Miikka Ruokanen – författare

Miikka Ruokanen reveals the powerfully Trinitarian and participatory nature of Martin Luther''s conception of divine grace in his magnum opus The Bondage of the Will. The study establishes a genuinely new understanding of Luther''s major treatise opening up its ecumenical potential. Luther''s debate with Erasmus signifies not only a disagreement concerning free will, but the dispute reveals two contrasting understandings of the very core idea of the Christian faith. For Erasmus, the relationship of the human being with God is based on the rationally and morally acceptable principles of fair play. For Luther, the human being is captivated by the overwhelming power of unfaith and transcendental evil, Satan; only the monergistic grace of the Triune God and the power of the Holy Spirit can liberate him/her.Ruokanen verifies the Trinitarian vision of salvation “by grace alone” as the center of Luther''s theology. This doctrine has three dimensions. Firstly, the conversion of the sinner and the birth of faith in Christ are effected by prevenient divine grace; justification “through faith alone,” is the sole work of God''s Spirit, comparable to creation ex nihilo. Secondly, participation in the person, life, and divine properties of Christ, as well as participation in his salvific work, his cross and resurrection, are possible solely because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Justification means simultaneously the forensic declaration of the guilty non-guilty on the basis of the atonement by Jesus'' cross, as well as a union with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, sanctification means the gradual growth of love for God and neighbor enabled by the believer''s participation in divine love in the Holy Spirit. Ruokanen''s work offers a crucial modification and advance to the world-renowned Finnish school of Luther interpretation: Luther''s classic use of Pneumatological language avoids the problems caused by using an ontological language.

Miikka Ruokanen reveals the powerfully Trinitarian and participatory nature of Martin Luther''s conception of divine grace in his magnum opus The Bondage of the Will. The study establishes a genuinely new understanding of Luther''s major treatise opening up its ecumenical potential. Luther''s debate with Erasmus signifies not only a disagreement concerning free will, but the dispute reveals two contrasting understandings of the very core idea of the Christian faith. For Erasmus, the relationship of the human being with God is based on the rationally and morally acceptable principles of fair play. For Luther, the human being is captivated by the overwhelming power of unfaith and transcendental evil, Satan; only the monergistic grace of the Triune God and the power of the Holy Spirit can liberate him/her.Ruokanen verifies the Trinitarian vision of salvation “by grace alone” as the center of Luther''s theology. This doctrine has three dimensions. Firstly, the conversion of the sinner and the birth of faith in Christ are effected by prevenient divine grace; justification “through faith alone,” is the sole work of God''s Spirit, comparable to creation ex nihilo. Secondly, participation in the person, life, and divine properties of Christ, as well as participation in his salvific work, his cross and resurrection, are possible solely because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Justification means simultaneously the forensic declaration of the guilty non-guilty on the basis of the atonement by Jesus'' cross, as well as a union with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, sanctification means the gradual growth of love for God and neighbor enabled by the believer''s participation in divine love in the Holy Spirit. Ruokanen''s work offers a crucial modification and advance to the world-renowned Finnish school of Luther interpretation: Luther''s classic use of Pneumatological language avoids the problems caused by using an ontological language.

Miikka Ruokanen reveals the powerfully Trinitarian and participatory nature of Martin Luther's conception of divine grace in his magnum opus The Bondage of the Will. The study establishes a genuinely new understanding of Luther's major treatise opening up its ecumenical potential. Luther's debate with Erasmus signifies not only a disagreement concerning free will, but the dispute reveals two contrasting understandings of the very core idea of the Christian faith. For Erasmus, the relationship of the human being with God is based on the rationally and morally acceptable principles of fair play. For Luther, the human being is captivated by the overwhelming power of unfaith and transcendental evil, Satan; only the monergistic grace of the Triune God and the power of the Holy Spirit can liberate him/her.Ruokanen verifies the Trinitarian vision of salvation “by grace alone” as the center of Luther's theology. This doctrine has three dimensions. Firstly, the conversion of the sinner and the birth of faith in Christ are effected by prevenient divine grace; justification “through faith alone,” is the sole work of God's Spirit, comparable to creation ex nihilo. Secondly, participation in the person, life, and divine properties of Christ, as well as participation in his salvific work, his cross and resurrection, are possible solely because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Justification means simultaneously the forensic declaration of the guilty non-guilty on the basis of the atonement by Jesus' cross, as well as a union with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, sanctification means the gradual growth of love for God and neighbor enabled by the believer's participation in divine love in the Holy Spirit. Ruokanen's work offers a crucial modification and advance to the world-renowned Finnish school of Luther interpretation: Luther's classic use of Pneumatological language avoids the problems caused by using an ontological language.

The rapidly growing Chinese Protestant Church faces a significant challenge: it must adapt itself to the unique dimensions of Chinese culture, leaving behind the trail of old missionary theology and molding an authentically Chinese approach to biblical interpretation and Christian life - an approach that works within both the traditional and the contemporary dimensions of Chinese society. Rising from an extraordinary 2003 Sino-Nordic conference on Chinese contextual theology - which brought Chinese university scholars and church theologians together for the first time - Christianity and Chinese Culture addresses ways in which the church in China is responding to that challenge. The essays collected here highlight both the stunning complexities confronting Protestant Christianity in China and its remarkable potential. "This is a most timely publication on the current issues and research on Christianity and Chinese culture in the PRC - previously unavailable in English. The list of scholars in the collection reads like a Who's Who? in Christian studies in China, including both secular academics and Christian theologians. The final part on 'theological reconstruction' is of particular interest, given its importance for the Protestant churches in the last decade. This book should be on the shelf of any scholar interested in the subject." - Edmond Tang Director, East Asian Christian Studies University of Birmingham, UK Contributors: Zhao Dunhua, Zhang Qingxiong, Diane B. Obenchain, Svein Rise, He Guanghu, Wan Junren, Lo Ping-cheung, You Bin, He Jianming, Lai Pan-chiu, Jorgen Skov Sorensen, Jyri Komulainen, Gao Shining, Zhuo Xinping, Notto R. Thelle, Yang Huilin, Thor Strandenaes, Li Pingye, Vladimir Fedorov, Wang Xiaochao, Choong Chee Pang, Zhang Minghui, Li Qiuling, Fredrik Fällman, Birger Nygaard, Deng Fucun, Chen Xun, Gerald H. Anderson, Zhu Xiaohong, Sun Yi, Chen Yongtao, Lin Manhong, Wu Xiaoxin.