Dialog-A Journal of Theology最新文献

{"title":"Keynote address at the Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope” September 14, 2023","authors":"Tomáš Halík","doi":"10.1111/dial.12869","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12869","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Christianity stands on the threshold of a new reformation. It will not be the first, nor the second, nor the last. The Church is, in the words of St. Augustine, ever reforming, <i>semper reformanda</i>. But especially in times of great change and crisis in our common world, it is the Church's prophetic task to recognize and respond to God's call in relation to these signs of the times.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 4","pages":"160-165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143253343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thomas F. Torrance on Christian Theological Instinct: Its Significances for Sino-Christian Theology","authors":"Haoran Zhang","doi":"10.1111/dial.12872","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12872","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Central to Thomas F. Torrance's theological epistemology is an emphasis on the objectivity. However, Torrance also recognizes seemingly subjective “Christian theological instinct.” Regrettably, existing researches have not sufficiently explored the meaning of theological instinct nor thoroughly examined its implications for the subject–object relationship within Torrance's theological epistemology. Considering this scholarly gap, this paper undertakes an investigation by compiling new materials on “Christian theological instinct” and conducting an analysis of Torrance's writings. This paper clarifies theological instinct and uses it to understand the cognitive process in Torrance's theology, particularly regarding the realization of objectivity within the subject. Lastly, this paper highlights the significance of theological instinct for Sino-Christian theology.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 4","pages":"204-210"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On Certainty, Proper Confidence, and Doubt: A Postfoundationalist and Critical Realist Epistemology for Doing Constructive Theology","authors":"Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen","doi":"10.1111/dial.12871","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12871","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The present essay¹ seeks to focus on the meaning and challenges of <i>doubt</i> and <i>lack of certainty</i> in the context of doing academic theological work, whether in a Seminary setting such as my own, Fuller Theological Seminary, or in a “secular” university setting such as the University of Helsinki, my other institution. Throughout, I am raising questions such as whether any kind of certainty or confidence is available in the work of theology, particularly constructive theology, my own particular area of interest. Speaking of constructive theology, reflecting on the issues of doubt, certainty, and confidence is particularly important for the simple reason that it typically engages some non-theological disciplines such as natural sciences with their own criteria for truth. And in my case, dialogue with some other faith traditions, including Islam, further makes the issue of doubt pertinent. To make my inquiry manageable—and hopefully also dynamic—I am carrying critical conversation with two thinkers of the 20th century, namely the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the missionary bishop and cultural critic of the West, Lesslie Newbigin. Whereas the mature Wittgenstein was in search of certainty towards the end of his life, Newbigin sought for proper confidence. Both of them rejected the Cartesian indubitable certainty of modernity, on the one hand, and the dismissal of the possibility of truth in many streams of late modernity on the other. While critically affirming some key arguments of these two diverse thinkers, I also see the importance of buttressing their emerging epistemological programs with the help of insights from postfoundationalist and critical–realist epistemologies. It is clear without saying that this big task can only be outlined and sketched rather than scrutinized in any detail within a 1-h talk! My presentation is more an invitation to conversation and less any kind of finished project. I will first engage the two protagonists. Thereafter, before the summative and concluding reflections in terms of implications to theology and faith, a brief look at the meaning and nature of postfoundationalism and critical realism is attempted.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 3","pages":"131-137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143252505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Lutheran World Federation—Communion for reformation and hope","authors":"Mary J. Streufert","doi":"10.1111/dial.12868","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12868","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 4","pages":"141-142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143252337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Abound in hope: An invitation to a hopeful theological agenda after the thirteenth assembly of the LWF","authors":"Sivin Kit","doi":"10.1111/dial.12867","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12867","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) marked a pivotal moment for global Lutheranism. The assembly served as a platform for Lutherans worldwide to converge in Krakow, where they collectively discerned their shared future. While critics have claimed that the LWF has departed from its confessional identity, the Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF nevertheless demonstrated continuity with its historical and confessional roots, now underscored by a renewed focus on hope as the central theological principle. Numerous contextual and global challenges necessitate a theological agenda for a unified movement forward. Through an eschatological lens of hope, Lutherans globally are encouraged to deepen their reflection on biblical interpretation, theological contributions, and ecclesial missional practice. A realistic understanding of Christian hope shapes how one thinks and acts in the here and now in the most difficult of circumstances. This shift is already evident in the new LWF strategy and has begun to manifest regionally. This essay is an invitation to a hopeful theological agenda for the Lutheran communion and aims to make a significant contribution to world Christianity and society at large.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 4","pages":"143-150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"YES to women's ordination and NO to violence against women: Gender justice and the LWF communion of churches","authors":"Arnfridur Gudmundsdottir","doi":"10.1111/dial.12866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12866","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Gender justice has been a priority of the Lutheran Word Federation (LWF) for decades, much longer than the existence of its <i>Gender Justice Policy</i> (2013) where it is affirmed that gender justice is “a matter of faith.” The LWF has always put great emphasis on the theological problems gender justice issues present, as opposed to an assessment that women's experiences of exclusion and abuses of power are strictly acknowledged and treated as human rights violations. Therefore the committment to gender justice has been strongly tied to the importance of theological education as a critical tool against misleading theologies that justify patriarchal world views, including traditional gender roles and women's submissiveness. The focus in this article is on two major gender justice issues the LWF has called particular attention to, namely women's equal participation to men in leadership roles, including ordained ministry, and violence against women within the church and society at large. Ever since the Seventh Assembly of the LWF in Budapest in 1984, LWF member churches have been urged in assembly messages and resolutions to promote full inclusion of women in the life of church and society and to secure their health and well-being. Multiple documents, action plans, policies, and reports have been written in order to follow up on the directions from the assemblies regarding women. My aim here is to explore those documents and to lift up what has already been said about women's leadership roles in church and society and about discrimination and violence against women. These documents laid the groundwork for what was stated in the documents passed at the Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF in Poland in September 2023.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 4","pages":"151-159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143253506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcendent emotions: A comparative study of Martin Luther's pietas and Zhu Xi's Cheng-Jing","authors":"Zhang Jun","doi":"10.1111/dial.12864","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12864","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Both Martin Luther's <i>pietas</i> and Zhu Xi's <i>Cheng-Jing</i> are not purely empirical emotional categories, but transcendent emotional categories of faith. By comparing Luther's <i>pietas</i> and Zhu Xi's <i>Cheng-Jing</i>, this article reveals how Christianity and Confucianism constructed individual emotional and spiritual transcendence in early modernity. By doing so, it highlights both similarities and fundamental differences between Neo-Confucianism and Protestantism in matters of faith, thus revealing their significance for modern society.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 3","pages":"79-86"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143253163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When belief is “baptized” by doubt: Transitions from credulity to faith","authors":"Guillermo Cesar Hansen","doi":"10.1111/dial.12865","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12865","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Beginning with Luther's understanding of doubt using Genesis 3 as a template, the article explains how credulity differs from faith as the human mind interacts with shifting contexts and their doubts. In distinction from credulity, faith is an emergent phenomenon shaping personality and its social insertion. As faith mediates a compassionate orientation toward sufferers, it expresses the way in which the ultimate transcends <i>into</i> the penultimate or paramount reality dominated by the mechanisms of natural and social selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 3","pages":"123-130"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143252482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holy love and compassionate love: A comparison of the essential differences between the concept of love in Lutheran theology and the Buddhist concept of love","authors":"Jun Wen","doi":"10.1111/dial.12861","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dial.12861","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Christianity and Buddhism, two of the most influential religions in the world, have given much thought to the concept of love, and both regard it as the basic spirit of their religions, but there are some essential differences between the two. Specifically speaking, the Lutheran theological tradition which has developed since the Reformation in the 16th century advocates the holy love entirely centered on God. In contrast, Buddhism affirms an uncontaminated love emanating from a compassionate heart. This article attempts to analyze and examine the fundamental assertations of the concept of love in Lutheran theology and the Buddhist concept of love in order to reveal the essential differences between the two religions.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 3","pages":"94-99"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141804455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shaping our bodies to our shape our selves: A theological remedy to the discontented pursuit of the body I want to be","authors":"Maja I. Whitaker","doi":"10.1111/dial.12862","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dial.12862","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The late modern person has a complicated relationship with the body: despite a contemporary “return to the body,” the body is still conceived as a project which the person must advance and revise in order to both express and shape their sense of self-identity. For all people this project is destined to failure at some point, and it has a range of concerning implications along the way. In thrall to the prevailing cultural ideologies that idolize projection, progress, and proficiency, our approach to the body is more likely to be characterized by manipulation and striving than the divine affirmation that “it is good” (Gen 1). This dynamic underlies the modern epidemic of ill health, eating disorders, disordered eating, “obesity,” and body-shaming. Contemporary Christians are poorly insulated from the perils of a culture that is simultaneously body-obsessed and body-denying. A barely perceptible Gnosticism undergirds much of the popular theology of the body in practice, and the church has done little to address these ills, instead becoming mired in other body issues centered around sexuality and reproduction. The church has even absorbed the aims of the “wellness” industry and diet culture, sprinkling them Christianese and Christian celebrity endorsements. What can a biblical Christian thought and practice offer as a remedy? Ultimately, the human person need not strive to establish his or her identity, instead it is held secure in Christ. Both beauty and health, theologically defined, emerge from the integration of self and body, and the participation of the whole person in the divine life.</p>","PeriodicalId":42769,"journal":{"name":"Dialog-A Journal of Theology","volume":"63 4","pages":"182-190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141815324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}