The is essay will critically review four book chapters by theologians Elizabeth E. Johnson (2004) , Alister E. McGrath (2013), David Bentley Hart (2013) and Daniel Migliore (2013) and will highlight each authors contribution to the understanding of theology. Theology is “God-Talk’’ which is not limited to one religious tradition . Joseph Ratzinger states that theology subjects the traditions of Christianity to ‘’critical examination by the light of reason, to distil from them the essential core which can be appropriated for use today”. These contributions have critically examined concepts and ideologies common to theology in light of the emergence of the relatively many new theological emphases like black theology, feminist theology, and …show more content…
His chapter, ‘The Concept of Theology: A Brief Introduction’ is a more grounded, quantitative style of writing in contrast to Johnson. It is an authoritative, introduction to the history of Christian theology covering its development from the commencement of the Patristic period through to contemporary theological trends; it is geared towards an academic audience using secular language. Its objective is to inform theological debate and to provide an understanding of how Christian thought got to be where it is today. Theology, according to McGrath is discourse about God from the literal translation of the word, ‘theos ‘– God and ‘logos’ – word. Theology became to be understood as a ‘’systematic analysis of the nature, purposes and activity of God’’ as a divine being as distinct from man. Theology is not just a theoretical exercise, ‘’it is when we subject our beliefs to questioning that we are theologising.” As time passed there was a formalisation of the study of theology with the advent of Universities and a new label was required to describe this study. The Latin word ‘theologia’ came to mean the discipline of sacred learning which enveloped the whole of the Christian teachings not just teachings about God. The rise of the enlightenment during the 18th century questioned the validity, role and place of theology; enlightenment writers argued that academic inquiry should be free from any form of authority but as Ratzinger posits, freedom has proved directionless and has included violence in the defence of religious positions. In support, Johnson argues that it was a mistake of theology to define in detail constructs of God. Theology became fragmented according to McGraw into a collection of unrelated specialities raised questions about the structure of theology. McGraw discusses the architecture of theology
“Theology is not superior to the gospel. It exists to aid the preaching of salvation. Its business is to make the essential facts and principles of Christianity so simple and clear…that all who preach or teach the gospel…can draw on its stores and deliver a complete and unclouded Christian message. When the progress of humanity creates new tasks…or new problems…theology must connect these old fundamentals of our faith and make them Christian tasks and problems.” (WR 6)
Evans, C. Stephen. Critical Dialog in Philosophy of Religion. 1985. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press. Taken from Philosophy of Religion - Selected Readings, Fourth Edition. 2010. Oxford University Press, NY.
James H. Cone is the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Cone probably is best known for his book, A Black Theology of Liberation, though he has authored several other books. Dr. Cone wrote that the lack of relevant and “risky” theology suggests that theologians are not able to free themselves from being oppressive structures of society and suggested an alternative. He believes it is evident that the main difficulty most whites have with Black Power and its compatible relationship to the Christian gospel stemmed from their own inability to translate non-traditional theology into the history of black people. The black man’s response to God’s act in Christ must be different from the whites because his life experiences are different, Dr. Cone believes. In the “black experience,” the author suggested that a powerful message of biblical theology is liberation from oppression.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. Print. The. 2003 Roberts, Deotis J. Black Theology in Dialogue. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press. Print.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Benchmark Assignment: Gospel Essentials There are several aspects to consider when exploring the Christian worldview. There are many facets and denominations and they each have their own distinct beliefs and practices, but they all share the same fundamental beliefs. In this paper we will explore the character of God, His creation, humanity and its nature, Jesus’ significance to the world, and the restoration of humanity, as well as my beliefs and the way that I interact with Christianity and my personal worldview. God In the Christian worldview, God is the one and only God. He is the sovereign creator of everything.
Proving to be the paramount of the conflict between faith and reason, the European Enlightenment of the eighteenth century challenged each of the traditional values of that age. Europeans were changing, but Europe’s institutions were not keeping pace with that change.1 Throughout that time period, the most influential and conservative institution of Europe, the Roman Catholic Church, was forced into direct confrontation with these changing ideals. The Church continued to insist that it was the only source of truth and that all who lived beyond its bounds were damned; it was painfully apparent to any reasonably educated person, however, that the majority of the world’s population were not Christians.2 In the wake of witch hunts, imperial conquest, and an intellectual revolution, the Roman Catholic Church found itself threatened by change on all fronts.3 The significant role that the Church played during the Enlightenment was ultimately challenged by the populace’s refusal to abide by religious intolerance, the power of the aristocracy and Absolutism, and the rising popularity of champions of reform and print culture, the philosophes, who shared a general opposition to the Roman Catholic Church.
The Wesleyan quadrilateral is still relevant today as it provides a method for discovering the things of God, ourselves, and lets us know who God really is. For the purposes of this reflection paper, I would like to summarize the four components of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and then reflect personally upon each term as how it relates to the Christian theologian. The first component of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral is scripture. The term scripture used in the Wesleyan Quadrilateral refers to God’s word. God’s word is found in the Bible.
With this in mind, the objective of this essay is to focus on the main ideas of each theologian, and discuss how each theologian’s ideas are compensatory to the other. This is important because even though each theologian’s writings were inspired by the harsh realities of the societies, and also by the effect each writer experienced in their moment in history, their critiques specifically of Christian institutions remain a consistent amongst all three writings. Furthermore, not only are their critiques consistent, but their goals for providing new frameworks for the future of the Church and Christian discipleship are consistent as well.
...s distributed in Theology 101 at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.
C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya, The Black Church in the African American Experience (Durham: Duke University Press, 1990), 352. Lindsay A. Arscott, "Black Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 10 (April-June 1986):137. James H. Cone, "Black Theology in American Religion," Theology Today 43 (April 1986):13. James H. Cone, "Black Theology and Black Liberation," in Black Theology: The South African Voice, ed. Basil Moore (London: C. Hurst & Co., 1973), 92, 96.
Writing “a critical theological essay” is giving a critique to “nontheological material” (e.g. Film or current global ethical issues) in the light of theological perspectives. Yaghjian helps to identify the “rhetorics of the critical theological essay” in which she emphasizes on explaining th...
Kerr, H. (1990). Readings in christian thought (2nd ed.). H. T. Kerr (Ed.). Nashville: Abingdon Press.
Corley, Lemke and Lovejoy (2002) agree with the importance of the two contexts defining theological hermeneutics as, the process of thinking about God, thinking after the event of revelation in the...
Cortez, Marc. Theological Anthropology: A Guide for the Perplexed. New York: T&T Clark International, 2010. Print.