Ontology

Author(s):  
William J. Wainwright

The chapter argues that Jonathan Edwards’s concept of God was largely traditional and that arguments to the contrary which privilege his discussions of a so-called social Trinity are mistaken. It also takes issue with the currently popular view that Edwards was a panentheist. There is a clear sense in which God includes the world but—with one unique exception—the world does not include God. Just as the coming into being of Raphael’s Dresden Madonna is a literal part of his painting it, so God’s ‘acts’ of creation or emanation are properly regarded as parts of him, and what he does (that is, what he emanates) is literally part of that action. But what God creates or emanates is the history of redemption, and some parts of that history are more central or immediately salient than others. The material world, for example, is essentially nothing more than a platform on which the drama of redemption is enacted. The central or most immediately salient, on the other hand, are the lives of the saints, and it is only the latter whose lives can be said to include God. For because the saints necessarily include the Holy Spirit, they necessarily include God. The chapter concludes with a discussion of Edwards’s views on the ontological status of mathematical, logical, metaphysical, and morally necessary truths. The chapter argues that they are neither created by God nor exist independently of him but are instead aspects or expressions of his goodness.

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (128) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Vítor Galdino Feller

O pontificado do papa Francisco trouxe à tona o tema da reforma da Igreja. Retoma-se essa causa que acompanha a história da Igreja desde os seus primórdios e que interessa a todos os membros do povo santo de Deus. O texto divide-se em quatro partes. Primeiro, faz-se um apanhado histórico dos anseios de reforma da Igreja, mostrando que, muitas vezes em instâncias subterrâneas, sempre houve o desejo e também ações concretas de renovação. Em seguida, apresenta-se como razão para a reforma da Igreja o anúncio e a realização do Reino de Deus, pelo qual é preciso que a Igreja se volte à concretude humana e histórica de Jesus de Nazaré, pela superação do apego ao poder e às estruturas religiosas. Num terceiro momento, trata-se do critério pelo qual se mede a realização e a veracidade da reforma da Igreja: a santidade de cada fiel e do povo cristão no meio do mundo. Por fim, conclui-se que o caminho para a reforma da Igreja está na escuta dos clamores do Espírito Santo, que fala na própria Igreja e no mundo através do sensus fidei dos fiéis, das Igrejas particulares, dos pobres, das mulheres e das realidades terrestres.ABSTRACT: The pontificate of Pope Francis brought to the surface the theme of reform of the Church. This essay takes up this cause that accompanies the history of the Church from its beginnings and concerns all the members of the holy people of God. The text is divided into four parts. First, it gives a historical summary of the yearnings for reform of the Church, showing that, in many instances subterranean, there has always been the desire and also the concrete actions of renewal. Following from this, the essay presents as the reason for the reform of the Church the proclamation and the realization of the Kingdom of God, whereby it is necessary that the Church return to the concrete human and historical Jesus of Nazareth, in order to overcome the addiction to power and to religious structures. In the third part, it treats of the criterion that measures the realization and the authenticity of reform of the Church: the holiness of each believer and of the Christian people in the midst of the world. Finally, it concludes that the road of reform of the Church is in the hearing of the cries of the Holy Spirit, that speak in the Church itself and in the world through the sensus fidei of the faithful, of the local Churches, of the poor, of women and of the earthly realities. 


1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-96
Author(s):  
P. B. Van er Watt

Revivalism in the Dutch Reformed Church — an historic overview In the course of the history of the Dutch Reformed Church the phenomenon of revivalism is by no means an isolated occurrence — on the contrary — revivalism of this nature was triggered by similar situations throughout the world. This situation was greatly the result of the aspirations of the faithful towards a special interaction with the Holy Spirit of God together with the persistent prayer of the devout.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Juwaini Juwaini

Talking about God has always been a topic of conversation among theologians. Karen Armstrong as a theologian tries to explain the existence of God. Her book entitled The History of God, Karen Armstrong describes in detail the existence of God in the history of human life. The book tells about Karen Armstrong's hesitation in finding the essence of the Trinity in the concept of Christian divinity. Karen Armstrong went through several phases in her skepticism to reach the essence of God in her faith. This paper will discuss Karen Armstrong's view of the Concept of God in Christian Religion using descriptive analysis of the book History of God. The results of the study show that in Christianity the concept of divinity exists in the Trinity, namely God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. Where Jesus Christ is considered as God because it is believed that Jesus is the Word who became human. The strengths and weaknesses of the Trinity in Christianity that are not understood by everyone. The history book about God examines the history of human perceptions and experiences of God from the time of Prophet Abraham to the present. Karen Armstrong explains in detail the three monotheistic religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The book also features Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian traditions. For Karen Armstrong Religion is not about believing in something. Religion is a matter of morals, behaving in ways that change oneself, bringing oneself closer to the holy and sacred.


1988 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-309
Author(s):  
Joseph M. McShane

Throughout his career John Carroll supported the American religious settlement with surprising and consistent enthusiasm. Indeed, his enthusiasm for the religious liberty of the new republic seemed to be boundless. Thus he never tired of celebrating and advertising its benefits. He assured American Catholics that it was “a signal instance of [God's] mercy” and a product of the active intervention of Divine Providence and the Holy Spirit, who have “tutored the minds of men” in such a way that Catholics could now freely worship God according to the “dictates of conscience.” Flushed with pride, he even predicted that if America were wise enough to abide by the terms of this providential arrangement, the nation would become a beacon to the world, proving that “general and equal toleration…is the most effectual method to bring all denominations of Christians to an unity of faith.” Finally, confident that the extraordinary freedom accorded American Catholics would make the American church “the most flourishing portion of the church,” he urged European states and churches to follow America's inspired lead.


Author(s):  
David. T. Williams

The emergence of the Charismatic movement has generated a new awareness and interest in the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, but has also brought a realisation that there is a still-neglected Person of the Trinity, the Father. Part of the reason for this lies in the historical development in the doctrine of the Trinity, which led to a belief that external actions of God are not differentiated between the Persons, and also in the fact that the Father only generally acts in the world by Son and Spirit, so has no clear role. It seems natural to attribute creation to the Father, but even here, the Bible sees the Son as the actual creator. Nevertheless, the Father can be seen as the source of the concepts and means behind the material; interestingly there are hints of this in classical Greek thought and other faiths. This is ongoing, perhaps particularly in the evolutionary process of the world. Thus, paralleling the incarnation, the Father is present in the material universe, as its ethos. He can also be seen to be affected by creation, sharing in its nature in his kenōsis, and in its suffering. Creation then inspires a sense of wonder not only from its existence, extent and nature, but from its interactions and underlying concepts; this is worship of the Father. Sin is then when this is overlooked, or when actions disrupt it; these are an offence to the Father.


Pneuma ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 370-394
Author(s):  
J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu

Abstract This article responds to a simple question: What are the distinctive contributions of Pentecostalism to the making of world Christianity? We cannot touch on every conceivable point in the discussion, and thus for our purposes I identify seven major interrelated areas that ought to stimulate our thoughts in reflecting on Pentecostalism as a global movement influencing world Christianity today. This article is devoted neither to global pentecostal statistical returns, as important as that may be, nor to the different types of pentecostal/charismatic movements in the world. Rather, I focus on the critical importance of the experience of the Holy Spirit as the religious core of this stream of Christianity and the practical ways in which the Spirit has inspired pentecostal activity in the world.


Author(s):  
Simeon Zahl

This chapter argues that a constructive recovery of the category of “experience” in Christian theology is best accomplished through the lens of the theology of the Holy Spirit. Thinking about experience in terms of the work of the Holy Spirit helps specify what we mean when we talk about Christian “experience,” while also avoiding the problems that arise in appeals to more general concepts of “religious experience.” The chapter shows how a pneumatologically informed theology of experience draws attention to a problematic tendency towards abstraction and disembodiment in much modern systematic theology. It then argues that the work of the Spirit is likely to take forms that are “practically recognizable” in the lives of Christians in the world, exhibiting temporal specificity as well as affective and emotional impact, and that pneumatologies that cannot take account of such practically recognizable effects are deficient.


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