Theological Sources Research Articles

Water Conservation in an Islamic Perspective: Integrating Religious Values ​​for Water Resources Conservation

The worsening water crisis has become a global concern in recent decades. Water, as a vital element for life, plays a central role in Islamic teachings. The Qur'an and Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad SAW repeatedly emphasize the importance of water as a creation of Allah SWT that should be grateful for and its preservation. Water conservation, therefore, is a fundamental obligation for Muslims, embedded in the moral and spiritual principles of the religion. Recognizing the importance of conserving water resources, there is a need to consider a holistic approach involving aspects of religion and belief in water conservation efforts. In this context, this research aims to analyze the Islamic perspective on water conservation and explore ways to integrate religious values in efforts to conserve water resources. In this research, a literature review was carried out covering Islamic theological sources, the holy book Al-Quran, hadith, as well as works by scholars relevant to environmental issues and water conservation. A qualitative approach was used to analyze and interpret the data collected in order to gain in-depth insight into the Islamic perspective on water conservation. The results of the analysis show that Islam has a strong basis for supporting water conservation. The Koran and hadith provide guidance and teachings that respect and encourage wise management of water resources. Concepts such as amanah (responsibility), hisbah (maintenance), and ihsan (kindness) in Islam reflect principles that are relevant in the context of water conservation. Apart from that, the Islamic approach which is centered on balance (mizan) can also be applied to guide sustainable water conservation actions. To integrate religious values in efforts to conserve water resources, the recommended approach is a community-based approach. Emphasis is placed on the important role of religious leaders, community leaders, and educators in guiding and educating the public about the urgency of water conservation from an Islamic perspective. Active community involvement through teaching programs, sermons, social campaigns and conservation activities can be an effective means of increasing awareness and collective action in maintaining the sustainability of water resources. Thus, this research contributes to strengthening understanding of the Islamic perspective on water conservation and provides practical recommendations for integrating religious values in efforts to conserve water resources. It is hoped that the results of this research can become the basis for efforts to conserve water resources that are sustainable and oriented towards religious values in Muslim societies.

The Islamic Perspectives of Freedom, Veiling, and Open Mindedness: A Current Misunderstand Elements

Islam is the oldest divine religion with a complete code of life. Islam, being natural, comprehensive, rational, and authentic, provides its followers, the Muslims, with a comprehensive set of rules, guidelines, and criteria to follow. Due to its rapid prevalence, currently, 1.8 billion people around the world follow Islamic principles. Because of the vast expansion of Muslim populations, some elements are presently understood and followed wrongly. The Islamic teaching of personal freedoms, particular individual choices like veiling and social interactions, is often misunderstood as being impressed by the modern world. Freedom, a widely used term in current debates, is frequently used to express one’s power and depress or impose on others. Likewise, the concept of veiling is typically regarded as a personal choice, though it is mandatory in Islam. Every man and woman is ordered to follow the Islamic principle of veiling, which not only gives protection but also gives satisfaction and peace of mind and is a symbol of a true follower of Islam. Additionally, the concept of an open mind is growing rapidly, and every individual is trying to avoid the other’s actions and moments to show his open mindness. Among others, the children-parent relationship greatly helps to properly understand these misunderstood elements. Through a comprehensive review of theological sources and modern interpretations, this paper aims to contribute to a more balanced understanding of these elements and their place in Islamic thought today.

Radical hope: Reimagining church and society in Scotland

This article proposes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the factors that have led to the Church of Scotland’s current programme of reorganisation of its presbyteries and parishes in the face of a steep decline in its membership and recruitment to ordained ministry. Drawing on sociological, philosophical, and theological sources, it argues that the Kirk is experiencing the devastation of its local parish culture and way of life as an integral part of modern, industrial Scotland under the impact of hyper-individualism in a post-industrial and post-modern Scottish society, but like the Crow tribe, it can find radical hope in its traditions.

Gathered: A Theology for Institutions in a Changing Church

Practical theology has historically engaged in sustained theological reflection on the practices of the Church that intersect with the practices of the world. As field of study, it engages in interdisciplinary engagement that combines social and theological forms of reasoning and analysis. As a broader field of praxis, it seeks to support the conditions where people of faith are formed, and communities of faith may flourish. In both expressions, practical theology exists in a dynamic relationship to institutions (e.g., congregations, denominations, universities) and contributes research and praxis that supports the future of institutions and the faith they mediate. While institutions are often the source and site of practical theology, “institutions” are taken for granted as a clearly-identifiable social form and a fixed expression. However, transnational changes in congregations and related faith-based institutions require an account of the nature and role of institutions within practical theology. In this gap, this paper advances a two-part argument: first, institutions are sites of multimodal gathering, creating containers for various forms of encounter where individuals and communities gather around a shared context, shared stories, shared practices, shared resources, and a shared journey. Second, theology for institutions can be sustained by attending to five modes of institutional engagement and analysis that are marked by attention to shared context, narratives, practices, resources, and a journey. Three sections advance this argument. The first part introduces three different situations of institutional encounter to question the relationship between theology and institutions amid a changing organizational landscape. The second part engages Alasdair MacIntyre as an interpretive framework to identify the gap of institutions in the field of practical theology. The third part concludes by detailing the structure of a theological account that resolves this gap in the field and may attend to the forms of gathering institutions provide.

The Body as a Battlefield: A Feminist Interpretation of Mulan as a Source of Theology in the Face of Gender-Based Violence

This study delves into the intricate interplay between cinema, theology, and gender-based violence through a feminist lens. It centers on the film Mulan as a unique source of theological reflection in addressing cases of gender-based violence. The title, “The Body as a Battlefield,” encapsulates the core theme of this research, emphasizing the body as a contested terrain where power dynamics and societal norms converge. Through a meticulous feminist interpretation of the film, we explore how Mulan’s narrative challenges traditional gender roles, illuminates the resilience of the female body, and offers a fresh perspective on theological discourse. By bridging the realms of film analysis, feminist theology, and social justice, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how popular culture can serve as a resource for theological engagement in the pursuit of gender equality and the eradication of gender-based violence.

The Imaginative Sources of Rahner's Theology of Original Sin

The Imaginative Sources of Rahner's Theology of Original Sin

Penitencia cuaresmal como medicina del alma. Nueva edición de un sermón de Cuaresma de San Vicente Ferrer

Abstract The sermons preached in Valencia by Saint Vincent Ferrer during Lent in the year 1413 are an excellent model of the type of preaching carried out by the Valencian Dominican. This article offers a critical edition of one of these sermons (number XXVI, with the theme “Erat praedicans in synagogis Galilaeae”) accompanied by explanatory notes on its structure and content, as well as the identification of the theological sources used by the preacher. Thus, a model is offered for a complete reissue of the sermonary, the need for which is evident in the modifications introduced with respect to previous editions.

Durand of Saint Pourçain and the actual infinite. A reflection on divine omnipotence (Super Sent., I, 43, 2)

In his Commentary on the first Book of Sentences (d. 43, q. 2, red. B), Durand of Saint Pourçain (1270-­1334) poses the question regarding the divine possibility of producing infinite actual things, contributing to the debate about the divine power of creating what is considered to be contradictory (actual infinity). Taking into account the philosophical and theological sources of Durand's Commentary on the issue, the article focuses on his accurate solution to the problem of God's production of actual infinites by analysing some arguments such as that of the production of the individuals of a species, like the souls, as well as the argument of the divisibility of the continuum and the original assumption of the commensurability of infinite quantities. The article shows that for Durand God cannot create an actual infinite, but only a potential one.

Violence in the Religious Language of Christianity: Historical Analysis of Christian Religious Language Containing Violence as a Source of Critical Theology

Historical fact indicates that the religious language of Christianity is rife with violence. The spiritual language is echoed in such bloody tragedies as war, murder, and punishment. This study aimed to encourage Christianity to understand violent religious language by viewing it in a reflective frame. The study uses qualitative methods to analyze history, so the literature that records the incidents of Christianity's involvement in violence is used. Analysis of the various literature produced two essential things as critical reflections on Christian theology. Based on historical facts of Christianity's involvement in violence, Christianity was at one time in a phase creating its doctrine (violence is not God's will), and Christianity played God (God did not engage in violence). That discovery is supposed to be part of a critical vehement from a violent point of view.

The theological sources and poetic priorities of Milton's narrative theodicy

AbstractThis study of Paradise Lost, interpreted through the lens of John Milton's treatise De doctrina Christiana, argues that the poet seeks to breathe new life into the tropes of orthodox Christian theodicy by radicalising concepts chosen eclectically from both Reformed and Arminian schools of thought, integrating them within the patchwork of his own idiosyncratic heterodoxies and thus catalysing a fundamentally new theology propelled by his narrative priorities. This approach makes the drama that Milton intuits itself the driver of dogma, which drama allows him to bring God and reader into the same story, under the spell of his own theodical narration.

The Effect of the View That ‘Diversion of Faith-Act’ on Prayers

The most important religious and social consequence of the integrity of faith-act view of the Kharijites and Mutazila is takfir. Although Allah Taala strictly forbids the unjust killing of a Muslim, takfir has many times caused serious conflicts among Muslims. This violent and wrong practice initiated by the Kharijites continues today as ISIS etc. is continued by organizations. The result of this situation is the blood that flows non-stop in the Muslim geography. However, the principle that ahl al-qibla cannot be declared as heretics has led Ahl as-Sunnah to firmly defend that prays are not a part of faith. It is obvious that it is necessary to accept the idea that prays are not part of faith. Otherwise, as the verse "We created the soul and inspired it with wickedness and righteousness" indicates, one would have to pay the price of making a mistake by being judged and perhaps killed. In addition, the principle of diversion of faith-act is based on solid foundations not only politically but also religiously. Many nass/verses-hadiths support this principle. Especially Hanafis have emphasized this meticulously. For example, Imam Azam Abu Hanifah drew attention to the importance of the issue in the treatises he wrote, especially in the treatises he wrote, and especially in al-Alim ve al-mutaallim, and repeatedly emphasized that a believer can never be declared a heretic. However, especially today, surveys on religious life have been conducted by institutions such as DIB and IIIT. In these surveys, percentage data on faith and performance of prayer such as praying and fasting were published. According to surveys, the rate of belief is very high at 98%, while praying is very low compared to belief at 40%. Considering the results of the surveys, we have come to the conclusion that some people who believe in Ahl as-sunnah, knowingly or unknowingly, do not care or are not aware of the value of prayers, like some sects that have been criticized by the Ahl as-sunnah with their attitude towards prayers in the history of Muslim thought. Because when some people are told about their deeds, obedience or disobedience, they say that they are good-hearted and talk about honesty, fairness, etc. they say they have these traits. This article will try to explain what the distinction between faith and deed means, what value the deed carries, and what the Ahl as-sunnah actually mean by this idea, and to put each concept in its place. The meaning given to faith will be revealed by starting from the oldest theological sources and especially by referring to Hanafi sources. Then, the position of deeds relative to faith and its connection with faith will be examined. As a result, efforts will be made to reveal what the role of prayers is in the religious life of the believer. Such a study is important in showing that religion is not built on independent facts, but that all of them together form religious unity. “And they were not commanded except to prayer Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion" as the verse clearly states, although faith and deeds are different phenomena, when all of these come together, the true religious life emerges. By taking this verse as a principle, the article tries to determine, in a sort of tentative manner, how deeds should be viewed in terms of theology, and specifically according to the Hanafis.

Religious pedagogical conceptualization of the qur'anic description of slander

From the perspective of Islamic theological thought, every sin, in addition to otherworldly consequences, produces some damage in this world. Sins the effect of which is limited to an individual have the potential to affect negatively one’s spiritual and physical constitution, while sins in the sphere of interpersonal relationships destroy the social fabric. Considering the consequences for the vitality of social structures, a particularly destructive sin is the sin of slander. In the theological sources of Islam, the most well-known case of slander is the Hadisetu-l-Ifk or the slander against Aisha, RA. The honorable Qur'an and hadith sources give a detailed description of this event. Based on the Qur'anic and hadith sources, this paper aims at conceptualizing categories and processes essential for the revitalization of interpersonal relationships after the state of disturbed social dynamics due to slander. In addition to the aforementioned sources, the aim was achieved by relevant insights into certain disciplinary areas of contemporary science. A discourse analysis and case study methods were applied in the paper (Popadić, Pavlović & Žeželj, 2018) as well as the methodological approach of combining traditional and rational interpretation, as the best approach for analyzing the Holy Qur'an (Halilović, 2015). The obtained results contribute to the revitalization and development of healthy interpersonal relationships and positive dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Keywords: Qur'an, family, interpersonal relations, social ties, forgiveness, religious pedagogy

Ecological Theology of Creation in The Perspective of The Theology of The Trinity

The action of God is always the action of the Trinity. Therefore, in properly interpreting theological issues, taking this truth into account is necessary. This is the reason for attempting to interpret the ecological theology of creation from a Trinitarian aspect. The analysis of biblical and theological sources provides the basis for this. The analyses carried out reconstruct the traditional issue model of the theology of creation. They develop an understanding of the relationship between God and creation. For the triune God is the model and deepest source of relationality. The essential love between the persons of the Trinity and the profound relationship of love between the Triune God and creation carries an inspiring message for the construction of man's relationship to the world according to God's design. This should constitute the essential foundation of an ecotheological praxeology.

Women's Experiences in Interreligious Leadership

AbstractWomen are providing significant leadership across the interfaith movement in the US context. While their leadership is increasingly acknowledged, this article will explore how women experience interreligious leadership. What are the challenges and opportunities they face? How do they view and engage their work and their networks? What is the vision they hold for transformed and transformative interreligious relations? How is women's interreligious leadership both an indicator of and a means for contributing to gender justice? This article will feature primary sources – leaders living in the United States and serving in local, national, and global positions with impact in all spheres – along with analysis from secondary sociological and theological sources. Thus, this article will contribute a rare first‐person assessment of women's interreligious leadership to a growing, much‐needed body of research on this topic.

Sefer Yeṣirah’s Dating, Geographic Provenance and the Open Question of Its Composer’s Religious Affiliation and Identity

Abstract In 2018, Weiss has ended centuries of speculation about the enigmatic Hebrew Sefer Yeṣirah’s dating and geographical provenance, demonstrating with a high level of confidence (specifically on the basis of Sefer Yeṣirah’s Syriac grammarian loanwords) a seventh-century C.E. Syrian origin. Weiss and others have also shown that Sefer Yeṣirah’s closest parallels are in Syriac Christian grammarian and theological sources. Given that abundant evidence points to a Rabbinic form of Judaism present in ancient Syria, the theory of a Jewish composer is odd because of the text’s non-Rabbinic character. Similarly, the theory of a Syriac Christian or “Jewish-Christian” author is odd in view of the text’s composition in Hebrew instead of Syriac. It remains for future research to solve this final enigma of the religious identity of Sefer Yeṣirah’s composer.

CELEBRATING THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE DURING FAMILY LIFE. A CATHOLIC-DOGMATIC PERSPECTIVE

This paper presents the question of the dynamics of the sacrament of marriage arising from the wedding vows according to the rite celebrated in the Catholic liturgy. The aim of the paper is to explain what it means to celebrate the sacrament of marriage every day, not only on the wedding day. The theme is developed based on the concept of ritual as a phenomenon involving the activities of introducing a person to a new state of life in society. According to researchers, ritual perpetuates certain values in culture and human consciousness. In the light of theological sources, in Christian rituals, marriage is a theological reality. This means that the sacrament of marriage involves the rite of a man and a woman making four promises concerning their future life together and including their relationship with God. These pledges are a promise of fidelity, love, honesty and accompanying the other person for the rest of their lives, which means ‘dialogue of life’. Sacramentality, on the other hand, signifies a guarantee of access to God’s grace, which is necessary to build a family community according to the Gospel. The sacrament of marriage appears here as a Christian ritual celebrated that commemorates every moment of life together, with references to the grace given by God. Looking at the sacrament of marriage as a ritual makes it possible to see two dimensions of the dynamics of the marital relationship: a horizontal relationship, involving the dialogue between the spouses, and a vertical relationship, involving the dialogue of the spouses with God. Viewed in this way, Christian marriage is a reality unfolding in the individual lives of persons, as well as socially and ecclesiastically.

Who We Are and Where We Came from: Divergent Views on Human Origins

ABSTRACT In this article, I respond to Malik’s analysis of positions on common descent (“Creationism, Human exceptionalism, Adamic exceptionalism, and No exceptions”), regarding their metaphysical and hermeneutic compatibility with al-Ghazali’s approach. As a “no exceptions” proponent, I offer a number of Jewish theological sources that support this position, and argue with Malik’s assessment of this stance as scientistic. Due to my divergence from Malik on this fundamental issue, I then go on in the article to explore possible conceptualizations of disagreement, dialogue and the interaction of diverse views regarding fundamental matters.

Epifanische dialogen. De epifanische dimensie in literatuur, het missionaire gesprek en prediking

Salvific experiences with God among contemporaries are an important source for theology, missiology, preaching and the assessment of spiritual life in our culture. My Bright Abyss of Christian Wiman is an interesting example of such a source. In this article the book is assessed as a biographical and poetic description of epiphanic moments. Inspired by Wiman, I explore the concepts of epiphany and dialogue in the context of mission and preaching. To be able to discern epiphanic fragments in the interior life of contemporaries we do not only need mystagogic qualities and dialogical competences in missionary encounters, but also practical theological methodologies. In the previous article, M.J. Kater mentioned four salvific fragments in My Bright Abyss (the fragmentary, human life, despair and atonement). My article is a homiletical-communicative elaboration of these four themes.

Images of Pain, Images of Hope: African Films as Narrative Theologies of Gender and Sexuality

Abstract Cinema is one of the great media of storytelling that, with its images and sounds, draws viewers into a different world and addresses their bodies, minds, and hearts. In this contribution, I will develop an argument for African cinema as a source of narrative theology that is contextual and liberative in its critical and constructive functions. In conversation with African women’s and queer theologies, I will then reconstruct the narrative theologies emerging from films produced in Africa that address women’s issues and diverse sexualities. I argue that they develop, through images of the pain of sexism and homophobia, a theology of hope of flourishing life. Thus, they contribute to the life of a church that is able to overcome prejudice, recognizes the gifts of its diverse communities, and is a space for all to flourish in love.

Nûreddin es-Sâbûnî’nin Peygamberlerin İsmeti Konusuna Yaklaşımı

The region of Maverānannehir is a geography inhabited by scholars who made significant contributions to shaping the Islamic thought system. Māturīdīism originated in this region, one of the two theological schools accepted among Muslims today. One of the essential representatives of the Hanafī-Māturīdī understanding of theology in the area in the 6th century Hijri was Nūr al-dīn al-Sābūnī, who was a respected scholar in his time. Al-Sābūnī was a well-equipped theologian whose views were respected by the people of the region on matters of theology and who debated with Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, one of the most influential theologians of the period. He endeavored to solve the theological problems of his time, wrote works to facilitate the public understanding of the principles of Islamic belief, and especially emphasized the issue of the infallibility of Prophets (ismat al-anbiya). This study investigated the reasons for al-Sabūnī's emphasis on the view of the Infallibility (ismat) and his opinion on the infallibility of Prophets. How al-Sābūnī understood the issue of infallibility of Prophets provided essential data on the constants and changes (if any) in the understanding of ismat in the Māturīdī theological system. On the other hand, it provided us with reference sources for the historical origins of the belief that prophets are sinless. By revealing al-Sabūnī's opinions on the prophets' ismat, the point of view in ismat in the Hanafī-Māturīdī theological system as of the 6th century has been revealed, and some clues about the historical background of the current situation have been obtained. In the study, the sources were accessed through literature review, one of the leading social sciences research methods; a critical perspective was maintained while evaluating his views, and descriptive language was used while composing the text. At the end of the study, it was seen that al-Sābūnī was a respected Hanafī-Māturīdī theologian of his time and took Māturīdī's views as his primary reference. It was observed that al-Māturīdī's meticulousness in referencing the theological sources and his mastery of rational deductions were sometimes lost in al-Sābūnī due to the Sufi sources he was fed by. Although he had the same opinion as the Hanafī-Māturīdī school on issues such as belief in prophets, the necessity of prophethood, and the attributes of prophets, he differed from the tradition he belonged to in terms of his understanding of ismat and accepted that some prophets committed "mistakes". * This study is based on our ongoing doctoral dissertation titled "The Comparison of Abū Mansūr al-Māturīdī and Nūr al-Dīn al-Sābūnī's Understanding of Prophethood" (Ph.D. Dissertation, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 2023).