Newton, Einstein and Barth on time and eternity

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-449
Author(s):  
Li Qu
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Einstein Equations ◽  
Historical Event ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Newtonian Theory ◽  
Absolute Time ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Holy Spirit

AbstractFor two hundred years after 1687, Newton's notion of absolute time dominated the world of physics. However, Newtonian metaphysical absolute time is so ideal that it may only be realised and actualised by God. In the early twentieth century, Einstein breaks this dominant understanding of time fundamentally by his Special Theory of Relativity and General Theory of Relativity. In the Einsteinian paradigm, we are forced to think no longer of space and time but rather to look at a four-dimensional space-time continuum, in which time appears to be more space-like than temporal. The Newtonian theory implies that there is an absolute, dominant point from which the universe can be observed, whereas Einstein argues for the opposite: there can be no vantage perspective and no universal present by which God can divide past and future.Barth takes a trinitarian approach to interpret the concept of time. For Barth, the Father is coeternal with the Son and the Holy Spirit. The eternal immanent Trinity acts concretely as the temporal economic Trinity, thus the triune God is pre-, supra- and post- to us. In actual temporality, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit transcend time concretely in our history and penetrate time absolutely from divine eternity. God's eternity is both transcendent and immanent to human time.Such a trinitarian temporality might serve as a ‘dynamic privileged perspective’ since time, energy and movement are all created by God from eternity. On the one hand, the triune Creator transcends his creature and its creaturely form – time absolutely; on the other hand, even when God enters time and moves together with the time ‘uniformly’ in the Son and the Holy Spirit, he becomes concretely simultaneous with all time. Also the Barthian perspective might provide something which is lacking in Einstein's relative time, i.e. the direction of time from the past to the future. Since every historical event in Einsteinian four-dimensional continuum is posited as a static space-time slice and Einstein equations are time-reversible, there is no ontological difference between time dimensions at all. However, in Barth's trinitarian opinion, such extraordinary events as the creation, resurrection and Pentecost are ontologically superior to other events in human history because they do change our temporality in an absolute way. Penetrated by the trinitarian eternity, those discrete space-time slices also become communicable and hence take genuine temporal characteristics, i.e. the past, present and future.

Could there Be More than One Almighty?

1993 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. Bartel
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
Literal Sense ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Trinity

If proof is required that yesterday's scandal can become today's fashion, we need look no further than recent discussions of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Just a generation ago, Trinitarians typically insisted that the members of the Godhead are not distinct persons in any literal sense. But during the past few years, more and more philosophically sophisticated Christians have unblushingly maintained that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not just different persons, but different individuals – that the Trinity consists of three divine beings.

scholarly journals A paisagem em Criúva e Vila Seca, Caxias do Sul, Brasil: uma narrativa etnográfica

ILUMINURAS ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (40) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Ribeiro ◽  
José Carlos Gomes dos Anjos ◽  
Guilherme Francisco Waterloo Radomsky
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Rural Districts ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Landscape Survey ◽  
The City ◽  
Reflective Narrative ◽  
Life Projects

Trajeto etnográfico realizado em contexto multidisciplinar de pesquisa motiva essa narrativa reflexiva. Recorre-se criticamente a observação participante realizada em dois distritos rurais nas circunvizinhanças da segunda maior cidade gaúcha (Caxias do Sul). O procedimento foi conduzido mediante o acompanhamento do ciclo de louvação da festa do Divino Espírito Santo, mas a narrativa própria, que desvela a paisagem como bem de uso comum no lugar, atinge-se através da atenção às alteridades desveladas nesse percurso. Nesse contexto, avaliam-se as contribuições e possibilidades do fazer etnográfico em um tema mais abrangente ainda a deslindar: a luta dos habitantes do lugar - agricultores há mais de 150 anos nos Campos de Cima da Serra - para continuarem seus projetos de vida. Pois, supostamente no mesmo espaço-tempo, a cidade exige outras ações, sob o discurso da conservação ambiental, contudo portando em seu bojo desejos de outras espécies. Nessa pesquisa de paisagem, mais do que compreender, almeja-se ressoar a voz de quem vive no lugar.Palavras-chave: Paisagem. Ruralidade. Etnografia. The Landscape in Criúva and Vila Seca, Caxias do Sul, Brazil: an ethnographic narrativeAbstractOngoing ethnographic path nested in a multidisciplinary context research, motivates this reflective narrative. The participant observation conducted in two rural districts in the neighborhood of the second largest city of Rio Grandedo Sul (Caxias do Sul) is critically reviewed. The main procedure that was carried out was the following of celebrations cycle of the Holy Spirit. Despite this, the narrative that unfolds the landscape as a common use in the place it is reached through the attention to diversitiesunveiled in this path. In this context, the researchers seek to critically evaluate the contributions and possible contributions of ethnographic work to a more comprehensive theme. The drama to be empirically figured out is the struggles of inhabitants of the place - farmers since 150 years in Campos de Cima da Serra - to continue their life projects. It happens that, supposedly in the same space time, the city requires other actions in the discourse of environmental conservation, however showing desires of other species. In this landscape survey more than to understand, it’s aimed to resonate the voices of people who live in the place.Key words: Landscape. Rurality. Ethnography.

Pentecostals and Charismatics in America

2019 ◽  
pp. 241-260
Author(s):  
Cecil M. Robeck
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
First Century ◽  
1 Corinthians ◽  
The Past ◽  
Family Tradition ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Christian Family ◽  
The Church

This chapter traces Pentecostal and related congregations, churches, denominations, and organizations that stem from the beginning of the twentieth century. They identify with activities at Pentecost described in Acts 2 and in the exercise of charisms in 1 Corinthians 12–14. Each of them highlights is the significance of a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit leading to a transformed life. These often interrelated organizations and movements have brought great vitality to the Church worldwide for over one hundred years, and together, they constitute as much as 25 per cent of the world’s Christians. This form of spirituality is unique over the past 500 years, since it may be found in virtually every historic Christian family/tradition, and in most churches of the twenty-first century.

The Unchanging Universe

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-86
Author(s):  
Demetris Nicolaides
Keyword(s):  
Space Time ◽  
Sense Perception ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Time Continuum ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Block Universe

Heraclitus declares the being (that which exists, nature) but identifies it with becoming, but Parmenides declares just the Being; only what is, is, what is not, is not. All “follows” from that: change, he argues, is logically impossible and so what is, is one and unchangeable! This dazzling absolute monism is in daring disagreement with sense perception, but curiously it has found a well-known genius as a supporter. Emboldened by his theory of relativity, Einstein considers the universe as a four-dimensional “block” (a space-time continuum like a loaf of bread) which, remarkably, contains all moments of time (of past, present, and future) always, and where change is an illusion. He said, “For we convinced physicists, the distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion, however persistent.” In the block universe, the past is not gone, it is present; and the future, like the present, is, well, present, too.

scholarly journals Reference frames in relativistic space-time

1988 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 99-103
Author(s):  
M. Soffel ◽  
H. Herold ◽  
H. Ruder ◽  
M. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frames ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Newtonian Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Laser Gyroscope ◽  
Definition Of

Three fundamental concepts of reference frames in relativistic space-time are confronted: 1. the gravitational compass, 2. the stellar compass and 3. the inertial compass. It is argued that under certain conditions asymptotically fixed (stellar) reference frames can be introduced with the same rigour as local Fermi frames, thereby eliminating one possible psychological reason why the importance of Fermi frames frequently has been overestimated in the past. As applications of these three concepts we discuss: 1. a relativistic definition of the geoid, 2. a relativistic astrometric problem and 3. the post-Newtonian theory of a laser gyroscope fixed to the Earth's surface.

The Mother of God's People: The Adoration of the Holy Spirit in the Eighteenth-Century Brüdergemeine

1999 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 886-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Atwood
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Religious Community ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Essential Point ◽  
The Past ◽  
Moravian Church ◽  
God's People ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Church

“Lord God, now we praise you, you worthy Holy Spirit! The church in unity honors you, the mother of Christendom. All the angels and the host of heaven and whoever serves the honor of the Son; also the cherubim and seraphim, sing with a clear voice: ‘Divine majesty, who proceeds from the Father, who praises the Son as the creator and points to his suffering.’ … Daily O Mother! whoever knows you and the Savior glorifies you because you bring the gospel to all the world.” These lines are from the Te Matrem, a prayer to the Holy Spirit that for nearly thirty years was a regular part of worship for a German Protestant group known as the Brüdergemeine. The Brüdergemeine, commonly called the Moravian Church today, was an international religious community that developed an elaborate and creative liturgical life for its carefully regulated communities. The Brethren's intense devotion to the suffering of Christ is the most famous aspect of their worship, but in the mid-eighteenth century their leader, Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, actively encouraged the Brüdergemeine to worship the Holy Spirit as the mother of the church. Surprisingly, though, this aspect of Zinzendorf's theology has been largely overlooked or downplayed by historians and theologians in the past two hundred years. When it has been discussed, it has been dismissed as a brief aberration or experiment that was discarded after the so-called Sifting Time (Sichtungzeit.) The Sifting Time was a period of liturgical and social excess in the community, the details of which remain quite obscure. The Brethren used the word Sichtungzeit to refer to a time when the community was in danger of becoming a fanatical sect. Dates for the Sifting Time range from a high of 1736–52 to a low of 1746–49, but the most common dating is 1743–50. This article will show that the use of maternal imagery for the Holy Spirit was not a tangential or quixotic aspect of Zinzendorf's theology, but thrived for more than thirty years and was, in Zinzendorf's words, “an extremely important and essential point … and all our Gemeine and praxis hangs on this point.”

The Holy Spirit and time in contemporary Catholic and Protestant theology

2005 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-409
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Vondey
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Theology Of The Cross ◽  
Subjective Time ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
The Past ◽  
Objective Time ◽  
Modern Cosmology ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Cross

Contemporary Catholic and Protestant theology has transposed the scientific debate on time into an eschatological discussion about subjective time and objective time. This discussion can be made intelligible in the context of modern cosmology if we allow contemporary eschatology to be transformed by a pneumatological approach to time. In the self-giving of the Holy Spirit into time, the ‘wheel of history’ is identical with the eschatological arrow of history. This is exemplified in a theology of the cross which locates the eternal power of the cross not in the human act of anamnesis by recalling in the present Christ's sacrifice as an event of the past, but in the Holy Spirit who liberates Christ's historical sacrifice on the cross from its temporal coordinates and propels the redemptive act throughout time towards any person in history. A pneumatological approach to time suggests that eschatology is determined not only by the end and the consummation of the present in the future but also by the perpetuation of the present moment through the power of God unfolding in time in the operation of the Holy Spirit. If it can be shown that this is true not only for a theology of the cross, then it may be possible to say, in general, that the unique finality and collective character of God's work of salvation at any moment in history is made possible by the perpetuating work of the Holy Spirit as the eternal lord of time and history.

scholarly journals Baptisan Roh Kudus dalam Teologi Pantekosta dan Implikasinya Bagi Hidup Orang Percaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Yakub Hendrawan Perangin Angin ◽  
Tri Astuti Yeniretnowati
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pentecostal Theology ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Strong Commitment

The question of what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and how it happens, has created many great dividing lines and even endless debates from the past until now among Christians. Also the debate regarding the time and way of being baptized in the Holy Spirit also often becomes a polemic at the time of repentance or after? To answer this problem, this research was carried out using a qualitative method with a library approach, namely by collecting information from various textbooks and journals, then the researchers analyzed the concept of baptism and the concept of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a conceptual framework that can provide a theological frame for how the baptism of the Holy Spirit is carried out. in Pentecostal Theology and its implications for believers. The conclusion of this study is how the implications of the baptism of the Holy Spirit which are agreed upon and experienced by people who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ increasingly give power and a very strong commitment to service for believers in their devotion to God.Pertanyaan tentang arti dibaptis dengan Roh Kudus dan bagaimana hal itu terjadi, sudah banyak membuat garis pemisah besar bahkan perdebatan yang tiada ujung dari dulu sampai saat ini di kalangan umat kristiani. Juga perdebatan terkait waktu dan cara seseorang dibaptis Roh Kudus juga sering kali menjadi polemik saat bertobat atau setelahnya?. Untuk menjawab permasalah ini maka dilakukan tinjauan pustaka, yaitu dengan cara menganalisis tentang konsep baptisan dan konsep baptisan Roh Kudus sebagai sebuah kerangka konsep yang dapat memberikan bingkai teologis bagaimana baptisan Roh Kudus dalam Teologi Pentakosta dan implikasinya bagi orang percaya. Implikasi dari baptisan Roh Kudus yang diamini dan dialami orang percaya semakin memberi kuasa dan komitmen pelayanan yang sangat kuat bagi orang percaya dalam pengabdiannya kepada Allah.

Pauline Thoughts about the Holy Spirit and Sanctification: Provision, Process, and Consummation

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-94
Author(s):  
Lyle Story
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
People Of God ◽  
Past Event ◽  
The Past ◽  
Present Experience ◽  
The People ◽  
The Holy Spirit

AbstractThe Holy Spirit is vitally and dynamically involved in the sanctification of individuals and their faith-communities. An examination of the Pauline terms and texts reveal that sanctification through the Spirit includes: 1) God's Provision in his gracious call, 2) The Process of sanctification in Christian growth in moral purity and love, 3) The Consummation at the Parousia. To that end, we will provide brief historical and theological arguments as to how the Spirit works in sanctification, primarily within the holiness Pentecostal traditions. Often, various writings highlight one aspect to the neglect of other emphases. The paper argues for the comprehensive role of the Spirit in the past event, present experience, and future hope of the people of God and argues for a consistency between the three activities related to sanctification, including the essential element of love.

scholarly journals Opwekking binnen de traditioneel- reformatorische kerken: over oprecht verlangen en grote verlegenheid

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kommers
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Missionary Zeal ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Church

Revival within churches from traditional-reformed origin: on sincere longing and extreme embarrassment Within churches from reformed origin the debate about revival has become an actual issue. It seems that these churches are becoming smaller and smaller, and that there is a lack of missionary zeal. Many pastors seem to have lost the courage to go on. What is happening in the churches? One can learn something from the history of the church. What was God doing in the past? The Word of God was there and it seems that in those places where revivals broke out, the Word of God was preached faithfully, in the power of the Holy Spirit. From sermons of three revival preachers who worked from 1816 to 1880 in Wuppertal (Germany), one can learn how their sermons contributed to revival in those days.   The missionary-soul caring message struck the people in their hearts, and not only individuals, but also whole regions changed; change took place not only in doctrine and lifestyle, but also holiness occupied a central place in the people’s hearts. When praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, people will repent and turn to God and “times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

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