Classical Theology and Contemporary Challenges – serie

Luther affirmed, in the context of the 16th century, the radical equality of all believers by explicitly referring to the priesthood common to everyone. The priesthood of all believers became a fundamental principle and feature of the whole Protestant reformation movement. This study attempts to thoroughly grasp and re-think Luther’s and Calvin’s notions of common priesthood without the ministerial, to understand better and to shed light upon the necessary mutual relationship between both ministerial and common priesthoods as maintained in Roman Catholic doctrine.

This study considers whether phenomenology, as in the French philosophy of the later part of the twentieth century, can be applied fruitfully to the preparation of the sermon or homily. It is structured in two parts: a conceptual foundation that is descriptive and exploratory in natureassessing and appraising the works of twentieth century French philosophers of phenomenology, particularly on the reading of Scripture and prayer; and a constructive proposal that identifies the possible limitations of phenomenology in French philosophy and suggests ways in which a contemplative phenomenology may be practiced while preparing a sermon or homily, manifesting itself as a witness, testimony, and confession. A tentative conclusion is reached in the final chapter suggesting the use of phenomenology, with reservations, for the practice of sermon preparation.

An account Based on the Works of Bavinck and PlantingaIs it possible for human beings to know something about God? Is it possible to formulate theological propositions that are true? Or is theology limited to the formulation of human beliefs?The aim of this book is to augment the contemporary case for a realist conception of theology: It a rms the possibility of knowing something about God and argues on that basis that it is possible to formulate propositions that are true. It does so by bringing together the works of the early twentieth-century Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854-1921), and those of the contemporary American philosopher Alvin Plantinga (b. 1932).Among other results, both philosophical and theological, this book offers a better understanding of the role of theology as a truth-seeking discipline, in church, academy, and society.

This book engages Karl Barth’s Christological anthropology in order to provide a Christian account of identity that affirms both humanity’s universally shared identity in Jesus and each person’s particular identities, especially regarding sex, gender, and sexuality.This unfolds through highlighting the significance of Barth’s rejection of Natural Theology, affirmation of science, the necessity of Jesus’ embodied particularity for the universality of his person and work, and the corresponding anthropological affirmation of each person’s unique embodiment. Using Barth’s primary methodological and Christological commitments, this book remedies Barth’s inconsistencies within his ordered male/female dyad and builds on Barth’s work to provide a Christian account of identity that affirms the universal humanity and unique particularity of persons within and outside of the cisgendered heteronormative male/female dyad, thus creating a shared starting point for Christians in conversations of ethics.Offering Barth’s Christological anthropology as a corrective to both essentialism and subjectivism, and as a meaningful resource for rethinking identity, this book will be of interest to scholars in Religious Studies and Theology, Anthropology, and Gender Studies.