Susan F. Parsons – författare

A collection of essays by the theologian John Heywood Thomas demonstrating the value and relevance of his theological perspective on life and death issues."Does theology have any relevance to the problem of life and death?" According to John Heywood Thomas the answer is an unequivocal yes. A largely personal expression of this conviction precedes the argument's exposition, which is then stated first of all quite generally - that nothing human is alien to theology's concern. Three main issues are considered: the unborn life, death as an event in life, and the possibility of global death. The issue of a life before birth is a complex problem, requiring as much awareness of philosophical issues as of relevant empirical factors. The same kind of multifaceted thinking is needed in confronting the issue of death, an inescapable topic for theology. If death is an event in life what does it reveal about the meaning of life? And what of the very human action of the funeral? After a discussion of the complex issues involved the argument returns to the global reference of theology. Two areas of concern are singled out to show that the theologian can offer guidance in debate: the environmental crisis and the threat of nuclear war.

Pauline Everett explores how surrogacy is presented in three secular and three Church reports by focussing upon the surrogate, the commission couple and the child. She explores the key theological and ethical objections to surrogacy, namely: that it undermines motherhood, involves baby selling, coercion, exploitation and commodification. Everett analyses motherhood and reflects on a secular approach and a Christian approach. She examines whether paid surrogacy commodities, exploits and coerces the participants; and its theological understanding seeing human beings as created in the image of God and as having dignity. Everett explores whether paid surrogacy involves baby selling, and uses Augustine and Aquinas to illustrate the concepts of the self and other; arguing that self-interest and altruism can co-exist with care for the self and the other in a relational framework without detriment. She concludes with presenting three models towards surrogacy, and asks for a more sophisticated ontology of the relationship between the self and the other, calling for various solutions in a surrogacy custody battle.

Sovereign is who decides; and who decides is responsible. The book develops these two arguments by comparing Carl Schmitt's and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theories of sovereignty. Carl Schmitt was an influential jurist of Nazi Germany. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran priest hanged for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. In many ways, the two men could not be more different. But they both struggled with the question of how to maintain order and how to prevent violence at times of crisis. In this considered work, Jeutner brings these two thinkers into careful dialogue. They both agreed that order is established not by appealing to existing norms or general principles but by an individual's sovereign decision. Ascribing sovereignty to individuals communicates that they always have a choice and that they are always responsible for these choices. Thus, it is not just powerful individuals who have the choice to bring wars to an end or who can combat climate change. This exploratory work reveals that, by making sovereign decisions, ordinary individuals, too, can work towards the peaceful resolution of conflicts or reduce their carbon footprint. Making such sovereign decisions is not easy for individuals who are taught to follow orders and norms. For this reason, this book supplements the comparative analysis of Schmitt and Bonhoeffer with an action-guiding decision-making framework. While the proposed framework departs from Schmitt's and Bonhoeffer's theses by recognizing the agency, responsibility, and sovereignty of all individuals, Jeutner argues that this acknowledgement of the universal sovereignty of individuals is the only way to bring about the orderly and peaceful world of which Schmitt and Bonhoeffer dream.

The modern corporation began its life as a religious institution - first as the nation of Israel and subsequently as the Christian Church. Long before its official recognition in law, the corporation had been an identifiable and unique form of human association. Its only essential characteristic is the voluntary and collective submission of individual interests to the interests of a Name, its own living Spirit. The corporation is thus ‘invited’ into existence as a presence independent of its members, and through which the Spirit provides both its unity and its continuity.In this fascinating, interdisciplinary text, Michael T. Black reveals how the modern corporation has become a parody of itself. It is a travesty of the opportunity it offers, namely the opportunity to engage in a continuous search for the good, the criteria of right action, in other words, the practical pursuit of the divine, in and through our daily lives with others. In a sweeping historical analysis, Black highlights how The Name has been obscenely turned into a Brand, which sells but does not inspire; how the plethora of manipulative management techniques and authoritarian corporate structures are merely ineffectual, compensatory attempts to create corporate unity in the absence of the Spirit. This is the spiritual spoilt.This work hopes to provide an alternative to the jargon-filled, self-justifying, and ultimately futile conceptions of the corporate institution which are used to justify its current spiritual aridity.

Is it still reasonable to believe in human uniqueness in the age of human-like AI and robots? This book provides an affirmative answer by defending our human uniqueness through inclusive human relationality, with a reference to the imago Dei.As relational creatures, we may feel deeply related to and connected with artificial entities. However, does this relation with machines qualify as a social relation or is it simply a relation with the shadow of ourselves? This book explores these topics by offering an interdisciplinary analysis of various relations that we have with artificial entities, complemented by multiple case studies.Wang deftly explains why human-like AI and robots cannot be considered as social “others”, through a phenomenological and theological understanding of alterity and human selfhood. Instead, this book offers an “iconic self” theory, drawing from a reading of Jean-Luc Marion. Ultimately, Wang expresses concern towards anthropomorphism in AI and robots, not as a natural tendency of the human mind, but as a human limitation in creating “idol” images of ourselves in AI and robots.To embrace our limitation as humans, we, ironically, need to embrace the incomprehensibility of our humanity.

Should churches adopt the modern practices of leadership theory?Rahel Siebald delivers a compelling analysis of how modern leadership discourse, rooted in industrial-era labour conflicts, has transformed the way churches understand ministry, decision-making, and community. This work reveals key features uniting modern leadership. It then highlights how leadership theory, instead of reconciling conflict, can often avoid or silence it.Drawing on historical sources and the theologies of Kathryn Tanner and Jacques Ellul, Siebald uncovers that these efficient but silencing techniques are still at work in contemporary leadership theories. She traces their origins from Thomas Carlyle’s romantic heroism, through Frederick Taylor’s scientific management, to Oliver Sheldon’s focus on motivation. Siebald then offers a fresh theological account of prophecy and discernment, rooted in Old Testament traditions, and provides practical insights for resisting the pressures of Human Resource Management in faith communities.This important and sweeping book equips advanced students, scholars, and church leaders with tools to navigate the complex relationship between leadership, management, and faith.

The Ethics of Gender investigates the impact of thinking with gender on modern ethics, and considers the insights that postmodern gender theory might bring to the ethical project.

The Ethics of Gender investigates the impact of thinking with gender on modern ethics, and considers the insights that postmodern gender theory might bring to the ethical project.

Does theology have any relevance to the problem of life and death? According to John Heywood Thomas the answer is an unequivocal yes. A largely personal expression of this conviction precedes the argument''s exposition, which is then stated first of all quite generally--that nothing human is alien to theology''s concern. Three main issues are considered: the unborn life, death as an event in life, and the possibility of global death. The issue of a life before birth is a complex problem, requiring an awareness of philosophical issues as of the empirical factors. The same kind of multifaceted thinking is needed in confronting the issue of death, an inescapable topic for theology. If death is an event in life what does it reveal about the meaning of life? And what of the very human action of the funeral? After a discussion of the complex issues involved the argument returns to the global reference of theology. Two areas of concern are singled out to show that the theologian can offer guidance in debate: the environmental crisis and the threat of nuclear war.