quality of witness.9F10 Whether conceived as obedience to Christ’s command, or following after him in the manner of discipleship, or ‘imitation’ or—in an image from Ruben Alves—the disposition of our bodies and selves in accord with the ‘rhythms of the future’, Christian moral life is a ‘living parable of God’s action on behalf of creation’, a way of being in the world that represents or symbolizes Christ’s regnant claim upon a world possessed.10F11 The common witness of such lives taken in aggregate constitutes the fulfilment of the ‘apocalyptic vocation’ of the Christian community in the world. These concluding reflections look to recommend the solid currency of a parabolic construal of the character of Christian moral action for the present pursuit of theological ethics
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
