Studies in Systematic Theology – serie

The project of constructing Asian irregular theology in East Asian perspective, based on life-word of Bamboo and social political reality of minjung, embraces Dr. Chung’s cross-cultural existence as he develops his long-standing interest and expertise in Christian minjung theology in new ways with the image of bamboo as a symbol for the theological perspective of grass roots marginality. Using the ancient Chinese story “The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove,” Dr. Chung engages with Christian eschatological discourse to support an aesthetical-utopian theological ethics that is opposed to an ethics concerned with legitimation of a socio-economic status quo. In addition, Dr. Chung’s develops his deep commitment to the Lutheran theology of the cross and the suffering Christ through the Buddhist concept of dukkha (suffering) to create, in the end, a genuinely East Asian contextual theology

Minjung Theology is introduced here through theological biographical sketches of its main representatives. They formulated a protestant liberation theology under the South Korean military dictatorship of the 1970s and 80s. Their strong emphasis on the suffering (han) of the people (minjung) led them to the formulation of a genuine theology of the cross in Asia. Volker Küster explores the reception of Minjung Theology and raises the question what happened to it during the democratization process and the rise of globalization in the 1990s. Interpretations of art works by Minjung artists provide deep insights into these transformation processes. Prologue and epilogue abstract from the Korean case and offer a concise theory of contextual theology in an intercultural framework.

Migration has long been associated with the social sciences. However, as a phenomenon that provides windows into possibly new forms of oppression and, at the same time, paths toward human liberation a systematic theological look at contemporary migration is long overdue. Building on the emerging interest on migration in theology this book presents an intercultural theology of migration drawn from the experience of Filipino women domestic workers in Hong Kong in dialogue with theological ethics and liberationist theologies. The result is a new look at the phenomenon of contemporary migration.

When Barth and Scholz clashed over the scientific status of theology, Barth drew the conclusion that if natural science was to be drawn up in such positivistic terms, theology had much to lose and little to gain by engagement with it. A generation later Barth's translator and pupil Thomas Torrance maintained that science had changed enough to make an engagement more fruitful. In works such as Theological Science, Torrance sketched out the contours of such and engagement. However at the same time the anarchic philosopher of science, Paul Feyerabend, in books such as Against Method, sought to deconstruct any notion of 'science' as ultimately the protection of vested interests. This book analyses whether Torrance's notion of science can withstand this newer post-modern threat.

In the third millennium, people are increasingly being forced to decide how to lead an ethically acceptable life, both nationally and internationally, amidst the radical pluralism of world views. Surprisingly, while the West was a pioneer in the recognition of human rights, its stance towards both exclusivism and difference is distorted. Spurred on the Global Ethic Project of the Catholic theologian Hans Küng, this book searches for a plausible solution to the dilemma of global societal coexistence by carefully analysing the contemporary philosophical discussion. It uncovers the multifaceted ways, in which the standard Western interpretation promotes neutrality towards particular world views, shows why this interpretation is flawed, and presents an alternative with practical implications and an eye towards the global dialogue of cultures.

In Proverbs and the African Tree of Life Dorothy BEA Akoto-Abutiate juxtaposes chosen sayings from Proverbs and selected Ewe Folk proverbs using the agricultural metaphor of “grafting,” which she calls a “hermeneutic of grafting.” Though these two sets of sayings come from completely different cultural contexts, Akoto argues that folk sayings/proverbs, which abound in Africa, should be considered as an already mature, established tree on to which a piece of the biblical tree is spliced or engrafted to produce hybridized fruits that have uniquely different tastes than the fruits of each tree individually. This metaphorical grafting process allows the message of the Bible (in Proverbs) to be understood, imbibed and appropriated in Africa.

In From Laws to Liturgy, Edward Epsen offers a constructive account of what God produces in the act of creation and how it is ontologically ordered and governed. Inspired by the philosophy of Bishop Berkeley (18th century), Epsen proposes that the physical world is produced by the way God ordains the course of possible human sensations, with angels executing the divine ordinances. Idealism is here re-attached to a tradition of Christian Platonism, updating the traditional notions of the aeon, angelic government, and the divine ideas, so as to be capable of explanatory work in regard to the philosophical problems of perception and induction: the objectivity and observability of the world are explained by a unified sacramental economy of the Eucharist.

Aquinas’ theology can be understood only if one comes to grips with his metaphysics of being. The relevance of this perspective is exhibited in his treatment of topics like creation, goodness, happiness, truth, freedom of the will, the unity of the human being, prayer and providence, God’s personhood, divine love, God and violence, God’s unknowablility, the Incarnation, the Trinity, God’s existence, theological language and even laughter. This book endeavors to treat these questions in a clear and convincing language. Is there a better method for improving one’s own theology than by grappling with the arguments of Thomas Aquinas?

This book explores how the person and salvific significance of Jesus Christ can be understood within today’s secular and religiously plural world. Rather than adopting an exclusivist approach, it presents Christology in a manner that steers clear of both rigid absolutism and reductive relativism. At its core lies a thought-provoking question: how might Christology be interpreted not in opposition to, but in dialogue with, other religious traditions? Engaging with biblical sources, often-overlooked strands of theological heritage, and contemporary theological discourse, the book offers a fresh perspective on the concept of ‘incarnation.’ It reinterprets it as ‘representation,’ moving beyond the traditional doctrine of Christ’s two natures towards a more dynamic understanding of two fundamental relationships—Jesus’ relationship with God and his relationship with humanity.This work was originally published in German as Jesus Christus – Repräsentant Gottes by Theologischer Verlag Zürich (TVZ) in 2021. This English edition has been translated from the original and adapted to the context of Anglo-American theology and religious studies.