Anonymous Christian Research Articles

The Evaluation of Soteriology in Inclusivist Theology

The theology of inclusivism is one of the three theological approaches in the study of religion. This approach was proposed by Alan Race in his discourse on the relationship between religions. Inclusivism holds a concept of salvation that combines or reconciles the concept of salvation from two other theological approaches, namely exclusivism and pluralism. Exclusivism takes a firm stance and asserts that salvation is only through Jesus as mentioned in the Scriptures. On the other hand, pluralism believes that all religions are valid, and none is superior to the other. Inclusivist theology brings both together by stating that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ; thus, the requirement for belief is to believe in Jesus. However, other religions can also receive salvation because they have access to Jesus through general revelation. People who attain salvation without believing in Jesus but have access to him through general revelation are called anonymous Christians, namely, brothers at the very margins. This concept is highly demanded by many people, including Christians, as it is more reasonable and tolerant. How does this concept of inclusivity in salvation align with the biblical perspective? This research is a qualitative study that will examine the truth of the concept of inclusivism based on the exegesis of three verses, namely John 14:6, Acts 4:12, and 1 Timothy 2:15.
 

The story of one acquisition: Hebrew manuscripts from Venetian Candia

This article focuses on a large group of Hebrew manuscripts that members of the Jewish community in Candia sold to an anonymous Christian in 1541–1543. Not only was selling Jewish books to Christians on such a large scale unusual in the Jewish context, but also many aspects of the acquisition remain unknown. Largely based on the owners’ entries and purchase notes found in the acquired manuscripts and other documentary sources, this study examines the circumstances of the acquisition and its details from both Jewish and Christian perspectives and scrutinizes how each of the parties involved approached the acquisition.

Hope that All Can Be Saved: A Reconsideration and Joint Reading with Congar of Rahner’s “Anonymous Christian”

Hope that All Can Be Saved: A Reconsideration and Joint Reading with Congar of Rahner’s “Anonymous Christian”

A Christology of Religions and a Theology of Evangelism

In this paper, informed by Vatican 2 and one of its premier modern day scholars, Gerald O’Collins, we will argue (1), that while the Christian evangelist should proclaim that Jesus is the only way to God, she should nonetheless be open to the possibility that Christ is saving those in non-Christian traditions as non-explicit or anonymous Christians, and, (2), that other serious religious traditions can be interpreted as doctrinally consistent with (or something nearby) the Nicene Christian tradition. In conclusion, these theses will lead us to argue that in the Christian’s approach to evangelism, her first step in persuading her non-Christian counterpart should be to emphasize the commonality that exists between the Christian tradition and the relevant non-Christian tradition. The evangelist then, should not see her main task as developing arguments against her interlocuter’s religious tradition (though, this has its place), but rather her focus should be on proclaiming an additional truth that her interlocuter can accept alongside many of her already held religious commitments.

Beyond “The Anonymous Christian”: Reconsidering Rahner on Grace and Salvation

Karl Rahner acknowledged freely that “the anonymous Christian,” as a category, could be problematic. His interest, he stressed, was not in the term but in understanding the universality of God’s grace and the access of all people to grace. Reception of Rahner’s theology of salvation, however, has often neglected this broader framework to focus on the term itself. This article, which engages Rahner’s theology of grace in both its ecclesiological setting and its universal reach, argues that this theology can be an asset to dialogue even in the context of religious pluralism.

The Missiological Challenge of the Anonymous Missionary in the Nordic Context

At the intersection of international development and Christian mission, are we in an era of the “anonymous missionary”? Karl Rahner proposed the “anonymous Christian” for understanding the religious other. Analogously, can a secular development professional, employed by a Christian mission agency, be considered an “anonymous missionary”? Can a professional hold a personal, secular identity while publicly representing an employer’s Christian identity? Is such hybrid identity missiologically tenable? In this article, I will constructively critique this growing trend, highlight its missiological incoherencies, identify the missiological challenges it poses, and underscore the indispensable role of missionary faith and spirituality.

“Mindful God and One Man’s Daring”: The Christian-Pagan Conflict of Beowulf

Composed by an anonymous Christian poet between the seventh and the ninth century, <em>Beowulf </em>is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem that records the life of the Geat hero, Beowulf and his slaying of three terrible monsters, Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and a dragon. Despite the story’s original pagan origin, this essay analyzes the extent to which the Christian faith of its poet influences the outcome of these slayings and the overall themes of the poem. An analysis of the characters of Grendel’s Mother and the dragon in particular presents strong parallels between the culture of the Anglo-Saxons and their monsters. Viewed in context of the poet’s Christian faith, these parallels call into question key pillars of the Anglo-Saxon way of life, including their own heroic code. Ultimately, <em>Beowulf </em>extolls the triumph of Christian morality over paganism and encourages reflection on how its morals might be applied to the present day.

Salvation Outside the Catholic Church A Critical and Analytical Study

The aim of the research: to study the concept of (salvation outside the church) in the Catholic Church, in the medieval period, and after the Second Vatican Council, in order to find out any change in the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the issue of salvation. Research Methodology: The researcher used the inductive analytical critical approach. Contents of the research: The research consists of an introduction, and eight sections, which are: The first section: the concept of salvation and its importance, the second section: salvation through the history of the Catholic Church, the third section: Signs of transformation in the position of the Catholic Church, the fourth section: the Catholic Church from the past to the Second Vatican Council, the fifth section: Examining the position of the Second Vatican Council towards the issue of salvation, the seventh section: What is new in the Second Vatican Council?, The eighth section: An evaluation of the position of the Catholic Church and Catholic theologians on salvation. The article has concluded that there is no real or fundamental change in the position of the Catholic Church on the issue of (salvation outside the church), and the author recommends to study the subject of (anonymous Christian) within the thought of Karl Rahner, a German Jesuit priest, and compare it with the Islamic concept of 'excuse because of unawareness'.

EleanorMcLaughlin, Unconscious Christianity in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Late Theology: Encounters with the Unknown Christ. London: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2020, 210 pp. $95.00/£73.00

EleanorMcLaughlin, Unconscious Christianity in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Late Theology: Encounters with the Unknown Christ. London: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2020, 210 pp. $95.00/£73.00

‘Faith without ideology is dead’: what are the implications for Religious Education in Catholic schools and colleges of taking this assertion seriously? An essay for teachers of the subject to consider

The article seeks to explore a number of ‘double binds' in the theory and practice of Catholic religious education. There is a disparity between the goal of education, as a universal practice of human development, and faith formation, which is more correctly understood as an intentional, ‘elitist' formation of a minority elite. How to make sense of this ‘asymmetry'? With the help of two Jesuit theologians, Karl Rahner and Juan Luis Segundo, the asymmetry can be appreciated, not as a dilemma to be resolved, but as an anthropological constant. Rahner writes of ‘anonymous Christianity', Segundo gives a distinctive account of ‘faith and ideologies’ in need of each other. Taken together, these two theologians help us to re-calibrate our understanding of what Catholic educators are seeking to achieve.

Obéissance ecclésiale comme engagement et protestation

L’intention la plus profonde de Karl Rahner ayant toujours été celle d’être un théologien au service de son Église et des hommes, divers conflits sont nés autour de sa théologie, avant et après le Concile Vatican II. Si, dans un premier temps, il a cherché prioritairement à renforcer la position du croyant individuel et la liberté de la parole et de la théologie, il a tenté, après le Concile, de défendre cette première mise en œuvre de l’Église universelle comme le « début d’un début ». À côté du débat autour du « chrétien anonyme », il faut signaler surtout son engagement en faveur d’une nouvelle place des femmes au sein de l’Église. Alors qu’avant le Concile, Rahner était partiellement contesté, mais reconnu, certains, après le Concile, ont mis en doute son orthodoxie objective, signe du changement radical de la théologie et de l’Église à cette époque.

Seeking Grace in the Chasm:

A hermeneutic of unity between beauty and virtue, inspired by the work of Gregory of Nazianzus, offers a way to seek the Holy Spirit’s presence in the apparent chasm between the church and the secular realm. This paper describes beauty’s role in Gregory of Nazianzus’ poetry and orations and analyzes how adopting Gregory’s hermeneutic of unity between beauty and virtue can strengthen the church’s relationship with the secular sphere. The paper’s second part draws on Karl Rahner’s conception of the anonymous Christian to detail how a willingness to recognize virtue’s beauty in the public sphere can open the ecclesial community to the Holy Spirit’s movement both within and beyond the church.

Natureza, graça e cristianismo anônimo em Rahner

Karl Rahner, ao articular natureza e graça em teologia sistemática, traz da escolástica para os desafios do nosso tempo o conceito de “cristãos anônimos”, que, depois de já se considerar superado por teólogos do diálogo inter-religioso de décadas atrás, volta ao cenário atual como relevante devido à nova onda de enrijecimento de alas conservadoras do catolicismo. Este artigo, refazendo o percurso trilhado por Rahner, investiga os sempre novos caminhos da graça divina, que deseja salvar a todos e todas, dentro e fora do mundo das religiões.

Karl Rahner’s Theological Logic, Phenomenology, and Anticipation

This article provides an update on the logic undergirding Karl Rahner’s theology of mystery through a dialogue between Rahner and Jean-Luc Marion. It focuses on Rahner’s account of truth in Aquinas and Marion’s Gifford Lectures on revelation. Marion’s distinction between “alethic” (modern-epistemological) and “apocalyptic” (phenomenological-Christian) logics elucidates anew Rahner’s commitment to mystery as deep, abiding truth. Also addressed is Marion’s Balthasarian concern about Rahner and “anticipation,” expressed as criticism of the “anonymous Christian.” The article aims to encourage future, robust theological reflection on truth, an always timely endeavor.

Visible and Invisible: George Tyrrell and Christ's Bodies

AbstractStarting with the laying to rest of George Tyrrell's body in an Anglican grave, outside the bounds of the Catholic Church, this article considers how Tyrrell could yet understand himself to be within the Church, within the body of Christ. Tyrrell developed a distinction between the visible and invisible Church in such a way that a person like himself could be included within the latter. In this, Tyrrell's theology anticipated later ideas of the anonymous Christian and the Church as sacrament, his thinking incorporated within the body of more orthodox, conciliar theology.

Jacques Maritain's Anonymous Christianity

New BlackfriarsVolume 99, Issue 1081 p. 287-297 Original Article Jacques Maritain's Anonymous Christianity Thomas Crean OP, Thomas Crean OP thomas.crean@english.op.org Search for more papers by this author Thomas Crean OP, Thomas Crean OP thomas.crean@english.op.org Search for more papers by this author First published: 21 July 2017 https://doi.org/10.1111/nbfr.12309Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume99, Issue1081May 2018Pages 287-297 RelatedInformation

An Anonymous Christian along the Ganges?

Although not ignored, Rahner’s theology has not played a significant influence on the interdisciplinary scholarship between Catholic theology and literature, perhaps because Rahner’s thought is often considered to lack a theological aesthetics. This article encourages a reevaluation of this impression by bringing Rahner’s theology of symbol and his argument for the anonymous Christian into dialogue with the last novel of the acclaimed Japanese Catholic Shusaku Endo, Deep River (1994). Endo’s novel challenges theologians to consider Rahner’s insights in concrete, multi-cultural, and non-Christian contexts, and demonstrates the importance of thinking about Rahner’s theology of symbol in terms of narrative. At the same time, Endo’s novel prompts a reconsideration of Rahner’s controversial argument for the anonymous Christian, for Rahner’s thought and Endo’s novel present two different approaches to the issue of religious pluralism. In this dialogue between novelist and theologian, the Incarnational foundation of Rahner’s argument for the anonymous Christian emerges more clearly, a foundation that can be easily missed amidst his abstract rhetoric.

Intorno al Centimetrum De Christo del Decretum Gelasianum de libris recipiendis et non recipiendis

The Centimetrum de Christo, Virgilianis compaginatum versibus, quoted by the Decretum Gelasianum de libris recipiendis et non recipiendis (496 d.C.), might be reasonably identified with the anonymous Christian cento De Verbi Incarnatione (AL 719 Riese), especially because of the outstanding attention which Gelasius shows to the doctrine of the Incarnation and the dogma of the double nature of Christ in his epistles and dogmatic treaties.

Salvation in Non-Christian Religions: Approaches of Christian Theologians in the Post Modern Era

The Church believes in the salvation of the followers of the other faiths as it is the Divine Will. This development of thought about other faiths was the result of many prominent Christian theologians. Among them was Karl Rahner who coined the term “anonymous Christians” for the non-Christians. Rahner ensures that the Christian message lawfully led the non-Christians to eternal salvation. To another influential theologian John Hick, God is the focal point of salvation. His universal love is the key to salvation for all humans. Hans Kung was an advocate of inclusivism. He affirms that there is salvation outside the church but only through Christ who does not confine his salvific grace to Christians only. Paul Knitter a Roman Catholic theologian insists that Christians must regard other responses as salvific because of universal will of God. Christ, to him is the final cause of salvation. The most creative theologian among the contemporary Americans was John Cobb who assigns special meaning to the term “Christ”. To him, Christ is the way that excludes no ways. To Edward Schillebeeckx, salvation is encountered in the daily living and worshiping of humans. The documents of the second Vatican Council also promote fellowship with different religions as all are heading toward the one God and all the prophets carried the His plan of salvation. The objectives of the study are to explore the approaches of Christian theologians in the post-modern era. The study is descriptive in nature. Internal and external criticism has been done to meet the objectives of the study. The study is significant for the religious scholars, researchers and curriculum developers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s2p163

Zen And The White Whale: A Buddhist Rendering of Moby-Dick by Daniel Herman (review)

ZEN AND THE WHITE WHALE: A Buddhist Rendering of Moby-Dick. By Daniel Herman. Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press. 2014.Trying to catch Moby Dick the whale, like catching Melville's novel, can be a frustrating and often self-defeating quest. It is not simply the foundational great American novel (see Lawrence Buell's 2014 work, The Dream of the Great American Novel) but a text that cannot be contained by any geographic, disciplinary, or ideological boundaries. Yet, Daniel Herman has caught (or come as close as to catching it) in simply one of the most imaginative, creative, and fascinating academic works I have read in years.In Zen and the White Whale, Herman draws upon his experience and study of Japanese and Chinese Zen Buddhist traditions and writings as the lenses to explore the often illusive meanings of Melville's novel and its key characters. A reader can potentially drown in the speculative nature of Herman's text (and here I refer to the academic work, though the novel also has its casualties). Words and phrases like perhaps, maybe, or it is possible are linked with every one of Herman's assertions, but this is an academic detective novel immersed in the possible, not the actual. Herman is clear that little to no evidence is available to prove Melville was aware or deeply read Zen Buddhist writings (xiv). Ironically, seems to be the case that Melville's (unconscious) awareness of Buddhist principles was sharper before he was more formally exposed to them, as evidenced in some of his later writings (13). Moreover, in some cases, historical scholars can prove that American knowledge of Zen Buddhism was virtually nonexistent when Melville composed Moby Dick, and only imaginative leaps and educated guesses can point to encounters and interactions on Melville's peripatetic global journeys. But no matter: the confluence and mirror images or echoing ideas between Buddhist thought and Melville's novel are so eerie and interrelated that one could call Melville (or perhaps Ishmael) an anonymous Buddhist, if we employ Catholic theologian Karl Rahner's anonymous Christian terminology from the mid-twentieth century. Let me give a few succinct examples.Herman sees Ishmael as the embodiment of the Middle Way (141), where a self transcends the self, free of detachment or illusion or permanent naming. Call me Ishmael, the novel's famous opening, testifies to this fluid and contextual process. …