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This book offers an original perspective on the doctrine of incarnation through a discussion of divine presence and action, arguing for the plausibility of Chalcedonian Christology. It draws on a range of theological and philosophical sources, from St. Athanasius of Alexandria’s approach regarding the presence of the logos asarkos in the world to the relational understanding of personhood put forward by John Zizioulas, Christos Yannaras and others. The suggestion is that divine presence needs to be understood in consistently Trinitarian terms and the book sets out the possibility of a theology of presence which understands God as present and immanent in the world, while, at the same time, remaining transcendent and ineffable. Alexander Jensen maintains that the classical understanding of divine presence, which sees God as being present according to God’s activity, is much more useful in Christology than today’s predominant modern notion of presence as occupying space, and combines this with an ontological understanding of personhood. The book gives an account of the person and work of Christ that takes seriously the insights of historical research and critical biblical interpretation. It takes seriously the full humanity of Jesus of Nazareth and asserts that in this man we encounter God. It will be of particular interest to systematic theologians, as well as those concerned with the history of Christian theology and philosophical theology.
"This book offers an original perspective on the doctrine of incarnation through a discussion of divine presence and action, arguing for the plausibility of Chalcedonian Christology. It draws on a range of theological and philosophical sources, from St. Athanasius of Alexandria's approach regarding the presence of the logos asarkos in the world, through to the relational understanding of personhood put forward by John Zizioulas, Christos Yannaras and others. The suggestion is that divine presence needs to be understood in consistently Trinitarian terms and the book sets out the possibility of a theology of presence which understands God as present and immanent in the world, while, at the same time, remaining transcendent and ineffable. Alexander Jensen maintains that the classical understanding of divine presence which sees God as being present according to God's activity is much more useful in Christology than today's predominant modern notion of presence as occupying space and combines this with an ontological understanding of personhood. The book gives an account of the person and work of Christ that takes seriously the insights of historical research and critical biblical interpretation. It takes seriously the full humanity of Jesus of Nazareth and asserts that in this man we encounter God. It will be of particular interest to systematic theologians, as well as those concerned with the history of Christian theology and philosophical theology"--
In this groundbreaking work, John Hick refutes the traditional Christian understanding of Jesus of Nazareth. According to Hick, Jesus did not teach what was to become the orthodox understanding of him: that he was God incarnate who became human to die for the sins of the world. Further, the traditional dogma of Jesus' two natures--human and divine--cannot be explained satisfactorily, and worse, it has been used to justify great human evils. Thus, the divine incarnation, he explains, is best understood metaphorically. Nevertheless, he concludes that Christians can still understand Jesus as Lord and the one who has made God real to us. This second edition includes new chapters on the Christologies of Anglican theologian John Macquarrie and Catholic theologian Roger Haight, SJ.
This interdisciplinary study follows an international and ecumenical meeting of twenty-four scholars held in New York at Easter 2000: the Incarnation Summit. After an opening chapter, which summarizes and evaluates twelve major questions concerning the Incarnation, five chapters are dedicated to the biblical roots of this central Christian doctrine. A patristic and medieval section corrects misinterpretations and retrieves for today the significance of the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) and its aftermath, as well as clarifying Aquinas' enduring metaphysical interpretation of the Incarnation. The volume then moves to theological and philosophical debates: three scholars take up such systematic issues as belief in the Incarnation, the self-emptying that it involves, and its compatibility with divine timelessness. The remaining four essays consider the place of the doctrine of the Incarnation in literature, ethics, art, and preaching. There is a fruitful dialogue between experts in a wide range of areas and the international reputation of the participants reflects and guarantees the high quality of this joint work. The result is a well researched, skilfully argued, and, at times, provocative volume on the central Christian belief: the Incarnation of the Son of God.
Using the methodology of process theology, especially the works of Cobb, Williams, and Pittenger, this book defines incarnation as the continuous self-revealing activity of God. Incarnation is presented as a model for spirituality, interpersonal relations, and social change. The final chapters apply this model to the issue of pluralism and challenge the exclusiveness of Christianity.
Safeguarding the distinction between God and world has always been a basic interest of negative theology. But sometimes it has overemphasized divine transcendence in a way that made it difficult to account for the sense of God's present activity and experienced actuality. Deconstructivist criticisms of the Western metaphysics of presence have made this even more difficult to conceive. On the other hand, there has been a widespread attempt in recent years to base all theology on (religious) experience; the Christian church celebrates God's presence in its central sacraments of baptism and Eucharist; and recent process thought has re-conceptualised God's presence in panentheistic terms. This is the background against which this book outlines a theology of the Christian sense of the presence of God. The first chapter traces the rise and fall of rational religion in Modernity and argues that we should replace philosophical theism not by a unspecified religious sense of the whole but by a specific sense of the presence of God. The second chapter analyses the notion of divine presence and outlines different ways of understanding the real presence of God. The third chapter discusses the problem of whether and how God's presence can be discerned - given the fact that there is no presence of God that is not tinged by God's absence. Chapter four distinguishes various modes of divine presence with their corresponding modes of (human) apprehension. Chapter five takes up the charge that presence is an impossibility in a critical discussion of the debate between Derrida and Marion about the (im)possibility of gift. Chapter six asks how God's presence is conceived and communicated, looking in particular to music as a means of representing and communicating the awareness of God's presence. The final chapter outlines how the sense of the presence of God can be presented and defended in a world of many religions and cultures with their often conflicting religious convictions and representations.
The Eucharist is at the heart of Christian worship and at the heart of the Eucharist are the curious phrases, 'This is my body' and 'This is my blood'. James M. Arcadi offers a constructive proposal for understanding Christ's presence in the Eucharist that draws on contemporary conceptual resources and is faithful to the history of interpretation. He locates his proposal along a spectrum of Eucharistic theories. Arcadi explores the motif of God's presence related to divine omnipresence and special presence in holy places, which undergirds a biblical-theological proposal concerning Christ's presence. Utilizing recent work in speech-act theory, Arcadi probes the acts of consecration and renaming in their biblical and liturgical contexts. A thorough examination of recent work in Christology leads to an action model of the Incarnation that borrows the notion of enabling externalism from philosophy of mind. These threads undergird a model of Christ's presence in the Eucharist.
GOD ON ASSIGNMENT AS YOU DAVID HULSE, D.D. "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin I realize that this book may not be for everyone at this time. However, it is necessary to challenge the sensibilities of man-made traditions, which have made the word of present truth of no effect to this generation. I invite you to listen to your own inner Christ intelligence which is able to lead you to your truth, rather than listening to the feeble attempts of dogmatic voices who are only plunging us into the depths of unanswered questions. If you are in the process of re-examining old childhood beliefs and have realized there has to be a "more excellent way," this book is for you. With this in mind, I invite you to open your minds and your hearts to this great process of incarnation, when an adventurous playful Creator chose to experience and play the game of humanity with all of its diversity. My premise is that a Creator could not create anything less than itself as that would result in pity. Creating anything greater than itself would result in admiration. Only creating that which is equal results in love! You are the creator experiencing the richness of this human journey. You are god on assignment! "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." -Phil. 2:5-6 KJV
One of the most beloved books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew speaks with eloquence and power. Among the Gospels, Matthew paints a fuller picture of the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus. Anna Case-Winters's incisive commentary reveals that Matthew is clearly a theological book. It is about God's saving work in Jesus Christ. Moreover, it is presented in a way that easily lends itself to the task of teaching and preaching. Case-Winters highlights five themes that shape the distinctive portrait of Jesus this Gospel offers. Here we see Jesus facing up to conflict and controversy, ministering at the margins, overturning presuppositions about insiders and outsiders, privileging the powerless, demonstrating the authority of ethical leadership, challenging allegiance to empire, and pointing the way to a wider divine embrace than many dared imagine. Case-Winters captures the core of Matthew's unique Gospel, which speaks powerfully to the life of Christian faith today in the midst of our own issues and struggles.