Theological Understanding Research Articles

Benedict XVI on Education and Solidarity

American parents and school leaders are debating whether critical race and gender theories belong in public schools, with many parents turning to home school. Many of these parents will instinctively rely on John Locke’s educational theory, since he famously argued for parental control of education. This essay will summarize Locke’s educational theory and then survey some educational moments in American history to reveal that political leaders have often wavered between individual rights and communal control of education. The essay then argues that Benedict XVI provides a better educational resource for concerned parents. Benedict’s educational perspective flows from his understanding of theology and culture. Benedict argues for parental choice, but within the context of solidarity. For Benedict, teaching children a Christian perspective of human nature within private and home schools becomes an act of communal solidarity, particularly when the community embraces false views of human nature. I conclude by suggesting that although Benedict provides a deeper educational resource than John Locke does, concerned parents should keep Locke’s skepticism in mind. Lockean skepticism can protect against naivete.

Naš grad i njegova pustinja - makarijevska slika pakla kao drevna afirmacija moderne teologije ljubavi

Starting from an anecdotal story connected with St Macarius the Great, the paper offers a review of the theological understanding of the concept of desert monkhood, searching for its relevance in the modern times. The specific relevance of the selected storyline is evident through comparison of the images of hell offered by the story with some other, mostly infernal images of suffering, described from Gilgamesh to Dante. The starting point of the paper was an assumption that the writer's story offered more than the author's initial intention, and that this level of the text would produce most fruit. The author's reading of the selected text is from the perspective of modern hermeneutics which implies both faith and doubt. Such theological landscape refers us to specific personological ontology as an essential expression of Christian faith and an elementary goal of the church ethos. On this plane of understanding, a link is found between the desert (of the past) and the city (of today).

Trīs savienoti teoloģiski “lielumi”: radīšana, Jēzus, Svētais Gar

he aim of this article is to offer a unifying element of the Christian narrative that connects creation, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The study reveals that the traditional elements of the Christian narrative are not interconnected, specifically ignoring the role and function of the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, the Christian narrative has been constructed with a focus on sin and salvation. This Christocentric approach has significant limitations, namely, it does not provide a full and correct theological understanding of the Trinity and it does not give a logical connection between the beginning and the end of the Christian message, that is, between the creation, the coming of Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit. This article offers a new perspective, where the holiness of God is used as an adequate unifying principle that connects creation, salvation and sanctification. The approach proposed in this article not only overcomes the traditionally Christomonic orientation, but also incorporates into the Christian narrative the history of the people of Israel, including the temple and the Sabbath – centre of their religious life, the life of Jesus, and the life of Jesus’ followers.

Theology of Land: Reflections and Dialogue from a South African Socio-Political Perspective

This paper examines the current situation of land possession in the South African socio-political space. Land possession in South Africa is an emotive issue that receives different political responses based on historical constitutional land laws and declarations, such as the Freedom Charter of 1954. African views on land are elaborated, together with South African current political debates regarding land. Negative politics of the land leave the dispossessed humiliated, experiencing feelings of indignity and insentience. Being robbed of the land is humiliating, but the dialogue about regaining it should occur in the spirit of eschatological hope with one goal in mind: inheriting the land. The paper further elaborates a theology of the land and extensively explains its historical and biblical evolvement from the Abrahamic era to the period of exile. In the midst of tensions between colonial views of land and cultural clashes, eschatological hope is the route to take. Citizens are to be granted the rights and promises that lead to eschatological peace, which creates coexistence where life is fully experienced. Eschatological hope should not be read as opium with a calming effect or a soothing balm for people to endure injustice. It should be a message of hope for the restoration of quality of untrammelled joy on the fruitfulness of the land. All this is achievable through dialogue by and with all stakeholders regarding land issues. The contribution made by this article is the acknowledgement of the imbalances regarding the land issue, and it attempts to bring forth a theological understanding of land and how to apply it in the current South Africa.

Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) and the training of pastors in the Russian ecclesiastical school in the first half of the 19th century

The main focus of study is aimed at the development of institutional forms in 19th century Russian Empire. This period is the era of emperors Alexander I, Nicholas I and partly Alexander II — the time of rapid state, church and public institutions development. During this period clergy was becoming the subject of government regulation. The body of clergy itself is acquiring corporate features, and the number of clergies who have passed through educational institutions is growing. Theology is faced with a question that is still relevant to this day — how much the practice of preparing the clergy can correlate with the theological understanding of the priesthood? One of the solutions can be seen in activities and works of St. Philaret (Drozdov). Since the role of St. Filaret in this activity has not fully determined, therefore, the purpose of study is to clarify the role and results of St. Filaret’s educational activities, based on the analysis of the most complete corpus of sources. For this, an interdisciplinary approach i. e. combination of general scientific, special historical and theological methods was applied. The study allows us to establish: activities of St. Philaret in the context of preparation and comprehension of the pastor had a multi-vector complex character. Its results allow us to speak about the understanding by contemporaries of the problem of priesthood training and attempts to solve it, which, however, were not crowned with success. The experience of predecessors is certainly relevant today in the context of constant educational paradigms’ refinement.

Church Fathers on the Sabbath and Sunday

Christians do not share the same view about the seventh day Sabbath and Sunday. A minority of Christians considers the Sabbath as still binding while a large majority dismisses it. For the latter, the cessation of Sabbath observance is traced back to the apostles. They believe that Sunday has replaced the Sabbath on account of Christ’s resurrection. However, the New Testament and historical documents reveal that the eclipse of Sunday over the Sabbath did not begin with the apostles. This means that the change must have occurred sometime after the apostles. A group of significant church leaders and theologians called church fathers arose in the second century onward whose theological understanding had profound impact on the Christians. What were their understanding of the Sabbath and Sunday? Should their understanding be accepted as normative for Christians today? This study is based on literary research methodology. The findings clearly indicate that in the understanding of most church fathers, Sunday had eclipsed and replaced Sabbath in importance and practice for Christians.

Catholicity and the Catholic Church: Protestant Concerns and (Roman) Catholic Perspectives

This essay takes up recent Protestant concerns about Catholic theology's understanding of the Church's mark of catholicity. Wesleyan and Reformed authors have argued that the (Roman) Catholic Church is “Roman” but not “catholic.” In their view, the problem is that the Catholic theological conception of catholicity focuses on union with the pope (or bishop of Rome). In a nutshell, Rome has decreed that to possess the mark of universality means to be in communion with Rome. Recent Protestant authors have made the point that not only is this arrogant and narrow, but also it is implausible given that the majority of Christians in the world are not (Roman) Catholic. My essay's first section lays out these concerns, which of course are not new. In my second section, I examine recent Catholic theological perspectives on catholicity. I conclude by suggesting a threefold path forward.

Fıkıh Usûlünde İllet Hüküm İlişkisi

In Islamic jurisprudence, the issue of the relationship between the cause and the judgement, which is the main pillar of qiyas, which is accepted as the most common way of extending the ruling of the nass, is a subject that has a theoretical aspect as well as a practical aspect. Since the third century of Hijri, when the methodology of Islamic jurisprudence began to be codified, there have been different considerations regarding the nature of the cause. This issue, which was influenced by theological understandings, was subject to different evaluations from the period of classification to the seventh century of Hijri, the period of tahkik, and four different understandings of the nature of the cause emerged. Three different groups of concepts were used to express these understandings. The first of these is alem, alām, emāra, and muarrif; the second is dāî, muessir, and mūjib; and the third is bāris. There are some differences in the use of the second group. While some of the usul al-usūlīs used the concept of zātī together with the concepts of mūjib and mujtahir, others used the concept of ca'lī. As a result, four different ideas of cause have emerged, namely, the realm/alām/emāra/muarrif, the essential /mūjib, the ca'lī /mūjib, and bāis. The idea of emāra/indication/muarrif illa was defended by most of the mutakallimīn jurists from al-Shāfiʿī (d. 204/820) to al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210), as well as by Hanafi jurists except Alauddīn al-Samarqandī (d. 539/1144). According to them, the absence of a judgement despite the existence of a cause before the revelation indicates that the cause does not have any effect on the judgement, but only indicates the existence of the judgement. The idea of emāra/indication/muarrif illa was defended by most of the mutakallimīn jurists from al-Shāfiʿī (d. 204/820) to al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210), as well as by Hanafi jurists except Alauddīn al-Samarqandī (d. 539/1144). According to them, the absence of a judgement despite the existence of a cause before the revelation indicates that the cause does not have any effect on the judgement, but only indicates the existence of the judgement. The Ja'lī mūjib cause conception was favoured by jurists such as al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111), al-Samarqandī, al-Usmandī (d. 552/1157) and al-Lāsmihī. They, like the previous ones, defended this view based on the connection of the cause to the judgement, but they argued that the effect of the cause on the judgement was created by God during the existence of the cause. The idea of bāis illaq was defended by al-Sayfuddīn al-Āmidī (d. 631/1233). Although this concept at first glance means the factor that prompts the Shāri'ī to issue a judgement, al-Āmidī gives it a different meaning as "the attribute that contains wisdom that is suitable for being the Shāri'ī's intention while issuing a judgement". What al-Āmidī takes into consideration in determining the nature of the cause is the main principle of Islamic law, which is maqāṣid al-shari'ah.

TEOLOGI RAHIM MENURUT CHOAN SENG-SONG SUATU REFLEKSI KRITIS

<p><strong>Abstract</strong>: The Asian reality is characterized by religious and cultural diversity. Social changes and especially poverty are the complexities they contain. In such circumstances, the Church is called to face this reality. Theologians are trying to find an understanding of theology that fits the Asian context. C.S. Song is an Asian theologian who tries to respond to this reality with a thought about the theology of <em>Rahim</em> that he explains using the narrative method.</p><p>The theology of <em>Rahim</em> is a theology that guides humans to God's love and suffering and leads humans to freedom, justice and peace. The basic premise of <em>Rahim</em>'s theology is contained in <em>Passio</em>: <em>Passio</em> as the starting point of theology, <em>Rahim</em> as <em>Passio</em>'s "Mountain of Fire", and the disappearance of <em>Passio</em> in Christian Theology. <em>Passio</em> means love and suffering. <em>Passio</em> becomes suffering when faced with the reality of poverty, oppression, and it is precisely through that suffering that <em>Passio</em> becomes true love. Through the above understanding, the Church is called to realize its mission as a prophet who can present the Kingdom of God in the lives of the faithful. C.S. Song through the Theology of <em>Rahim</em> invites every believer to participate in realizing the Kingdom of God in the world. This participation should give birth to solidarity for others who are suffering, oppressed and exploited.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Asian Theology, poverty, suffering, <em>Passio</em>, Choan Seng-Song, Womb Theology</p>

Leipcigas un Lībencellas misijas: Hildegardes Procelas un Lilijas Otīlijas Grīviņas kalpošana

Until the 19th century, women were not considered suitable for mission work. However, when Leipzig mission started its work in India, it came to the realization that to reach Indian women with the Gospel, women missionaries were needed. Soon, other German mission societies that sent missionaries to China, Indonesia and Africa also came to the same conclusion, opening the doors for ministry for the first women from Vidzeme (Livland). Baltic-German Hildegard Prozell, from Jaunmārupe, was sent in 1896 through Leipzig to India and Lilija Otilija Grīviņa, (in German Grihwin, Griwing, Griewing) from Riga, were sent in 1913 through Liebenzell to China. Each of these societies had different theological understandings about mission. Leipzig was based on the traditional Lutheran understanding of ministry and tried to create a universal Lutheran church worldwide, including in the mission fields. Liebenzell was the German branch of China Inland Mission, which was considered a “faith” mission that was more open to co-working with others. This impacted the way the mission societies selected their candidates, prepared them (a few months for Leipzig, 3–4 years for Liebenzell with male and female candidates training together), and sent them on the missions (solid salary for Prozell, not so with Grīviņa). Both missionaries had to learn the local languages and pass language exams. They both served as teachers, did evangelism with local women, and had to be administrators and local health care specialists. Prozell was the first to establish women’s work in Mayavaram, while Grīviņa was the first to take Chinese women to a local evangelism outreach (together with other teaching staff of the Hunan Bible Institute). Prozell, being a Baltic-German, received extensive support from her home church. Since her ministry took place before World War I, there are plenty of publications about her ministry in both Latvian and German newspapers in Riga. Grīviņa came from a humble background, going with almost no support, and as her ministry in China happened during WWI, there were almost no publications about her work. Both women have been equally forgotten in Latvian church history and deserve to be remembered.

The Logic of the Body: Retrieving Theological Psychology

The Logic of the Body: Retrieving Theological Psychology

God Keep Our Land? Unsettling Christian Theology

Jamaican novelist and critic Sylvia Wynter famously wrote that “the central mechanism at work” in processes of colonization “was and is that of representation.” Canadian theology is becoming ever more responsive to Wynter’s call as it thinks through the manner in which the mechanism of theological representation supported and continues to support colonization. This is the challenge that I, too, wish to take up, and I will do so through thinking about how we represent time within settler colonialism, and how our understanding of time and its redemption is, in fact, deeply invested with theological suppositions that afflict both Canadian and Canadian theological understandings of the time of reconciliation.

UNDERSTANDING THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION IN TAFSIR DEPARTEMEN AGAMA REPUBLIK INDONESIA PRINTED 1996-1997

This paper aims to discuss the understanding of Islamic theology in Tafsir Departemen Agama Republik Indonesia. This paper mainly discussed the pattern of interpretation of the verses found in the Tafsir Departemen Agama Republik Indonesia, especially in interpreting the verses of kalam used as arguments by the Mutakalimīn. The primary sources were Tafsir Departemen Agama Republik Indonesia. In contrast, the secondary sources were works from rational and traditional mainstreams. This study find that several verses of the Quran were used as Naqlī arguments by rational and traditional mainstreams, which the Ministry of Religious Affairs then interpreted. This paper shows that the interpretation of the verses in the Tafsir tends to be somewhat closer to the rational-Mātūrīdīyah Samarkand style of thought, not the Muʿtazilaʾs rationale. On the other hand, it has very little in common with traditional mainstream, such as Ashʿarīyah and Mātūrīdīyah Bukhārā.

Vardagsteologi och tonårsmagi

Everyday Theology and Teenage Magic: Approaching an Ethnographic-Theologic Research Method with the Aid of Children’s Literature The aim of this article is to explore how ethnographic theological method can be understood, by relating it to fantasy literature for children and young people. I am discussing children’s theological agency, focusing on relationality, hybridity and changeability, showing how children’s literature can be used to exemplify practical theological theory and method. I will primarily refer to Natalie Wigg-Stevenson’s book Ethnographic Theology: an Inquiry into the Production of Theological Knowledge and the Swedish YA novels about Engelsfors (The Circle, Fire and The Key) by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren. I am looking into questions about knowledge as contextual, embodied and relational and how uncertainty and liminality can enable, rather than hinder, action. I am using concrete examples from the novels, such as a magical book and a “body switch” episode, where the characters are magically transformed to each other, to discuss how interaction and interpretation are dependent on embodiment and context. By relating the novels to Wigg-Stevenson’s understanding of ethnographic theology, I am discussing the fluidity and uncertainty inherent in practical and ethnographic theology, children’s possibilities for agency in complex situations and children’s literature as a tool to understand and explain a research process in the field of ethnographic theology.

Footwashing in the Context of 1 Corinthians 11:23-25: Some Theological Reflections

There is the tendency to cite Paul’s obvious silence on the rite of foot washing in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 as evidence of not perpetuating the practice in the Christian Church. This study sought to make a case for Paul’s silence over foot washing in 1Corinthians11:23-25. The study used comparative and analytical methodologies to arrive at an understanding of foot washing in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. As a theological paper, this study made clear the status and role of the rite of foot washing as it relates to the Lord’s Supper, and why Paul does not address it in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. It was observed that in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Paul was addressing one of the complaints and anomalies in the Corinth Church, which obviously was the Lord’s Supper and not foot washing. Again, Paul did not state foot washing in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 because perhaps his oral source did not mention it. On the other hand, John states foot washing because of his peculiar interest in Jesus’ humility. This study, therefore, proposes that foot washing which is unique in John’s account reveals some theological understanding. Based upon Jesus’ initiative, it should be appreciated as a rite of humility, a rite of acceptance and inclusion in the church of Christ, and ultimately a cohort rite to the Lord’s Supper. Paul’s silence in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 does not warrant the abrogation of the ordinance because he had a different purpose in mind other than discussing the rite of foot washing. Thus, the use of Paul’s silence on foot washing as evidence against its practice in the Christian Church today is a mark beside the point. Keywords: Lord’s Supper, Footwashing, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Theological Reflections

Feminist trauma theology of miscarriage as an embodied experience

Miscarriage is the death of a foetus before it is born. Miscarriage is an event that can repeatedly occur in women’s lives. Miscarriage can lead to trauma. This study aims to develop the concept of feminist trauma theology in the event of miscarriage and how the church should respond to this problem. The church is being challenged to give a serious response as evidence and a manifestation of its concern for the various struggles of Christian family life. The church can no longer just pray for a married couple to have children but also be a witness and provide the correct understanding to help families, especially women, become trauma survivors and experience recovery.Contribution: This article describes feminist trauma theology as a significant proposition in answering the problem of miscarriage experienced by women. Building a theological understanding of the case of miscarriage must start from the body and women’s experiences.

Perceptions Regarding Triple Talaq among Literate and Illiterate Muslim Women: A Comparative Study

This paper intends to unravel the idea, the history, the theological understanding and the socio-cultural influences on the idea of “Talaq” in general and “Instant Triple Talaq” in particular. The paper also unearths the possibilities of the misuse, misinterpretation and politicization of the concept which have taken place at various historical junctures. At empirical level, the paper attempts to draw the attention toward the perception and opinion of the Muslim women through the structured questionnaire regarding the Instant Triple Talaq and Triple Talaq Act enacted by the Government of India. The study focuses on how the existing power structure in the Muslim community and the deeply rooted cultural practices that in a way were antithetical to the basic Islamic beliefs have shaped the lives of Muslim women in India. The study does not find the Triple Talaq Act passed by Indian parliament as something constructive, rather regards it as interference on part of state institutions into the religious affairs of a particular community. The study finally draws a parallel between the literate and illiterate strata of Muslim women and their perception toward the Triple Talaq Act.

Decolonial Conversations in African Christianity: Developing a Public Theology for Kenya

Historians have held that colonialism and Western missionary enterprise were two distinct and unrelated entries to pre-colonial Kenya. How then did Christianity for decades live side by side with colonialism? The impact of that unholy relationship is felt and sustained in contemporary forms of violence. Whiteness realizes that is hard to enter into something that is in harmony. Therefore, separation needs to happen for Whiteness to succeed. Unfortunately, much of our theological understanding today is tempered with a neocolonial mindset that separates the soul from the body for Christian triumphalism. This paper will analyze the impact of Whiteness in Kenya during and after colonialism to demonstrate how the British explorer-settler-missionary alliance oiled the religious and economic disenfranchising of African people. Secondly, it proposes a political theology that will restore ‘Shalom’ in a socially, economically, and spiritually broken country.

The Phoenix and the Interlingual Dimensions of Early English Literary Culture

The Phoenix and the Interlingual Dimensions of Early English Literary Culture

Teaching Human Development and Faith in Pastoral Care

ABSTRACT Human development and faith, as life-cycle sequences of becoming, inform pastoral care training in seminaries, chaplaincy, and congregations. A life-cycle perspective considers the requirements for a good life, evaluated not only by cultural norms, but also by the subjective experience of individuals. In a theological understanding of human development, attention to interpersonal and social contexts expands to include the dimensions of soul and faith as intrapsychic experiences, with wisdom as the interpersonal fruit of development. Faith is to wisdom as roots are to fruits. Erikson's eight developmental stages and Schwartz's qualities of Self-leadership, or inner wisdom, are correlated with the developmental stages where they are most likely to emerge. The positive Self-leadership qualities Schwartz identifies are linked with their potential negative counterparts to determine what we are likely to find when Self-Leadership is missing. Wisdom, as the faithful dimension of our humanity, has the potential to grow throughout life.