scholarly journals Overcoming violence - a basic task of Christian churches

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Huber
Keyword(s):  
Communion Of Saints ◽  
Community Of Faith ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Basic Task ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Preferential Option ◽  
The Right ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Church ◽  
Christian Message

In this article � based on the second of two keynote lectures at a conference on violence � the view is developed that the task of the church with respect to violence consists mainly in overcoming violence. In the first part of the article dealing with the basic tasks of the church it is argued that the task to overcome violence is close to the essence of the church. The point of departure is taken in Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession, which understands the church as the �communion of saints� and names the pure proclamation of the gospel and the right administration of the sacraments as the two characteristics of the church. The Christian message that the church has to proclaim the gospel entails a preferential option for nonviolence that includes the responsibility to put an end to existing violence. In the second part of the article attention is given to the implications the basic task of the church in overcoming violence holds for the practice of the church. It is argued that the starting point is that the church has to proclaim the gospel of peace and as a community of faith become a community of peace herself. Some of the most important practical consequences the proclamation of the gospel of peace has for the church as a community of action, for her work in education, for her promotion of justice and for her solidarity with those in need, are discussed.

scholarly journals Topicality of the Spiritual Heritage and Theology of Brother Roger of Taizé

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-167
Author(s):  
Jacek Froniewski
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Original Form ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Concrete Experience ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Life Context ◽  
European Youth ◽  
The Church

This year in Wroclaw we experienced the European Youth Meeting organized by the Taizé Community. This great spiritual event is an opportunity to reflect more deeply on the importance of the heritage of Brother Roger of Taizé for the contemporary Church. As a starting point for this analysis, author took the biographical background, which will allow the reader to grasp the life context of Roger Schutz’s ecumenical research. Then, in the following points, he describes three essential elements of Brother Roger’s legacy, which are an ever-inspiring gift to the Church on the path of building unity. Firstly, it is a fully original form of Christian life in a monastic ecumenical community. Secondly, on the basis of this concrete experience of the Taizé Community, Brother Roger indicated a deeply existential way of building the unity of divided Christians. And thirdly, in his teaching he outlined a theology of forgiving love as the key to building reconciliation between the Churches. Undoubtedly the most spectacular fruit of his evangelical life are the crowds of young people from various Christian Churches that have invariably gathered around the Taizé Community for decades.

The Catholic presumption against war revisited

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-602
Author(s):  
Christian Nikolaus Braun
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Just War ◽  
General Direction ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Drone Warfare ◽  
Correct Point ◽  
The Right ◽  
Modern War ◽  
The Church

One of the most contested arguments in contemporary just war thinking has been the question of the right starting point of analysis. On one side of the argument, one finds Catholic Church officials who argue for a ‘presumption against war’ as jumping-off point. On the other, one encounters critics of that position, led by James Turner Johnson, who defend a ‘presumption against injustice’ as the correct point of entry. Interestingly, both sides refer to St Thomas Aquinas, the key figure in the systematisation of the classical just war, as giving support to their respective position. While Johnson was vindicated as far as Aquinas’s historical starting point is concerned, debate about the contemporary purchase of the presumption against war has continued until the present day. Historical just war thinkers like Johnson have criticised the Church not only for turning the logic of the just war tradition on its head by reversing the inherited hierarchy between the so-called deontological and prudential criteria, but have also questioned the empirical evidence that has put the Church on this trajectory. In this article, I explain how the debate about the presumption against war continues to be relevant by engaging with the general direction the Catholic Church has taken up until Pope Francis and by investigating the particular example of its position on drone warfare. I point out that while the presumption against war runs counter to what Aquinas wrote during his days, Thomistic virtue ethics is generally open to development. The Church may thus claim a Thomistic patrimony in advocating for a presumption against war, but, as I demonstrate, the just war thinking that results, often referred to as modern-war pacifism, struggles to address important moral issues raised by contemporary warfare.

scholarly journals Religious Freedom and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: History and Logic of Relationship

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (19) ◽  
pp. 157-164
Author(s):  
Liudmyla O. Fylypovych ◽  
Anatolii M. Kolodnyi
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Physical Property ◽  
Latter Day Saints ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
History Of ◽  
Freedom Of Belief ◽  
Special Respect ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Church

In the process of studying the history of the Mormons, it becomes apparent that the emergence and functioning of this Church are closely linked with religious freedom.Reflecting on the historical connections between the Church and religious freedom, you seek to find what became the starting point for the special respect for the Mormons of the latter. The first thing that strikes the eye is the desire of the Mormons to have such a system, such laws that would provide the opportunity to freely profess their religious beliefs. For this, the ZHIHSOD suffered heavy losses - both physical, property, and moral. The pages of the history of the Church are full of tragic events, the suffering of people, the death of many of its followers. And all this is due to the lack of freedom of belief. As a result of the persecution, the Church and thousands of its members were forced to constantly migrate, to change their places and areas of activity. All this is described in sources, in fiction, in painting, cinema. Thousands of studies have been written that convincingly prove why the Mormons fought and will fight for freedom of religion, defend the right of people to follow their faith. This is more fully written by the authors of this article in his book "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its history and the present," printed in 2016.

scholarly journals THE CHURCH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-179
Author(s):  
Komi Ahiatroga Hiagbe
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
The People ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Church

The snail-pace of social and economic development within sub-Saharan Africa is of major concern not only to the development community, but to all who have the continent’s well-being at heart. Various attempts (many rather elusive) at diagnosis and prescription of the right antidotes to the problem have been made for decades. This paper, however, shares Jeffrey Sachs’s optimism in End of Poverty with the point of departure being that organised religion holds the key to a reversal of the trend. The paper explores the impact of religious beliefs on the development of some communities in the past and the present before concluding that Christianity could unlock the prospects to sub-Saharan Africa’s economic fortunes. In the view of this researcher, African theological reflections, in response to the challenges of endemic corruption, nepotism, superstition, and bad work ethics on the continent, must be grounded in the language, traditional beliefs, values and practices (i.e. culture) of the people as grounds for integration with the modern scientific and technological advancement that confronts the continent. This underscores the need for Christianity itself to become that culture which is willing to accommodate a consciously reconstructed past as the pathway to a developed future.

scholarly journals Skrifberoep in die vorming van etiese uitsprake, Deel 1: ’n Etiese verstaan van die vrou in die Bybel

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriaan L. Rheeder
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
Women In The Bible ◽  
The Bible ◽  
To Come ◽  
Human Side ◽  
The Right ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Church ◽  
Reasoning By Analogy

Na 30 jaar kon die grammaties-historiese metode van Skrifondersoek nie daarin slaag om die etiese probleem van die vrou in die kerklike ampte (en homoseksualiteit) in die GKSA op te los nie. Hierdie metode kan na alle waarskynlikheid nie meer as die enigste verklaringsmetode gebruik word nie en moet deur ander uitgangspunte aangevul word. In hierdie artikel word twee hermeneutiese uitgangspunte bespreek wat saam met die grammaties-historiese metode in die vertolking van die Skrif gebruik kan word. Hierdie hermeneutiese uitgangspunte sal gedemonstreer word in ‘n bespreking oor die etiese verstaan van die vrou in die Bybel, spesifiek soos dit op die vrou in kerklike ampte toegepas word. In aansluiting by laasgenoemde twee vertrekpunte word in ’n opvolgartikel ’n verdere drie hermeneutiese vertrekpunte behandel. Die twee hermeneutiese vertrekpunte wat in hierdie artikel behandel word, staan as reëldoelwit en analogie bekend. Die eerste hermeneutiese vertrekpunt gaan uit van die veronderstelling dat die reëldoelwit van ’n teks swaarder weeg as die teks self, terwyl analogie van die veronderstelling uitgaan dat analogie as beredenering ’n aanvaarbare en noodsaaklike vertrekpunt is. Bogenoemde hermeneutiese vertrekpunte (vyf in totaal) is op twee aannames gegrond. Ten eerste word aanvaar dat die Bybel, alhoewel ’n goddelike boek, ’n besliste kreatuurlike kant het wat in die vertolking daarvan in ag geneem moet word. Tweedens word geredeneer dat die Skrif nie ’n  teologiese boek is nie, wat beteken dat gelowiges in etiese sake waaroor daar twee verstaansmoontlikhede bestaan, die reg gegun moet word om self die Skrif te vertolk. Daar word tot die  gevolgtrekking gekom dat ’n etiese verstaan van die vrou daartoe moet lei dat die vrou as gelykwaardig aan die man beskou en behandel moet word, met die gevolg dat die vrou tot alle ampte in die kerk toegelaat moet word.Appeal to Scripture in the formation of ethical judgments, Part 1: An ethical understanding of women in the Bible. After 30 years of using the grammatical-historical method of Bible interpretation, it can be said to have failed to solve the ethical problems in GKSA of women in clerical positions and homosexuality. This method can in all probability not be used as the only explanatory method and must be replenished by other hermeneutical viewpoints. In this article, two hermeneutical points of departure are discussed that can be used together with the grammatical-historical method in interpreting Scripture. These hermeneutical viewpoints will be demonstrated in a discussion of the ethical understanding of women in the Bible, specifically as applied to women in clerical offices. In a subsequent article, three further hermeneutical points of departure will be discussed. The two hermeneutical points of departure discussed in this paper are known as the rule of purpose and analogy. The first hermeneutic point of departure is based on the view that the purpose behind ‘n biblical rule outweighs the rule itself whereas analogy assumes that reasoning by analogy is an acceptable and necessary point of departure. The hermeneutical starting points (five in total) mentioned above are built on two underlying assumptions. Firstly, it is assumed that the Bible, though a divine book, has a definite human side and should be considered in interpretation. Secondly, it is argued that Scripture is not a theological book, which means that believers should be afforded the right to come to their own interpretation of Scripture in ethical matters on which there are two possible interpretations. The conclusion is that an ethical understanding of women in the Bible means that women should be regarded and treated as equal to men, with the result that women should be allowed to all positions within the church.

scholarly journals The relationship between moral intervention strategies and the stigmatisation of people living with HIV – A Christian perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Izak J. Van der Walt ◽  
Jacobus M. Vorster
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Transmission ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Christian Perspective ◽  
Christian Morality ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Church

One of the ways in which sexual transmission of AIDS is addressed is through moral interventions by organisations affiliated with Christian churches. However, this approach has been heavily criticised in recent literature, implying that moral interventions by church-affiliated organisations generally lead to stigmatisation which is one of the major obstacles to their involvement in HIV prevention. This article explores the origin of this accusation and discusses the Christian-ethical aspects related to HIV or AIDS. The conclusion is that the fact that churches take the Word of God and Christian morality as point of departure in HIV or AIDS intervention programmes does not imply that people who transgressed religious moral teachings may be condemned. On the contrary, the church preaches Christian forgiveness, mercy and empathy. Churches and organisations affiliated with churches should therefore be regarded as valuable partners in the fight against AIDS, for while propagating a normative lifestyle, they also preach love, compassion and support for people living with HIV.

scholarly journals Bolehkah Gereja-Gereja Kristen Tetap Terpisah?

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
George Ludwig Kirchberger
Keyword(s):  
Karl Rahner ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Second Vatican Council ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Vatican Council ◽  
Church Unity ◽  
The One ◽  
The Right ◽  
Clear Statement ◽  
The Church

The author starts from the clear statement of the Second Vatican Council,“that the Church is a single flock, there are not many Churches. God established a single Church by sending His Son and the Spirit”. Today, the “separated” Churches”, are in real communion, although the communion is not yet complete. Through baptism all Christians, in each of the Christian Chruches, are members of the one Body of Christ. This is a strong bond and has to be taken as more resilient than any differences that may diminish unity. Therefore we must ask: what must be regarded as a difference that is significant enough to grant one the right to deem one’s Church as still separated? This article outlines the eight theses of Heinrich Fries and Karl Rahner where they show, with detalied argumentation, that today the Christian Churches can come together in communion. The article draws to the conclusion that the Christian Church has a moral obligation to live in a communion that is already possible, and has no right to state that the Churches can remain separated from each other. <b>Keywords:</b> Reformation, church unity, separated church ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Penulis artikel ini bertolak dari penegasan Konsili Vatikan II “bahwa Gereja itu merupakan satu kawanan, tidak ada Gereja-gereja Allah dalam bentuk jamak, Allah hanya mendirikan satu Gereja melalui perutusan Putra dan Roh-Nya”. Semua Gereja yang sekarang ini masih “terpisah”, berada dalam suatu persekutuan yang sungguh riil, meskipun tidak sepenuhnya. Melalui sakramen baptis semua orang Kristen dari semua Gereja Kristen menjadi anggota pada satu tubuh Kristus. Inilah suatu ikatan yang sangat kuat dan pada dasarnya mesti dianggap lebih utama dari pelbagai perbedaan yang mengurangi persekutuan itu. Oleh karena itu mesti ditanya, apa yang bisa dianggap sebagai perbedaan yang cukup besar untuk memberikan hak, untuk tetap menyatakan diri sebagai Gereja terpisah. Sebagian besar artikel ini merupakan perkenalan terhadap delapan tesis dari Heinrich Fries dan Karl Rahner, di mana mereka memperlihatkan secara teliti dan argumentatif tesis bahwa sudah saatnya Gereja-gereja Kristen bersatu. Artikel ini menyimpulkan bahwa Gereja Kristen mempunyai kewajiban moral untuk hidup dalam persekutuan yang sudah mungkin itu dan tidak lagi mempunyai hak untuk menyatakan diri sebagai Gereja yang terpisah satu sama lain. <b>Kata-kata kunci:</b> Reformasi; Kesatuan Gereja; Gereja terpecah

scholarly journals Pencarian Pom Bensin Terdekat di Denpasar Menggunakan Algoritma Djikstra Berbasis Web Mobile

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Putu Andhika Kurniawijaya
Keyword(s):  
Initial Step ◽  
Dijkstra’S Algorithm ◽  
Gas Stations ◽  
Search Results ◽  
A Value ◽  
Dijkstra's Algorithm ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Gas Station ◽  
The Right ◽  
Point Of Departure

<p><em>Denpasar as one of travel destination in Indonesia, is often visited by local and foreign tourists. Even some of those tourist who traveled in Denpasar is unaccompanied by a guide. Regional and environmental differences could be   problems for tourists who do not recognize Denpasar areas very well. They are confused to find gas stations when needed.</em></p><p><em>T</em><em>he author uses Dijkstra's algorithm method,which purpose is to determine nearest gas station to the tourists. The initial step in this method is to give the weight value (distance) from one point to another point, then gives a value of 0 at the starting point and infinite value to the other point. From the point of departure, the algorithm compare the unidentified neighboring point and count the distance from the point of departure.The smallest value of the destination point is the smallest weight of the starting point to the point of destination. By using J2ME search results layout nearest gas station can be displayed on a mobile traveler.</em></p><p><em>B</em><em>ased on the analysis of several trials of the method of Dijkstra's algorithm, it can be determined that the method can provide the right solution in the search for the nearest gas station because it can provide quick results according to the needs of travelers. In addition, the search results can be displayed on mobile travelers, making it easier to search.</em></p><p><strong><em>Keyw</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>ds </em></strong><em>: Djikstra’s Algorythm, Web Mobile.</em></p>

Word and sacrament as paradigmatic for pastoral theology: in search of a definition via Brueggemann, Hauerwas and Ricoeur

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-463
Author(s):  
Lance Stone
Keyword(s):  
Pastoral Theology ◽  
Identity Crisis ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Community Of Faith ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Walter Brueggemann ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Reflection On Practice

The current debate about the nature and parameters of pastoral theology emphasises practice as both the source and the end of theological reflection: pastoral theology as reflection on practice with a view to transforming practice. This raises issues for pastoral theologians from the Reformed tradition, which prioritises word and prizes scripture and preaching as fundamental ways in which the word is mediated to us. Current philosophical, cultural and ecclesiological developments emphasise the constructed nature of our worlds, the crucial place of language in world construction, and the ‘textured’ nature of the community of faith. Thus theologians associated with the term ‘post-liberal’ emphasise that in a time of displacement, marginalisation and identity crisis the church, like the Jewish community in exile, returns to its texts as its home and the source of its identity and its practice. Taking the theology of Walter Brueggemann as a starting point, this paper explores the relationship between proclamation and practice in the church's life, and seeks, through a Reformed paradigm of word and sacrament, a ‘post-liberal’ redefinition of pastoral theology that gives a higher profile to the church's ‘peculiar speech’.

Dreams Give Birth to Reality”. Engraving Austroseraphicum Coelum as an Attempt to Create a New Reality by the Spanish Habsburgs Dynastic Propaganda / Sny rodzą rzeczywistość…”. Grafika Austroseraphicum Coelum jako próba kreowania nowej rzeczywistości za pomocą propagandy dynastycznej Habsburgów hiszpańskich

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Kurowiak
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
General Condition ◽  
Symbolic System ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
Mission Of God ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

AbstractAs a work of propaganda, graphics Austroseraphicum Coelum Paulus Pontius should create a new reality, make appearances. The main impression while seeing the graphics is the admiration for the power of Habsburgs, which interacts with the power of the Mother of God. She, in turn, refers the viewer to God, as well as Franciscans placed on the graphic, they become a symbol of the Church. This is a starting point for further interpretation of the drawing. By the presence of certain characters, allegories, symbols, we can see references to a particular political situation in the Netherlands - the war with the northern provinces of Spain. The message of the graphic is: the Spanish Habsburgs, commissioned by the mission of God, they are able to fight all of the enemies, especially Protestants, with the help of Immaculate and the Franciscans. The main aim of the graphic is to convince the viewer that this will happen and to create in his mind a vision of the new reality. But Spain was in the seventeenth century nothing but a shadow of former itself (in the time of Philip IV the general condition of Spain get worse). That was the reason why they wanted to hold the belief that the empire continues unwavering. The form of this work (graphics), also allowed to export them around the world, and the ambiguity of the symbolic system, its contents relate to different contexts, and as a result, the Habsburgs, not only Spanish, they could promote their strength everywhere. Therefore it was used very well as a single work of propaganda, as well as a part of a broader campaign

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