The field of Practical Theology has been slow to address the realities of environmental crises in its teaching, research, and practice. While there are relevant chapters and articles in books and ...journals, they are often difficult to find and their contents reveal a lack of conversational engagement. The present volume seeks to change this reality by bringing together key voices in the field from across the world to engage with the theme of Practical Theology amid Environmental Crises. It is the first of its kind. With this volume, we seek to initiate a sustained conversation on the topic by considering the implications of the crises for research, teaching, and practice in the field. With passion and a sense of grounded hope, we invite you to join us in this difficult but important conversation.
This book explores the organic motif found throughout the writings of the Dutch Calvinist theologian Herman Bavinck (1854-1921). Noting that Bavinck uses this motif at key points in the most ...important loci of theology; Christology, general and special revelation, ecclesiology and so forth; it seems that one cannot read him carefully without particular attention to his motif of choice: the organic. By examining the sense in which Bavinck views all of reality as a beautiful balance of unity-in-diversity, James Eglinton draws the reader to Bavinck's constant concern for the doctrine of God as Trinity. If God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Bavinck argues, the creation must be more akin to an organism than a machine. Trinity and organism are thus closely linked concepts. Eglinton critiques and rejects the 'two Bavincks' (one orthodox and the other modern) hermeneutic so commonplace in discussions of Bavinck's theology. Instead, this book argues for a reunited Herman Bavinck as a figure committed to the participation of historic orthodox theology in the modern world.
This is the first English translation, by Thomas Allan
Smith, of Philosophy of the Name
( Filosofiia imeni
). Sergii Bulgakov (1871-1944) wrote the book in
response to a theological controversy that ...erupted in Russia just
before the outbreak of World War I. Bulgakov develops a philosophy
of language that aims to justify the truthfulness of the statement
"the Name of God is God himself," a claim provoking debate on the
meaning of names, and the Name of God in particular. Philosophy
of the Name investigates the nature of words and human
language, considers grammar and parts of speech, and concludes with
an exposition on the Name of God.
Name-glorifying, a spiritual movement connected with the
Orthodox practice of the Jesus Prayer, was initially censured by
the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the controversy
raised profound questions that continue to vex ecclesiastical
authorities and theologians today. The controversy exposed a vital
question concerning the ability of human language to express
experiences of the Divine truthfully and authentically. Bulgakov
examines the idea that humans do not create words, rather, objects
speak their word to human beings, and words are the incarnation of
thought in a sonic body conveying meaning.
Philosophy of the Name offers a philosophy of language
for contemporary theologians of all confessions who wrestle with
the issue of language and God. It is a persuasive apologia for the
mysterious power of words and an appeal to make use of words
responsibly not only when speaking about God but equally when
communicating with others.
Disciplining the Divine offers the first comprehensive treatment of the Social Model of the Trinity, exploring its central place within much theological discourse of the past half century, including ...its relation to wider cultural and political concerns. The book highlights the manner in which theologians have attempted to make the doctrine of God relevant to modern issues and outlooks and it charts the conditions that have necessitated such a reconfiguration of theological analysis. While interrogatory in tone and intent, Disciplining the Divine nevertheless provides a critical reconstruction of a Christian theology and practice which might be undertaken within the political and cultural contexts of the new millennium.
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