Theological Dialogue Research Articles

KRATKO UVOĐENJE U ATEIZAM

<p>Kao ni u većini drugih stvari, ni u ateizam se ne može uvoditi, promišljati o njemu, bez Starih Grka. Iako neki istraživači spaljivanje Protagorinog spisa <em>O bogovima </em>smatraju prvim poznatim primjerom tzv. „intelektualne inkvizicije“ to, naprosto, ne određuje grčkog čovjeka, ali ni njegove bogove <em>resp</em>. boginje. Za razliku od hrišćanskog/kršćanskog boga koji zna biti „nepravičan i svirep“, grčki bogovi(nje) imaju ljudski oblik i prijateljski se miješaju sa smrtnicima. Čak i kad su rasrđeni, nisu neumoljivi, ako su, opet, nadljudski, nisu čudovišni. Parabole u kojima se o njima govori pripisuju im dobroćudan i društveni karakter. Bez obzira na neke izuzetke, „to su bila vjerovanja blagih i razumnih ljudi koji su se savjesno oduživali obredima predaka, kojima je bio stran mračni fanatizam...“.</p><p>Kada Arthur Schopenhauer kaže da <em>vjera nije za filozofa</em>, time se ne poništavaju mogućnosti filozofsko-teološkog dijaloga. Za razliku od uzgajanja dogmatskog „cvijeća“, filozofija se kreće „samo u oblasti onoga što može da se <em>zna.</em>..“.</p>

Unfolding in friendship: Revelation and the analogy of friendship in Dei verbum

This article outlines the use of the analogy of friendship in the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei verbum n. 2, to describe the nature of divine revelation. Motivated by love, God initiates and sustains a relationship with humanity, in which the gift of knowledge of God and of God’s will for creation is continually communicated. This relationship, in which God ‘speaks with humans as with friends and dwells among them’, is fully and personally realized in Jesus Christ. First, I situate n. 2 within the renewed theology of revelation called for in the conciliar debates on the revelation constitution. Then I investigate the theological aptness of the analogy of friendship in describing divine revelation, first in terms of the personalist and dialogical thinking that characterized the ‘majority’ voice in the promulgation and reception of Dei verbum, and second in the Thomistic themes of caritas, friendship and revelation that can be heard in a ‘minority’ voice at the Council. I argue that the use of the analogy of friendship is an example a theological ‘ ressourcement for the sake of aggiornamento’ that draws biblical, monastic, scholastic and contemporary perspectives into an enriching theological dialogue.

Jelle Creemers, Theological Dialogue with Classical Pentecostals: Challenges and Opportunities

Jelle Creemers, <i>Theological Dialogue with Classical Pentecostals: Challenges and Opportunities</i>

Reading Richard Dawkins: A Theological Dialogue with New Atheism. By Gary Keogh.

<i>Reading Richard Dawkins: A Theological Dialogue with New Atheism</i>. By Gary Keogh.

White theology in dialogue with Black Theology: Exploring the contribution of Klippies Kritzinger

This article explores the contribution of South African missiologist and theologian Klippies Kritzinger to a critical and anti-racist white theology. It analyses his academic work in response to Black Consciousness and Black Theology from publications during his doctoral studies, throughout the transition to democracy and into the present, where this theme remains a constant presence in his work. The article explores his use of liberation, conversation and re-evangelisation in constructing a white response to Black Theology and a suggested ministry to the white community. In analysing his contribution various models of contextual theology, in particular that of Steven Bevans, are used in order to position Kritzinger and illuminate Kritzinger’s approach. Bevans’ praxis, counter-cultural and translation models are used to emphasize different aspects of Kritzinger’s theology for liberating whiteness.Keywords: Whiteness; Klippies Kritzinger; anti-racism

The Breadth of the Riches

Abstract Is transreligious theology possible? Yes, but only as a very specific practice. If we accept the neologism „transreligious“ then we must understand it in contrast with the more traditional terms „interreligious“ and „comparative“. Interpreted this way, „transreligious theology“ describes religious discourse about ultimate reality between those with no particular religious identity. Their conversation is panreligious, treating all theological resources equally, without preference for any tradition over any other tradition. This conversation will be quite different from interreligious dialogue or comparative theology, in which participants claim a religious identity while remaining open to the insights of other traditions. Hence, „transreligious theology“ is a descriptive term rather than a prescriptive method. It is already practiced by the non-religiously affiliated who hold an interest in the spirituality of all religions. Even though it may be helpful to some, it is not a necessary practice, since effective theological development can still occur between those with specific religious identities, and by those who only study their own religious traditions.

Is Transreligious Theology Unavoidable in Interreligious Theology and Dialogue?

Abstract This article investigates whether transreligious theology is unavoidable in the doing of interreligious theology and dialogue. In so doing, it opens with three examples that point the way to transreligious theology (Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Keith Ward, and Francis Clooney). Various prefixes are then defined and distinguished from one another as they are often applied to the term “religious” (uni-, intra-, multi-, cross-, inter-, and trans-). These prefixes are then applied to the terms “dialogue” (transreligious dialogue) and “theology” (transreligious theology). In particular, transreligious theology is set apart by a) taking seriously the fluid and porous borders of religion and religious identities, and b) its requirement of generating something novel beyond the already established religious traditions. The question is then asked whether transreligious theology is unavoidable in the context of interreligious theology dialogue, given the vast complexity of religious identities. The article culminates by addressing two lingering challenges to transreligious theology, the perceived specter of creeping syncretism and the possibility of “frustration overload” due to the overwhelming complexity of religions and religious identities.

Reformed Theology and the Question of Protestant Individualism

Though Protestantism is all too commonly accused of providing a theology that is too individualistic, there are in fact numerous historical resources from which a decidedly Reformed theology can be developed which is attentive to the social nature of theology. This essay will develop precisely such a theology in dialogue with Henri de Lubac, the Catholic theologian perhaps most aware of the social dimension of Catholic thought. Combined, Heinrich Bullinger’s doctrine of election, John Owen’s understanding of limited atonement, and Abraham Kuyper’s pneumatology provide an adequately social reformed theology that can overcome numerous objections.

Theology and Psychology in Dialogue: An Individual Differences Approach

This paper introduces the notion of the theology of individual differences which engages a Christian understanding of human beings created in the image of God with insights derived from the psychology of individual differences.

Императорский Константинополь и папский Рим в VI—VIII вв.: диалог и размежевание

Abstract The article deals with the political, theological and cultural dialogue between papal Rome and Imperial Constantinople. The period of 6-8th centuries is the one of Byzantine domination in Rome, and a number of Roman frescoes belong to this period, whose style and iconography give insights into the theological and political polemics, or into the cultural influence of early Byzantine art on the local tradition. Art works are rarely used or not used at all as sources in the study of relations between the two capitals and iconoclasm. This study can helpfully contribute to the overall research view on the subject.

Sanātana dharma and Christianity – Perspectives of Theological Dialogue

The ancient Indian concept of “the eternal nature of things” (sanātana dharma) is a convenient meeting ground for all religions. It is a mistake to describe it as tantamount to Hinduism. Christianity and Hinduism may enter into a meaningful dialogue within its framework. Since for both of them the self‑sacrifice of God is a pivotal idea around which they build their theology. Basic difference between them lays in the fact that the Vedic sacrifice is a creative one, out of which time and space emerged and the Christian sacrifice is a redemptive one that took place within created time and space. Thus the basic question is whether these two concepts of sacrifice are homologous. In the present essay, we try to outline this extremely tantalizing problem.

Welcoming the Stranger: Anatheism and L'Arche

In his book Anatheism, Richard Kearney argues for God to be imagined as a stranger and a guest, a God who comes unexpectedly into mundane reality. As a potential host, the human person may freely say yes in hospitality or no in hostility to this divine stranger, a hospitality or hostility practised in encounters with the everyday strangers of life, such as marginalized populations. As an exemplar, Kearney offers Jean Vanier's vision for L'Arche, a global network of communities that live in solidarity with the developmentally disabled. But Kearney provides only a start for a theological dialogue with L'Arche's experience. In order to further refine this conversation between Kearney and L'Arche, I consider questions about the limits of hospitality in the context of L'Arche. What are, for example, necessary boundaries between guest and host? When does uncritical hospitality become problematic? After a discussion of Kearney's anatheism and the writings of Vanier, Henri Nouwen, and others, I argue for the necessity of judiciously drawn boundaries so as to promote a healthy relationship between the disabled person and the assistant, a relationship that hopefully has become one of friendship. This article, then, confronts the task of discerning the limits to Kearney's paradigm, and L'Arche's practice, of hospitality.

Pela transversalidade do diálogo inter-religioso na teologia e na pastoral

&lt;p&gt;No âmbito das relações da igreja católica com as religiões a ruptura com o modelo de cristandade efetivada pelo Concílio teve um papel decisivo: significou uma guinada importante que levou a uma revisão não só dessas relações com as religiões, mas também da própria visão de igreja e da teologia. Com isso, o Concílio deu um grande passo ao lançar um olhar positivo sobre as religiões e reconhecer que elas contêm “sementes do Verbo” (&lt;em&gt;AG&lt;/em&gt; 11b). No entanto, é preciso reconhecer que os padres conciliares se limitaram a apresentar diretrizes gerais e indicações de atitudes fundamentais quanto às outras religiões sem se preocuparem em apresentar uma teologia do diálogo inter-religioso. Este artigo procura problematizar as diretrizes e indicações do Concílio a partir do conceito de transversalidade. Assumimos a perspectiva de que o diálogo inter-religioso para ser consistente, em consonância com as inspirações conciliares, precisa ser transversal tanto ao discurso como à ação pastoral. A missão, a liturgia, a catequese e a educação teológica são áreas, entre outras, nas quais a transversalidade do diálogo inter-religioso precisa ganhar vida. &lt;/p&gt;

Feringhee Dharma: Augustinians, Amerindians and a Bengali deity in an early modern Iberian world

ABSTRACTDharma Thakur has been widely studied as a Bengali folk deity. As an exemplary ‘folk’ deity, scholarship on him has been resolutely focused within a discrete local space. Scholars have sought to dig deep into a local past to understand the deity and his cult. As a result, the more recent historical contexts and particularly the impact of European Christianity upon such deities have been entirely ignored. Using one of the earliest texts of the cult, viz. Rupram Chakrabarty’s seventeenth-century Dharmamangal, I challenge this insular local spatiality. By first locating Rupram himself in his contemporary social and political world, I show his proximity to Portuguese settlements and Augustinian churches. I then use the material culture of foods described in the text to show Rupram’s implication in an early modern Iberian world. In the last two sections, I delve into narrative episodes of the text that reveal complex theological dialogues not only with Portuguese Catholicism, but also indirectly with distant Amerindian shamans. In conclusion, I argue that we need to trace the horizontal connections of folk religion in the early modern world, rather than persisting in the quest for a deep past.

Ecumenical Dialogue as Intercultural Encounter

This paper provides an overview of a recent ecumenical dialogue, the one between the Mar Thoma Syrian Church and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht (2011-2014) and analyses the dialogue through the lens of intercultural theology, arguing that the fields of ecumenical dialogue and intercultural theology can be brought into conversation with each other fruitfully, even if this is not currently being done in appertaining scholarship.

Ecumenism and the Visible Unity of the Church

This paper traces the origins and subsequent use of the concepts of ‘organic union’ and ‘reconciled diversity’ as alternative descriptions of the visible unity of the Church and the method and goal of ecumenism, with special reference to the documents of the World Council of Churches and a select number of related texts emanating from theological dialogue at a world level. The paper argues: (1) that each of these concepts preserves valuable insights into the unity and diversity of the Church; (2) that the corresponding approaches to inter-church relations and dialogue need not be incompatible as ecumenical method; (3) but that ‘reconciled diversity’, as it is usually described, is only a temporary state on the way to ‘organic union’ and not itself a sufficient expression of the full visible unity of the Church.

The Importance of Dialogue in Turkey

Introduction As social beings, people need each other at every moment of their lives. In twenty-first century, mass media and technology have turned world into a global village. Globalization underlines and stresses global consciousness and dialogue. In this era, humanity needs to learn importance of coexistence and dignity entailed in being human. For this purpose, a significant attempt has been made by Christians to rebuild their relationships with different Christian groups and members of other religions. Even though dialogue among people of different religious traditions has continued throughout history in form of individual relationships such as friendships, neighborly relations, or business connections, formal and planned interfaith/interreligious dialogue started and became a worldwide movement in second half of twentieth century. The role of Catholic Church and World Council of Churches cannot be denied in this movement, along with help of technology and modernity. Christian scholars' positive effects on Christian call for dialogue should not be missed. Remaining freer from institutional barriers, these scholars could take significant steps for theology of religions and dialogue. Among them my doctoral program advisor, Dr. Leonard Swidler, holds a remarkable position. He understands dialogue not only as a theological, philosophical, or practical concept but also as an ontological concept. By stating a dance of universe, Swidler is convinced that everything in universe is naturally in dialogue. In this respect, he stated that the very essence of our humanity is dialogical, and a fulfilled human life is highest expression of cosmic dance of dialogued. (1) His numerous works and tireless efforts to create an atmosphere of peace at grassroots and academic levels are significant. The growing global role of Dialogue Institute at Temple University and Journal of Ecumenical Studies are among fruits of his efforts. In many of our conversations I was able to observe how Swidler is able to witness historical survey of dialogue, especially Muslim-Christian dialogue. He was among scholars who attended first institutional and organized Muslim-Christian dialogue event in Libya in 1976. Since then, he has been working to teach his Muslim students to have more accurate information regarding members of other religions. I should also note that Swidler's special stress on growing role of Turkish Muslims in interreligious dialogue encouraged me to explore Turkish response to Christian call for dialogue. The question of dialogue within Turkish context is an important question. Without a worldwide religious authority, every Muslim scholar and community has tried to understand and respond to Christian call for dialogue in their own way. Turkey, as one of most influential and modern Muslim-majority states, has joined discussion about interreligious dialogue, especially with Christians, since 1980's. Being very diverse in culture, religion, and thought, Turkish scholars' discussions and critiques of interreligious dialogue requested by Christian world have clearly contributed to such dialogue on a global scale in recent decades. In this respect, it will be helpful to show how issue of interreligious dialogue is significant in Turkish context. Given that Christian population of Turkey is only about 170,000, (2) in a total population of 76,000,000, one might think issue of interreligious dialogue is not significant for academic research. However, considering following points and ongoing discussions/studies in Turkey, importance of study is apparent. The Importance of Dialogue in Turkish Context First of all, cultural and intellectual heritage of Turkey provides a very broad sense of issue of dialogue. …

An attempt to define the charismata in the main Christian traditions

Abstract The aim of the present article is to analyse the way in which the main Christian traditions define the charismata, or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As we shall see, the definitions provided by the Catholic, the Eastern Orthodox or the Reformed Theologies are very broad, while in Pentecostal theology charismata have a rather technical meaning. Finally, we will observe that a good clarification of the concepts in question could help the development of the interfaith theological dialogue, from the pneumatological point of view.

Interfaith Dialogue in Lebanon: Between a Power Balancing Act and Theological Encounters

This essay explores trends and directions of interfaith dialogue in Lebanon with a special focus on developments since the Ta'if Agreement (1989) signed at the end of the civil war. While viewing the encounters of interfaith dialogue in Lebanon against the background of political and social developments, the particular focus of this study is the ventures and potential of “inter-theological dialogue.” In particular, it explores the new initiatives whose focus is on theological and spiritual dialogue, since they seem to have been virtually ignored by recent studies in the field, even though inter-theological discussions have constituted an important part of inter-religious dialogue in Lebanon. The article proposes that theological dialogue in Lebanon is necessary in order to reach true taʿāyush (living together), particularly because politics and religion are intricately intertwined. Focusing on two initiatives within the past 15 years, it shows how they strive to make theological discourse – sometimes a merely intellectual exercise – relevant for society.

Ortodoxia, catolicismo e unidade no contexto do Vaticano II

As comunidades cristãs dos primeiros séculos comungavam da ideia que a ECCLESIA era um corpo jurisdicional múltiplo e ordenado por uma teologia em construção, formado por comunidades locais. As palavras “ortodoxo” e “católico” não são apenas nomes, tão pouco um adendo ou um complemento, mas a essência que espelha o que cada fiel pensava de si. Usados indistintamente no Primeiro Milênio pelo Oriente e Ocidente, os qualificativos “ortodoxo” e “católico”, a partir dos primeiros cismas, eram aplicados com mais precisão para expressar identificações. O termo ‘católico’, no grego clássico, universal, era usado como substantivo e adjetivo e especificava uma das notas importantes da ECCLESIA O presente artigo tem como objetivo, ao elucidar os conceitos de ‘ortodoxia, catolicismo, unidade e cisma’, à luz da Teologia Oriental, transpor para uma hermenêutica contemporânea de ecumenismo, o significado dos conceitos comuns entre as Igrejas Ortodoxas e Católica, em vista da retomada do Diálogo Teológico, iniciado após o Tomos Agape, entre os expoentes Oriental e Ocidental da mesma Ecclesia Universa.