Separating the Sheep from the Goats: Victorian Didactic Hymns

1976 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-273
Author(s):  
Susan Smith Tamke
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Religious Community ◽  
Charles Kingsley ◽  
Internal Colonialism ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Government ◽  
Behavioral Norm ◽  
The Church

Charles Kingsley complained in 1848, “We have used the Bible as if it were a mere constable's handbook—an opium-dose for keeping beasts of burden patient while they were being overloaded—a mere book to keep the poor in order.” Kingsley was outraged that religion should be used for the utilitarian purpose of keeping the lower classes in their place. And yet, in most societies religion has traditionally served the very practical purpose of supporting the established social order. To this end the Christian church—and in this regard it is no different than any other institutionalized religion—has preached a social ethic of obedience and submission to the government in power and to the established social order. The church does this by sanctioning a given code of behavior: those people who conform to the prescribed behavioral norm will achieve salvation, while those who fail to conform are ostracized from the religious community and, presumably, are damned. In sociological terms, the code of behavior approved by a given society is most often determined by that society's most influential groups, always with a view (not always conscious or deliberate) of maintaining the groups' dominance. From the point of view of the least influential classes, this didactic function of the church may be seen as an effort at social control, at internal colonialism—in Kinglsey's words, an effort simply to keep the “beasts of burden…, the poor in order.” In terms of biblical imagery the church's didactic function is to separate the sheep from the goats, that is, to set a standard of “respectable” behavior to be followed by the compliant sheep, with probable eternal damnation and temporal punishment for the recalcitrant goats.

Canons to the Left of Him: Brevard Childs, his Critics, and the Future of Old Testament Theology

1997 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Provan
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Biblical Theology ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Probable Origin ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

It is well known that the seeds from which the modern discipline of OT theology grew are already found in 17th and 18th century discussion of the relationship between Bible and Church, which tended to drive a wedge between the two, regarding canon in historical rather than theological terms; stressing the difference between what is transient and particular in the Bible and what is universal and of abiding significance; and placing the task of deciding which is which upon the shoulders of the individual reader rather than upon the church. Free investigation of the Bible, unfettered by church tradition and theology, was to be the way ahead. OT theology finds its roots more particularly in the 18th century discussion of the nature of and the relationship between Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Theology, and in particular in Gabler's classic theoreticalstatementof their nature and relationship. The first book which may strictly be called an OT theology appeared in 1796: an historical discussion of the ideas to be found in the OT, with an emphasis on their probable origin and the stages through which Hebrew religious thought had passed, compared and contrasted with the beliefs of other ancient peoples, and evaluated from the point of view of rationalistic religion. Here we find the unreserved acceptance of Gabler's principle that OT theology must in the first instance be a descriptive and historical discipline, freed from dogmatic constraints and resistant to the premature merging of OT and NT — a principle which in the succeeding century was accepted by writers across the whole theological spectrum, including those of orthodox and conservative inclination.

scholarly journals Beroep op die skrif in die vorm van etiese standpunte, Deel 2: ’n Etiese verstaan van die vrou in die Bybel

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriaan L. Rheeder
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Previous Article ◽  
Empirical Knowledge ◽  
Theological Interpretation ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
Women In The Bible ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Church

In ’n vorige artikel is beredeneer dat die grammaties-historiese metode van Skrifuitleg as kreatuurlike geskrif nie meer voldoende is vir alleengebruik in Skrifvertolking nie en dat dit met ander uitgangspunte aangevul moet word. In aansluiting by twee hermeneutiese uitgangspunte wat in ’n vorige artikel behandel is (Rheeder), word in hierdie artikel ’n verdere drie hermeneutiese vertrekpunte bespreek, naamlik teenkultuur, nie-wetenskaplike skopus en moreel-etiese vertolking. Die teenkulturele vertrekpunt gaan uit van die oortuiging dat outentieke getuienis in die Skrif gevind word in dit wat verskil (afwyk) van die omliggende antieke kultuur, terwyl die nie-wetenskaplike skopus vertrekpunt uit gaan van die standpunt dat wetenskaplike (of empiriese) kennis in die Bybel buite die skopus of bedoeling van die Skrif staan. Die moreel-teologiese vertolking as vertrekpunt van die standpunt uitgaan dat ’n moreel-teologiese beoordeling van liefde die keuse tussen twee konflikterende, maar beide aanvaarbare, interpretasies moet begelei. Daar word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat ’n etiese verstaan van die posisie van die vrou beteken dat die vrou as gelykwaardig aan die man beskou en so behandel moet word, wat beteken dat die vrou, net soos die man, tot enige amp in die kerk toegelaat mag word.Appeal to Scriptures in the formation of an ethical point of view: An ethical understanding of women in the Bible. In a previous article it was argued that the grammatical-historical method  of  Bible  exposition  was  no  longer  sufficient  as  sole  method  and  should  be supplemented with other hermeneutical points of departure. Following the discussion of two hermeneutical points in a previous article (Rheeder), this article will discuss three other hermeneutical points of departure, namely counterculture, non-scientific scope and moral-ethical interpretation. The counter-cultural point of departure is based on the belief that authentic witness in Scripture is found in that which is different (that which deviates) from the surrounding ancient culture, while a non-scientific scope starts from the view that scientific (or empirical) knowledge in the Bible is outside the scope or intent of Scripture. The point of departure of the moral-theological interpretation is the view that a moral-theological evaluation of love should inform the choice between two conflicting but mutually acceptable interpretations. It is concluded that an ethical understanding of women in the Bible means that women should be regarded and treated as equal to men, which leads to the further conclusion that all offices in the church should be open to women.

scholarly journals The Church's Contextual Mission to Poverty Problems in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 153
Author(s):  
Firman Panjaitan
Keyword(s):  
Rhetorical Criticism ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Crucial Problem ◽  
The Church

Poverty in Indonesia is a crucial problem that must be considered by various parties, including the church. However, the church often neglects this because the church is often preoccupied with its theological model that sides with wealth so that the existence of the poor is ignored. This makes the church's mission neglected because it does not take the condition of the poor seriously. Using the phenomenological method, this article shows that poverty should be a severe concern in the missiological aspect of the church. In addition, the method of rhetorical criticism is used to show that the Bible also speaks of God's care for the poor. The study results recommend that the church should have the courage to carry out missiological duties to the poor by putting the poor first and placing the poor as equals, who also receive the same salvation from God. Through this missiological task, the church will contribute to alleviating poverty. ABSTRAKKemiskinan di Indonesia merupakan masalah krusial yang harus diperhatikan oleh berbagai pihak, termasuk gereja. Namun seringkali gereja mengabaikan hal ini, karena gereja seringkali asyik dengan model teologinya yang berpihak pada kekayaan, sehingga keberadaan orang miskin diabaikan. Hal ini menjadikan tugas misiologi gereja terbengkalai karena tidak memperhatikan dengan serius keadaan orang miskin. Dengan menggunakan metode fenomenologi artikel ini menunjukkan bahwa masalah kemiskinan harus menjadi perhatian yang serius dalam aspek misiologi gereja. Di samping itu digunakan juga metode kritik retorik untuk menunjukkan bahwa Alkitab pun berbicara tentang kepedulian Allah terhadap orang miskin. Hasil penelitian merekomendasikan bahwa gereja harus berani menjalankan tugas misiologi kepada orang-orang miskin, dengan cara mendahulukan dan menempatkan orang miskin sebagai sesama yang sejajar, yang juga mendapatkan keselamatan yang sama dari Allah. Melalui tugas misiologi tersebut, gereja akan berkontribusi untuk mengentaskan kemiskinan.

scholarly journals “El año del Hambre” en Nueva España, 1785-1786: escasez de maíz, epidemias y "cocinas públicas" para los pobres

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz María Espinosa Cortés
Keyword(s):  
New Spain ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
La Paz ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Poor Women ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Church

El propósito de este trabajo es describir las medidas adoptadas por el gobierno y la Iglesia para enfrentar la crisis de subsistencias de 1785-1786. Esta crisis se originó por una serie de sequías severas, heladas tempranas y lluvias excesivas que mermaron las cosechas de maíz. La crisis dejó desempleo, hambre, migración, epidemias y muerte. Para resolver estos problemas, Don Bernardo de Gálvez, Virrey de Nueva España, ordenó varias medidas como la instalación de cocinas públicas para alimentar a los pobres, dar refugio de emergencia a los pobres (mujeres, niños, ancianos e incapacitados), dar empleo a los jóvenes y adultos sanos en la ejecución de obras públicas del Estado y la Iglesia, fomentar la agricultura de riego y recetas de cocina que sustituyeran al maíz. En conclusión, el propósito de las medidas de Gálvez fue proteger la paz social en la Nueva España y con ello, los intereses económicos del Estado y la Iglesia.Palabras clave: desempleo, pobreza, mortalidad, hambre, migración"The Year of Hunger" in New Spain, 1785-1786: corn shortage, epidemics and "soup kitchens" for the poor.Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to describe the measures adopted by the government and the Church to address the food crisis of 1785-1786. This crisis was caused by a series of severe droughts, early frosts and excessive rains that reduced the maize harvests. The crisis left to unemployment, hunger, migration, disease and death. To resolve these problems, Don Bernardo de Gálvez, Viceroy of New Spain, he ordered various measures as the installation of soup kitchens for feeding the poor, provide emergency shelter to the poor (women, children, elderly and disabled); provide employment for the young and healthy adults in the execution of public works the State and the Church; promote irrigated agriculture, and recipes cooking that replace maize. In conclusion, Gálvez purpose was to protect social peace in the New Spain and with it, all the economic interests the State and the Church. Keywords: Unemployment, poverty, mortality, hunger, migration

Political Science and Political Education

1963 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
American People ◽  
Procedural Rationality ◽  
Political Theories ◽  
Fundamental Law ◽  
The Government ◽  
New Nation ◽  
Political Association ◽  
Speculative Thought

Much of this essay falls within the realm of speculative thought. Since it is in the nature of speculation that one's words may appear immodest and his conclusions often eccentric, I shall state my arguments at the outset without pausing to elaborate them. The arguments themselves are quite simple. Each of them will reappear later on clothed, I hope, in more attractive dress.Two varieties of political thought contended for the allegiance of the American people at the founding of the new nation. The two seem irreconcilable in certain crucial respects.One was notable for its expression of friendship and brotherhood, for its insistence upon individual spontaneity and uniqueness, and for its disdain for material concerns; it was intuitive and unsystematic in temper. The other displayed a preoccupation with social order, procedural rationality, and the material bases of political association and division; it was abstract and systematic in temper.The exponents of the latter point of view, having put their opponents to rout, assumed the responsibility for organizing the government and politics of the country. They enacted their psychological, social, economic, and political theories into fundamental law, then erected insititutions designed to train generations of citizens to prefer certain goods and conduct over all others.

scholarly journals “Change Direction”: Influencing the National Church through the Vatican during the Pinochet Dictatorship in Chile

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 595
Author(s):  
Stephan Ruderer
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Relations ◽  
Church And State ◽  
The State ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Change Direction ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Augusto Pinochet ◽  
The Church

The relations between the Chilean Church and the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990) are often characterized as conflictive. After a short period of accommodation and legitimation, the Chilean episcopate started to confront the dictatorship in the name of the poor and persecuted, but never breaking entirely with the regime. This led to a complicated relationship between the Church and the dictatorship, which tried to legitimize authoritarian rule by reference to Christian values and the defense of “Christian civilization”. Much historiography has examined this relation from the point of view of the Church. When examined from the point of view of the State important nuances appear. Documents from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Relations and correspondence with the Chilean ambassador to the Vatican, shed new light on efforts by the Chilean state to shape relations with the Church and to change the position of bishops who were critical of the regime. These data help understand better the dynamics of conflict between Church and State in Chile during the dictatorship.

scholarly journals Biblical principles towards a pastoral strategy for poverty alleviation amongst the youth in Uganda

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asea Wilson ◽  
Rantoa Letsosa
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Divine Grace ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Socially Disadvantaged ◽  
Persistent Poverty ◽  
The Government ◽  
Biblical Principles ◽  
Justice And Care ◽  
The Church

Over centuries, many churches in Uganda have failed to do justice to the gospel to the materially and socially robbed. Their preoccupation has been with the gospel to the sinners. But the salvation of sinners and the care for the materially and socially deprived are part of one and the same gospel. In other words, these churches could not handle the two gospels that are found in the Bible: the salvation of the sinners and care for the physical needs of the poor. It has a gospel for the ‘sinning’, but no gospel for the ‘sinned against’. The church in Uganda must now become involved in the process of mutual commitment to freedom, justice and care for the disadvantaged. It must develop a complete theology of the divine grace for sinners as well as the gospel for the materially and socially disadvantaged. Moreover, however, eradicating material poverty is not simply a matter of making more and better provisions available, but of expanding actual participation so that young people might fulfil their own roles in the whole society to which they belong. An attempt was made to define poverty and to discuss the characteristics of poverty through the exposition of the weak points of both the church and the government that were constructed by means of a literature study as well as qualitative interviews in contrast to the biblical strength that was determined through an exegetical study of texts that specifically dealt with issues of poverty. The views of churches with regard to poverty were taken into consideration. Last but not least, a possible means was developed that could be utilised to break down the persistent poverty amongst the youth in Uganda.

scholarly journals The Theological Sense of the Polish Antiphons: The Song and the Hymn from the Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Bartosz Zygmunt
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Lord's Supper ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Greek Text ◽  
Chronological Order ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Short Summary ◽  
Church Life ◽  
The Church ◽  
Insight Into

The Eucharist, a gift of God’s fatherly love, is the heart of the Church life. It constitutes the most important reality, but also a sacrament of everyday life. Awareness of that great gift leads to a deep need for gaining an insight into the beginnings of the Eucharist—the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The aim of the present article is to investigate the theological content of the antiphons, the song, and the hymn included in the contemporary Polish Roman Missal. The Author will present a theological analysis of the Polish antiphons, the song, and the hymn from the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the chronological order of their appearance in the contemporary liturgy. The texts will be subject to historical and linguistic analysis. The texts of the antiphons are rooted in the Bible. For that reason they will be first analyzed from the historical point of view, and then juxtaposed with the version from the Millennium Bible and with the original Greek text, in order to identify differences and analogies between them. Next, the texts will be analyzed from the linguistic and pragmatic perspective. The consideration will end with a short summary of the sources and theological motifs identified in the course of the analysis.

scholarly journals Gereja Yang Berpihak Pada Perempuan (Sebuah Eklesiologi Gereja Perspektif Feminis)

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Asnath Niwa Natar
Keyword(s):  
Feminist Perspective ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Church

Diskriminasi terhadap perempuan dan orang­orang lemah tidak hanya terjadi dalam masyarakat, namun juga dalam gereja, yang notabene mengajarkan tentang kasih dan tanpa perbedaan. Diskriminasi itu nampak dalam teks­teks Alkitab dan ajaran gereja, yang termanifestasi dalam bahasa yang digunakan untuk Allah, liturgi (tata ibadah), kepemimpinan gereja dan eklesiologi (pemahaman) gereja. Ajaran­ajaran ini tidak hanya meminggirkan kaum perempuan, tetapi juga membuat kaum perempuan kurang diperhatikan bahkan tidak diijinkan untuk berperan dalam pelayanan gereja. Kondisi ini menyebabkan penderitaan, terutama bagi mereka yang mengalami penindasan dan ketidakadilan dari masyarakat, seperti pelacur, korban trafficking, orang-orang miskin dan lemah. Sehubungan dengan hal ini maka pemahaman eklesiologi berperspektif feminis perlu dibuat agar gereja bisa menjalankan perannya sebagaimana tujuan semula dibentuk, yaitu sebuah lembaga yang terbuka dan menyalurkan cinta kasih dan perhatian bagi semua orang.[Discrimination against women and weak people takes place not only in the community but also in the Church, which actually teaches about love and no distinction. Discrimination appears in the texts of the Bible and in the church’s teachings, which are manifested in the language used for God, the liturgy (etiquette of worship), the leadership of the Church and the ecclesiology (understanding) of the Church.These teachings not only marginalize women but also make women less recognized and even not allowed to have a role in the service of the Church. This condition causes suffering, especially for those who have experienced oppression and injustice in society, such as prostitutes, victims of trafficking, the poor and the weak. Therefore, an ecclesiology understanding based on feminist perspective needs to be developed. So, the Church can conduct its ordinary roles, such as an inclusive institution for spreading the love and care for everyone.]

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