Theological Concern Research Articles

Understanding COVID-19 birth-pangs’ theological responses and the promised Parousia of Jesus

Jesus in Matthew 24 presaged to his disciples about the eschatological birth-pangs that would be occurring in the world in the interim of his departure and his promised Parousia and the end of this age. It is a theological concern how the disciples of Jesus in every era are to be responding to eschatological birth-pangs in the light of Jesus’ promised Parousia. This study is based on the existential reality that many Nigerian professing Christians do not understand how they are to be responding to an eschatological birth-pang like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in relation to the promised Parousia of Jesus. How then are the elects in Nigeria to be responding to eschatological occurrence like COVID-19 and as well be preparing for the Parousia of Jesus? Therefore, using redaction criticism approach of conducting biblical exegesis, this study focusses on theologically interpreting the context of Matthew 24:15−51, to unveil and recommend pragmatic theological Christian responses that underline how Nigerian Christians are to be righteously responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as an eschatological birth-pang, and as well be preparing for the promised Parousia of Jesus.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In the Olivet-discourse, Jesus in advance informed his disciples how they are to be responding to the birth-pangs, and also be preparing for his Parousia. This study explored Matthew 24:15−51 and unveils how the church in Nigeria is to be responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as an eschatological birth-pang in the light of Jesus’ promised Parousia.

Multiple Religious Belonging among Congregation Members of the United Indonesian Jewish Community and Sha’ar Hashamayim Synagogue

This research aimed to elaborate on the Indonesian Jewish community, represented by The United Indonesian Jewish Community led by Rabbi Benjamin Meijer Verbrugge and Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue under the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Yaakov Baruch. This research followed the theoretical framework of multiple religious belonging (MRB), pioneered by Catherine Cornille (1961–). This research combined primary data from in-depth interviews conducted offline and online with congregation members of both communities, as well as an extensive literature review. This research commenced its analysis by considering the conflicting religious identities of Indonesian Jews within their Indonesian identity card (Kartu Tanda Penduduk, abbreviated KTP in Bahasa Indonesia), which eventually investigated the identity of Indonesian Jews. This research concluded that MRB’s scientific schema, consisting of elements of Cultural Belonging, Family Belonging, Situational Belonging, Believing without Belonging, and Asymmetrical Belonging, may not fit entirely to the theological concern of Indonesian Jews, yet some of its elements may fit into a more secular, lower, context of ‘Civil’ Identity. The ambiguity of the existence of Indonesian Jews prevails because they are Jewish, practising Jewish rituals, and firmly committed to Jewish tradition, yet cannot conceal their Jewish identity fully in their KTP. Further investigation concerning their level of religiosity and how their Jewishness is practiced may invite further research.

Wholeness, Hypocrisy, and Leadership

Theorists on Christian leadership on a broad scale embrace servant leadership theory (Åkerlund, 2015; Bredfeldt, 2006, pp. 88–89). There is, however, also an awareness of the deficiencies of the theory in light of Christian realism. This article looks at what may be called the dark side of leadership posed by the challenge of the problem of evil in theological anthropology. There are of course several dark sides of leadership and the one which is addressed here is the problem of hypocrisy in Christian leadership. Against this backdrop, Jesus’ criticism of the hypocrisy of some Jewish religious leaders may be helpful with Matthew 23 as the central text. In this chapter which Benedict Viviano has called the least loved chapter in the gospel of Matthew (Viviano, 1990, p. 3), Jesus provides a scathing attack on the contemporary Jewish religious leaders. The criticism of the leadership gives several negative principles for Christian leadership and the overall problem may be identified as hypocrisy. This article analyzes the problem of hypocrisy in leadership in Matthew’s gospel situated within the gospel itself and the overarching theological concern. Whereas hypocrisy is identified as Matthew’s moral nightmare, the moral dream may be called wholeness, providing the consistency between the inward nature of a person which the hypocrite lacks. A distinct Matthean response to the problem of hypocrisy in Christian leadership is formulated both by way of identifying hypocrisy and by describing the path towards wholeness through repentance and God-centered living which is laid out in Matthew’s gospel.

The Neglected Place of “Totems” in Contemporary Art

The religious nature of Joseph Beuys’ works was ignored or intentionally avoided by mainstream criticism since his artistic practice was ridiculed for its potential spirituality. It is argued that Beuys’ works are work meditations on the issues of potential ego in totemic art, which are frequent topics of theological concern. For example, what is the nature of our consciousness after death, and how does it relate to the consciousness of others? Beuys’ conceptual artworks reveal his engagement with the “witchcraft etiquette” of totemic art and his exploration of theological questions such as the relation between human consciousness and divinity, the role of sacrifice and resurrection, and the meaning of self-awareness. In other words, we can draw inspiration from the theological theories of Alfred North Whitehead and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel to examine Beuys’ choice of conceptual art through the lens of his deep self-consciousness of totem worship. In general, Beuys’ works pose an important question: how can we awaken our chaotic consciousness to new or forgotten sprouts which may rejuvenate our existence in the world?

Animals in Assamese Neo-Vaiṣṇavism of India

AbstractEthical and theological concern for nonhuman animals has been a primary characteristic of the neo-Vaiṣṇava movement of Assam, India. This concern is reflected in its strict prohibition of blood sacrifice or any kind of cruelty toward animals. At the same time, theologically, this faith puts all living beings, human and nonhuman, on an equal ontological footing and urges its followers to see God in all creatures. The present article looks at some of these concerns/considerations of this faith for nonhuman animals and, at the same time, also takes into account neo-Vaiṣṇavism's historical backdrop and a few of its inner contradictions.

Jon Sobrino and ‘the Crucified People’

‘The crucified people’ became a key theological concern in the writings of Jon Sobrino SJ in the 1990s. This article examines how and why Sobrino made this concern a central element in his theology at the time. Section 2 discusses what Sobrino has described as his ‘awakening from the sleep of inhumanity’ in the 1970s as he encountered liberation theology in El Salvador following his doctoral studies in Frankfurt. Section 3 examines three figures in the Salvadoran Church who influenced Sobrino: Ignacio Ellacuría (assassinated 1989); Oscar Romero (assassinated 1980); and Rutilio Grande (assassinated 1977). All three paid with their lives for their work in the Church. Section 4 examines the understanding of the crucified people offered by Ellacuría in 1978, and the encouragement for this idea in the words of Romero and Grande in 1977. Sections 5 and 6 turn to the use of the term as used by Sobrino himself. Section 5 argues that Sobrino’s early Christological writings are quite cautious in their use of this idea. The murder of Ellacuría by the military in November 1989 at the Central American University—alongside the killing of five fellow Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her daughter—appears to be the pivotal event that prompts Sobrino’s bolder discussion in publications from 1989 onwards (Section 6).

Mercy Oduyoye’s model of ‘partnership between women and men’ in African Christian ministry

Masculinity and manhood ideologies remain a serious theological concern in the context of South Africa and the continent of Africa. The masculinity ideology perceives femaleness as a symbol to be lower than maleness and thereby uses this as a strategy to dominate and oppress women. While the oppression and domination of women is experienced in many parts of African society, such experiences also exist within the church walls. The androcentric culture creates an unbalanced theology which then brings the entire discourse of theologisation into question. As this article grapples with these issues, it employs Mercy Oduyoye’s African women theology, particularly the model of ‘partnership between women and men’ in ministry, to reflect and respond to the issues raised. It further argues that as long as African women are subjected to oppression and domination by ideologies that are adiaphora, Oduyoye’s liberative hermeneutics remain relevant and necessary for doing inclusive theology in Africa.Contribution: While the article grapples with African women theologies within a theological terrain, the implications of the outcome are multidisciplinary as they aim to respond to challenges of oppression, masculinity and manhood ideologies that women face in their daily life.

Impact of revival theories of Islamic civilization on contemporary political thoughts of the Turkey

The idea of revival of Islamic civilization is a fundamental concern of Muslim theology. Ideas of Muslim scholars, especially their critique on western civilization and secularism have been playing a pivotal role in deriving the psyche of Islamists’ Politics throughout the Muslim World. These ideas were very vital in the formation of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and from there, they were exported and flourished in Turkey. Although at that time, Turkey was under the rule of secular dictators but politicians like Adnan Menderes, Turgat O?zal and Necmettin Erbakan were fighting against the secular regime of their country. They saw the Turkish political uprising through the lens of Islamic identity. The current President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is famously known to be a prote?ge? of Erbakan and some may even at lengths to call the warrior of revivalist tribe. From the time he became the mayor of Istanbul to the point be abolished the parliamentary system to replace it with "presidential monarchy”, we can find the footprints of Islamism throughout his political journey and the rise of his party. Events such as his unwavering support of Egypt’s Muslims Brotherhood to his unapologetic stance on Palestine and removal from the ban on hijab to the resurrection of Hagia Sophia as a Mosque, show enough evidence of the Islamist ideology that he tends to follow. This article will be discussing how the ideas of Muslim revival have inspired his political journey and how they continue to impact his political and foreign policy decisions.

Contemporary Eucharistic Theologies : Beyond the Western Mainline or Affected Interpretations

This research is regarding three theologians who began to argue different voices from the traditional eucharistic interpretation based on an ontological foundation. Christian churches have tried to interpret the words of eucharistic institution by Jesus Christ, "This is my body... This is my blood." through the lens of various methodologies. Since the bread and wine in the eucharistic rite do not change into the real body and blood of Christ, chemically and biologically, the issue of transforming the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ has been understood as symbolic change, not real change but the change of significance, or real accidental change of the elements. The interpretation of eucharistic change had been the primary theological concern in Christian churches since the medieval era. Not only Roman Catholicism but many Protestant traditions had been tried to explain this issue based on the existential understanding of Christ. Alexander Schmemann, Edward Schillebeeckx, and Louis-Marie Chauvet are regarded as the outstanding theological figures who oppose the onto-theological eucharistic change in traditional eucharistic theology. Researching these theologians' academic efforts, I have a chance to arrive at a strong conviction regarding the eucharistic theology for the postmodern era. Eucharist is not the rite for receiving the changed elements that signify the body of Christ, but rather it is the rite for encountering and experiencing God's existential way (love) and for allowing the participants of the rite to perform their ethical responsibilities toward the world.

'At the Mercy of the Metaphor': C. S. Lewis and the Nature of Theological Language

Whether or not there is a God has been a perennial question for philosophy. What may be said about God is a central concern of theology. That anything meaningful can be said about God has been challenged in the course of Western philosophical thought from different sides. Plato has his character, Timaeus, in his book of the same name assert that “to find the maker and father of this universe is hard enough, and . . . to declare him to everyone is impossible” (28c). In a famous passage from his Philosophical Investigations (§610), Ludwig Wittgenstein muses about the impossibility of describing the aroma of coffee. But if this already exceeds human capabilities, how much more the task of speaking about something or someone as unfathomable as God? As an outstanding and influential representative of Christianity in the twentieth century, C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) had something to say about this problem. In this paper, I will explore his particular approach to the issue at hand. In five sections, I shall first briefly examine Lewis’s existential context and how it sets the stage for his giving primacy of the poetical over the analytical or abstract. Second, I will look at the central place metaphor takes in his overall understanding of language. In a third and fourth step, I shall look at his dealings with a central point of criticism as raised by the father of modern atheism, Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872). Finally, I will look at Lewis’s use of certain Christian tenets and how their appropriation rationally grounded his assuming a basic reliability of Christian God-talk.

Considering Divine Providence in Mullā Ṣadrā Šīrāzī (d. 1045/1636): The Problem of Evil, Theodicy, and the Divine Eros

Abstract Despite the extensive work on the Safavid thinker Mullā Ṣadrā Šīrāzī (d. 1045/1636) nowadays in metropolitan academia, certain areas of philosophical and theological concern remain understudied, if studied at all – and even then, there is little attempt to consider his work in the light of philosophical analysis. We know of a venerable philosophical tradition of analysing the question of providence as a means for examining questions of creation (ex nihilo or otherwise), the problem of evil, determinism and free will, and the larger question of theodicy (and whether this world that we inhabit is indeed the ‘best of all possible worlds’). I propose to examine these questions through an analysis of a section of the theology in al-Asfār al-arbaʿa (The Four Journeys) of Mullā Ṣadrā (mawqif VIII of safar III) and juxtapose it with passages from his other works, all the while contextualising it within the longer Neoplatonic tradition of providence and evil. The section of the Asfār plays a pivotal role in outlining a wider theory of divine providence: following the analysis of the Avicennian proof for the existence of God as the Necessary Being and her attributes, and before the culmination on the emanative scheme of creation (or the incipience of the cosmos – ḥudūṯ al-ʿālam), Mullā Ṣadrā discusses the question of divine providence where one can clearly discern the influence of previous thinkers on him, namely Avicenna (d. 428/1037, al-Šifāʾ and Risālat al-ʿišq) al-Ġazālī (d. 505/ 1111, Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn), and Ibn ʿArabī (d. 638/1240, al-Futūḥāt al-makkīya). The section can be divided into four discussions: defining providence as well as the nature of good and evil, accounting for the ‘presence’ of evil in the cosmos, the ‘best of all possible worlds’, and erotic motion of the cosmos as well as the erotic attraction of humans for one another and back to their Origin. What emerges, however, is an account of providence that is subservient to Mullā Ṣadrā’s wider ontological commitment to the primary reality of being, its modulation and essential motion – the tripartite doctrines of aṣālat al-wuǧūd, taškīk al-wuǧūd and al-ḥaraka al-ǧawharīya – and fits within his overall approach to the procession of the cosmos from the One as a divine theophany and its reversion back to the One through theosis. Thus, an analysis of providence and evil demonstrates that underlying significance of Mullā Ṣadrā’s metaphysical commitments to a modulated monism.

Illegal migrant Basotho women in South Africa: Exposure to vulnerability in domestic services

The illegal migration of Basotho women to South Africa in order to render domestic service is alarming because they are subjected to harsh treatment. This is a pastoral and theological concern for the church. As migrants, their struggle begins from the household circumstances that often force them to leave and seek job opportunities undocumented or without following prescribed migration procedures. They are then subjected to migration processes and procedures: for example, corruption and bribery by migration officers and illegal dealers (lirurubele). The working and living conditions in South Africa are often unconducive for illegal migrants. As economic and illegal migrants, they are often considered as lesser by prejudiced employers who treat them inhumanely. Accessing essential services also imposes a significant threat to their lives.Contribution: Through this study, the article will reveal the vulnerability faced by illegal migrant Basotho women as domestic workers in South Africa.

In the Beginning was Pre-Evangelism: An Examination of Francis Schaeffer’s Doctrine of Creation as an Apologetic

Much of modern apologetic discussion regarding the Genesis account emphasizes the debate on the age of the Earth. Because of this shift in focus, a bifurcation is seen between the doctrine of Creation (a theological concern) and views of creationism (an apologetic con cern). While these areas certainly have distinct foci, one wonders whether the division has been unnecessarily amplified, specifically with two so closely related fields of research. Considering current divisions, one wonders how Creation and creationism can be best understood in relation to one anoth er, particularly as it relates to apologetics. To explore this query, Francis Schaeffer offers a unique perspective of the connection between Creation and creationism. Therefore, this paper will argue that for Francis Schaef fer, his doctrine of Creation (instead of creationism) offered a foundational framework for his apologetic and evangelistic method.

Friendship: Anthropology of Relational Interdependence? A Comparison between Reinders and Swinton

When the discourses within the academic field of Disability studies and Disability theology concern inclusion, one of the dominant themes employed is the concept of friendship. The theological work of Hans Reinders and John Swinton have been among those most cited works among disability theologians. Their work on the revolving subject will be considered within the scope of this approach. In light of a comparative analysis, my attempt in this paper is to search whether their views on friendship involve ideas crucial for reconsidering friendship’s anthropology which, in my view, is crucial torethink friendship with disabled people and which, for such a reason, I will specify as an anthropology of relational interdependence.

Filsafat, Teologi dan Pemajuan Kebudayaan

This article deals with the kern question, “what can the philosophy and theology contribute to develop the culture, as the Indonesian law number 15 on the year of 2017 challenges?” Answering this question, I look for the conception of culture, the core elaboration of philosophy and theology, and their methods of research. The meeting point of the trio is the human experience; both philosophy and theology concern of the inner and deeper side of human experience, i.e. beliefs, values, and fundamental assumptions of life.

Tillich and the Philosophy of the Subject

Abstract This article underlines the value of the philosophy of the subject. Its value is contested, both in itself and related to Paul Tillich. In Dutch theology, the philosophy of the subject was never well received, which seems disadvantageous to the study of Tillich. The present article first points out some fundamental questions concerning the subject in recent thought, next describes the approach to the subject from a subject-philosophical point of view, and finally underlines that the subject is a matter of concern for theology.

AIC theologies and western missions: a South African analysis

African Independent Churches (AICs) are groups of churches emerging out of western mainline church experiences. They have increased into many small groups with variant names of their interest. The process of constant breakaways gave them the urge to multiply and gain autonomy. The mainline churches constantly criticise the disadvantaged of this uncontrollable proliferation for lack of theological focus. In South Africa, they are in both large and small faith groups. They are, however, growing irrespective of the theological concern of the mainline scholars and researchers. Since they have evolved over many years alongside the mainline churches, they are aware of such criticisms. As a result, they are compelled to work on a strategy to develop their theology to public spaces. The founding leaders and visions form the core of their theologies. Their biblical faith learned from their founders’ leadership and visions. They are Africans who want to teach themselves the Christian ways anchored in their traditional heritages. Can AICs ever have a unique own theologies? This is the core-interest approach to this article.

Article Review: Hope S. Antone "Bridging the Gaps between Mission, Evangelism and Ecumenism."

References
 Antone , Hope S. "Bridging the Gaps between Mission, Evangelism and Ecumenism." CTC Bulletin: Bulletin on the Program Area on Faith, Mission and Unity (Theological Concerns) Christian Conference of Asia, April 2005: 17-24. 
 Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the New Testament. Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1997.
 Harrington, Daniel. The Gospel According to Matthew. Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1983.
 Hendrickx, Herman. A Key to the Gospel of Matthew. Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1992.
 —. From One Jesus to Four Gospels. Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1997.
 Knitter, Paul. Introducing Theologies of Religions. New York: Orbis Books Publications, 2002.
 Sparks, Kenton L. "Gospel as Conquest: Mosaic Typology in Matthew 28:16-20." The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, October 2006: 651-663.

Keeping Contact: traditions and trajectories of British and Irish practical theology as evidenced in the history of BIAPT’s journal

ABSTRACT This paper reflects research commissioned by the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT) and the Contact Pastoral Trust to investigate the history of the journal that BIAPT began sponsoring in 1999. The research used interviews with former editors to inform analysis of the archive and highlight changing emphases and key transitions. Accompanied by a timeline available on the BIAPT website, the article explores the origins and significant moments in the journal’s development, focusing on the evolving nature and identity of practical theology by looking at traditions and trajectories of the discipline. It argues that theological concern with the human lies at the heart of practical theology.

Why Revelation Gives Shelter to Metaphysics

Why Revelation Gives Shelter to Metaphysics1 Guy Mansini O.S.B. Metaphysics in the traditional style is not much cultivated today in the lands in which it originated and once flourished. In 1998, Pope John Paul II noted this fact in Fides et Ratio. Speaking even of Catholic institutions, he says that Scholasticism and philosophy itself are held in "less respect," but connects this to a broader contemporary fact, to wit: "There is a lack of trust in reason displayed to a large extent by modern philosophy itself," he says, "so that it abandons the metaphysical search for man's ultimate questions in order to concentrate on particular and local issues, sometimes merely formal ones."2 John Paul also noted the fact that philosophy in the ancient high sense must remain, must survive for the sake of theology itself, as a discipline praeambulatory to theology. This is how he puts it, speaking of fundamental theology: With its specific character as a discipline charged with giving an account of faith (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), the concern of fundamental theology will be to justify and expound the relationship between faith and philosophical thought. Recalling the teaching of Saint Paul (cf. Rom 1:19–20), the First Vatican Council pointed to the existence of truths which are naturally, and thus philosophically, knowable; and an acceptance of God's Revelation necessarily presupposes knowledge of these truths. … Consider, for example, the natural knowledge [End Page 1089] of God, the possibility of distinguishing divine Revelation from other phenomena or the recognition of its credibility, the capacity of human language to speak in a true and meaningful way even of things which transcend all human experience. From all these truths, the mind is led to acknowledge the existence of a truly propaedeutic path to faith.3 "An acceptance of God's Revelation necessarily presupposes knowledge of these truths," truths about God known by the natural light. Why is it necessary? That is a first question. Showing this necessity has become more important since the Enlightenment, moreover, not only because of the role natural theology plays in apologetics, but also because it distinguishes Catholic theology from Protestant thought where it is under the influence of Emmanuel Kant and Karl Barth. But there is also John Paul's observation that metaphysics in the traditional style no longer flourishes as once it did. If the Church is the only place where metaphysics is cultivated in the old way, why is that so? It is not that human nature has changed. It is not that we are less capable of the wonder Aristotle evokes at the beginning of the Metaphysics. Showing why metaphysics survives only in the Church serves to highlight not just the different ways Catholics and moderns think about being, but the different ways they think about man, too. And this is important for understanding how we fit—or rather how we do not fit—into the modern world. So, philosophy must survive for the sake of theology—that is a first thesis; we must see why it is so. But then, if it must survive for theology, and so in that sense is "in" theology or is its forecourt as a preliminary discipline, why is that the only place it survives today? That is a second thing that needs an explanation. And these are the answers this essay aims at establishing: metaphysics, and the highest part of it, a robust (i.e., successful) natural theology, must be possible if we are reasonably and so responsibly to assert the fact of revelation, the fact that God speaks to us. If God speaks, we must be able to show he exists. We must be able to show he exists if we are reasonably and responsibly to say that he has spoken. But then second, only if God does speak are we called on—not simply logically but also morally or "existentially"—to show he exists. Only if he speaks must we be able rationally to [End Page 1090] show by the natural light that he exists—that is the first issue. But also, if he does not speak, or if we believe he does not speak, there...