Love Of Neighbor Research Articles

Sweet as She Can Be

Sweet as She Can Be

Christian Realism in the New American Century

This essay provides a novel history of Christian Realism, its key themes, and the persistence of this analytical framework for nearly a century. Christian Realism is a community of discourse associated with scholars and foreign policy observers like Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Ramsey, but lives on today in the writings of Christian just war thinkers, international relations scholars, ethicists, and policy experts. Three generations of Christian Realism focus on anti-utopianism, anti-totalitarianism, and similar perspectives. Christian Realists share a continuity of approach to policy analyses from a distinctly Augustinian perspective. Both the theological themes--sin, human potential, limits and restraint, neighbor love--and the major foreign policy questions of war, security, and peace, have a certain perennial quality, whether the theorist is of the first (1932-65), second (1965-90), or the contemporary third generation (1991-present). This essay looks at the theological themes, the perennial questions Christian Realists address, and the increasingly orthodox theological commitments of today’s Christian Realists as compared to the theological liberals of Niebuhr’s era.

Sacred Socialism

Sacred Socialism

The Primacy of God. The Virtue of Religion in Catholic Theology by R. Jared Staudt

Reviewed by: The Primacy of God. The Virtue of Religion in Catholic Theology by R. Jared Staudt Robin Ward R. Jared Staudt The Primacy of God. The Virtue of Religion in Catholic Theology Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Academic, 2022 424 pages. Hardback. $49.95. St. Thomas Aquinas gives a characteristically succinct and apposite account of the virtue of religion in the Summa Theologiae, that nevertheless conceals an intriguing hinterland which has much potential for creative theological reflection. The classic Thomist definition of religion as a virtue is to consider it as a part of the virtue of justice, in that it pertains to the service of cult that humankind owes to God. However, St. Thomas readily admits that religion is a "potential" rather than an integral aspect of the cardinal virtue of justice, and he considers (while ultimately rejecting) the argument that it is in fact more easily understood as acting as if it were a theological virtue, orchestrating faith, hope and charity towards their end in God. Although Thomists of the stricter observance have characteristically insisted on maintaining Thomas' refusal to admit religion to the theological virtues, perhaps most economically summed up in Dom Odon Lottin's little work L'Ame du culte: La vertu de religion d'après S. Thomas d'Aquin, there has nevertheless been a willingness [End Page 128] to treat the virtue of religion in the taxonomy of the Christian life as something rather more than just the payment of a debt due. Without formally rejecting St. Thomas' position, we see for example in the great moral compendium of the Salmanticenses a distinctive treatment of religion as a precept of the first commandment of the decalogue, and in Tanqueray's innovative Synopsis Theologiae Moralis et Pastoralis of 1912 (incidentally one of the earliest seminary manuals to be organised around the virtues rather than the commandments) religion is treated separately between the theological and the cardinal virtues, indicating its distinctive role. More recently, even the idea that religion—the duty of worship owed by humankind to God—is a virtuous activity has come under intense critical scrutiny from opposing theological perspectives. First, Barthian Reformed theologians see religion as fundamentally prone to the idolatrous, and always in need of the redemptive light of revelation, within which thus purged it has a quiet and insignificant role to play as a thankful expression of what has been received purely by divine grace. Second, Catholic theologians most influenced by Karl Rahner place love of neighbour as the primary duty of the moral life, to which the obligations of religious cult are to be subordinated. It is therefore timely and important that Jared Staudt has chosen to repristinate the classic teaching about the primacy of religion in the moral life, the consequences of which are far reaching and of great importance for the work of liturgical formation, so that the people of God might come to an authentic participatio actuosa in the Christian cult. Staudt begins by dealing with justice in relation to God and does so with a thorough and satisfying account of how St. Thomas' understanding of justice as fundamentally orientated towards God remains robust and convincing in contradistinction to the Kantian exaltation of justice as fundamentally autonomous. In doing so, Staudt is careful to place the Thomist understanding of the debt of justice paid by religion in the context of salvation history, and in particular the unfolding of the obligation of religious cult through the apprehension of the natural law, the law of the Old Covenant and the law of Christ. This is no mere formalism: Staudt is clear that "True and perfect worship must stem from a filial union of the soul [End Page 129] with God by knowledge and love, creating a bond of friendship with him" (136). In the second section of the book, Staudt attends to the fundamental importance of the worship of Christ—Christ who as head of the Church offers perfect worship to his Father. He relates this oblation to the trinitarian character of Christian worship, and then applies this to the context of liturgical prayer, comparing the texts of the Roman Rite with those of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom...

Karl Barth, Mou Zongsan, and the Political Responsibility of the Chinese Protestant Church

How can dogmatic teachings inform the political witness of the Chinese Protestant church and its calling among the moral crises of the past four decades? This essay responds to this urgent need by examining the political legacies of Karl Barth and Mou Zongsan, two dogmatic thinkers of Protestant Christianity and New Confucianism. A contextual and constructive comparison of the two figures allows us to reconfigure the notion of political responsibility as a praxis theory of neighbor love with several critical elements: it grounds the political responsibility of the church in the imperative of safeguarding fellow humanity and the forming of responsible humanity, and this imperative must be self-critical and forward-looking in practice. It thus contributes to Christian ethics by articulating the legacy of Barth’s dogmatic theology for democratic ethics through interfaith dialogue and a praxis theory of neighbor love for the Chinese Protestant church under the neoliberal regime.

Volker Rabens, Jacqueline N. Grey, and Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn, eds. Key Approaches to Biblical Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue

Volker Rabens, Jacqueline N. Grey, and Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn, eds. <i>Key Approaches to Biblical Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue</i>

Dining against Dehumanization: A Mixed-Methods and Interdisciplinary Approach to Assessing the Humanizing Effects of Sharing a Meal with Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

Aside from loving God, the hallmark of a Christ-filled life is to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:31). Thus, spiritual formation should be evidenced by an increased depth and breadth of love for others. Using qualitative (Study 1) and quantitative (Study 2) methods, we explored how sharing a meal and fellowshipping with a member of a marginalized group (a theological practice) shaped college students’ perceptions of their unhoused neighbors. Results demonstrated that students recognized human-like traits associated with an individual experiencing homelessness after a shared meal, but that the encounters did not significantly reduce the dehumanization of individuals experiencing homelessness as a whole (relative to a control no dinner condition). In addition to theoretical implications for psychologists interested in intergroup contact, our findings have implications for those trying to cultivate Christian virtues such as neighbor love through classroom or ministerial practices.

The Eucharist as Iconic Experience of Divine Love: Ancient – Future Orienteering with Julian of Norwich

This paper explores Julian of Norwich’s experience of divine love through her understanding of “poynte,” culminating in her mystical revelation of the blood of Jesus. In the medieval context of plague, war, and hopelessness, Julian experiences the blood of Jesus on the cross present in the Eucharist as a place of safety and joy, something which can speak to the contemporary reader during this time of pandemic, racial strife, and global pessimism. First, the stage is set by historically examining the socio-cultural milieu of fourteenth-century England, mystical spirituality, and sacramental practice of the Eucharist in the medieval Church. Next, the image of blood as it relates to Julian Norwich’s idea of time expressed as “poynte” in her Showings is presented to illuminate the transformation of suffering into God’s great love which upends all social and religious barriers to unify people in neighborly love. Contemporary implications are made for viewing the Eucharist as icon of remembrance through which Christ is experienced in his suffering at a kingdom table of divine love for a world that suffers and bleeds. Julian of Norwich presents visions of healing, restoration, and theosis where all of humanity’s wounds are healed by Jesus’ bloody wounds. In a Eucharistic preview of the festal banquet of kingdom shalom, Julian’s vision of divine love as a place of safety and joy inform a present Eucharistic table where all are welcome for Jesus is present with his suffering ones and iconically in the faces of his wounded children gathered around the table.

"It Isn't Just Us": The Korean Catholic Church's Responses to Corona-19 as Seen in Diocesan Bulletins

The ceasing of public Catholic Masses just before Ash Wednesday 2020 in response to Corona-19 posed a significant problem as it meant Catholics could no longer easily receive Holy Communion, the center of Catholic faith life. Thus, one might have expected the Korean Catholic Church to oppose the limitation or cancellation of religious gatherings. But in fact, the opposite happened, with the Catholic Church being singled out for its support of such policies. This paper explores this response of Catholic leaders to Corona-19 and the theology that undergirded it through an examination of the bulletins of two archdioceses, Seoul and Daegu. It argues that the bulletins promoted a particular Catholic theology that understood adherence to public health measures as analogous to love of neighbor, and that such acts of love would bring a triumph over the virus. However, for such efforts to succeed they had to extend from Korea to embrace the entire world, particularly disadvantaged countries. Moreover, this study also argues that rather than being treated as a singular event, Corona-19 was understood as akin to issues like climate change, which were presented as sharing the same root cause of human selfishness.

Imitation and Following the Humanity of Jesus Christ in the Context of Moral Virtues

İki bin yılı aşkın süredir varlığını devam ettiren Hıristiyanlığın en önemli şahsiyeti muhakkak ki İsa Mesih’tir. Onun bu önemi, Hıristiyanlık için bir inanç meselesi olmasının yanı sıra, diğer insanlara benzemeyen olağanüstü doğumu ve ölümüyle ilgili konuların Hıristiyan dünyasında sürekli olarak tartışılıyor olmasından ileri gelmektedir. Nitekim İsa ile ilgili tartışmaların önemli bir kısmını, onun Bâkire Meryem’den babasız olarak dünyaya gelmesi ve kendisini bütün insanlığın günahı için çarmıhta feda etmesi oluşturmaktadır. Bu durum, İsa Mesih’in bir insan mı yoksa tanrısal bir varlık mı olduğu tartışmasını da beraberinde getirmiştir. Nihayet Hıristiyanlar, zaman içinde yaptıkları toplantılarda İsa Mesih’in hem bir “Tanrı” veya “Tanrı’nın Oğlu” hem de bir “insan” olduğuna karar vererek konuyu çözümlemişlerdir. Bununla birlikte bir Tanrı veya insan olarak İsa Mesih’in Hıristiyanlar tarafından nasıl “modelleneceği” veya “taklit edileceği”, diğer bir deyişle “Mesih’in taklidi” (imitatio Christi) de tartışılan bir başka konu olmuştur. Bu bağlamda “Bir Hıristiyan, her şeyde Mesih'i taklit eden ve onu takip eden kişidir” sözü, Hıristiyanlar nezdinde İsa Mesih’in örnek alınacak “en mükemmel model” olduğunu göstermesi açısından önemlidir. Bu nedenle Mesih’in taklidi meselesi öncelikle Pavlus ve Kilise Babalarının, sonrasında 13. yüzyılda Assisili Francis ve 15. yüzyılda De Imitatione Christi adlı kitabın yazarı Thomas a’ Kempis ve sonraki yüzyıllarda Batılı Hıristiyan teologların gündeminde olmuştur. Bahsedilen süreçte İsa Mesih’in “tanrısallığının, insanlığının ve bedenselliğinin taklidi” olmak üzere üç türlü taklidinden söz edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada onun tanrısallığının ve bedenselliğinin taklidinden ziyade, İsa Mesih’in insanî özelliklerinin taklit veya takip edilmesi konu edilecektir. Özellikle konu; İsa Mesih’in öğretisinde sıkça vurgulanan “Tanrı ve komşu sevgisi, alçakgönüllülük ve uysallık” gibi temel ahlâkî erdemler bağlamında ele alınacaktır.

An Institutional Approach to Alterity: Thinking Love in Levinas and Hegel

ABSTRACTEmmanuel Levinas's early work inaugurated a tradition of thinking about alterity as at odds with generalized forms of knowledge that characterize political institutions. However, in his later work Levinas broaches but leaves underdeveloped the provocative idea that institutional modes of reasoning can provide a welcome home for alterity if they follow the wisdom of love. Against this backdrop, I argue that reading G. W. F. Hegel's early writings on neighbor love alongside his mature philosophy of the state offers us important resources for articulating an institutional approach to alterity that offers a compelling solution to Levinas's concern with letting the other(s) be seen by institutions in a non‐totalizing manner. Across his early writings, Hegel positions love as the vehicle through which one comes to be at home in the institutions of one's community and the vehicle through which one can revise and expand the institutions of one's community in novel ways. My aim is to demonstrate that Hegel's early account of love provides an indispensable blueprint for understanding his mature account of the relation between the individual qua infinitely unique and modern political institutions. In turn, this will enable us to discern the institutional approach to alterity embedded in his thought.

John Wesley's Understanding of the Law for the Practice of Neighborly Love

This paper is a study on John Wesley's understanding of law for the practice of neighborly love. Loving neighbor is also connected with the ethics and morals of believers. In this sense, we need to understand the evangelical law. I looked at Wesley's understanding of law, which balanced and systematized the relationship between law and gospel. This law is not a covenant of works, but a new covenant of grace, understood through Christ. In other words, this is the law of love that to love God and to love neighbor. But sinful man can not fulfill this law of love by their own effort or merits. That is why it is necessary to have faith in what Christ accomplished and perfected on the cross. And finally, we too, in the likeness of Christ, fulfill the law of love through faith in what will be sanctified, that is, eschatological faith. This is Wesley's law of love that is established by faith. Wesley also brings the law of love through faith into practical spirituality. In particular, he practices love of neighbor to the poor, slaves, and prisoners, who were the lowest in 18th century England society. Wesley did not just preach them, more than that, he tried to meet their practical needs. As a result, this paper focuses on the work that systematizes and develops the theological basis for practicing love for neighbor by properly illuminating the relationship between Gospel and the law. And by examining the good example of Wesley's practice of neighborly love, today's churches and believers will find a proper way to make the healthier Christianity that can transform the world along with Christ’ new commandment.

LÓGICAS DE LA POLÍTICA AMOROSA DURANTE EL PRIMER AÑO DE LA CUARTA TRANSFORMACIÓN EN MÉXICO

This article is the result of a discursive analysis of the pronouncements made during the first year of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration. Based on a codification and categorization focused on the signifier love, we propose three general elements to analyze amlo ‘s politics. The first of these is the development of the We-Them, the second the love of neighbor and finally the contingency and the working-through in the construction of the sense of the people. Starting from these three elements, the article critically analyzes notions such as the creation of hegemony, the conservative discourse, the relationship between the people, fraternity and happiness. All this approach was carried out mainly from the postu - lates of psychoanalysis in its intersection with political and social theory.

Set expressions reflecting Slavonic mentality transformation during Christianization

The article deals with the socio-historical and axiological informativity of phraseological units in the Old Church Slavonic language in the aspect of the history of Russian phraseological system. The author pays her attention to the superword language units in Slavonic manuscripts of the 10-11th centuries. The purpose of the research is to identify through the prism of phraseology the origins of Slavonic key values, which were transformed during Christianization, and their superword nominations. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that besides the canon sources, the article analyzes the sources which were ignored by the authors of the Old Church Slavonic dictionaries. The object of the research is the Old Church Slavonic phraseological units reconstructed with the continuous sampling method from the texts created in different parts of medieval Slavia. To analyze the linguistic material, comparative-historical, linguoculturological, linguocognitive methods and methods of component and contextual analysis were used. As a result, adjustments were made to the idea of the activities of medieval Christian communities. Old Slavonic phraseological units testify that the former pagan Russians were attracted to Christians by their boundless faith in the truth of Christ’s teaching, their ability to defend their beliefs, personal courage, love for neighbor and mercy. The relevance of this study is that in the context of globalization, the Christian values assimilated by the Eastern Slavs during Christianization, which contributed to the powerful take off of Russian culture, today need to be protected. The research direction outlined in this article opens up the prospects of establishing the origins of the Russian Christian phraseological corpus and its rules.

Reading the Love Commandments and Learning the Imitation of Christ in Aquinas

Aquinas’s exposition of the twofold commandment of charity embeds a pedagogy for learning the imitation of Christ. This pedagogy may be gathered from his commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, with refinements from the Summa theologiae. Christ commands love of God and neighbour and calls us to friendship that requires imitation of him. Aquinas depicts this imitation of Christ as a gratuitous, effective, and right love of neighbour which, I suggest, is grounded in, and develops his articulation of, love of neighbour as an expansion of love of self that is holy, just, and true. In this way, we learn to imitate Christ by following his commandment of charity, and we learn to follow the commandment of charity by imitating Christ. This interpenetrating pedagogy exemplifies and belongs essentially to Aquinas’s broader goal of promoting conformity to Christ through his practice of sacra doctrina or holy teaching.

Kierkegaard, Løgstrup and the Conditions of Love: From God's Grace to Life as a Gift

In this article, I consider how pride and anxiety can prevent us from loving the neighbour, and how Søren Kierkegaard and K.E. Løgstrup offer two different ways in which these obstacles might be overcome. For Kierkegaard, this is made possible if we stand in the right relation to God, while for Løgstrup it is made possible if we understand life as a gift. The differences and respective merits of both approaches are explored, and in particular whether Løgstrup's approach can claim to offer a secular alternative to the role that Kierkegaard gives to God's grace in making neighbour love possible.

Review Article

Review Article

The Justice and Affirmative Action

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article On Mental Health, People, and PlacesFull AccessThe Justice and Affirmative ActionEzra E. H. Griffith, M.D.Ezra E. H. GriffithSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:30 Mar 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.04.4.33For a long time, I have thought that writing about single lives is at the heart of what my friend and colleague Yale Professor Michael Norko calls “vocation.” In this case, the term would refer to the spirituality that resides within the composing of biographies. Norko has explored different definitions of what one might mean by spirituality in a specific context. One that I like is “doing what is in the interest of others and oneself.” Norko was aware that God is not mentioned in that definition, yet he concluded that “we must contemplate the definition of spirituality individually to reveal its application to our daily work, which brings us to the topic of vocation” (see “What is Truth? The Spiritual Quest of Forensic Psychiatry” in the March 2018 Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law).This brief exposition of Norko’s “vocation” has guided my examination of biographical writing. I always want to understand how the subject approached life; the expressed relatedness to others; the salience of work, of play; the practical application of effort and time to specific activities; the connection between love of neighbor and service through one’s profession; the image of self as represented in one’s work and personal actions.It is with Michael Norko in mind that I settled down to reading the February 22 New York Times Magazine article by Danny Hakim and Jo Becker: “The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas.” It is a detailed, complex piece about a current Supreme Court justice and his wife. Both are ardent conservatives who enjoy the limelight as leaders of the anti-libertarian movement in this country. I concentrate here only on Clarence Thomas’s view that affirmative action undercuts self-reliance. I have no interest at all in his personal health, and I have never met him.We learn from Thomas’s biographers that he was raised by his grandfather in the South and graduated from the College of the Holy Cross. From there, he attended Yale Law School. It appears that graduation did not bring prestigious job offers. In addition, some individuals apparently suggested that his acceptance to Yale was based on preferential treatment. In other words, he may have been a token Yale student, pulled from the line of Black applicants and pushed ahead because of his minority status. Those Yale years became an important event in Thomas’s life. From then, he matured into a zealous anti-affirmative action ambassador, with a will to destroy the affirmative action movement. Of course, there are others intent on accomplishing that objective. However, Thomas’s voice carries weight. People listen to him when he speaks. He also knows, because many have praised him in public, that he has access to distinguished social groups in which few Blacks gain entrance and his presence is distinctive.I understand that suggesting he benefited from affirmative action may have left him disappointed, less authoritative than he wanted to be. Only he knows, of course. But why would he dismantle a mechanism that has served so many others in past years? His biographers did not mention whether he has a replacement for affirmative action. I am curious about this point. I wonder how he thinks about these things. Education is linked to mental health. When access to educational institutions is circumscribed and identity development is limited, so is generous access to excellence.I anticipate the suggestion that it is not the jurist’s role to find solutions to sociopolitical dilemmas. As we all know, that is an antiquated principle. Many professions have tried on that excuse, including the medical profession, to no useful end. Jurists these days must be aware of their decisions’ effects on neighbors. I return to Norko’s comments on the link between spirituality and vocation. I just wish I could see the interest in others, the love of neighbor that the Justice brings to these debates. Affirmative action does not undercut self-reliance. Such a claim mocks efforts at self-improvement. ■ “What Is Truth? The Spiritual Quest of Forensic Psychiatry” is posted here.“The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas” is posted hereEzra E. H. Griffith, M.D., is professor emeritus of psychiatry and African American Studies at Yale University. ISSUES NewArchived

Analisis Krisis Penginjilan Di Kalangan Gereja Di Indonesia

Evangelizing which is commonly called "preaching the good news" is not only a belief that has been bestowed on every person who believes in Jesus Christ, but also an obligation that His church must carry out as one of the priority tasks. However, evangelism in fact ranks as the fourth leading cause of the growth in the number of congregations in the church in the last ten years with a figure of only 1.7%. This study aims to analyze the causes of the crisis of evangelism among churches in Indonesia in an effort to maximize the implementation of the fulfillment of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. The descriptive qualitative approach is the method used in the implementation of this research by analyzing and collecting data through book sources and digital articles, as well as journals and other documents related to the topic that is the subject of the study. As a result, the causes of the crisis of evangelism among churches in Indonesia are due to: First, some believers feel they are not called to be evangelists and so feel unable to evangelize. Second, some believers know that preaching the Good News is the responsibility of believers and the church, but are afraid of the threats that can be experienced related to carrying out the preaching of the gospel. In conclusion, evangelism is not an option that can be chosen, but the obligation of every believer based on love for God and neighbor. The crisis in the implementation of evangelism has proven to be hampering the growth of the church in Indonesia, because without the implementation of evangelism, it is difficult to see the Kingdom of God being enlarged on this earth.

Practicing Neighbor Love: Empathy, Religion, and Clinical Ethics.

The role of religion in clinical ethics consultations is contested. The religion of the ethics consultant can be an important part of the consultation process and improve the quality of a consultation. Practicing neighbor love leads to empathy, which not only can improve the quality of ethics consultations but also creates a space for religion to be part of, but not imposed on, the consultation. The practice of empathy will build trust, rapport, and an intersubjective connection that improves the quality of the consultation. (The views expressed are the author's and not representative of any institution or employer).