scholarly journals RICHARD HOOKER’S WORRIES ABOUT THE MIND: THE PATH TO CERTAINTY

Perichoresis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-49
Author(s):  
Rudolph P. Almasy

ABSTRACT Focusing on two of Richard Hooker’s sermons, “Certaintie and Perpetuitie of Faith in the Elect” and “Learned Sermon of the Nature of Pride”, this essay explores Hooker’s worries about how the mind reacts to matters of religious doubt, curiosity, arrogance, and mental confusions. These worries of what enters the mind influence the search for what Hooker calls the certainty of adherence (faith) and the certainty of evidence (knowledge). Such worries, prompted by what Hooker sees as the mind’s frag- ileness in the face of religious experience and religious truth, lead Hooker in the sermons, as well as in his Ecclesiasticall Lawes, to a certain religious and rhetorical position which emphasizes the notion of approaching faith and knowledge in terms of simplicity or singleness. This approach, Hooker counsels, should lead the potentially confused mind, regardless of the certainty it seeks and of the influence of the Holy Spirit, toward the notion of surrender-to God or to the rhetor.

Author(s):  
Grant Macaskill

This book examines how the New Testament scriptures might form and foster intellectual humility within Christian communities. It is informed by recent interdisciplinary interest in intellectual humility, and concerned to appreciate the distinctive representations of the virtue offered by the New Testament writers on their own terms. It argues that the intellectual virtue is cast as a particular expression of the broader Christian virtue of humility, which proceeds from the believer’s union with Christ, through which personal identity is reconstituted by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we speak of ‘virtue’ in ways determined by the acting presence of Jesus Christ, overcoming sin and evil in human lives and in the world. The Christian account of the virtue is framed by this conflict, as believers within the Christian community struggle with natural arrogance and selfishness, and come to share in the mind of Christ. The new identity that emerges creates a fresh openness to truth, as the capacity of the sinful mind to distort truth is exposed and challenged. This affects knowledge and perception, but also volition: for these ancient writers, a humble mind makes good decisions that reflect judgments decisively shaped by the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. By presenting ‘humility of mind’ as a characteristic of the One who is worshipped—Jesus Christ—the New Testament writers insist that we acknowledge the virtue not just as an admission of human deficiency or limitation, but as a positive affirmation of our rightful place within the divine economy.


Author(s):  
William Dyrness ◽  
Christi Wells

Edwards’s aesthetics grounded in the ongoing work of God communicated in creation, not only lies at the centre of his thought but is increasingly recognized as one of his most original contributions to theology. Edwards’s reflection on God’s beauty emerged in the context of his work as a pastor, which allowed him to frame God’s dynamic presence in dramatic and multi-sensory categories. For Edwards Beauty glimpsed in the form of images formed in the mind reflects a consent of being; the visual beauty of symmetry and proportion is meant to move the heart to consent to the will of God reflected in creation—what Edwards calls respectively secondary and primary beauty. All creatures are types and shadows of spiritual realities; beauty and morality are linked, though only the Holy Spirit allows believers to consent to God’s self-disclosure in creation. Edwards’s neo-platonic framework allowed his reflections on the revivals to affirm physical beauty while subordinating its meaning to the spiritual, enhancing its role as revelation but diminishing its value as an end in itself.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Andrianus Nababan

AbstrackThe Christian religious education teacher is an educator who provides knowledge about Christianity based on the Bible, centered on Jesus Christ, and relied on the Holy Spirit. Christian Religious Education teachers must be able to offer their bodies in Romans 12:1-3. The understanding of offering the body include: 1)the Christian religious education teacher always i approaches the loving and generous God 2)give advice by encouraging, directing convey the truth of God's Words. 3). renewal of the mind by distinguishing which is good and pleasing to God. Thus, each Christian religious education teacher can understand that a true educator must surrender his/her body as a true offering according to will of God.Key word: Christian education teacher; Offering the body Romans 12:1-3.ABSTRAKGuru Pendidikan Agama Kristen merupakan seorang pendidik yang memberikan ilmu pengetahuan tentang agama Kristen yang berdasarkan Alkitab, berpusat pada Yesus Kristus, dan bergantung pada Roh Kudus kepada peserta didik dalam kegiatan belajarmengajar. Guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen harus mampu mempersembahkan tubuhnya dalam Roma 12:1-3 sebagai ibadah sejati. Pemahaman mempersembahkan tubuh yaitu 1)guru Pendidikan agama Kristen senantiasa menghampiri Allah yang penuh kasih dan kemurahan 2)memberikan nasihat dengan mendorong, mengarahkan dan berdasarkan kebenaran Firman Tuhan. 3)pembaharuan budi dengan membedakan mana yang baik dan yang berkenan kepada Allah. Demikian Guru Pendidikan Agama kristen mampu memahami mempersembahkan tubuh menyangkut kehendak Allah sebagai pendidik yang sejati.Kata Kunci: Guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen; Mempersembahkan tubuh.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-93
Author(s):  
Prabowo Prabowo

It’s long time, churches debate on the application of the law to believers today. Some of the figures found grace is no longer relevant in the church. But some Christian leaders argue otherwise, saying that the law is still relevant and should be done. But, now a days many interpretations that are not right about Paul's theology on the application of the law in a period of grace. False interpretations of verses taken from Paul's letters caused God's people to be confused. Therefore, there is a need for proper interpretation through the process of exegesis of the Book of Romans 2-8, resulting in the existence of the correct interpretation of the law in a period of grace.From the background and the problems, this research focused to sharpen understanding of the problems related to the application of grace in the church today. Researchers used descriptive method to describe it. Then the authors conducted a study exegesis consisting of an observational analysis, textual analysis, structural analysis, grammatical analysis, lexical analysis, historical analysis or conceptual, analytical theological and exegetical analysis of Romans 2-8. The purpose of this study is the first, to understand the interrelationships of the law and grace; second, to understand the uniqueness of Paul's theology in describing the application of the law in a period of grace; Third, investigate exegesis mean passages from Paul's Letter to the Romans chapters 2-8 which discusses the relevance of the law and grace. The results of the discussion found several things: First, the assumption that Paul abolishes the law is not correct. Paul did not abolish the Law in a period of grace. Second, the law still relevant in the church today. Jesus fulfill the law for believers, so that believers can do the latter by the power of the Holy Spirit. And keep in mind that God has put His laws are no longer in tablets of stone dead, but in the mind of his people. Third, the law has a unique role and functions in the day of grace. The Law was God's will for believers because it still remains a self-revelation of God.Recommended for ministers, pastors, and teachers of theology seriously investigate the truth about the existence of the law in the church today, so that people are not confused by every falseteaching. Abstrak Indonesia  Sudah lama sekali, gereja berdebat tentang penerapan hukum kepada orang percaya hari ini. Beberapa tokoh menemukan kasih karunia tidak lagi relevan di gereja. Tetapi beberapa pemimpin Kristen berpendapat sebaliknya, dengan mengatakan bahwa hukum masih relevan dan harus dilakukan. Namun, sekarang ini banyak tafsir yang tidak benar tentang teologi Paulus tentang penerapan hukum dalam masa kasih karunia. Penafsiran yang salah dari ayat-ayat yang diambil dari surat-surat Paulus menyebabkan umat Tuhan menjadi bingung. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan penafsiran yang tepat melalui proses penafsiran Kitab Roma 2-8, sehingga terjadi penafsiran hukum yang benar dalam masa rahmat.Dari latar belakang dan permasalahan tersebut, penelitian ini difokuskan untuk mempertajam pemahaman tentang permasalahan terkait penerapan anugerah di gereja saat ini. Peneliti menggunakan metode deskriptif untuk mendeskripsikannya. Kemudian penulis melakukan studi tafsir yang terdiri dari analisis observasional, analisis tekstual, analisis struktural, analisis gramatikal, analisis leksikal, analisis historis atau konseptual, analisis teologis dan analisis eksegetik Roma 2-8. Tujuan dari studi ini adalah yang pertama, untuk memahami keterkaitan antara hukum dan rahmat; kedua, memahami keunikan teologi Paulus dalam menjelaskan penerapan hukum dalam masa kasih karunia; Ketiga, menyelidiki eksegesis yang berarti bagian-bagian dari Surat Paulus kepada Roma pasal 2-8 yang membahas relevansi hukum dan kasih karunia.Hasil diskusi menemukan beberapa hal: Pertama, anggapan bahwa Paulus menghapus hukum adalah tidak tepat. Paulus tidak menghapus Hukum dalam masa kasih karunia. Kedua, hukum masih relevan di gereja saat ini. Yesus menggenapi hukum untuk orang percaya, sehingga orang percaya dapat melakukan yang terakhir dengan kuasa Roh Kudus. Dan perlu diingat bahwa Tuhan telah meletakkan hukum-hukum-Nya tidak lagi di loh batu mati, tetapi di benak umat-Nya. Ketiga, hukum memiliki peran dan fungsi yang unik di hari kasih karunia. Hukum adalah kehendak Tuhan bagi orang percaya karena itu tetap merupakan wahyu Tuhan. Dianjurkan agar pendeta, pendeta, dan guru teologi menyelidiki dengan serius kebenaran tentang keberadaan hukum di gereja saat ini, agar masyarakat tidak dibingungkan oleh setiap kesalahan pengajaran.


2020 ◽  
pp. 161-176
Author(s):  
Haym Soloveitchik

This chapter focuses on Ibn 'Ezra's Ḥokhmat ha-Nefesh. Conflicting reports are to be found in the Ḥokhmat ha-Nefesh as to the origin of the soul. At times it is described as originating from the holy spirit via a process of inbreathing. On other occasions it is said to have been lit from the flames of the Kavod or of the heavenly throne. Other passages speak vaguely of its having been created from the place of the heavenly spirit. Whether any of these processes, or all of them, are genuine acts of creation or only emanations cannot be determined from the text. A prominent place in the Ḥokhmat ha-Nefesh is occupied by demuyot, mirror-images of man fashioned at the beginning of Creation and which stand in endless array before the Kavod, drawing their sustenance from the absorption of the heavenly light that streams forth from the Kavod, and in turn transferring this vitality to their earthly counterparts. The demut is a counter-shape and plays no role in the religious experience of Ḥasidei Ashkenaz.


2020 ◽  
pp. 140-172
Author(s):  
Baird Tipson

This chapter first describes the theology of the leaders of the evangelical awakening on the British Isles, George Whitefield and John Wesley. Both insisted that by preaching the “immediate” revelation of the Holy Spirit during what they called the “new birth,” they were recovering an essential element of primitive Christianity that had been forgotten over the centuries. Both had clear affinities with the conscience theology of William Perkins, yet both distanced themselves from it in important ways. In New England, Jonathan Edwards explored the nature of religious experience more deeply than either Wesley or Whitefield had done, and Edwards proudly claimed his Puritan heritage even as opponents found him deviating from it.


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.


2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Philip Knights

AbstractThis paper proposes a sacramental vision of the world as both an expression of and an impetus for Christian mission in the face of the current ecological crisis. This is an outworking of Panentheist turns in recent theology and spirituality, although there is much variety in forms of Panetheism and also such emphases have a long Christian history. The paper examines a particular form of sacramental Panentheism as found in two pieces of writing by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: e Priest and e Mass on the World. In both of these Teilhard de Chardin considers the world around him through the lens of the pattern of the eucharistic liturgy and the role of the priest. The world is offered; the Holy Spirit is invoked; and divine transformation is celebrated. These almost poetic meditations stress the divine compassion for and connection with the material world. Teilhard de Chardin's "eucharistic extensions" suggest seeing the cosmos as both a signifier of the Divine and a location of divine action and energy. Christian mission in this perspective demands: that we discover the truth of where we are; that we experience our location in nature deeply, even spiritually; that we seek the advancement of the world; in particular that it may be fashioned according to its destiny in God. The frame of the Eucharist shapes our perception of the world and utilises the worldly as a vehicle of divine transformation. Our attitudes to the world must be the inspiration for our activity in the world. The sacramental vision demands missional and ecological action. Cet article propose une vision sacramentelle du monde à la fois comme une expression de la mission chrétienne face à la crise écologique actuelle, et un élan de cette même mission pour y répondre. Ceci est une retombée des tournants panenthéistes dans la théologie et la spiritualité récentes, même s'il y a beaucoup de variétés dans les formes de panenthéisme et si de tels accents ont déjà une longue histoire chrétienne. L'article examine une forme particulière de panenthéisme sacramentel rencontré dans deux écrits de Pierre Teilhard de Chardin : Le Prêtre et La messe sur le monde. Dans ces deux textes, Teilhard de Chardin regarde le monde qui l'entoure à travers la lunette du schéma de la liturgie eucharistique et du rôle du prêtre. Le monde est offert ; le Saint Esprit est invoqué ; et la transformation divine est célébrée. Ces méditations quasi poétiques soulignent la compassion divine pour le monde matériel et le lien entre les deux. Les « extensions eucharistiques » de Teilhard de Chardin poussent à considérer le Cosmos comme un signe du Divin et un lieu de l'action et de l'énergie divine. Der Artikel trägt eine sakramentale Weltsicht vor, die sowohl Ausdruck als auch Impuls für die christliche Mission angesichts der gegenwärtigen ökologischen Krise ist. Sie ist eine Anwendung panentheistischer Entwicklungen in der neueren Theologie und Spiritualität, obwohl es eine große Vielfalt an Panentheismusformen gibt und solche Akzentsetzungen eine lange christliche Geschichte haben. Der Artikel untersucht eine besondere Form des sakramentalen Panentheismus, wie er sich in zwei Schriften von Pierre Teilhard de Chardin zeigt: Der Priester und Die Messe der Welt. In diesen beiden Schriften versteht Teilhard de Chardin die Welt um ihn im Sinne einer eucharistischen Liturgie und der Rolle des Priesters. Die Welt wird geopfert; der Heilige Geist wird angerufen; und die göttliche Wandlung wird gefeiert. Diese fast poetischen Meditationen betonen das göttliche Erbarmen und die Verbindung mit der materiellen Welt. Teilhard de Chardins "eucharistische Ausweitungen" schlagen vor, den Kosmos sowohl als Zeichen als auch als Ort göttlichen Handelns und göttlicher Energie zu verstehen. Este texto propone una visión sacramental del mundo como una expresión y un impulso para la misión cristiana de cara a la actual crisis ecológica. Se trata de una elaboración de giros panenteístas en la teología y espiritualidad recientes, aunque exista una gran variedad en las formas de panenteísmo y estos énfasis tengan una larga historia cristiana. El artículo analiza una forma particular de panenteísmo sacramental como se lo encuentra en dos escritos de Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: El Sacerdote y La Misa sobre el Mundo. En ambos, Teilhard de Chardin considera el mundo a su alrededor a través del lente de la estructura de una liturgia eucarística y el papel del sacerdote. Se ofrece el mundo; se invoca al Espíritu Santo; y se celebra la transformación divina. Estas meditaciones casi poéticas enfatizan la compasión divina por y la conexión con el mundo material. Las "extensiones eucarísticas" de Teilhard de Chardin proponen mirar el universo tanto como el significante de lo Divino como la ubicación de la acción y energía divinas.


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