Theological Views Research Articles

Practical Gods: Carl Dennis’s Secularized Religious Visions

This paper examines Carl Dennis’s secularized religious visions in his Pulitzer-winning poetry collection, Practical Gods (2001). Dennis’s secularized religious visions can be quite understandable in the context of the ascending trends of secularization, diversification, and globalization of religion in America, and they demonstrate affinities with literary predecessors such as Wallace Stevens, with his aestheticized religion under the influence of Nietzsche, as well as with the innovative religious thinking of William Blake, Kazantzakis, and Oscar Wilde, and with certain aspects of Taoism and Zen Buddhism. This paper addresses Dennis’s perception of theological controversies, such as the contradiction between the omnipotence of God and the existence of evil, theological determinism vs. human free will, theological view of history vs. New Historicism, divinity in man, aestheticized religion, and earthly paradise through the focused lens of Dennis’s “practical religion”. Despite the breadth of the theses in Dennis’s conceived practical religion as examined in this paper, they are all tied up with the core of the phenomenological study of religion: that religion is important to believers of the religion irrespective of the objective truth of the religion or the actual existence of God. In Dennis’s views, as accorded with the phenomenological study of religions, God maybe an idea and a fiction, but it is a necessary fiction for humans. Thus, Dennis humanizes gods with the flaws and fragility of humanity while deifying ordinary humanity in the contemporary context. Contrasting what he views as theological determinism with its view of linear history and the apocalypse of grand events, Dennis embraces human free will, a non-teleological, aestheticized living with necessary fiction, and a transient paradise on earth. Carl Dennis’s religious vision reveals a poststructuralist (even though he did not brand himself so) abolition of the absoluteness of a transcendent signifier as well as binary opposition (between God and man, good and evil, religious/historical truth and fictionality), and it manifests an affinity with New Historicism and the phenomenological study of religion.

Comparing Contemporary Evangelical Models Regarding Human Origins

Multiple viewpoints exist among Protestant Evangelical Christians regarding human origins, with each offering different answers to questions regarding the existence of Adam and Eve and their relationship to humanity, common human–ape ancestry, evolution and intelligent design, humanity’s relationship to other members of the genus Homo (e.g., Neanderthals and Denisovans), and the timing of human origins. This article will review eight models for human origins which have recently received attention: (1) the Classical Theistic Evolution/Evolutionary Creationism model, (2) the Homo divinus model, (3) the Genealogical Adam and Eve model, (4) the Homo heidelbergensis model, (5) the Unique Origins Design model, (6) the Classical Old Earth Creationist model, (7) the Classical Young Earth Creationist model, and (8) an Old Earth/Recent Humans Hybrid model. Key features of each model will be described, and critical responses will be discussed in light of agreement or disagreement with traditional Judeo-Christian theological views and the scientific evidence. Most of these models maintain that science does not force one to abandon belief in core tenets of a traditional Adam and Eve, though they resolve the relevant scientific and theological questions in different ways and with varying degrees of success.

Die Problematik des relationalen Elends in sittlicher Sicht

For a moral-theological encounter with the issue of suffering, there is necessary to make a distinction within suffering. A distinction is made between pain and misery and the moral role of man. Liberation Theology dealt with the situation of contextual misery. This theology offers new possibilities for analyzing suffering from the perspective of the kingdom of God and identifying resources to combat it. The points of view of liberation theology caused dynamic discussions and arguments in society and the Church: initially they were partially rejected, later, however, accepted. This issue of social misery is also the focus of moral theology.

INTERPRETASI AYAT-AYAT TEOLOGI FEMINIS PERSPEKTIF MUHAMMAD SYAHRUR (FIQH AL-MAR’AH SEBAGAI TEOLOGI FEMINIS MELAWAN ORTODOKSI ISLAM DALAM ISU PEREMPUAN)

There are several questions raised in this article, what is Syahrur's basic view of Islamic theology on women? How did the emergence and discussion of women's issues in the book Nahwa Ushul al-Jadidah What is fiqh al-Mar'ah? and how is the connection between the birth of the book in contemporary Islamic discourse and the Islamic State? The main data sources for the inner articles are two books by Syahrur, al-Islam wa al-Īmān: Manzhūmah al-Qiyam and Nahwa Ushul al-Jadidah Li Fiqh al-Mar'ah. The position of the research article in taking the space of discursive study, the discourse of the emergence of works with the domination of power in the Islamic State after the fall of Turkey. By analyzing the contents of the book (content analysis) and reading the discourse or historical data and the context of the birth of the book and the author's agent in the book, this article finds several main conclusions in the state's political discourse, Syahrur's feminist theological ideas and ideas in his work were born as an effort to fight against the hegemony of Islamic rule in Syria. Syahrur's thoughts can be placed as a tool or as a method in formulating Islam as a social theology, Islam that is not far from the reality of the existence of its people

Teologi Corona (Studi Pandangan Mubalig Kota Tanjungpinang Terhadap Covid-19)

This study is about the theological views of mubalig on Covid-19 in the City of Tanjupinang, this research is a field research using theological theory related to the theological schools that developed in Islam, namely Qadariyah, Jabariyah and Ahlussunah and also the theory of the relationship between religion and science from Ian Barbour . This research resulted in the conclusion that: First; The view of the mubalig in responding to the theological views of the community on Covid-19, they have the theological view of Ahlussunah or Asy'ariyah, namely being trusting in Allah but also making efforts in tackling the Covid-19 outbreak by following health protocols. Second; most of their views individually/personally when they see this Covid-19 as a punishment or a trial/test from God, they view more of a trial/test from Allah even though in detail the meaning is different. So in general, in their view, the Corona pandemic is seen as a warning as well as a punishment for humans depending on the context of its meaning.

Hell: Educationally in post-secular societies

Many countries around the world, including Australia, have secularism expressed in their identity. However, as these secular nations (as they understand themselves) shift into post-secular societies, it raises questions around the place and content of religious education and instruction in secular settings: particularly in regard to the shadow side of theological views, such as on the matter of hell. Acknowledging the valuable contribution religious education offers by providing a space for children to question and search for meaning, how or indeed should hell be taught to children in public (secular) schools?Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In the context of the secular and/or non-religious public reflex in society, there is a tension on the place of religious thought in secular educational settings. As scrutiny increases of what, and how, religious material is shared and taught, especially to children, the role and place of hell in this space must be reviewed. This study provides a basis for Practical Theology in post-secular societies, utilising the Australian context, to do so.

Theological basis of community development: A public inquiry from a practical theological view

Development has become a central topic in theological discussions on a global scale. Poverty and underdevelopment have been the subject of ongoing discussion in theological circles over the role of the churches in addressing these issues. Hence, the controversy regarding theology and progress has emerged. While it has been widely understood in theological discussions that theology must confront public challenges, few works have evaluated the grounds that compel a theological reflection on development. To this purpose, there is a crucial point that must be investigated about theology and development: how substantial are the arguments for the theology and development debate? Furthermore, how are such arguments biblically supported? This essay evaluates the arguments for a theology of development through the lens of public practical theology in order to provide answers to the problems posed above. Through literary analysis, the study proceeds to analyse the basis for theology and development from a biblical perspective, so demonstrating that God’s aim for his creation is development that strikes a balance between economic, environmental, and social elements. This article contributes to the conversation of the necessity of theological reflection on development.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article contributes to the discussion between theological disciplines and development studies to provide a greater understanding of the significance of this debate to the church’s engagement with public issues such as development. The findings of this study are unquestionably valuable for churches in developing a public practical theology and enriching theological thought and church practice through community development.

The Divine Character of Human Rights and Duties: A Theological Enquiry in the Context of the Border Regions in the Czech Republic

The context of the article is the call by Pope Francis expressed in Fratelli tutti to extend fraternity towards people on the margins. The discourse on human rights is proposed as an appropriate – though by no means self-evident – tool for theology to use in order to respond to the challenge of poverty. The article discusses the use of human rights in theology against the background of the situation of poor border areas of the Czech Republic, which are considered to suffer from injustice. It is argued that, under current socio-economic conditions, it is extremely difficult for people living in these regions to make free and responsible decisions. The article confirms that human rights, e.g., social and economic rights, can be convincingly based on a theological view of the human person. ‘Divine rights’ have their counterpart in ‘divine duties’, i.e., duties resulting from biblical faith in God the Liberator. Moreover, the Gospel shows that works of mercy or works of justice are eschatologically significant. Finally, it argues that human rights not only allow Christians to share with people of other faiths and without faith the service to justice in the world but are even a possible expression of their own mission to work for the coming of the Kingdom.

Creationism USA: Bridging the Impasse on Teaching Evolution

Creationism USA: Bridging the Impasse on Teaching Evolution

La missione della Chiesa negli accordi concordatari dopo il Concilio Vaticano II

The “Church Mission” in the Concordats after the Vatican Council II
 ABSTRACT: The Concordat Policy of the Holy Seat went through an unexpected development after the Vatican Council II. The agreements subscribed over the last decades have indeed engaged with lots of European Countries, and the range expanded to the African and Asia continent. The new geography designed to this agreements also matches with innovations in the structure and content of them. This essay aims to analyze this innovation and its strict connection with the documents of the Vatican Council II, enlightening how this has determined a more theological view of the objectives through which the freedom of the Catholic Church defines and details itself. While the concordats of the first half of the past century accompanied, followed and enlarged the trajectory of the Church rights towards spiritualization, this new phase is, indeed, characterized by a theological placement of the interests, whose freedom is indeed the object of the protections granted by the Concordats, which are briefly expressed by the lemma “Church Mission”, found in the first articles of the Concordats. This lemma, in the conciliar texts, is characterized not only by a theological dimension, but also by its direct connection with religious freedom.
 Sommario: 1. Una premessa - 2. I precedenti e il contesto dottrinale - 3. I documenti conciliari - 4. La “missione della chiesa” negli accordi concordatari tra XX° e XXI° secolo - 5. Per qualche annotazione conclusiva.

The Use and Misuse of Zakāh Funds by Religious Institutions in North America

Despite being a foundational practice in Islam, deeply rooted in law and reflected in the theological and spiritual concepts of wealth and sustenance (rizq), discussions of applying obligatory alms (zakāh) rulings to majority non-Muslim countries are limited. The Muslim’s spiritual attitude toward finances is informed by a theological view that all forms of wealth ultimately belong to God. Sunni Muslim theologians define rizq to be what one actually (not potentially) consumes and benefits from (not possesses), which, alongside plentiful verses and Prophetic traditions, continuously motivate philanthropic giving without fearing scarcity. This article aims to investigate some major issues resulting from the unregulated procedures of zakāh collection and disbursement as practiced by North American Muslim organizations and religious leaders. The article (1) doctrinally analyzes how North American practices diverge from the rules of Islamic law (fiqh) regarding zakāh distribution, (2) examines the ramifications of contemporary Eastern–Western legal opinions (fatāwā) expanding the eligibility of charitable institutions to receive zakāh, and (3) investigates the practices of administering zakāh resources.

They are humans and our fellow citizens!

This article thematizes how Jews are portrayed in the Danish theologian Balthasar Münter’s sermons. Münter served as a preacher in German St. Petri congregation in Copenhagen between 1765 and 1793, and left a great number of texts to posterity. Previous scholarship has argued that in one of his sermons, Münter seems to take a more positive view of the Jews than what was common in his day. This sermon was used to defend the rights of Jews in the Jewish Literary Feud in 1813. However, in this article I will argue that Münter’s positive attitude is shaped by his theological views and can be seen as a consequence of certain characteristics of enlightenment theology, rather than a genuine expression of tolerance towards religious minorities. In the article, I will argue that Münter demonstrated the same antisemitic attitudes that characterize the texts of his contemporaries, such as the well-known court preacher Christian Bastholm. Bastholm, who wrote a three-volume work on the Jews and who mentioned the Jews and Judaism in a number of contexts, refers to the Jews as an evil people who killed their prophets and stoned their sages. Nevertheless, Münter’s openness points to fundamental characteristics of protestant theology.

Analisis Reflektif Teologi Estetika John Navone

ABSTRACT:
 The presence of the media as one of the determinants of ideal body standards in self-esteem and beauty is a product of popular culture that has been created for a long time The ideal body standard is constructed through products from well-known brands advertised by Selebgram, influencers and celebrities through social media platforms. One standard of beauty and body beauty displayed by them is to have white skin. Women who have white skin are considered to have privileges, luxury, cleanliness and show an auara of beauty. One of the product that is being advertised, namely the Scarlett Whitening product, most women have reconstructed their minds so that being beautiful and beautiful does not have to be white. The author argues that basically true beauty and beauty can be achieved if we are not attached and able to respect ourselves as we were created by looking at the point of view of feminist criticism and aesthetic theology by John Navone.
 Key words: Advertising, Aesthetic Theology, Feminist, Social media, Women.

Jāḥiẓian Negotiations: The Image of the Rāfiḍa in Al-Jāḥiẓ’s Corpus

ABSTRACT This article examines how the littérateur and theologian al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 869) portrayed the Imāmī community (Rāfiḍa) in terms of both its theological views and its social practices. In addition to their early date and unique beauty, Jāḥiẓ’s texts are unparalleled records of doctrinal debates and sociological insights. What emerges from his writings on the Rāfiḍa is an image of a community of simple-minded fanatics. On the one hand, the Imāmīs adhere to anthropomorphic and deterministic beliefs and are blind followers of authority. On the other hand, they are passionate believers who strongly stand in solidarity with one another. This, for Jāḥiẓ, explains their coalition with the superficial traditionalists against the rationalist Muʿtazila. The article is a stage in a larger monograph project.

Queer resurrection: constructing queer trauma theology

ABSTRACT This paper uses an autoethnographic theoretical approach of constructive theology to create a framework of queer trauma theology. By exploring the relationship between trauma and queerness, I argue that queer affirming congregations and faith leaders must add a layer of trauma-sensitivity to offer queer people the space and tools required to reach a point of resurrection. Building upon the work of trauma theologians like Karen O´Donnell, I suggest that the goal of the work is not healing, but a divine remaining that I allegorize to the resurrection. The paper explores a framework of queer trauma theology that is aimed to be useful for affirming faith leaders in their everyday work. The last part the framework is exemplified through a queer trauma theological view of mourning, the Bible, and religious history.

Indestructability in the Fight Against Evil: The Theological View on the Russian-Ukrainian War

Indestructability in the Fight Against Evil: The Theological View on the Russian-Ukrainian War

Necessary Existence, Immutability, and God's Knowledge of Particulars: A Reply to Amirhossein Zadyousefi

Necessary Existence, Immutability, and God's Knowledge of Particulars:A Reply to Amirhossein Zadyousefi Ebrahim Azadegan (bio) From the Qur'an, Surah Maryam: (21) So she conceived him, and went in seclusion with him to a remote place. (22) And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree: she cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" (23) But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;" (24) "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee." (25) "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man say 'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.'" This Surah depicts a human being in unbearable pain. What makes the pain tolerable is the sympathy that God shows for Mary. Hearing her inner voice, understanding her suffering and her grief, God is moved to provide her with practical and substantive support to help her bear her agony. For me this story portrays a God who is active in the world, hears the supplications of humanity, and has empathy with the needy, the oppressed, and those who are suffering. Yet I am concerned that our theological traditions in the Islamic world (as also in Christendom) have developed through the centuries such that God is now seen, by overwhelming theological consensus, as an immutable being, a being outside time who has determined our providence from the standpoint of eternity, who has foreknowledge of every free action of his creations and has designed all according to His plan for past and future events; who knows in advance even the timings and contents of our petitionary prayers and has decided already whether to answer them. Aloof [End Page 188] from the mundane world, He has predetermined when and where he will act or intervene in our world; and since He is perfect, the world He has created is the most perfect that could have been actualized. Everything that happened in the world is according to God's predetermined plan, and even our supplications are in His plan and so every event has a role and special place in the jigsaw puzzle of the best-designed world. God, in this picture, is transcendent from our dirty and intractable material world. But when we read the text of the Qur'an free from such philosophical and theological doctrine, we are confronted with a God who is close to us, who has on occasion changed His verdicts (Q 2:106), who asks us to aid Him in order that He may aid us as well (Q 47:7), and who clearly and firmly introduces Himself as being close to us: "When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me" (Q 2:186). Nevertheless, theology matters. Theology is not merely a system of beliefs about a transcendental world or our personal relationship with the sacred. As Carol Christ explains, theology matters since our ideas about divinity play an essential role in the way we make sense of our religious experiences, our personal experiences, and even our experience of the world.1 The ethical implications of our theological views can and must be taken into consideration, because our understanding of divinity shapes our understanding of what is right, just, and wrong in the world. Theology matters because religious symbols not only articulate meaning, but also provide the grounds for our ethical decision-making, which in turn shapes our social-political order. Our understanding of the role of the state, the relation between I and Thou, family law, the constitutions of our societies—all of these depend to some extent on our theological backgrounds and views. Indeed, it is upon God that we would model our lives. As John Sanders writes: "The way God treats us is the way we should...

Dijalog između pravoslavne teologije i nauke u savremenom dobu

The paper deals with the relationship of Orthodox theology and science throughout history and also considers contemporary dialogue of Orthodox theology and science. The foundational principle laid in the thought of Cappadocian Fathers emphasizes theosis as communion of man with God. The next segment deals with the paradox in the search of high knowledge: the highest thing we are looking for is beyond our knowledge, which is the exact reason why Basil of Caesarea has approved of human reasoning and development of human intellect. There is also an important theologian, Gregory Palamas, who has indicated that we cannot come to knowledge of God through secular science but through faith, contemplation and practices of asceticism, from which we are receiving true knowledge. His views are close to the axiom of Gregory the Theologian: Faith is what gives fullness to our reasoning. Then, a contemporary dialogue between Orthodox theology and science is also considered through the lenses of these theologians: Alexei Nesteruk, who represents the phenomenological approach to the relation of Orthodox theology and science; Stoyan Tanev, George Dion Dragas and Kyriacos Markides who represent reconsideration of the relationship between Orthodox theology and science through an anthropic principle; and Christopher Knight who pleads for theological naturalism. We conclude that phenomenological approach of Alexei Nesteruk - who has believed that interference between science and theology is possible by utilization of transcendence and asymmetry between theology and science for better understanding of existential condition of the human person - is close to the patristic view of theology and science.

LESSING AS A PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGIAN

The article concerns philosophical and theological views of G.E. Lessing. It was in the German Enlightenment that what today we call philosophical theology was born and began to actively develop. This concept was formulated in its expressed form by Kant. He also owns a brief but profound description of the essence of philosophical theology and its functions, as well as main features distinguishing it from biblical theology. Kant draws attention here to the freedom as an essential characteristic of a philosophical theologian, but also emphasizes that the results of philosophical research should be offered to biblical theologians as recommendations, but not as imposed truths. Likewise, biblical theology must give philosophical theology freedom of consideration, but must itself stand guard over the salvation of the souls of its entrusted flock. Within the framework of the philosophy of I. Kant, such an approach is based on the division he proposes between the private and public use of reason. However, we see that Kant for that matter is rooted in the philosophical and theological tradition that preceded him. No less a philosophical theologian can be considered G.E. Lessing. Despite the fact that Lessing himself herein does not use the concept directly, his position on issues of religion and faith and their philosophical understanding on that completely coincides with Kant’s. It can be seen especially clearly in the dispute that took place between him and Goeze in the framework of one of the most interesting and lively discussions of the German Enlightenment, namely the Fragmentenstreit. The article considers in detail the key stages of development of the discussion, as well as the positions of the parties. As a result, the author of the article comes to the conclusion that the discussion position defended by Lessing can be characterized as philosophical theology

Analisis Teologi Lingkungan Seyyed Hossein Nasr Terhadap Krisis Air di Masyarakat Batujaya Karawang

Disposal of trade waste and household waste has negative impacts, such as land shifts, floods, air pollution, and other disasters. The same thing happened in Batujaya, precisely in the hamlet of South Bakung, where the river is the most practical place for disposing of waste. The purpose of this paper is to describe the research points: 1). How is the water crisis as a form of environmental damage in the people of Batujaya Karawang; 2). How does Seyyed Hossein Nasr's analysis of environmental theology view the water crisis as environmental damage. This research is a direct field research, using qualitative descriptive method, and Seyyed Hosein Nasr's theory of environmental theology as the analytical knife. The results of this study found that first, the people of Batujaya, especially the South Bakung community, were in danger of throwing garbage into the river. Second, the lack of anticipation from the government and the sanctions given to the people of Batujaya, especially in South Bakung, for the disposal of trade waste and household waste into the river. Third, make people in Batujaya, especially in South Bakung aware, not to throw garbage into the river anymore by means of physical and spiritual socialization.