Theological Challenges Research Articles

Book Review: Children and Our Global Future: Theological and Social Challenges

Book Review: Children and Our Global Future: Theological and Social Challenges

Historicism: The Once and Future Challenge for Theology – By Sheila Greeve Davaney

Historicism: The Once and Future Challenge for Theology – By Sheila Greeve Davaney

Liturgical Studies and Christian Worship: The Postcolonial Challenge

This article is a first attempt to sketch an agenda for scrutiny of Christian worship through a postcolonial optic. It is suggested that postcolonial theology challenges notions of inculturation and inclusivity as these are sometimes expounded in the context of liturgical studies. Texts and ritual practices are opened to scrutiny and some modest constructive, revisionist proposals are made.

Theological Challenges To Community Organizing

Theological Challenges To Community Organizing

Violence in Bloomsbury: A Theological Challenge

Abstract: This article argues for a new, incarnational conception of theology in its relation to the world. The terrorist attacks in London on 7 July 2005 are subjected to hermeneutical analysis as cultural and political signs, and are seen to reflect an extreme version of religious and social incommensurability. They present a theological challenge, the response to which is the development of a positive theological account of world. This comes into view in London, the ‘City of the Incommensurable’, in a special way, since it is nevertheless a domain of negotiated time and space and an environment held by many in common. This environment of pluralism and proximity is taken to be both iconic of globalization and a particularly dynamic locus of its many instantiations. The intersection of global and local, and the kinds of encounters it supports, argue for a new kind of theology which, with all its proper resources in scripture, doctrine and tradition, can recognize the world as sphere of common human interests and practices, and can allow itself to become, in accordance with its own incarnational ground, an agent of transformation within it.

Christian Responsibility in Medicine and Society: the Church and the Health System in the Context of the (Northern) European Social States

Dear sisters and brothers, welcome you most warmly to this week's conference on the subject of Global health and the of the church. You have come together from the whole wide world here to the small village of Breklum, from where great things went out into the world (Pastor Dr Werner will already have told you something of the history of the mission that is connected with Breklum). We are very proud that you have found the way here, and in the name of the Northelbian Church extend a very warm welcome to you! As the chairperson of the church council of the Northelbian Church, have the honour of explaining to you the church and social context in which our church deals with the subject of health and healing, which is a subject that you wish to discuss at a global level. One thing is clear from the start: the question of the of the church is a different one in a country that has been formed over centuries by the Christian faith, where furthermore the Protestant Reformation way of life and faith is still deeply rooted, than in many other countries where the Christian church is in a more multi-religious situation, and even possibly in a minority position. It is also clear that in a country blessed with an affluent society, the task and responsibility of the church for the health of the people and their medical, psychological, diaconal and pastoral care, is a different one from in those countries where basic medical care alone is a huge problem, and where even the basic provision of food and water, houses, schools, work and the security of the law are all still daily on the agenda. Given your global backgrounds, it may perhaps be interesting for you to hear in which regional and national context your conference is taking place here in Germany, and what the theological challenges in the field of health and healing are in our context. 1. Fundamental biblical principles The task of the church to work with others for the health and healing of the whole nation is a fundamental biblical principle, and one already deeply rooted in the Old Testament. only need to remind you of one of the central self-revelations of Yahweh, where in Exodus 15:26 he says to his people, I am the Lord, your healer. In the New Testament, Christ is understood, among other things, as the suffering servant of God from Deutero-Isaiah. Matthew 8:17 quotes from the Song of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:4-5 in the same way as the first letter of Peter 2:24 refers back to this text: Surely he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are (compare also Rom. 4:25). However, these texts--just as in the words and teachings of Jesus and in his widely developed healing activities--point out clearly that the spiritual meaning of these verses directs us towards the physical and spiritual dimensions and implications of the salvation that Christ is for us. We can surely state that the preaching of the gospel implies healing and results in healing activities, and even more so that the preaching of the gospel is in itself a healing factor in the life of a nation, just as in the life of an individual. Your faith has made you whole, Christ says to the healed woman in Mark 5:54, Go in peace and be healed of your sickness. The early Christian congregation had experienced this comprehensive meaning of healing, and had experienced the healing power of faith, which they had taken over into practice in their congregational life. In the letter of dames 5:14-15 it says, Is anyone among you sick? If so, call the elders of the congregation that they pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. …

‘We Have Spoken So Long O God: When Will We Be Heard?’ Theological Reflections on Overcoming Violence against Women

This article summarizes some of the major theological challenges women have attempted to address over the years in dealing with violence against women. From drawing strength from the biblical promise that women are ‘made in the image of God’ to reinterpreting doctrines such as sin, Christology, atonement, salvation and healing, women have attempted to speak a word of hope for victims and survivors of abuse and violence. The article also explores the ways in which women have learnt to not only survive but to resist violence. Additionally women have seen the violence against their bodies in the light of the violence done to the earth. It concludes with a brief reference to postcolonial scholarship on violence against women and a challenge to all women to discover together where the word of liberation lies for all women as we struggle to find a violence free world.

SCIENTISM AND TECHNOLOGY AS RELIGIONS

Abstract. Jacques Ellul, by far the most significant author in the serious discussions on the interface between religion and technology, is apparently not known to the science‐and‐religion field. The reason is the imprecise use of the terminology. In scientific formulation the relationship can be summarized as technology /religion:: science/theology. The first pair are robust three‐dimensional templates of most human experience; the second pair are linear, abstract concerns of a minority of citizens. In the parallel community—now well developed throughout academia—of science, technology, and society, where the technology/religion matters have been discussed more than the science/religion pair, John Caiazza's point that “techno‐secularism is the real problem” has been front and center for some decades. Among the theologians most aware of this, Raimundo Panikkar, Langdon Gilkey, and Huston Smith, Smith is the one who has taken the case much further than Caiazza, recognizing the danger of the real theological challenge from the religion of scientism and actively working against it. I write from a unique background among those involved in this debate—that of being deeply embedded simultaneously both in the modern science and technology establishment and in the reform of the religious enterprise for fifty years. I make the case that matters are worse than even Smith posits. He shows that scientism as a fundamentalist modern secularism serves the exact function of the theology behind the practiced religion of America and the West, that is, technology. An unexpected ray of hope has appeared in the sudden emergence of whole‐person healing (also known as complementary and alternative medicine), which is used regularly by well over half the population. This reintroduction of the spiritual dimension into this key technology of health will certainly be a major turning point.

The European Union—a Reflection: The Theological Challenge

The advisor on religious affairs of the European Commission's President recently suggested the need for a European political theology. He was acknowledging Christianity's past impact on European culture. He was also intimating that a creative Christian contribution to the making of Europe's future might partly depend upon some systematic theologically informed reflection upon the nature of the challenges which the continent currently confronts. This paper does not purport to supply such a theology which, by the nature of things, must be the fruit of a long-term collaborative exercise. It does, however, seek to provide a few pointers that might become the subject of further discussion. Following clues provided by Vatican II we may seek to discern some of those "signs of the times" which might disclose the issues at stake and which, in the light of general Christian understandings, may ultimately provide some guides for subsequent action.

Reading Romans in Hurricane-Ravaged Honduras: A Model of Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Conversation

This article displays an interactive approach of contextual Bible study by bringing the reader into the discussion between a Bible scholar and people at the grass roots, as mediated by a missionary in Honduras. Description of the rich dialogue about passages on the righteousness of God in Romans displays how all involved, Bible scholar, missionary, and church members, gained new insights as they wrestled with pastoral and theological challenges caused by Hurricane Mitch. The authors both model an approach of dialogical Bible study and list methodological insights for other missionaries engaging in contextual Bible study.

SEEING WHAT IS NOT THERE YET: SOPHIA LYON FAHS, ENTELECHY, AND THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION1

This article offers a brief theological biography of Sophia Lyon Fahs, a religious educator whose life and work unfolded during the first seven decades of the Religious Education Association and reflected many of the identity-bearing modalities that continue to give shape and continuity to the organization. In 1972, Boardman Kathan, the General Secretary of the Religious Education Association, described Fahs as “one of the truly great pioneers of religious education in the 20th century, in the company of Harrison Elliott, Frank McMurry and George Albert Coe.”2 Fahs anticipated many theological challenges to religious education that were ahead of her time.3 2 Boardman Kathan, “A Pioneer Religious Educator: Sophia Lyon Fahs at 95, an interview,” UU World (February 1, 1972). 3 Within the text of this article all quotes appear as they were originally written. No attempt has been made by the author to alter the quotes for the purpose of rendering them gender inclusive. Radically inclusive in all aspects of her theology and philosophy, it is evident that Sophia Lyon Fahs was following the literary style of her time and in no way intended gender exclusivity.

Healing Relationships in Society: the Struggle for Citizenship in Brazil

AbstractThe article describes the transition to democracy in Brazil and the churches ‘role in what is generally called democratic consolidation, in and after this transition. The key term is “cidadania” (citizenship), which is the real participation of citizens in democracy, in which they are conscious of their citizenship and strive to exercise their rights and duties. Today, this participation is being complicated by continuously strong social and economic disparities, as well as by an ambiguous cultural model that runs contrary to the equality of all and a positive notion of law.During the military regime (1964‐85), the Roman Catholic Church took a very critical dance over against the state and provided, especially through the famous Base Ecclesial Communities (CEBs), the most important space for opposition. The Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB) made a significant move towards a more critical accompaniment of the state's policies following the transfer of the 5th general assembly of the Lutheran World Federation from Porto Alegre to Evian, France, in 1970.After the transition to democracy, the impact of CEBs declined and the Roman Catholic hierarchy tended to return to more spiritual tasks. Even so, the National Bishops' Conference continues to be an important organ commenting frequently on public issues, as does the IECLB leadership. The IECLB is especially strong in providing an ecclesial model that fosters democracy and approximates ecclesial and secular citizenship. The biggest Pentecostal church in Brazil, the Assemblies of God, contributes more indirectly to citizenship by restoring the lives of marginalized people who become “decent and honourable”.The final part of the article reflects on theological challenges, the concretisation of liberation, a vision for the whole of society, congruence between ecclesial and secular citizenship and the relationship between society and the image of God. If churches would cooperate more ecumenically, they could make an even stronger contribution to cidadania in Brazil, and live out their mid/urn to the world as citizens of both the heavenly and the earthly kingdoms.

Killing for the Telephone Company: Why the Nation‐State is Not the Keeper of the Common Good

AbstractChristian ethicists often assume that the state is the agency whose purpose it is to protect and promote the common good. This conclusion is based on a series of assumptions of fact: that the state is natural and primordial, that society gives rise to the state and not vice‐versa, and that the state is one limited part of society. In this essay I examine the origins of the state and the state‐society relationship according to those who study the historical record, and argue that the above assumptions of fact are untenable in the face of the evidence. The essay concludes by registering a theological challenge to the state's sometimes overreaching claims to be the keeper of the common good and the repository of sacred values that demands sacrifice on its behalf. In the face of these tendencies, one of the church's urgent tasks is to demystify the nation‐state and to treat it like the telephone company—i.e., as a provider of goods and services that contribute to a certain limited order.

Infinity, Insomnia, and the (im)possibility of Theology

Theology is an ineluctable challenge with its compelling yet impossible testimony to Infinity in thought and language. Levinas' metaphor insomnia, in its vigilance without intentionality in which the subject is hostage to thinking Infinity without circumscribing this thought, is useful for interpreting this theological challenge. The image of insomnia suggests the other's (transcendent) claim upon us. If we are wakened and vigilant without being the source of this wakefulness, it is the other who generates this vigilance in the self-same, yet we can never be certain who this other is — “God” or otherwise. In this insomnia, the subject is hostage to a vigilance of risk — questioning and uncertain as to the source of the other's alterity or transcendence. This is the challenge of faith and ethical responsibility to an other as a visage of this assignation to infinity.

Latin American liberation theology

David Tombs offers an accessible introduction to the theological challenges raised by Latin American Liberation from its emergence in the 1960s to its 'decade of crisis' in the 1990s. This work traces the distinct developments of liberation thought through the decades, and is crucial to understanding liberation theology and its legacies. This publication has also been published in hardback, please click here for details.

Ervaringsgeoriënteerde geloofsoordrag: geloofwaardige waarheid

The central question in a theological communication theory is the mediation between tradition and experience. How can the reality of God and the reality of human beings be connected on the level of experience? The transmission of the Christian faith is about the mediation of a symbolic reality, meant to bring about spiritual experience and experience of meaning. Not only the cognitive dimension, but the affective, emotive, conative, aesthetic and social dimensions have to play an active role. The communication of faith on all levels of experience is thus a sine qua non for theologians and educators of religion. The challenge for theology is to recognize ways in which experience-driven religious education can be practised.

Multiple Religious Belonging: Opportunities and Challenges for Theology and Church

[The author first examines the growing phenomenon of multiple religious belonging by outlining the theology of religions known as “inclusive pluralism” which serves as its theological underpinning. Next he offers a composite sketch of multiple religious belonging on the basis of concrete experiences of well-known Christian practitioners of multiple religious belonging. He concludes by offering several suggestions regarding the theological education of future church ministers in a religiously plural world.]

Four Challenges for Moral Theology in the New Century

The English Metaphysical poet, Richard Crashaw, in his poem, “Wishes to His (Supposed) Mistress,” encourages his mistress to regard the challenges of life as friends. The use of the term “friend” is suggestive. A core feature of the classical conception of friendship is that friends reveal their secrets to each other. Perhaps, therefore, the poet is suggesting that challenges can be revelatory, that they have something to teach us once we face them. If this, at least in part, is what the poet means to tell us, then we who aspire to have theology as our mistress would do well to follow the poet’s example and encourage our mistress to make friends with her challenges—to encourage moral theology to confront squarely the challenges that

The Sudanese civil conflict, 1969-1985

The resolution of the Sudanese conflict, one of the longest and deadliest civil wars in Africa, continues to perplex human imagination. Leadership, as a necessary factor in nation-building, has not met the expectations of the Sudanese people. These expectations include the quest for political stability, national security, and a peaceful government that is capable of leading the nation to economic prosperity. From 1969 to 1985, Jaafar el Nimeiry dominated historical, political, social, and economic factors whose interplay led to the resumption of the civil war in 1983. This book greatly contributes to national and international understanding of conflicts related to nation-building processes. The voiceless, downtrodden, and the powerful have all expressed their views about the conflict. « Catherine Jendia's book is very relevant in the Sudanese/African contexts and will contribute greatly to humankind beyond Sudan because of the philosophical and theological challenges Jendia writes about. Ideally, Islam and Christianity provide people with holistic guidance toward the attainment of rights to holistic survival, right thinking, and strategies toward the attainment of balance between all the different clusters of buman rights. (Prof. A.B.T. Byaruhanga-Akiiki, Editor, 'African World Religions: A Grassroots Perspective') « Catherine Jendia's book, 'The Sudanese Civil Conflict 1969-1985', is highly recommended to politicians, religious leaders, training institutions, and students of arts and social sciences. This book investigates into the historical roots of Sudanese conflicts and challenges leadership to critically think of possible nonviolent means of ending the longest runningcivil war of the twenty-first century. (Dr. R. K. Deusdedit Nkurunziza, Author of 'Bantu Philosophy of Life, a Basis for African Vitalistic Theology' (Peter Lang, 1989)

The Structure of Communication as a Challenge for Theology

Aun mas que cualquier contenido de la comunicacion, sus estructuras influyen en la teologia puesto que proporcionan el marco para el pensamiento y la reflexion de la experiencia religiosa. Este ensayo examina tres estructuras caracteristicas de la comunicacion, que son a menudo pasadas por alto: la comunicacion oral v/s la escrita e impresa y la tendencia contemporanea hacia los estilos orales secundarios; el sentido del lugar en la comunicacion tecnologica; y los usos de espacio visual como guias de la interpretacion de la experiencia. Puesto que cada una de estas estructuras moldean la teologia, esta debiera asumir el desafio de tomar mayor conciencia de ellas y asumir el rol de la comunicacion mas seriamente.