“When Jesus saw her . . .”: A hermeneutical response to #MeToo and #ChurchToo

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-297
Author(s):  
Jennifer Garcia Bashaw
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Critical Elements ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Patriarchal Society ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Abuse Of Women ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

This article provides an example of how Scripture can be a source of healing for #ChurchToo victims. Although the Bible has been used to oppress women and fuel sexual assault and abuse, as in many complementarian readings of Scripture, it more often works against systems of oppression and lifts the position of the victim. This article surveys four passages in Luke in which Jesus interacts with women who are victims of their patriarchal society: the widow of Nain (7:11–17), the woman who anoints Jesus (7:36–50), the woman who touches Jesus (8:42–48), and the woman Jesus heals on the Sabbath (13:10–17). An interdisciplinary hermeneutic focused on the narrative-critical elements aids interpreting the text through the eyes of the Gospel’s earliest readers while keeping an eye toward the liberating nature of Jesus’s ministry in Luke. When understood in its social and literary context, these Lukan pericopes show that Jesus counters the abuse of women and works against systems of oppression. Jesus serves as a model for the way Christians should treat women; his ministry should inspire readers to ease the suffering caused by patriarchal structures in the Church and society instead of ignoring or excusing it.

scholarly journals Skrifgebruik en Skrifgesag in die postmodernistiese konteks

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Janse van Rensburg
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Scientific Journal ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Church Community ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

Scripture use and Scriptural authority in the postmodernist context. This article focused on the burning issue of the authority of Scripture and the way that it is currently used in the Christian and theological community. The research was necessitated by the gap between academic epistemology and the use of the Bible in religious activity. The research illustrated how a different understanding of the authority and interpretation of the Bible caused a clear division in church and society, particularly in the Reformed churches. The aim of the research was to illustrate the current abuse of the Bible in religious debate to legitimise pre-conceived convictions on theological and ethical issues. It was found that, even within the Reformed tradition, the opposing use of Scripture has caused diversity in the church community; thereby causing a serious break in the unity of the church. During the research process, it became clear that a radical new approach to Scriptural interpretation opposed the traditional Reformed understanding of the application of the Bible as per the three main confessions of the Reformed faith. What influenced such a radical new way of Scriptural authority? It was found that an analysis of philosophical systems, leading to the postmodern era, clearly prepared the way for an approach to search for the so-called true meaning of the text behind the text. This new approach was juxtaposed against the Reformed use of Scripture in the immanent text of the Bible and application thereof in the Reformed confession.Contribution: All over the world and also in South Africa, the church community seems to be drawn into a battle for survival. Many church members have lost their faith, abandoned the church membership or moved on to other religions, mainly due to the way Scripture is currently viewed and applied. Unless the confusion in the understanding of the Bible is cleared, the process will deteriorate rapidly. In particular, the theological training of ministers and pastors needs careful consideration. Some academics have denounced their faith in the existence of God in favour of a post-theistic conviction. Students are taught that the Bible is not the Word of God, but human words about God. Such convictions have caused great confusion in church communities. It is envisioned that this research, published in a scientific journal, will underline the urgent need for the church, in general, and the Reformed faith, in particular, not to ignore the seriousness of the matter.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relevance of Feminist Leadership in Theological Education of Nigeria

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 26-40
Author(s):  
Adesanya Ibiyinka Olusola
Keyword(s):  
Theological Education ◽  
Gender Justice ◽  
Women And Gender ◽  
Theological Schools ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Feminist Leadership ◽  
The World ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Church

Feminist leadership is very important in theological education as it would seek to deconstruct stereotypical assumptions about women and gender in Christian theological traditions. Unfortunately, most of the theological schools in Nigeria do not have feminist as leaders. Five reasons why feminist leadership are needed in theological schools have been identified as, the bible teaching that women brought sin and death to the world, servant hood notion of women, scandal of particularity, male domination of ministries and theological methods and process that are full of stereotypes. All this does not provide women a unique opportunity to discover and develop their potential in the church and society. Also, women’s relevance and contributions can be hampered if not allowed to put in their optimum. To avoid this, the researcher suggests that theological education should not discriminate against any gender, but should work to bring about gender justice by involving the feminist leaders in theological education in Nigeria. It is hoped that by pursuing these steps, theological education in Nigeria would be preparing the way to sustainable development of the mission of Christ on earth.

The Use of Nails in the Crucifixion

1932 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph William Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
The Bible ◽  
Religious Feeling ◽  
Bible Stories ◽  
The Masses ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

These words in criticism of Fra Lippo's vivid and realistic painting of sacred subjects admirably typify the attitude of theology to art. In the ages when the masses were still unable to read, the church took advantage of the work of the painter to impart instruction in the Bible stories. But after all, mere enlightenment is comparatively useless, sometimes even dangerous. It is always inferior to devotion. As long as the masses could be inspired by art to perform more fully their religious duties, so long was art rendering to the church the services that were its due. If the actual facts, even as recorded in the Scriptures, stood in the way of the theological object, they had to be neglected, obscured, or denied. If by a false depiction religious feeling were aroused, there could be no doubt as to the value of such depiction.

John Calvin - Theologian of the Bible

1971 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-344
Author(s):  
John H. Leith
Keyword(s):  
John Calvin ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

Calvin's theology can properly be described primarily as commentary upon Scripture as a whole and secondarily as commentary upon the way the church had read Scripture in its theology and creeds.

Whose Ministry? a Re-appraisal of Ephesians 4:12

2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-46
Author(s):  
Sydney Page
Keyword(s):  
Careful Examination ◽  
Grammatical Structure ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

AbstractEph. 4:12 consists of three prepositional phrases that indicate why Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Recent translations take the second of the three phrases as dependent on the first, so that together the two phrases refer to the single purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. However, a careful examination of the prepositions used in verse 12, the grammatical structure of the verse, the key terms found here, the literary context, and the way the text was understood by Chrysostom suggests that the three phrases ought to be seen as parallel to one another, in which case they describe three distinct purposes for the giving of the individuals mentioned in verse 11.

scholarly journals A critical analysis of tithe and seed sowing on contemporary Christianity in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys N. Akabike ◽  
Peace N. Ngwoke ◽  
Onyekachi G. Chukwuma
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Seed Sowing ◽  
Sowing Seed ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Venture Business ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

The issues of tithes and seed sowing have taken a central focus in contemporary Christianity in Nigeria among the preachers. Many a time, it is assumed that tithes and seed sowing are requirements for salvation, prosperity and total well-being of the members. Making many to believe that Christianity is a money-venture business one can succeed if he knows how to hoodwink the gullible. Many have been deceived that by parting with a substantial amount of money in the name of sowing seed, their problems would be solved. Unfortunately, the person’s problem may remain the same or even be compounded. This paper evaluates the activities, attitude and their inordinate ambitions. It examines the impact of tithe and seed sowing on Christianity in Nigeria. The research method adopted for this work is the qualitative phenomenological method. The paper observed that the value of tithe and seed sowing has changed from what is prescribed in the bible to what is preached on the pulpits. The study recommends among other things, that these preachers should preach the gospel with decorum and as it were in the bible so that its influence on Nigerians will bring about a reduction in crime, corruption and other immoral activities in Nigeria.Contribution: The article is focused on the issues of tithes and seed sowing. It underscores the fact that the message of tithe and seed sowing has become a means of siphoning members and enriching the preachers. It further reveals its negative and positive impacts such as, the promotion of corruption and fraud in the church and society, contribution to the decline of morality in the church and the society, increasing crime rate and increasing poverty rate in Nigeria among others.

scholarly journals INTERPRETAR A BÍBLIA AOS CINQUENTA ANOS DO CONCÍLIO VATICANO II

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (123) ◽  
pp. 237
Author(s):  
Johan Konings
Keyword(s):  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Vatican Ii ◽  
Theological Hermeneutics ◽  
American Experience ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Dei Verbum ◽  
The Church ◽  
Human Rationality ◽  
The Way

Aos cinquenta anos do Vaticano II recorda-se o caminho que levou até a Constituição Dei Verbum e, daí, até a Exortação Verbum Domini. Considera-se a questão hermenêutica: a leitura da Bíblia centrada em torno do Evento Jesus e tendo seu “lugar” na vida da Igreja, que herdou o Espírito de Jesus. Como a leitura das Escrituras deve ser a alma da teologia, não se pode separar a crítica históricoliterária da hermenêutica teológica. Esta se inscreve na racionalidade ampliada do ser humano, tendo na mira não as palavras, mas a “coisa”. Unindo o horizonte original do texto ao de hoje, abre-o em diversos níveis e direções, enquanto a exegese histórico-literária segura o sentido primeiro e referencial. Descreve-se a circularidade dessa hermenêutica. Por fim, consideram-se a experiência latinoamericana, bem como e a leitura bíblica como alma da pastoral hoje.ABSTRACT: Fifty years after Vatican II we remember the way unto the Constitution Dei Verbum and from there to the Exhortation Verbum Domini. Then is treated the issue of hermeneutics: the lecture of the Bible centred around the Jesus Event and having its “locus” in the life of the Church, heiress of His Spirit. Since Scripture reading must be the soul of Theology, historical-literary criticism cannot be separated from theological hermeneutics. These are inscribed in amplified human rationality, that aims not at the words, but at the “thing”. They unite the original and the today horizon, opening the text in several levels and directions, while historicalliterary exegesis warrants the original and referential meaning. Attention is drawn to the circularity of hermeneutics. Finally is lighted the Latin American experience, and Scripture reading as the soul of pastoral praxis today.

scholarly journals PEMIKIRAN TEOLOGIS EDUKATIF YOHANES CALVIN SERTA RELEVANSINYA BAGI PENDIDIKAN BERGEREJA MASA KINI

Tumou Tou ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Jeane Marie Tulung ◽  
Yornan Masinamboue
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Church

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.

scholarly journals �n Ewolusion�re perspektief op Die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis: Sistematies teologiese verkenning

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Dreyer
Keyword(s):  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

An evolutionary perspective on the Confessio Belgica: A systematical-theological exploration. The aim of this study is to point out that the Confessio Belgica creates the opportunity to listen to both the voices of the natural sciences (especially in regard to the process of evolution) and the findings of the historical sciences. The important point of this discussion is that the human being is an evolutionary part of the process of creation. Man can no longer be seen as the ruler of creation in a personal and static sense. In the light of this we have to truly listen again to the witness of the Bible and the way in which it is formulated in the confessions of the church. The views of Wentzel van Huyssteen, Rob Bell and N.T. Wright are examples of how to respond, against the background of the science-theology debate, to the questions: �Who was Jesus?� and �What did He do?� Their insights might help us to proclaim the cosmic meaning of the message of the Gospel with integrity in a modern and postmodern world.

scholarly journals Kerklike inspraak in teologiese opleiding en in die beoefening van teologie?

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Smit
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
View Point ◽  
Rational Analysis ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Post Modernism ◽  
Historical Origin ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way ◽  
Theological Training

Should the teaching and practice of theology be dictated by the church? In this article it is argued that the practice of theology as a science, based on the presupposition that the Bible is the word of God, is inherently part of the calling and responsibility of the church. Therefore, practising theology as a science rooted in faith should also be ecclesiastically subservient to theology in general, and should indicate the way for the training of ministers of the Word. In this article it is argued that practising theology as a science rooted in faith is not to be regarded as an old-fashioned approach as this way of practising theology can be related to one of the positive trends in post-modernism: the increasing need for expressed presuppositions. This view stands in opposition to the rationalistic approach of theology in which the Bible is seen as a collection of texts of historical origin. According to the rationalistic view point, the Bible represents a collection of texts which reflect narratives of people’s experiences and should be studied historically-critically. Thus the Bible becomes an object of rational analysis. Should the focus of theology (in contemporary postmodern times) move to the phenomenon of religions emphasizing rational analysis, churches will have to take the sole responsibility for the training of future ministers – even if the consequence implies that the involvement of universities in theological training be excluded.

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