Theological Views Research Articles

The Manda Family: A Dynasty of Isfahani Scholars

Abstract The Manda family was an important scholarly dynasty in Isfahan. From the beginning of the third century/ca 816 until the Mongol conquest of Isfahan in 632/1235-633/1236, its members were active in the fields of ḥadīṯ transmission and criticism, theology, and historiography. Despite its significance for the Ḥanbalī scholarly tradition, Āl Manda has remained marginal in the works of Western Islamicists during the last fifty years, whereas Muslim scholars have focused almost exclusively on the most prominent representative of the family, Muḥammad b. Isḥāq b. Manda (d. 395/1005), and, to a lesser extent, on his son, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (d. 470/1078). In this essay, I catalogue all members of the Manda family who are mentioned in Arabic bio-bibliographical sources. I study in detail the theological views of Muḥammad b. Isḥāq b. Manda and his son ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad, as well as Muḥammad b. Isḥāq’s contribution to the development of ḥadīṯ criticism.

„Chrześcijańska joga”? Słów kilka o modlitwie Jezusowej i hezychazmie

The article “«Christian yoga»? A few reflections on the Jesus’ Prayer and hesychasm” is a kind of commentary on the Polish translation of the article “Becoming what we pray...” by Michel Plekon that is presented in the same issue of periodical “Kultury Wschodniosłowiańskie — oblicza i dialog”. Author tried to remind the most important facts and figures connected with the history of the Jesus’ Prayer and hesychasm. Moreover, there are described controversies concerning the physical method that was used by some hesychasts during practice of the Jesus’ Prayer. Additionally, one can readabout the role of the heart in Orthodox theology and prayer tradition of Eastern Church. This role can not be overtaxed because from the point of view of Orthodox theology, the heart is the centre of human being, person. It is not only the physical organ, not only the area of emotions and affections but also the space of intelligence, thoughts and wisdom. But most of all, the heart is the place of mysterious meeting of God and man. In the secret hall of human heart a man can fell silent presence of Transcendence, can fellthe real epiphany of God who unceasingly waits for metamorphosis of human being’smentality, thinking, reason, activity, emotions, relations, who waits for transformation of the whole man.

The Pentecostal teaching about a baptism with the Holy Spirit

The article is devoted to the study of the Pentecostal teaching about the baptism with the Holy Spirit as an important theological and hermeneutical problem. Christian theology distinguishes baptism as one of the main problems requiring a thorough theological and hermeneutic study. From the very beginning of the modern Pentecostal movement, his representatives emphasized that all Christians may and need experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit which differs from the experience of the birth from above and follows Him. Such an understanding of the sequence or step by step naturally follows from the belief that the presenting of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles (second chapter), as sources of power for effective testimony, and not as a condition of the New Testament being. It is proved that, despite the lack of a single theological view of the charismatic component in Luke's pneumatology, Pentecostal theologians consolidate the conviction that those who received baptism in the Holy Spirit received power. A conclusion based on the hermeneutic analysis was made that, according to God's plan, the baptorus was to participate in the universal evangelical mission of the Christian Church (Acts 1: 8). With this power came the courage in the testimony (Acts 4:31), the guidance in the missions performed (Acts 16: 6-10), and in some cases (despite the disagreement of some theologians) the ability to heal diseases and banish demons and even the right to judge (Acts 13: 9-11). It was analyzed that Pentecostal theology did not differentiate the experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit from conversion, did not confirm the normative value of the New Testament narratives, allowing Luke's texts to exist independently and at the same time to complement the pneumatology of Paul and John, testifying the diversity of the work of the Holy Spirit in people and communities.

Joseph Priestley on metaphysics and politics: Jonathan Israel's ‘Radical Enlightenment’ reconsidered

ABSTRACTThis article probes Jonathan Israel’s theory about ‘Radical Enlightenment’ inaugurating political modernity by way of explicating the thought of Joseph Priestley. In Israel’s view, despite the inconsistencies plaguing Socinian thought, Priestley, a monist, emerged as an ardent supporter of religious toleration and democratic republicanism. This article seeks to restore the fundamental coherence of Priestley’s theological and metaphysical views, arguing that they were produced as parts of a system founded on the simultaneous adherence to providentialism and necessitarianism. Prized as a prerequisite of the unfolding of the divine plan, the unobstructed expression of religious opinions was the centre of the conception of civil society and civil liberty that Priestley articulated based on these premises and his forays into politics aimed to secure its permanence. A comparison of Priestley’s stance on the issue of manhood suffrage with that of Richard Price reveals not the materialist Priestley, but Price, a dualist, as an advocate of democratization and casts into doubt the applicability of Israel’s scheme in the case of England. The article closes with some suggestions towards reappraising the relationship between Enlightenment and modernity.

The Pentecostal Church in Slovakia and the Common Witness of Evangelical Churches in the Spirit of Partnership and Cooperation

AbstractThis study aims to describe the Pentecostal Church in Slovakia in the scope of current ecumenical cooperation and dialogue. The Apostolic Church is a member of the Union of Evangelical Churches in Slovakia, which established the Department of Theology and Christian Education (DETM) at the University of Matej Bel. Since 1994, individual churches have continued together in ecumenical cooperation in the education of their young spiritual workers. The curriculum includes academic interpretation and missiological reflection on selected parts of mission. It offers the practical efforts of the teachers and students, especially from the viewpoint of the churches' common witness in diversity. The curriculum of the study programme for theologians interprets the two mission documents Together towards Life (TTL) and The Cape Town Commitment (CTC) from a Slovakian evangelical theological view and applies it practically in context. This paper introduces DETM's educational programme in mission and ecumenism and examines how it embodies the values and concepts of those two mission documents through its activities. Special interest is focused on the topic of the practice of common witness in a spirit of partnership and cooperation.

Genetic Enhancements and Relational Autonomy: Christian Ethics and the Child’s Autonomy in Vulnerability

Technical advances in genome editing methods raise the question how autonomy should figure in theological ethical debates about genetic enhancements. Thinking primarily of the parents’ reproductive autonomy, several secular and theological thinkers argue parents should be allowed to ‘enhance’ an embryo genetically. Jürgen Habermas’s critique of enhancements in the name of the child’s autonomy, meanwhile, has been met with a critique of autonomy in theology. This article argues that theological views about God’s relationship to the creature provide strong theological grounds for a new appropriation of autonomy. A liberal maximisation of individual choice is to be viewed critically, but more recent discourses on relational autonomy see certain forms of vulnerability contribute to a communal understanding of autonomy. This view dovetails with Habermas’s argument, according to which enhancements create too strong a temptation towards overly directive parenting—less in modifying an embryo than in the ensuing relationship to the child.

Jewish, Christian and Muslim theological perspectives about xenotransplantation.

This paper is based on a theological symposium presented at the International Xenotransplantation Association's 14th Congress held in Baltimore, MD, September, 2017. The information explores the Jewish, Christian and Muslim theological perceptions and perspectives about cross-species (ie pig-to-human) organ transplantation, the genetic alterations required in the organ-source pig, and their potential to influence individual acceptance of the procedure. This work should not be considered as the ultimate word about individual theological views, but rather as part of an ongoing conversation that will hopefully lead to wider consideration and exploration of these issues as xenotransplantation science advances towards clinical trials.

Experiments in (Radical) Public Theology: In Conversation with Critchley and Caputo

Abstract This article seeks to offer insights into what is called a radical public theology. Such a theology views contemporary religious uncertainty as an opportunity rather than as a site for apologetic resistance. The article sketches the linguistic-hermeneutic turn, before reflecting on an example of a new proposal of faith from the philosopher Simon Critchley. In conversation with the prominent radical theologian, John D. Caputo, the article argues that Critchley’s (ir)religious faith can be read idiomatically as a radical theology. This reading carves a space for a public theological reflection, which is ‘public’ because it engages and is responsive to the call of ‘the least of these’ in society. Finally, it is argued that a radical public theology offers resources toward the notion of ‘meontological communities,’ functioning to deepen theological reflection on the public nature of faith and life of the church.

The antinomy "man-woman" in the personal perspective of the formation of the individual religiosity of the Orthodox believer

In this article "The antinomy "man-woman" in the personal perspective of the formation of the individual religiosity of the Orthodox believer" by Anna Kulagina-Stadnychenko explores the antinomy of the phenomenon of "manwoman" from the point of view of theology and secular science, examines the peculiarities of its functioning at the level of individual religiosity of the Orthodox believer and in the Ukrainian context. Attention is drawn to several challenges that have always been the cornerstone of the collision of alternative thoughts in solving the antinomy "man-woman." The significance of the latter for the Orthodox believer in view of finding the meaning of life, which is due to awareness of the individual finale of the person. It is shown that the category of reciprocity remains universal for the phenomenological understanding of the meaning of gender. However, unlike secular approaches, apologists of Christianity prefer to talk about the formation of gender identity, and not to look for differences between sexes. Instead, a scientific approach clearly distinguishes the gender identities. It was investigated that the distribution of gender roles is significantly influenced by cultural and religious traditions. Regarding the influence of Orthodoxy on the solution of antinomy "man - woman" in the formation of the individual religious faith of a believer in Ukraine, here the author defines certain features. Finally, it is argued that religious pluralism, the temporary integration of certain parts of Ukraine into other Western European states, led to the inclusion of different ideological models into the individual religiosity of an Orthodox believer, practically made it impossible for a strict patriarchal dependence, and thus, reduced the relationship between "man-woman" through more partnerships.

Ježíš historický a Kristus víry v nedávno uveřejněném díle Vladimíra Boublíka

The paper deals with research on Vladimir Boublik's view of the historical Jesus according to his recently published and not quite finished work Alla ricerca di Gesu di Nazareth (Research on Jesus from Nazareth). The third chapter of this work entitled Il Gesu storico e il Cristo della fede (The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith) is presented in the paper and briefly commented on. Boublik carries out his research from the point of view of Fundamental Theology, focusing on the credibility of Jesus' words and miracles according to the records of the Gospels, taking into account the effect of the paschal events. Boublik's work is based on the results of prominent contemporary experts on scriptural texts. He underlines the sensibility of the Church concerning the expectations of modern people and their culture of an appropriate interpretation of the Christian message and its meaning for the eschatological future of humanity and the entire universe. Despite the time which has elapsed between the origin and the publication of his work, Boublik's findings remain valid and useful.

Who Are Our People? Toward a Christian Witness against Borders

AbstractChristian arguments for state borders are grounded in the preferential option for one's people, that is, the conviction that the needs of co‐citizens must be given priority over those of foreigners. Theologians often find support for this conviction in the doctrines of human finitude and divine providence: limited resources make it impossible to love all people equally, so we must choose where to start; since God has providentially placed near‐neighbors (citizens) in our paths, we honor God's design by keeping in mind their proximate needs in our moral deliberations. I argue that there are several flaws in such defenses of borders. First, they overlook the violence inherent in actually‐existing border practices; second, they misidentify fellow citizens as our people, thereby underwriting the church's captivity to state violence. I argue that a sounder theological view of borders requires Christians to adopt a preferential option for God's people. The church catholic is a borderless people committed to bodily solidarity and sharing with the vulnerable. Inasmuch as the church is a people already gathered in anticipation of the final joining of all things in Jesus Christ, ecclesial borderlessness serves as the horizon for all peoples.

Two sorts of natural theology

Usually, natural theology is understood as the project of providing arguments for the existence of God. This project is endorsed by Moreland and Craig. McGrath, on the other hand, says that this project fails. In the first part of this article, I show how McGrath’s dismissal of arguments for the existence of God follows from his view of natural theology. In the second part, I argue that McGrath’s natural theology contains an accurate critique of Moreland and Craig’s way of doing natural theology, a critique that exposes two major problems in their treatment of the moral argument for the existence of God. In the third part, I propose a way of providing arguments for the existence of God that avoids the problems pointed out by McGrath, namely a way of arguing that seeks to show how theology may improve a certain non-theistic understanding of a natural phenomenon.

The Feminist Theology's View of Christian Doctrine

Feminist Theology is a movement considered have altered several doctrines of ‎Christianity, by cause of their persistence calling for equality with men. Initially, the ‎movement of Feminist Theology merely demanded favors they should had it. ‎However, Feminist Theologian gone so far from the position they should be before ‎breaking decrees of Christianity. They tend to understand God through a women-‎biased point of view, since concept of God are commonly comprehended from ‎patriarchal perspective. Indeed, a true theology is what comes based on Holy ‎Scripture. Such a principle, however, is not applied by Feminist Theology, since ‎their theological view are established on Christian women experience all this time. ‎According to Feminist Theology, doctrine of Christianity suggested to prioritize ‎men rather than women and accordingly, Feminist Theology desire to reconstruct ‎it to be more slightly feminine-nuanced. Margaret D. Kamitsuka, one of Feminist ‎Theologians believes in that Feminist Theology born in a struggle and continuously ‎humiliated, before bringing about the new spiritual image and resistance discourse ‎concerning in an empowerment of women. To conclude, this paper will try to ‎reveal briefly the development and Feminist Theological view about doctrine of ‎Christianity.‎

Karl Barth’s Römerbrief: A Turning Point in Protestant Theology

Karl Barth’s theology presents itself as a paradigm shift during the early part of the 20th century. As time went on, the radical nature of his theology manifested in different ways. Not only did it start out as a critique of Protestant liberal theology, but it also transformed the understanding of the church, mission and basic reformed doctrines such as election. This was met by vociferous protest, from liberal as well as more orthodox theologians. Despite all, Pope Pius XII called Barth the greatest theologian since Thomas Aquinas. This contribution reflects on the first of Barth’s major publications, his Römerbrief which first appeared in 1919. The point is made that Barth’s Römerbrief could be regarded as an important turning point in the history of Protestant theology. The context of the Römerbrief is discussed as well as some of Barth’s early theological views present in it, illustrating the radical break between Barth and the liberal theology of the Modern Era.

Friedrich Schleiermacher: Pentecostal Friend or Foe?

Although it is rapidly growing worldwide, Pentecostalism is a relatively young Christian tradition and, in consequence, has not yet developed a thorough systematic theology. The most unifying aspects of Pentecostalism tend to be its emphasis on the Holy Spirit and its commitment to oppose what are deemed to be inappropriate and heretical theologies. While there are many theologies and theologians that Pentecostals resist, Friedrich D.E. Schleiermacher is almost universally opposed due to what Western Pentecostal theology views as his liberal, subjective, and academic theology. In this essay, I argue that these claims are misguided and that there is important common ground between Schleiermacher and Western Pentecostal theology, as seen through Schleiermacher’s theology on redemption, ecclesiology, and preaching. Thus Western Pentecostal theology can confidently adopt Schleiermacher as a theological ally, thereby allowing his theology to inform Pentecostal theology as it continues to develop.

Ideology and the ‘Liberation of Theology’: The Role of Critique in Juan Luis Segundo and Slavoj Žižek

ABSTRACTThe turn to religion within critical theory has brought the critique of ideology back into theological view. This essay examines the relation of theology to ideology in the liberation theology of Juan Luis Segundo. Segundo's key contribution is his use of the concept of ideology as an efficacious force in theological work in service to poor communities. I argue that the critical and political force of Segundo's theology is dulled by this neutral use of ideology critique. This may be ameliorated by consulting Slavoj Žižek's negative use of Christianity as ideology critique. Without endorsing Žižek over Segundo, I propose that Žižek's critical use of political theology can help liberation theology reengage the role of negativity and critique in the immanent relation of theory and praxis.

Medieval Approaches to Future Contingents

This paper discusses the main lines of medieval Latin approaches to future contingents with some remarks on Marcin Tkaczyk’s paper “The antinomy of future contingent events.” Tkaczyk’s theory shows some similarity with the general frame of the views of Ockham and Scotus, the difference being that while medieval authors argued for the temporal necessity of the past, Tkaczyk is sceptical of the general validity of this necessity. Ockham’s theological view was that God eternally has an intuitive and immutable knowledge of all possibilities as well as whether they are ever actualized or not (Panaccio & Piche 2010). The content of God’s past knowledge attitude remains contingent before the free choice takes place because God’s knowledge could be different similarly as the truth-value of the proposition. While Ockham held that no past or present thing follows from future things as an effect follows from its cause, this causal link is defended by Tkaczyk. Later thinkers thought that the doctrine of the scientia media sheds light on this question; perhaps it is easier to understand than the retroactive model which is not contradictory but difficult to imagine, as Tkaczyk concludes his paper.

Audemus Lugere: The Prophetic Hope of Christian Mourning

Audemus Lugere:The Prophetic Hope of Christian Mourning Paul Clarke O.P. In Search of Lament Despite the last century's resurgence of interest in lament as a vital topic for theological reflection, there remains a troubling ambivalence about its place in the Church's life and theology, one that arguably betrays deeper, more systemic confusions. Notwithstanding efforts to rehabilitate lament, particularly in pastoral and practical theology, Christian mourning continues to be characteristically ambivalent, apologetic, and almost furtive, as if forbidden by faith except in extreme cases of death and loss, when it is permitted, if not endorsed. This raises the possibility that these more pragmatic approaches have overlooked deeper theoretical questions, ambiguities, and issues.1 Additionally, if we lack the conceptual—and theological—resources to explain why Christians can mourn, the joy of the Christian life can begin to ring false, to smack of mere optimism rather than the radical hope of the Gospel. [End Page 739] There is need, then, to develop a robust Christian realism that can explicitly address the lurking theoretical and historical issues and show that hope and anxiety, or joy and sorrow, are not opposed or merely dialectically compatible, but in fact indispensable parts of the Christian life. This article proposes the work of Richard Schenk as a guide toward just such a Christian realism.2 Schenk has devoted significant attention to the theme of mourning, although Anglophone reception of his work has been remarkably sparse to date.3 Themes of his work include the post-conciliar reception of Gaudium et Spes and historical and contemporary debates concerning human finitude, suffering, grace, and hope. In sympathy with Schenk's work, I argue for a Christian retrieval of the prophetic lament as a contribution [End Page 740] toward his call for a differentiated approach to theology, an approach that attends to both gaudium et spes (joy and hope), on the one hand, and luctus et angor (grief and anxiety), on the other.4 My argument will converge with the trajectory of his proposals, reinforcing his conclusions from a scriptural point of departure. Any genuinely Christian theology of mourning should be nourished by its Old Testament roots. The prophetic lament, notably that of Jeremiah, is a fertile source for understanding and deepening Schenk's theology of mourning. Relying on (but also amplifying) Yochanan Muffs's study of prophetic intercession, I argue that lament is actually thoroughly, albeit darkly, hope-filled and that, furthermore, it offers a rich typology that can inform authentic Christian sorrowing. Moreover, in its thematization of truth, providence, suffering, eschatology, sin, and human subjectivity, the prophetic lament has much to offer toward the development of a robust theology of mourning and an expansive Christian realism. Since my goal is to situate a retrieval of the prophetic lament within the context of Schenk's broader project, my argument will begin with a summary of the capital features of his theology of mourning. The next and longest section of the present article will pull together the main threads of my proposal that Jeremiah's lament in chapter 20 is fruitfully read as a form of his intercession, which has a unique coloration by virtue of his prophetic vocation. After a close reading of the lament and an analysis of its inner logic and significance, I will briefly sketch the New Testament's witness to the Chris-tological reconfiguration of the prophetic lament. The concluding section will summarize the convergences between Schenk and this study and offer four theses on their implications for contemporary theology in the Church. Richard Schenk's Theology of Mourning It is at the risk of simplification that I confine myself to summarizing only the main features of Schenk's theology of luctus et angor. The initial [End Page 741] problem, he notes, is that the tradition lacks clear indications of what a genuinely Christian theology of mourning can and should be. The ambivalence of the inherited tradition reveals unresolved and often unremarked tensions in the philosophical and theological views that shape our approach to death and mourning.5 Broadly speaking, Schenk has focused on developing resources within the tradition, particularly in Thomas Aquinas, setting them in dialectical engagement with modern...

Jesus as Healer: A Gospel for the Body by Jan-Olav Henriksen and Karl Olav Sandnes

Reviewed by: Jesus as Healer: A Gospel for the Body by Jan-Olav Henriksen and Karl Olav Sandnes Frederick Gaiser jan-olav henriksen and karl olav sandnes, Jesus as Healer: A Gospel for the Body (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016). Pp. x + 273. Paper $35. In the introduction to this valuable book, Jan-Olav Henriksen and Karl Olav Sandnes explain, among other things, what they mean by their subtitle, "A Gospel for the Body," that is, to "recognize in what ways God may be seen to have a healing presence in the world" (p. 5). They will do this both through NT studies that have moved beyond much of historical criticism's rationalist approach to texts and through a systematic theology that is more open to both empirical studies and the field of religious studies (p. 3). Early on S. provides a simple, yet highly valuable contribution: charts categorizing all Jesus's healing stories in terms of NT book, sickness/diagnosis, healing method, and outcome. He goes on to provide a thorough assessment of Jesus as healer in NT scholarship. At the end of this forty-page overview he offers a conclusion that is actually a statement of a position that H. and S. will seek to challenge directly, namely, the prevailing notion that Jesus's healings are caused exclusively by natural reasons. Prevailing NT scholarship, says S., "attempts to explain away the wondrous in these stories, that which is said to have caused the amazement of the spectators" (p. 63). Although S. does not reject the view that natural causation was a factor in Jesus's cures, it alone cannot explain why or how Jesus was regarded as extraordinary when compared to other healers of the time. S. does not neglect the hard issues, including a discussion of raising the dead (pp. 64-69). Here he challenges the position of John Dominic Crossan that the resurrection stories are metaphors or allegories. Indeed, writes S., "in [NT] perspective, a mythic, fictitious, or parabolic interpretation is unable to account for these texts" (p. 69). Needless to say, S. and H. are not biblical literalists, but they are willing to let the NT speak on its own terms. After thoroughly examining such issues as Jesus as healer in the Gospels, Jesus still a healer through his disciples, and healing in the early church, S. concludes his section of the book with a chapter entitled "Toward a Theology of Jesus as Healer." The final paragraphs of this section raise the question of whether the NT regards Jesus as the exclusive healer: "Were [Jesus's healings], and their perpetuation among his followers, the only option for remedying sickness?" (p. 125). This question is important because much of the tradition has responded affirmatively. S., however, after carefully working through the relevant texts, answers his own question in the negative, concluding that "Jesus is at work as a healer in a way that encapsulates both creation and redemption" (p. 130). Similar to S.'s overview of NT scholarship on healing, H. provides a review of both classical and recent discussion about miracles, an invaluable summary for the reader. Of course, these reviews by both authors cannot be exhaustive, but they are a very helpful index to the material. Before this, H. devotes a chapter to the question "What Is Healing?" Rejecting an attempt at a brief definition, he hopes "to interpret and clarify the phenomenon of healing from the point of view of psychology, science, and theology" (p. 136). This is but one more example of how seriously the authors take significant questions and how carefully they look for appropriate responses. In the following chapter, H. cites favorably Lars Lindström's definition of Christian healing: "the full salvation of the entire man, body, mind, and spirit through the re-integration of a life founded on a new relationship to God as a loving Father" (Lindström, Christian Spiritual Healing: A Psychological Study. Ideology and Experience [End Page 337] in the British Healing Movement [Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Psychologia et Sociologia Religionum 7; Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 1992] 170). Once again, this holistic approach describes what H. and S. are about throughout their book. In the chapter entitled...

Axiology of the Ethical and Social Teachings of John Paul II: A Research Problem

The aim of this article is to present the research problem of the reconstruction and presentation of the axiological layer of the ethical and social teachings of John Paul II, which is implicitly included in his papal writings and documents. The innovative nature of this research results from the fact that until now none of the known publications of his teachings have systematically and thoroughly laid out axiological problems, which constitute an immanent part of his teaching. Papal teaching is generally subjected to analytical and synthetic research from the point of view of theology, Catholic social science, sociology, political sciences and at times philosophy, but never from the point of view of the theory of values. The research will be the first attempt to synthesize the axiological thought of the transcendental humanism of John Paul II.