Religious issues and debates Books

Book Synopsis During the last decades, the world has been facing tremendous political transformations and new risks: epidemics such as HIV/Aids have had destabilizing effect on the caretaking role of kin; in post-socialist countries political reforms have made unemployment a new source of insecurity. Furthermore, the state’s withdrawal from providing social security is taking place throughout the world. One response to these developments has been increased migration, which poses further challenges to kinship-based social support systems. This innovative volume focuses on the ambiguous role of religious networks in social security and traces the interrelatedness of religious networks and state and family support systems. Particularly timely, it describes these challenges as well as social security arrangements in the context of globalization and migration. The wide range of case studies from various parts of the world that examine various religious groups offers an important comparative contribution to the understanding of religious networks as providers of social security.Trade Review “The editors of this book give exceptional added value to its eleven essays.” · JRAI “This volume offers a wide range of topics and methodological approaches…[and] gives an excellent insight into the manifold interconnectedness of religious networks in the (trans)national context.” · Social Anthropology/Anthropologie sociale "[A] coherent set of theoretically interesting discussions based on sound empirical work … [to] contribute to some of the major issues of social anthropology." · Keebet von Benda-Beckmann, Max-Planck-Institute, Halle "... a good range of ethnographic material and theoretical debate. The Introduction does a good job of binding the chapters together." · Frances Pine, Goldsmiths CollegeTable of Contents Acknowledgements Chapter 1. Social Security in religious networks: An introduction Tatjana Thelen, Carolin Leutloff-Grandits and Anja Peleikis Chapter 2. When AIDS becomes part of the (Christian) family: Dynamics between kinship and religious networks in Uganda Catrine Christiansen Chapter 3. ‘Fight against hunger’: Ambiguities of a charity campaign in post-war Croatia Carolin Leutloff-Grandits Chapter 4. Social Security, life courses and religious norms: Ambivalent layers of support in an eastern German Protestant network Tatjana Thelen Chapter 5. Longing for security: Qigong and Christian groups in the People’s Republic of China Kristin Kupfer Chapter 6. Questioning Social Security in the study of religion in Africa: The ambiguous meaning of the gift in African Pentecostalism and Islam Mirjam de Bruijn and Rijk van Dijk Chapter 7. Nuns, fundraising and volunteering: The gifting of care in Czech services for the elderly and infirm Rosie Read Chapter 8. ‘Church shopping’ in Malawi: Acquiring multiple resources in urban Christian networks Barbara Rohregger Chapter 9. The (re-)making of translocal networks through Social Security practices: The case of German and Lithuanian Lutherans in the Curonian Spit Anja Peleikis Chapter 10. Women’s congregations as transnational Social Security networks Gertrud Hüwelmeier Chapter 11. Negotiating needs and obligations in Haitian transnational religious and family networks Heike Drotbohm Notes on contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book of biblical reflections botanist Ghillean Prance draws richly from his experiences exploring the Amazon and many other regions - from the White Mountains of Turkey to the Hawaiian Archipelago.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEcological problems - drought, global warming, pollution, resources - are headline news. Green movements tend to stress pessimistic outcomes. Anxiety is reasonable, but the Christian response should draw upon the concern of God for his creation. Christians are starting to contribute to the debate, and have a vital specific insight: the Christian message of hope. The Hodsons show how Christians can make a contribution to community life and take the lead in raising awareness, developing recycling, reducing waste and energy use, and encouraging local church-based environmental initiatives.Trade Review"Colourfully reminding us that, 'the pages of the Bible are buzzing with insects, alive to the song of birds, majestic in its description of trees...' we experience with the Hodsons 'the wonderful nature of our world' - the world God loves. It is the world of our stewardship. It is the Earth we cherish. You should read this book, and be inspired to live joyfully in its reading!" - Calvin B. DeWitt, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Founding Director, Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies"For too long we the church have abdicated our God given responsibility for creation care. Here is a wake-up call. Let's make sure we hear it!" - Dr Krish Kandiah, Executive Director: Churches in Mission at the Evangelical Alliance UK"With any number of questions being asked about Global Warming, Climate Change, Environmental Issues and our proper Stewardship of the World's Resources we need guides who can clarify the issues and help us to reflect theologically on them. Martin and Margot not only do this in 'Cherishing the Earth' - but it is clear from all they say that they live and breathe them too. I warmly commend this book both for personal reading, group study and, above all, for action." - Right Reverend Colin Fletcher, Bishop of Dorchester

Read more less

Book SynopsisA substantial collection of original meditations by Elfed ap Nefydd Roberts comprising over 150 meditations prepared by him over a period of thirty years.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides an overview of the range of seminarian thinking in Iran on the controversial topic of the hijab. During the modern period, Iran has suffered a great deal of conflict and confusion caused by the impact of Western views on the hijab in the 19th century, Riza Shah Pahlavi's 1936 decree banning Islamic head coverings, and the imposition of the veil in the wake of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Hijab addresses the differences of opinion among seminarians on the hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran, focusing on three representative thinkers: Murtaza Mutahhari who held veiling to be compulsory, Ahmad Qabil who argued for the desirability of the hijab, and Muhsin Kadivar who considers it neither necessary nor desirable. In the first chapter, the views of these three scholars are contextualized within the framework known as 'new religious thinking' among the seminarians. Comprehending the hermeneutics of this new religious thinking is key to appreciating how and why the younger generation of scholars have offered divergent judgements about the hijab. Following the first chapter, the book is divided into three parallel sections, each devoted to one of the three seminarians. These present a chronological approach, and each scholar's position on the hijab is assessed with reference to historical specificity and their own general jurisprudential perspective. Extensive examples of the writings of the three scholars on the hijab are also provided.Trade Review‘This excellent study is an examination of the evolving theological and juristic positions on hijab among seminarians in Iran. The author Lloyd Ridgeon provides the reader with valuable insights into the complexity of the juristic debates. Focusing on the work of three aptly-chosen scholars, he makes their juristic arguments available in English for the first time, as well as referencing the extensive literature on the topic in English and Persian. The writing is clear, the story unfolds systematically and cogently, and the book is a pleasure to read.’ Ziba Mir-Hosseini, SOAS University of London; ‘This study fills an important gap by discussing the views of three different Islamic scholars from Iran on the hijab. A particular strength of the book is that it covers scholars from both the pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary periods. The contributions of the scholars are contextualized by providing accessible introductions to the political, social and cultural developments in Iran before and after the Islamic Revolution with a focus on gender issues and the question of the hijab. As such, the study illustrates quite well how Islamic jurisprudence is always situated in and responds to a particular context.’Oliver Scharbrodt, University of Birmingham.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book, scholars from Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions explore violence in religious scriptures. In 12 chapters, they grapple with the problem of how to deal with the phenomenon of violence when it appears within the scriptures and traditions of particular religious faiths. The writers identitify the violent language, imagery, story and ideology which reside deep withn these texts. Some chapters offer detailed exegetical examination of key passages, while other chapters offer theological explorations of the issue.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisKarl Barth never paid particular attention to the religions of the world. In fact he has often been stereotyped as the prime exponent of an exclusivist attitude toward other religions because of his belief that salvation comes through Christ alone. However a close analysis of his work suggests that it defies the rigid typology of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism so often used in inter-religious debate and instead allows for the possibility of discerning God’s presence in the other Abrahamic faiths. This book asserts that a case can be made on the basis of Barth’s theology for promoting a democratic society which respects freedom and difference. It shows how this argument can be extended to accommodate religious pluralism. Other faith groups can contribute to a just society and interact in ways which are theologically fruitful for the Church’s own life. In particular, this book demonstrates how Barth’s theology can help Christians relate to Muslims by showing that God’s grace is at work in places it is not expected – beyond the boundaries of the Church. The Church can be addressed through the presence and voice of the other. In today’s context this includes address through the presence and voice of Islam.Table of ContentsContents: The concept of religion in Barth’s early work – Barth’s understanding of Islam – Truth extra muros ecclesiae – Bringing Barth’s theology to Islam in the contemporary European context – An inter-religious encounter with Tariq Ramadan.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSpirit Christology has emerged as an important focus in recent theology. It offers new perspectives on Christology and Pneumatology. Can these new perspectives lead to advances in trinitarian theology itself? The classical theologies of both East and West tended to express great reserve about moving too easily from the economy of salvation to ideas about God in se. In the twentieth century, Karl Rahner’s argument that the ‘economic’ Trinity is the ‘immanent’ Trinity and vice versa helped lead to a significant erosion of this reserve, though not without controversy. The work of David Coffey represents a significant contribution to reflection on this nexus of questions. This book examines his treatment of the relation of Spirit Christology to Logos Christology, his reformulation of Rahner’s axiom, and his suggestion that Spirit Christology offers an ‘ascending’ basis for a ‘mutual love’ Pneumatology, in the service of a renewed trinitarian theology. It presents an analysis of Coffey’s achievement in its various contexts, historical and contemporary. It highlights his methodological balance and argues that his theology represents an important development within the tradition, casting new light on issues of pressing contemporary interest.Table of ContentsContents: Introduction by David Coffey – The «anointing of Jesus» as economic point of departure – Spirit Christology and Logos Christology – The Grace of Christ – Reading the life of Jesus as a return to God – Coffey’s christology – Ascending «mutual love» pneumatology – Spirit Christology and Trinitarian theology – Coffey’s reformulation of Rahner’s axiom – Coffey’s two-model approach to the Trinity – Trinitarian Taxis and the filioque – Articulating the Procession and Return models towards a trinitarian soteriology.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow can one believe in a God of love amid all the evil and suffering found in the world? How does one do theology ‘after Auschwitz’, while vast numbers of people still have to endure violent oppression every day? This book seeks to address such questions from a standpoint informed by life in Africa, which in the face of extraordinary difficulties bears witness to Gospel hope by demonstrating forgiveness in action and promoting reconciliation. The work unfolds in two parts. In the first part, a description of the misery that characterises much of life in Africa in the recent past opens up to a theological consideration of the underlying causes and of God’s response to them. In the second part, the joy which is so characteristic of life in Africa even in places of immense suffering sets the scene for detailed reflections on liturgy, memory, forgiveness and hope.Trade Review«‘From Misery to Hope’ is a profound and timely study of the perennial theological quest to find God in the midst of human suffering.» (Michael McCabe, SMA, Tangaza College, Nairobi) «A model for how theology should be practised following the atrocities of the twentieth century.» (James Corkery, SJ, Milltown Institute, Dublin)Table of ContentsContents: An Abyss of Human Misery – The Policeman with Tear Gas and the Ambiguity of the Human Condition – «Lord, Where Are You?» In Search of the Absent God – God in the Experience of Godforsakenness – Feasting with God in the Abyss – Liturgy as a Power for Emancipation in an Unjust World – Forgiveness on the Way to Justice and Reconciliation – Abyss of Christian Hope.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIs post-modern society devoid of sacramentality or a sense of the sacred? This question is central to the challenges posed by revolutionary post-modern sensibilities that tend to render the rites for the celebration of the sacraments obsolete and irrelevant. To address this issue, the author applies the post-modern emphasis on plurality and radical particularity to the communal dimension of traditional societies exemplified in the worldview of the Igbo people of Southeast Nigeria to shed light on the liturgical celebration of reconciliation in the Church today. The contention is that the sacraments are multi-vocal symbols that cannot command the same meaning in different contexts. In this connection, this book provides a clear notion of the theological foundation, principle and framework of the sacrament of reconciliation and offers a practical guide for its authentic liturgical celebration in a plural context. Its argument is that all are being summoned to interpersonal encounter through dialogue, or a relationship founded on mutual recognition and respect for difference. On this basis, the book proposes possible reconciliation rites drawn from the Igbo communal existence that have the capacity to accommodate people with other faith perspectives in a common liturgical celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation.Trade Review«I strongly recommend this book to researchers and indeed to anybody interested in understanding how sacraments could be applied to existential life.» (Izunna Okonkwo, East Asian Pastoral Review 49, 2012/1)Table of ContentsContents: Raising the Issues in Sacramental Celebration – Understanding Sacramental Celebration in Roman Catholic Tradition – Celebrating Reconciliation in the Pre-Christian Igbo Society of Nigeria – Dealing with the New Faith: Reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Igbo Context – Unfolding the complexities in the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation – Evolution of the practice of sacramental reconciliation in roman catholicism – Vatican II revision and renewal of the sacrament of reconciliation – Sacramental experience in a post-modern context – A fulfilling practice: re-contextualizing the sacrament of reconciliation in the Igbo church.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book challenges the notion of the separation between economics and theology. It explores relationships between the disciplines through the concept of salvation, focusing on the work of Adam Smith and G.W.F. Hegel. They wrote as the disciplinary boundaries between economics and theology were taking shape, and remain important figures in contemporary discussions. Illuminating the theological foundations of the economic ideas of these two main thinkers, this book enriches our understanding of issues related to salvation such as: sympathy and recognition; poverty and the state; the invisible hand and the cunning of reason; evil and scarcity and eschatology. Moreover, the book contributes to a broader understanding of salvation and provides a model for future dialogue between economists and theologians by extending the frontiers of this unexplored field of research.Table of ContentsContents: Beginning of Dialogue Between Economics and Theology – Adam Smith’s Self-interest as a Way of Salvation – Hegel’s Rational Self-consciousness as a Way of Salvation – Sympathy and Recognition – Invisible Hand and Cunning of Reason: God’s Providence – Poverty and the State in the Theology of Economics in Smith and Hegel – Theodicy: Evil and God in the Theology of Economics – Eschatology – Economics and Theology of Salvation in Adam Smith and Hegel – Dialogue Between Economics and Theology to Be Continued.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe challenge of methodic quality has haunted scholars in the human and social sciences since the end of the nineteenth century with the explosive and public success of the natural sciences and their precision and aim of controlling nature. The discussion has been dominated by the quest for proper scientific concepts and methods comparable to those employed in the natural sciences. This book discloses the limits of scientific concepts and methods, and the failure of approaches in the human sciences emulating the scientific procedures in the natural sciences, notably the cognitive science of religion, to articulate religious life in its actuality. The author demonstrates on the basis of his own field research conducted among Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka and Orthodox monks and pilgrims on the Holy Mountain of Athos in Greece how preconceptions and historical belongingness determine interpretation. He argues that in the human sciences words matter more than concepts and propositions, and elucidates how words are revelatory of the authenticity of being, when the attitude adopted is that the view of the encountered other might be right. In the conclusion the author identifies the methodic characteristics of hermeneutic reflection and proposes an analytic model for the human sciences that enables scholars to articulate the authenticity of actual life in words that reach the other.Trade Review«This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with issues of method in the study of religions, and perhaps (it can be hoped) may stimulate the long-overdue dialogue between the cognitive scientists of religion and those who, like Gothóni, seek a less rigid and linear form of research.» (Margaret Gouin, Paranthropology)Table of ContentsContents: The Challenge: the kind of knowledge of quality aimed at – The Uniqueness: humans possesses speech and words are revelatory of being – Beyond Methodic Truth: method as discernment and movement between concept and word – A Pilgrim among Pilgrims: the relation between subject matter and interpreter – Symbols: how historical belongingness determines interpretation – Towards a Method of Hermeneutic Reflection: the question of truth – The Method of Hermeneutic Reflection: Units and Universe, and the characteristics of hermeneutic reflection.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book aims to explore the reality of dual religious belonging and to promote a better understanding of this concept. With this purpose in mind, the author examines changes in the global religious landscape in recent decades and analyses the theory of dual (or multiple) belonging, as well as discussing dual religious ‘belongers’ such as Henri Le Saux, Jules Monchanin, Bede Griffiths and Raimundo Panikkar. The book also explores the critical elements of a theology of dual belonging by examining the sense of ‘self’; the Buddhist idea of ‘no-self’; religious identity; the symbol as a means of divine communication; the notion of truth; and the concept of how God speaks through different religions. Finally, the author considers the crucial idea of ‘conversion’ or ‘transformation’.Trade Review«‘Hyphenated Christians’ is a very fine, solid and complex theological investigation of the phenomenon of multiple belonging.» (Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Harvard University) «In a global village in which different cultures and religious traditions encounter and often mix with each other, there is a woeful lack of solid works which explain and reflect on the growing phenomenon of multiple religious belonging. Gideon Goosen’s study fills that gap wonderfully and is an important contribution to an increasingly important field of study.» (Dr Julius-Kei Kato, University of Western Ontario) «‘Hyphenated Christians’ treats an important and growing phenomenon in an enlightening and engaging manner.» (Professor Linda Hogan, Trinity College Dublin) «(...) this book addresses not just an intellectual issue but a real human and pastoral situation. It deserves a wide readership.» (Douglas Pratt, Colloquium 44, 2012/2)Table of ContentsContents: The meaning of dual religious belonging – The difficulty of knowing «self» – The Buddhist idea of «no-self» – The complexity of religious identity – Divine communication – Truth and other religions – Conversion or transformation?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book began to materialize in the 1960s and 1970s during clandestine seminars organized by the author for Czechoslovak thinkers who dared to ponder theological questions during the communist era. It therefore provides a revealing glimpse of some of the issues that were of concern to people living under the domination of both the Nazi and communist regimes. This aspect of the book is evident in its emphasis on questions of theodicy which are raised by the idea that Jesus’ death was initiated by God. At the same time, the book is very much concerned with contemporary issues. By analyzing traditional understandings of the cross held by a number of prominent theologians, the author seeks to address the fact that classic theories of the atonement do not speak in a compelling way to today’s secularized, post-Christian milieu. After examining perspectives that place central emphasis on the salvific consequence of Jesus’ death, the author presents his own views regarding the significance that Jesus’ life may have for the present age. He challenges his readers to venture a living interpretation of Scripture and explores the possibility that God’s plan of salvation is most faithfully represented by the compassion and justice that Jesus modelled throughout his entire life.Table of ContentsContents: Interpretations of the cross advanced by Czech scholars, J. L. Hromádka, J. B. Souček, P. Pokorný and Jan Heller; German theologians, K. Barth, W. Pannenberg, H. Berkhof, R. Bultmann, F. Gogarten, E. Jüngel, G. Ebeling and P. Tillich; and the Japanese thinker, K. Kitamori – The writings of J. Moltmann and the debate related to his book The Crucified God – The failure of liberal theology and inadequacy of substitutionary theories of the atonement in a post-Holocaust, post-communist world – Existential implications of interrelated assumptions regarding God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit – Revising traditional views of prayer, reconciliation, forgiveness, Scripture, the sacraments, and God’s will and Jesus’ role in the history of salvation – Envisioning God as ‘other’, Jesus as the most faithful witness to God’s cause and the Holy Spirit as a spiritual catalyst – Interpreting Jesus as a descending God and incarnate Logos, i.e., an eschatological Truth coming toward us from the future.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn a careful study of the writings of Karl Rahner and John Macmurray, this book presents a renewed understanding of the theological notion of the human person. This understanding of person is developed by examining the relational depths of Karl Rahner’s theological anthropology in conversation with John Macmurray’s understanding of agency found in his work on «persons-in-relationship». What makes this dialogue enriching and striking is that both thinkers arrive at a corresponding notion of person from very different starting points: Rahner commences his reflections as a theologian focusing on the mystery of God at the heart of his study of person. Macmurray on the other hand begins with the human person and ultimately arrives at a philosophical notion of God as personal agent.Table of ContentsContents: Rahner and Macmurray in Context – Rahner’s Notion of Person as Relational – Rahner’s Early Essays on Person – Rahner: Persons in Relationship – John Macmurray: Search for a New Paradigm – Persons as Agents – The Paradigm of The Personal – The Conversation: Towards a Communion Notion of Person.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book attempts to develop a theological response to the suffering of people in Myanmar (Burma). For this purpose, a Burmese word Ludu is used to indicate the common people and a Buddhist term Dukkha will be employed to refer to their suffering. We can see the Ludu as a dukkha-ridden people in Myanmar context. Why do they suffer? Is their suffering the root cause of sin or the consequence of kamma – one’s deed, word or thought? As a Buddhist-dominated country, how do Buddhists respond their suffering? What about Christian minority’s response to this harsh situation? Can the Ludu, both Christians and Buddhists, see how God is revealed in the midst of their suffering? In terms of suffering under oppression, Minjung (people/mass) in the Korean context is somewhat similar to the situation of the Ludu in Myanmar. In the 1970s, Minjung theology emerged during the era of military dictatorship in South Korea. How can Minjung theology be relevant for evolving a Ludu theology in Myanmar?Trade Review«Khawsiama’s book can be regarded as an innovative achievement for Asian theology, a challenge for further discussion not just in the field of theology and – hopefully – a starting point for a new critical discourse on the contextualisation of the Christian faith in its intellectualised form vis-à-vis society and other religions.» (Dr. Hans-Bernd Zöllner)Table of ContentsContents: A Critical Evaluation of Minjung Theology – Towards A Ludu Theology For Myanmar.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJoseph Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus, is one of the most prolific catholic theologians of the contemporary era. He became Professor of theology at the age of 29, the youngest holder of a theological chair at that time. His theology not only draws from biblical-historical sources, but also includes philosophical-cultural ideas and modern scientific disciplines. While many of his books were already translated in various languages, his earliest works, namely his doctoral dissertation on Augustine’s ecclesiology and his entire post-doctoral thesis on Bonaventure’s concept of revelation, including the related essays, are still not available in English translation. These works are fundamental to the understanding of Ratzinger’s theological reflection. In examining Ratzinger’s earlier works and essays from the insights of his later publications, this book offers a complete re-reading (retractation) of Ratzinger’s theological thought on revelation, Christology and ecclesiology. It also highlights Ratzinger’s contribution to catholic theology, especially his theological input at Vatican II and beyond. The book includes a foreword by Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of Faith.Table of ContentsContents: Revelation – Christology – Ecclesiology.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book adds new impetus to ecumenical theology by focusing on embodied faith or the contextual interpretation of Revelation. It does so through an exploration of the insights of Lewis S. Mudge and Joseph Ratzinger. Mudge advocates catholicity as a hermeneutic which embraces the contextuality of faith in local contexts, including Christian communities and the religious practice of those of other Abrahamic faiths. Through his use of semiotics and social theory, Mudge offers novel ways to interpret faith lived as redemptive existence. Since for Joseph Ratzinger Revelation can never be fully confined to rational statements, it is nevertheless expressed in living praxis. This relates to his view of wisdom, Tradition, truth and the sensus fidei. Ratzinger focuses on embodied faith in Christian experience, the lives of the saints, New Ecclesial Movements and the plurality of different expressions of faith in synchronic unity. This study encourages the reader to explore the Church as a sacrament of redemption through contextuality and embodiment. Through the writings of two authors with contrasting and yet complimentary approaches, it highlights the transformative potential of Christianity which can serve as a point of ecumenical learning.Trade Review"[...] McCaughey’s The Church as Hermeneutical Community and the Place of Embodied Faith in Joseph Ratzinger and Lewis S. Mudge offers illuminating and well assembled answers to complex problems [...]." (Anales Theologici, 30/I 2016)Table of ContentsContents: The Church as a Hermeneutical Community and the Place of Embodied Faith in Contemporary Theological Literature – Tracing a Background to the Understanding of the Church as a Hermeneutical Community: Biblical, Philosophical and Theological Perspectives – Lewis S. Mudge on the Church as Hermeneutical Community – Lewis S. Mudge on Embodied Faith – Joseph Ratzinger on the Church as a Hermeneutical Community – Joseph Ratzinger on Embodied Faith – The Church as a Hermeneutical Community and the Place of Embodied Faith: Joseph Ratzinger and Lewis S. Mudge in Dialogue – Embodied Faith and the Church as a Hermeneutical Community Interpreting Revelation: Sacramental and Existential Signs of Faith in Context.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, which concluded in 1965. A selection of essays by distinguished Irish theologians offers an objective assessment of the historical reception and pastoral implementation of Vatican II in Ireland with the benefit of half a century’s hindsight. The authors discuss from a variety of different perspectives the theological significance of the Council for the self-understanding and reform of the Catholic church, both in the past and for the future.Trade Review«‘Vatican II in Ireland, Fifty Years On’ is an important contribution to our understanding of the ramifications of a significant event in the history of the Catholic Church.» (Eamon Maher, The Irish Times, Nov 27, 2015)Table of ContentsContents: Pádraic Conway: Ireland’s Ambivalent Relationship with the Second Vatican Council – Patrick Masterson: Remembering Vatican II – Dermot A. Lane: Keeping the Memory Alive: Vatican II as an Enduring Legacy for Reform of the Church – Gabriel Flynn: Ressourcement and Vatican II: Reform and Renewal – Seán Freyne: Dei Verbum: The Bible in the Post-Conciliar Church – Jim Corkery: The Reception of Vatican II in Ireland over Fifty Years – Jacinta Prunty: Reception of the Call of Vatican II for Renewal of Religious Life: Case Study of the Irish Federation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity – Ethna Regan: Vatican II and Human Rights: From Religious Freedom to Frontline Advocacy – Linda Hogan: Catholic Theological Ethics since Vatican II – Andrew Pierce: The Ecumenical Church of Vatican II – Gerard O’Hanlon: Vatican II as a Resource for the Renewal of the Church in Ireland in the Twenty-First Century – Gabriel Daly: The Church: Semper Reformanda – Declan Marmion: The Influence of Karl Rahner at Vatican II – Michael Drumm: The Extremely Important Issue of Education – Joseph O’Leary: The Future of Collegiality – Fainche Ryan: Vatican II and the Question of Ministry – Enda McDonagh: A New Style of Church and Theology After Vatican II – Patrick Hannon: Church and State in Ireland: Perspectives of Vatican II.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFreedom, one of the most potent ideals of the post-Enlightenment era, came to remarkable prominence in ecclesiology through the emergence of liberation theologies in the twentieth century. At the same time, Joseph Ratzinger – a German university professor – was appointed a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. His interaction with the pioneers of the liberationist movement led him to engage directly with the Christian understanding of freedom and its significance. As a result, his interest in freedom as a theological question expanded from the 1970s onwards. This book explores whether the basis for a liberation ecclesiology can be attributed to Ratzinger in his own right. While the volume’s focus is ecclesiological, the author also gathers together many strands of Ratzinger’s core theological insights in an attempt to establish how he approaches an issue that is both provocative and highly topical. Ratzinger is a controversial and engaging figure, and this book is essential reading for those who wish to understand how he deals with a theological topic of ongoing concern to society in general and the Catholic Church in particular.Trade Review«For those who see the Catholic Church as an enemy of freedom, this book is the perfect challenge.» (Robert Fastiggi, Journal of Markets & Morality 2/2015) «Wer die Entwicklung des Freiheitsdenkens Ratzingers und die Verbindung von Ekklesiologie und Anthropologie in seinem Werk nachvollziehen will, der erhält mit der Monographie Corkerys einen fundierten und zuverlässigen Überblick.» (Helmut Hoping, Mitteilungen Institut Papst Benedikt XVI. 9/2016)Table of ContentsContents: Discovering the Importance of Freedom: Formative Influences on Joseph Ratzinger and his Theology – Reading the Contemporary Cultural and Ecclesial Dynamics of Freedom – The Foundations of Human Freedom: Christological Contours – The Shape of Human Freedom: Anthropological Contours – Growth in Human Freedom: Ecclesiological Contours – The Church at Worship: The School of Human Freedom – The Church and the Office of ἐπίσκοπος: Overseeing Growth in Authentic Freedom – The Church as Witness: Practising Freedom in the World.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume brings together two core concepts that are central to understanding the social and public significance of religions and theologies within the contemporary world and are therefore of key importance to the discipline of religious education: diversity and intersectionality. Religious diversity requires an understanding of religions and theologies and their roles within a plural society. However, the effect of the intersectionality of multiple social identities on a person’s flourishing illuminates the ways in which the broader complexity of diversity must be viewed from different perspectives. These core constructs were brought together in a recent conference convened by the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values, the leading international association for religious educators across the world. This volume presents twelve key contributions made to the seminar, spanning both conceptual and empirical approaches, and represents a unique collection of international perspectives on the interlocking themes of intersectionality and diversity.Table of ContentsCONTENTS: Julian Stern: Foreword – Jeff Astley/Leslie J. Francis: Introduction – Kerstin von Brömssen: Is there a Place for Intersectionality in Research on Religious and Values Education? – Karin Sporre: Gender in Research on Religious Education and Values Formation – Elisabeth Arweck: Religious Diversity in the UK: Do Thirteen- toSixteen-Year-Old Students Perceive it as a Site of Multiple Intersections? – Leslie J. Francis/Gareth Byrne/Bernadette Sweetman/Gemma Penny: Growing Up Female and Catholic in the Republic of Ireland and in Scotland: The Intersectionality of Religious Identity, Religious Saliency, and Nationality – Tove Nicolaisen: Can Religious Education (and Students) Benefit from an Intersectional Approach to Identity? – Doug Blomberg: Will/ing Acceptance of Others – Dörthe Vieregge: Religion in the Lives of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Young People: Findings of an Empirical Study in Hamburg, Germany – Denise Cush: Combating Sexism, Homophobia, Religionism, and Subjectism: Equality and Diversity in Religious Studies and Religious Education – Dzintra Iliško: Women and Religion: Life Stories of Women Academics in Latvia – Mario O. D’Souza: Equality, Difference, and Our Historical Condition: The Error of Conceptualism and the Liberation of Education – Bernd Schröder: Coping with Diversity by Means of Inclusive Education: Reflections from a Christian (Protestant) Perspective on If and How Theological Arguments can Support a Pedagogical Concept – Jeff Astley: ‘I warn you not to be ordinary’: Reflections on the Intersectionality of Ordinariness

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book is the first major study to bring together the two early twentieth-century theologians Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, and Simone Weil, French philosopher and convert to Christianity. Both were victims of Nazi oppression, and neither survived the war. The book explores the two theologians' reflections on Christian responsiveness to God and neighbour, being the interdependence of the two great commandments of the Jewish Law reiterated by Jesus. It sets out the common ground and the differing emphases in their interpretations. For Bonhoeffer, responsiveness was the transformation of the whole person effected by faith (Gestaltung), and the responsibility (Verantwortung) for one's actions which it implies. For Weil, responsiveness was the hope and expectation of grace (attente) reflected in attention, the capacity to listen to, understand and help others. Both Bonhoeffer and Weil faced a world dominated by aggression and horrendous suffering. Both endeavoured to articulate their responses, as Christians, to that world. The relevance of their thought to the twenty-first century is explored, in relation to perspectives on grace and freedom, on aggression, suffering, and forgiveness, and on the role of the church in society. Conclusions are illustrated by reference to contemporary theologians including Rowan Williams, Daniel Hardy, Frances Young and David Tracy.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisRight across denominational boundaries lay theology is dominated by negatives: the laity simply defined as the non-ordained, the alleged exclusion of the laity from full participation, the sole focus on what they cannot or should not do, and, above all, the total absence of an ecumenical lay theology. In a unique approach, this volume sets out to find ways of overcoming these negatives so predominant in current lay theology. The author explores positions and perspectives put forward in Roman Catholic theology from Vatican II up to the present. These are compared and contrasted with concepts and suggestions of present-day Anglican Theology as well as with those of liberative theologies in Latin America and Asia. Rethinking the content, language, and metaphors of lay theology, in the final part of this volume the author proposes a new image for discussing the Church, a model focusing on the interdependence and collaboration of all the people in the Church. This is then used to sketch out the framework for a new type of lay theology. Imbedded in ecclesiology, in the concept of all believers together being the Church, the author endeavours to suggest a lay theology that is indeed positive, ecumenical and universal.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBalthasar is one of the most influential of Catholic twentieth-century theologians, and his oeuvre is astonishing in its range and amplitude. This together with a style of writing that is cyclic rather than systematic makes his work difficult to assimilate. The author has overcome this obstacle by finding an integrating motif that makes coherent sense of the whole. That motif is the concept of form'. The first section of the book deals with that form': its genesis, its meaning as a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts, and as a revelation of the mystery of Being. Section two shows how, when the concept is applied christologically, it signifies the incarnate form of Jesus as expressing the glory of the triune God, the source of Being. Section three, which deals specifically with Balthasar's soteriology, demonstrates how because of his mission to save a sinful world the form of Jesus has to undergo suffering and death and become apparently formless'. While indicating that the main lines of Balthasar's theology are rooted in tradition, the book also illustrates the radicalness of his approach. His dialogue with theologians and philosophers, both ancient and modern, is discussed and evaluated throughout.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSince Augustine many philosophers and theologians have discussed the relation of God to time, whereas the relation between God and space has been rarely discussed. This book deals with the relationship of God to space. Divine transcendence is one important aspect of the Christian God. However, God is also immanent in the world of space and time. The author investigates the concept of divine spatiality and presents case studies of three modern theologians: Torrance, Pannenberg and Moltmann. He also analyses divine spatiality by using Dyrness's three categories: relationship, agency and embodiment.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book investigates the signs of the church in the theology of Hans Küng as described in his The Church (1967). As Küng does not go beyond the traditional signs of the church, the author makes a thorough analysis of the unity, catholicity, holiness and apostolicity of the church with plentiful references to other contemporary theologians such as Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Edward Schillebeeckx, Henri de Lubac, Yves Congar, and even Joseph Ratzinger. The relevance of the book consists in its approach to classical theological issues which lay the foundation for a contemporary reassessment of the church. The author is concerned not to defend particular doctrines but to see how Küng's theology of the signs of the church fits within the context of his time.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book demonstrates a number of approaches made by biblical scholars to find a theology of the Christian Scripture. It then considers attempts to bridge the gap between exegesis and dogmatics by appeal to the discipline of ‘fundamental theology’ and the doctrine of Revelation. It finds that, for all the interesting questions raised, one is forced back to the Bible from where one must form the themes and concepts which have been developed by theologians through the ages, and which with help from biblical historical critics can be made to refresh theology and serve the Church. This is done by examining the role of ‘faith’ in the two testaments and by considering how the Bible’s understanding of that which receives revelation is itself useful for the total enterprise of theology.Table of ContentsContents: Biblical Theology – Old and New Testaments Exegesis and Theology – Theological Interpretation of Scripture – The Concept of Revelation – Fundamental Theology – Biblical Faith.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe overarching aim of this work is to develop a new account of the doctrine of the Trinity. The author proposes that such an approach is overdue because contemporary trinitarian theology pays insufficient attention to the fact that theology as linguistic discourse is inescapably embedded in human experience. Hence the critical analysis of existing trinitarian constructions (Gunton, LaCugna, Moltmann) is impressively sharp. In response Nausner develops an ‘interstitial methodology’, working between experience and revelation, refusing both revelational and experiential positivisms. In dialogue with contemporary novels, the human sciences (Frankl, Weizsäcker), philosophy (Levinas) and biblical narratives, he offers an imaginative, original and contemporary way of conceiving the doctrine of the Trinity in relation to human life.Table of ContentsContents: Doctrine of the Trinity, social doctrine of the Trinity, Trinity and human life, contemporary theology – Contemporary Theologians: Colin Gunton, Catherine LaCugna, Jürgen Moltmann – The concepts of experience, revelation, language and truth – Theology, philosophy and the human sciences – Dialogue with Viktor Frankl, Viktor von Weizsäcker, Emanuel Levinas – The dialectics of concept and narrative, the One and the Three.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn a recent work Richard Dawkins posed an immense challenge to theology by arguing on scientific grounds that the existence of God is so improbable that it can be safely dismissed as a delusion. This work responds to the challenge by examining the arguments put forward by Dawkins and subjecting them to critique in the light of Christian faith. The critique probes some of the assumptions underlying scientific endeavours about the nature of reality and it brings to the surface the question of how meaning, truth and freedom are properly to be understood. The work goes on to present a theological understanding of these realities in the light of Christian beliefs in God, in Jesus Christ, in creation and in redemption. Far from denying the importance of scientific endeavours and discoveries, this approach seeks to provide a framework in which they can be meaningfully situated, for the betterment of humanity as a whole.Table of ContentsContents: The natural selectivity and beliefs of Dawkins – Scientism and other scientific ‘Isms’ – From naïve realism to critical realism – The Trinitarian grammar of creation – Situating science in a framework of divine love – Divine vulnerability and the risk of creation – The genetic idol.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis collection of essays was written to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Second General Conference of Latin American Bishops, which convened at Medellín, Colombia, in 1968. Inspired by the Second Vatican Council and seeking to implement its vision, the bishops viewed the occasion as a decisive one for Latin America, which they saw as standing ‘on the threshold of a new epoch in the history of our continent’. It appears to have been a time full of zeal for emancipation, of liberation from every form of servitude, of personal maturity and of collective integration. Forty years later, however, it is appropriate to remember the event and to review the significance of liberation theology in light of all that has happened during the intervening period. The colloquium at the Milltown Institute, Dublin, which led to this book, sought to do precisely that: to establish where liberation theology now stands by questioning whether it really is a significant theological and ecclesial movement or merely a moment whose time has passed, and to investigate its enduring legacy.Table of ContentsContents: Mario I. Aguilar: The Kairos of Medellín: Towards a Movement for Liberation and New Mission after Vatican II – David Tombs: Latin American Liberation Theology: Moment, Movement, Legacy – Peter C. Phan: Living for the Reign of God: Liberation, Cultures, Religions. A Theology of Liberation for the Asian Churches – Elochukwu E. Uzukwu: From Nobody to Somebody: The Pertinence of African Liberation Theology – Maria Duffy: ‘In No Man’s Land’: The Option for the Poor and the Crisis of Globalisation – Mary Grey: The Journey is Always Home: Feminist Theology’s Journey from Liberation to Reconciliation – Tina Beattie: The End of Woman: Gender, Rights and God beyond Modernity – James Corkery: Joseph Ratzinger on Liberation Theology: What Did He Say? Why Did He Say It? What Can Be Said About It? – Joe Egan: From Moment to Moment: Liberation Theology and the Demise of Neolithic Man – Patrick Claffey: Looking Back, Moving Forward.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis edited collection considers whether it is possible to discern how the level of ideology is affected by radicalization. In other words: what happens in the minds of people before they decide to use political violence as means to attain their goals? Also this book asks: what has to happen in the minds of people in order to preclude them from using political violence as a way of attaining their goals? This volume unites scholars from several disciplines and perspectives from a number of different geographical, social and cultural contexts with the overarching aim to refine our understanding of what ‘radicalization’ actually implies.Table of Contents1 Introduction: Understanding Ideological Radicalization, Andreas Önnerforsand Kristian Steiner2 “Christianist” Lone Wolf Terrorism, Matthew Feldman3 Who is Setting Your Agenda?: Social Network Analysis of Radical Movements’, Josef Slerka and Vit Sisler4 Taking the Streets with Concepts, Andreas Onnerfors5 Political Radicalization in Israel, Dani Filc6 Peace Expectations in Messianic Judaism, Kristian Steiner, Anders Lundberg7 Dealing with the Intimate Enemy, Sarbeswar Sahoo8 Elections, Violence and (de)radicalization, Megan Dyfvermark (Reif)9 The Perfect Storm: A Study of Boko Haram, Caroline Varin10 Ideas, Perceptions or Realities, Jonathan Githens-Mazer11 Exit from Terrorism and Violence and Extremism, Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen12 Conclusion, Andreas Onnerfors and Kristian Steiner

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less