Search Results (43)

The aim of this article is to understand why Liberation Theology remains in dispute, placed between life and death, in the condition of agony as its own place. To this purpose, it analyzes the malaise and misunderstandings that accompany it, especially contemporary ones. It seeks to situate Liberation Theology in its connection with history and today’s society in its conflicts and sufferings. This way, it seriously considers theological places as social and historical places and vice versa. It then deepens its epistemological vocation with the principle of liberation together with the principle of mercy and the principle of hope. It concludes with the internal approaches of this theology as Theologies for the Kingdom of God, affirmative theologies, and Theology of the God of the Kingdom, theology of kenosis, of God on the crosses of those who suffer. Full article

The year 2025 commemorates the 1700th year of Nicaea. Ecumenical bodies across the globe are deliberating on making sense of the Nicene confession afresh in the contemporary context. At this juncture, it is appropriate to rethink the relevance of Nicaea in relation to the doctrine of human being. This article looks at the doctrine of human being, particularly in Indian conversations. Indian theologians have rendered their own understanding of human being. Notable among them are Paulos Mar Gregorios, who envisioned Sacramental Humanism, M. M. Thomas, who envisioned Secular Humanism, and Y. T. Vinayaraj, who envisions Intersubjective Humanism. Assuming the theme of ‘humanity’ to be inherent in the Nicene Creed, this article re-reads Nicaea through the lens of theologia crucis (theology of the cross), which in turn leads to a fresh imagination of the category ‘evangelical’. It repositions evangelical to mean ‘gospel-affirming’. In the light of an evangelical/gospel affirming imagination, it explores the relational nature and the critical function of doctrine in the Indian context. A relational–critical understanding of doctrine provides the scope to envision the doctrine of human being through the lens of humanitas crucis (humanity of the cross). The implications of an evangelical hermeneutic of humanitas crucis are explored in relation to the emerging digital cultural context. Full article

Hearing the word ‘death’ applied to oneself is a remarkably sobering experience. This is particularly true when the ‘one’ being referred to is a Pentecostal, a theologian, and a friend of Martin Luther. Reading Luther with Pentecostal ears is always a deconstructive process against the accumulated Luther scholarship that champions his view of the objective nature of Word and Sacrament over against the vicissitude of spiritual experience. Nevertheless, two moments in Luther’s life (the recovery of Philip Melanchthon and the death of his daughter Magdalena) open perspectives on the personal appropriation of the theologia crucis in the later Luther. In the process they illuminate the Pentecostal longing for healing, while critiquing some of its popular paradigms. Together they voice this particular ‘one’s’ journey through a bout of cancer. Full article

Against the backdrop of the dialogue between theology, cinema, and image culture more broadly, this article explores Paul Schrader’s 2017 film First Reformed as an experiment in cinematic theology. His 1972 work Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer outlines the contours of a cross-cultural, cross-religious model of spiritual cinema and remains an influential text within both film studies and theology. While much of his career as both a director and screenwriter has embraced a broad spectrum of themes, from the psychological pessimism of Taxi Driver (1976) to the deep Christology of The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), First Reformed sees Schrader return to his theory of a sacred cinema through the themes of spiritual crisis, ecological indifference, and the politicization of Christianity. Through a theological and hermeneutical reflection on the film, its visual and narrative grammar, and its influences, this article explores Schrader’s cinema as model of divine intimacy that redeems in an indifferent world. Full article

The purpose of this article is to give a historical and reasoned overview of the phenomenon of emergence according to the various authors involved, with particular emphasis on its openness to the dimension of the mystery of the real, which can lead the scientist to humility in scientific research. The evidence, the curiosity and then the study of this concept, which is so pervasive in the complexity of cosmic dynamics, in fact requires an investigation that must be extended not only to different disciplines, but through them. In fact, the cross-disciplinary method enriches the quality of this research, giving reason to both the unity and the complexity of reality. The phenomenon of emergence is particularly concerned with this cross-disciplinary scientific approach, which transcends any reductionism in favour of a network of meanings specifically nourished by the possibility of conjunctive explanations involving empirical science, philosophy, metaphysics and theology. Faced with this perspective offered by emergence, science discovers the mystery of the cosmos in a new light, thereby opening the door to an ever deeper understanding and new avenues of research. An essential characteristic of this revised scientific method, inspired by cross-disciplinarity, is thus humility, which allows, on the one hand, a deeper relationship between disciplines and persons and, on the other hand, a heightened awareness of the depth of reality, as a complex and intelligible gift of a Trinitarian God, revealed as Logos in Jesus Christ. Full article

Situated in the unique historical context of Hong Kong—a contact zone between East and West—this study explores how Christianity’s introduction through British colonialism and missionary efforts has intertwined with and influenced Chinese cultural traditions. By examining selected works of Xu Dishan and Chen Zanyi, this study reveals the dynamic negotiations of identity and values between these two cultural and religious traditions. These literary works not only depict the complexities of cultural hybridity but also provide insights into the evolving nature of cultural identity in Hong Kong, illustrating how global religions and local traditions can merge and transform each other. This study contributes to understanding the intricate dance of religious exchange, conflict, and compromise in Hong Kong’s cross-culture setting, suggesting that such literary explorations can bridge Christianity with the socio-economic, cultural, and historical fabric of Chinese society. Full article

This paper aims to decode medieval theology from the vantage point of ancient Chinese poetry, employing a cross-textual methodology that encourages a fusion of horizons. It highlights Saint Bernard’s profound and influential theological exegesis of the “Song of Songs”, particularly his comparison of the divine–human relationship to the conjugal bond. The present study posits that readers from Chinese culture can gain access to Saint Bernard’s mystical theology through the sentiment of love, as portrayed in the Book of Odes (Shijing). Initially addressing love as a core human sentiment, this study progresses by juxtaposing the representations of love in the Book of Odes with those in the “Song of Songs”. This comparative analysis culminates in an exploration of Saint Bernard’s theological perspectives, illuminated through these analogous depictions of love. The results affirm that engaging with Saint Bernard’s discourse on love via the Book of Odes is not only feasible but also instrumental in dispelling widespread misconceptions. Full article

The Easter controversy of the late second century unveiled a profound theological and cultural debate within early Christianity. Originating from differing practices regarding the calculation of Easter dates, the dispute pitted the churches of Asia Minor against the Roman Church. This paper primarily employs a method of documentary analysis. It analyzes the accounts provided by the fourth-century historian Eusebius of Caesarea in his work The History of the Church. It is also cross-referenced with the works of second-century Christian writers. Through this process, this paper seeks to reconstruct the situation of this Easter controversy. Furthermore, it aims to uncover the struggle for apostolic authority concealed beneath the surface of this debate over dates. Central figures like Victor I and Polycrates engaged in this struggle for Apostolic authority, responding to challenges posed by heresies. Victor I leveraged his position to convene religious conferences and issue excommunication decrees against dissenting churches, laying claim to the papal primacy. However, Polycrates invoked the apostolic succession and heritage from John the Apostle to assert the legitimacy of the churches in Asia Minor, challenging Victor I’s attempts at centralizing power within the Roman see. The controversy reflected broader debates over apostolic succession and ecclesiastical power structures. The Easter controversy serves as a case study of the Early Church’s engagement with practical theology and the integration of religious festival culture with social backgrounds, highlighting the significance of Easter as a symbol of Christian unity and collective memory. This debate highlighted theological nuances and underscored broader issues of communal identity and the power struggle within early Christian communities. Full article

Most Pentecostals, at least in the global South, believe that Satan and his demonic forces are responsible for much of the carnage and suffering that characterise life on earth. The broader context of the discourse is the challenge theodicy poses to Christian believers: if God is almighty and good, why do believers, just like unbelievers, suffer while living on earth? This paper aims to discuss Pentecostals’ response: they blame evil as Satan’s strategy to oppose God. They reason that his main goal is to handicap and double-cross creation because God threw him and his followers from heaven following his rebellion against the divine order. Thus, Satan is portrayed as the instigator of the first human couple, tempting them to sin, with all future generations implied by their choice and cursing human beings with a sinful nature at birth. Demonic forces employ human sinful nature to realise their ultimate goal, to separate humankind from the Creator by tempting them to sin while also threatening the rest of creation. This article investigates the Pentecostal theology of demonic forces in explaining the challenges posed by theodicy by comparing it to biblical data, using grammatical-historical exegesis and a comparative literature survey to evaluate their biblical grounding. It concludes that Pentecostals’ belief in such forces are justified if the the New Testament narratives are accepted as divine revelation. However, some Pentecostal speculations about demons’ origins, scope and reach are not biblically justified and complicates the response to theodicy, such as the origin of evil and its relation to human beings. Full article

This article aims to approach Sanjuanist mysticism from a queer perspective. It is not a monolithic apology to queer people, nor a treatise on mystical interpretation, but an effort to recognize and validate the spiritual experience of LGBTIQ+ people. It takes some mystical passages from St. John of the Cross that help to read the experience of queer life in a mystical key. With this, the potential of mysticism to combat those phobic, segregating, and unjust ideologies that mistreat so many people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity dissidence is manifested. Although it is problematic, talking about this is an act of epistemic, sociocultural, and religious justice. Full article

This paper reveals the interweaving of three traditions—Christian, Manchu, and Han Chinese—in the work of an unduly neglected figure in early modern China, Aisin-Gioro Depei 愛新覺羅·德沛 (1688–1752), who was a Manchu prince, neo-Confucian philosopher, and likely, a hidden Christian. The analysis demonstrates that Depei developed a particular syncretic philosophy based on the rational theology that he learned from the works of a significant Jesuit missionary, Giulio Aleni (1582–1649, 艾儒略), notably Aleni’s Xingxue cushu 性學觕述 (A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature). Using resources from Christian and Confucian traditions, Depei puts forward an approach, which marks the continuation of the cross-cultural interpretation movement launched by the missionaries since the late Ming. Full article

Contemporary thinking on religion is confronted with the challenge of shifting from a ‘philosophy of religion’ to a ‘philosophy of religious experience’. This challenge, on which the common future of philosophy and theology depends, is not to draw a line between the two, but rather to cross that very line. Crossing the boundary between philosophy and theology, which is what is being discussed here, means transcending its naive geometric understanding in order to take up the old task of thinking in a new way. This is a challenge to both philosophy and theology because it is an existential, or rather an experiential, task. It is about a specific experience and a specific way of life that emerges from it, which must be described in philosophy and at the same time elaborated in theology. This is perhaps the greatest challenge to religious thought. The most representative recent attempts to meet this challenge will be traced below. As we shall see, the best method for both philosophical and theological description of religious experience seems to be phenomenology. The latter allows a free exploration of this experience, while avoiding the trap of falling into the limitations set by either philosophy or theology unduly separated by the boundaries set by a conventional academic rigor. The problem of this article is the quest of exploring religious experience itself: the possibility of such an undertaking, its method, and its future. The considerations presented beneath will lead us to conclude that religious thought, to survive and develop further, needs a specifically understood conversion: its future lies, namely, in converting to experience. Full article

This article presents a constructive dialogue between contemporary theological phenomenology and systematic theology. It considers the writings of the French phenomenologist Emmanuel Falque by offering a precis of his unique approach to “crossing” the boundaries of theology and philosophy. This methodological innovation serves as an intervention into contemporary theological phenomenology, which allows him to propose an overlooked dimension of human corporeality, what he calls the spread-body (corps épandu). Within the latter is embedded a conception of bodily existence that escapes ratiocination and is comprised of chaotic forces, drives, desires, and animality. The article challenges not so much this philosophical description but rather suggests that Falque’s theological resolution to this subterranean dimension of corporeal life consists in a deus ex machina that re-orders these corporeal forces without remainder through participation in the eucharist. It argues that Falque’s notion of the spread body can be supplemented theologically by an account of ‘affectivity’ that is distinguished from auto-affection, as in the case of Michel Henry, and which also gleans from the field of affect theory. This supplementation is derived from current research in systematic theology, which looks at the doctrines of pneumatology and sanctification to offer a more plausible account of corporeality in light of the Christian experience of the affective body. Full article

Heresies are intrinsically intertwined with the evolution and inner growth of the very religions that denounce them. They serve as theological junctures, challenging and thus refining the orthodoxy of religious beliefs. The Pelagian heresy touches on one of the central tenets of Christian theology: the question of salvation. Pelagianism posits that human beings retain freedom of the will and, more specifically, the capacity to earn salvation through their own merits rather than relying solely on the grace of God in Christ. This stands in contrast to the predominant Christian view that Original Sin fundamentally impaired man’s will and intellect. A central tenet of Christianity is that through His suffering and death on the Cross, Christ atoned for humanity’s Original Sin and paved the way for our redemption. But what exactly made this redemption possible through the suffering and death on the Cross? Unlike many of the answers offered, Abelard’s explanation, also referred to as exemplarism, resonates with modern sensibilities: Christ set an example to imitate, and through this imitation, man learns humility and love. However, this stance faced criticism and was condemned by Bernard of Clairvaux as having Pelagian tendencies because it suggests that Christ’s redemptive work might not inherently require Christ’s divine nature. This study will attempt to defend the exemplaristic approach while ensuring Christ’s essential role and addressing criticisms against the Pelagian heresy. This discussion is further enriched by an examination of the Eucharist, illuminating the theological tension between symbolic and realistic interpretations of religious rites. Full article