From a Trinitarian Theology of Religion to a Trinitarian Theology of Religions: Bridging ‘First Theology’ and ‘Second Theology’

2018 ◽  
Vol 130 (7) ◽  
pp. 285-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Thang Moe

This paper examines the problem of a theology of religions without the Trinity and the problem of overemphasizing interreligious dialogue without taking the inner communion identity of the church seriously. This paper argues that central to an authentic Trinitarian theology of religions is the question of how the church is rightly to be understood in relation to the Trinity as the doctrinal ground and guide for its inner communion of first theology (a trinitarian theology of the Christian religion) and in its external communion of second theology with the religious world as the realm of the trinitarian reign (a trinitarian theology of religions). Building on this framework, this paper explores the right hermeneutics of the triple identity of the Trinity, Christian faith and other faiths as the ground and guide for Christian right approaches to other faiths for the right goals of mission.

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem H. Oliver ◽  
Erna Oliver

Two notions are discussed in this article, namely, the (unity of the) Trinity and God’s omnipresence. These two notions are deeply embedded in the Christian faith system and religion – they actually form both the basis and point of departure for the Christian religion. The aim of this article is to revisit the (Early Church and present) dogma of the Church about the Trinity and omnipresence of God as a result of the heresies and apologies linked to this dogma, and to rethink the notion of the concept ‘Trinity’ linked to God’s omnipresence. The historical method is used in the discussion of the (primary) sources and to reach the outcome.


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-290
Author(s):  
Adam McIntosh

Although Karl Barth is widely recognised as the initiator of the renewal of trinitarian theology in the twentieth century, his theology of the Church Dogmatics has been strongly criticised for its inadequate account of the work of the Holy Spirit. This author argues that the putative weakness of Barth's pneumatology should be reconsidered in light of his doctrine of appropriation. Barth employs the doctrine of appropriation as a hermeneutical procedure, within his doctrine of the Trinity, for bringing to speech the persons of the Trinity in their inseparable distinctiveness. It is argued that the doctrine of appropriation provides a sound interpretative framework for his pneumatology of the Church Dogmatics.


1917 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 73-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Henry Newman

The intellectual, social, and religious upheaval of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of which the Renaissance and the Protestant Revolution were phases, along with the decidedly skeptical tendency of the Scotist philosophy which undermined the arguments by which the great mysteries of the Christian faith had commonly been supported while accepting unconditionally the dogmas of the Church—together with the influence of Neoplatonizing mysticism which aimed and claimed to raise its subjects into such direct and complete union and communion with the Infinite as to make any kind of objective authority superfluous:—all these influences conspired to lead many of the most conscientious and profoundly religious thinkers of the sixteenth century to reject simultaneously the baptism of infants and the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. Infant baptism they regarded as being without scriptural warrant, subversive of an ordinance of Christ, and inconsistent with regenerate church membership. Likewise the doctrine of the tripersonality of God, as set forth in the so-called Nicene and Athanasian creeds, involving the co-eternity, co-equality and consubstantiality of the Son with the Father and the personality of the Holy Spirit, they subjected to searching and fundamental criticism.


2003 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Alexander FIDORA

During the last few years several criticisms concerning the possibility of an authentic interreligious dialogue within the traditional doctrine of the Church have emerged under the title of a Pluralistic Theology of Religions. The present paper tries to show how many of the problems pointed at by the pluralistic theologians, as for instance John Hick, can be solved by Ramon Llull 's concept of apologetics without abandoning the universal truth-claims that characterize each religion. To this end, first the actual criticisms concerning the interreligious dialogue will be analized, secondly the most distinctive features of the lullian approach will be presented, i.e. doubt and philosophy, and finally a Philosophy of Religions inspired by Llull and current theology will be proposed.


Tumou Tou ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Jeane Marie Tulung ◽  
Yornan Masinamboue

The purpose of this paper is to describe and understand how the thought of John Calvin who was a famous reformer figure from time to time. Calvin paid great attention to Christian education especially in the church. He arranged systematically the way, the content of the teaching, as well as the qualifications, self-image of the teachers both pastors and religious teachers who were all based on the Bible and to glorify God. The method used in this paper is a qualitative research method with a literature study study in which the researcher reviews, compares, formulates and analyzes Calvin's thoughts both in his life context, his thoughts through books, documents, journals and other relevant literature studies. From the findings it can be said that Calvin's educative theological thought is purely based on the Bible. For Calvin, the teaching of the Christian faith is determined by the Bible and interpretations that are right and right and can have a good influence on the church and society. Calvin is always thinking of the right way so that the quality of the faith of the congregation continues to develop well and can be implemented in a variety of social life. In the midst of challenges today the church is required not to be carried away by various kinds of ideas that do not emphasize the Bible as the basis of human life. As it was done, Calvin the priests, teachers of religion today are required with full responsibility to think deeply about ways to continue to nourish the true Christian faith based on the Scriptures so that the quality of their faith is well preserved and lives glorifying God.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Fekky Daniel Yermia Tatulus

The subject of the Trinity in the Christian faith is often the subject of questions from other religious groups that are posted to the congregation. The concept of the Trinity is not easy to understand, but the church must strive to teach the congregation so that they can become apologetic in this disruptive era. The method used in this study is descriptive and phenomenological analysis, giving an overview of the situation in the disruptive era and its effect on the lives of believers. The conclusion of this study is that the pastor as a leader has the responsibility to teach the subject of the Trinity through weekly sermons. Abstrak Pokok Trinitas dalam iman Kristen sering menjadi bahan pertanyaan dari kelompok agama lain yang dilayangkan kepada jemaat. Konsep Trinitas memang tidak mudah dipahami namun gereja tetap harus berusaha untuk mengajarkan kepada jemaat agar dapat menjadi bekal apologetis di era disruptif ini. Metode yang digunakan dalam kajian ini adalah deskriptif dan analisis fenomenologis, memberikan gambaran tentang situasi di era disruptif dan efeknye terhadap hidup orang percaya. Kesimpulan dari kajian ini adalah, gembala sidang sebagai pemimpin memiliki tanggung jawab untuk mengajarkan pokok Trinitas melalui khotbah mingguan.


Author(s):  
Christoph Schwöbel

Luther’s theology of the Trinity is firmly rooted in the catholic tradition of the church. In scholarly debate, it has therefore not received the same attention as the doctrines usually associated with the distinctive profile of the teaching of the Reformation, like the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The intrinsic connection between Luther’s catholic theology of the Trinity and the distinctive emphases of Reformation theology has consequently often been overlooked. Luther was reasonably well acquainted with the medieval debate and could occasionally, as in the late disputations, directly comment upon them, if the distinctions served to clarify his view of the place of Trinitarian teaching in the church. The most interesting question with regard to Luther’s doctrine of the Trinity is not which influences can be traced in his Trinitarian thought but how he developed the status of Trinitarian discourse in Christian faith and how he applied it in his treatment of other theological issues. If we survey Luther’s engagement with the doctrine of the Trinity, ranging from the early glosses on Lombard’s Sentences and Augustine’s De Trinitate to the very last disputation, we can see that in all the different genres in which he develops his theology, Trinitarian reflection plays an integral role. Luther’s own attempts at giving expression to the Trinitarian faith are developed within the boundaries of creedal orthodoxy. He does not modify the doctrinal tradition of the conciliar Creeds but employs it in such a way that its basis in the witness of Scripture becomes apparent and that the task of Trinitarian language in relating the different articles of Christian faith to their foundation and so can be understood by others.


1994 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-294
Author(s):  
Patricia Fox

The article explores the Trinity as a transforming symbol for the twenty—first century. It focuses on the recent work of Catherine Mowy LaCugna and Elizabeth Johnson who offer analyses for the “defeat” of the doctrine of the Trinity and also seek to retrieve core understandings of the mystery from Scripture and Christian tradition. The article suggests that the Church today is being challenged to reform itself in the image of the trinitarian God, to become a community for the world.


Author(s):  
Roland Spjuth

In today’s ecclesiology, the notion of the Spirit and the church has been heavily influenced by a recent and broad retrieval of Trinitarian theology. In this article, I discuss this in relationship to baptist and evangelical traditions as it is represented by Stanley Grenz. His “theology for the community of God” demonstrates the fruitfulness of the Trinitarian retrieval for such traditions. However, the main argument in the article is that it also implies certain risks. According to the Baptist tradition, the central message of the New Testament is the invitation to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As Kathryn Tanner and Karen Kilby have argued elsewhere, when the biblical challenge to be like Jesus Christ is turned into a more general exhortation to become an image of the Trinity, it often results in abstract ethics and an ecclesiology that focuses mainly on general exhortations to love and to live in community. In contrast, this article claims that the biblical notion of discipleship has greater possibilities to allow for a more substantial and more holistic account of the Church, one that reunites ecclesiology, ethics and the Spirit’s transformative work within liturgy, charismatic service and mission.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes P Deetlefs

While the twentieth century has witnessed renewed interest in the doctrine of the Trinity, in their daily lives Christians are mostly unaffected by it. The reason for this lack of knowledge and the negligence of this vital Christian doctrine could be blamed partly on a lack of preaching the doctrine of the Trinity. Considering the fact that the doctrine of the Trinity is the distinguishing doctrine of the Christian faith, such neglect in the homiletical ministry of the church is truly lamentable. This article is aimed at discussing some of the possible reasons for this regrettable situation and offering some guidelines for preaching the Trinity. Considering the practical implications of this foundational Christian doctrine for the ecclesial community, as well as for society at large, the church can no longer afford the neglect of the preaching of the Trinity. While I am writing from within the South African context, the issues raised here are relevant to the church internationally.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document