scholarly journals What hope is there – for Klaus?

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst M. Conradie
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Conceptual Clarification ◽  
Creative Power ◽  
Belief In God ◽  
God's Word ◽  
Triune God ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
In Christ

This contribution engages with Klaus Nürnberger’s eschatology as expressed in his Invitation to Systematic Theology. It suggests that his notion of Christian hope has to be understood in terms of the triad of core concepts that he offers, namely creative power, benevolent intentionality and a vision of comprehensive optimal well-being. These are dialectically related as thesis, antithesis and synthesis. Moreover, this dialectic comes to expression in his understanding of faith in the Triune God, namely as belief in God against God, God as Saviour against God as Creator. Two questions regarding the vision of comprehensive optimal well-being are raised in conversation with Nürnberger: Firstly, is the content of Christian hope focused on optimal well-being itself, that God’s project will prevail, that the vision itself will prevail or that God will prevail. Can these be treated as rough synonyms? Secondly, what are the implications of the emphasis on God’s Word for Nürnberger’s eschatology? Does his emphasis on conceptual clarification not allow a form of idealism that undermines his own emphasis on the historical? If so, is there sufficient room for the consummation of all things as part of the narrative of God’s work?Intra- and interdisciplinary implications: This contribution is of an intradisciplinary nature and is located within the field of Christian systematic theology. It is a review article that engages critically with the position on eschatology adopted by Professor Klaus Nürnberger in his two-volume work Faith in Christ Today (2016).

scholarly journals Systematic Theology – An experiential approach: Core assumptions of my ‘Invitation to Systematic Theology’

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Nürnberger
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Natural Evil ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Modern Physics ◽  
In Christ ◽  
Intellectual Integrity

Nürnberger’s ‘Faith in Christ Today: Invitation to Systematic Theology’ is meant to serve the proclamation of the Word of God in modern times. Based on ‘experiential realism’, as used by science, it restricts itself to immanent reality, avoids the reification of idealised abstractions and biblical metaphors and follows an emergent-evolutionary hermeneutic. God’s self-disclosure manifests itself as (1) creative power in the cosmic process as explored by science, (2) benevolent intentionality as proclaimed on the basis of the Christ-event and (3) a motivating and transforming vision in the community of believers. Classical doctrines are reconceptualised in action terms, rather than ontological terms. Christology: The ministry, death and elevation of Jesus of Nazareth as God’s messianic representative manifest God’s redemptive intentionality. Trinity: The God manifest in Christ is identical with the God of Israel and the Creator of the universe and the divine Spirit transforming and empowering the community of believers. Eschatology: The thrust of God’s vision of comprehensive optimal well-being moves through time like a horizon opening up ever new vistas, challenges and opportunities.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The task of Systematic Theology is to offer as comprehensive and consistent a presentation of the Christian faith as possible under current circumstances. This involves the retrieval of the biblical message from its ancient conceptualisations and to repackage it in current world view assumptions. To reach a readership informed by modern science, technology, commerce and the consumer culture, Nürnberger’s Systematic Theology applies the approach of experiential realism as practised by the positive sciences: restricting its analyses to immanent reality and avoiding metaphysical constructs. It follows a consistent emergent-evolutionary hermeneutic and works on an interdisciplinary basis, using insights from modern physics, biology, neurology and sociology. God is conceptualised as the transcendent Source and Destiny of experienced reality. The core of the Christian message is God’s suffering, transforming acceptance of the unacceptable, which involves us in its dynamics. It is geared to transformation rather than perfection. It is applied to all aspects of reality, including, for example, entropy, death and natural evil and so on. In this way, the author hopes to help Christians to regain their intellectual integrity and the credibility of their message.

Strength training in children and adolescents: science, effects and recommandations

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Strength Training ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
International Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Physical Activity Guidelines ◽  
Muscle Strengthening ◽  
Strengthening Exercises ◽  
Methodological Aspects ◽  
Practical Recommendations

During the last years, muscle strengthening exercises have been included as an essential part in youth physical activity guidelines of national and international health organisations. It is well-documented that strength training is effective in improving physical fitness and promoting health and psycho-social well-being. Therefore, the purpose of this review article is to present empirical evidence on the effectiveness of strength training in children and adolescents. Additionally, and with reference to an established youth physical development model, conceptual and methodological aspects of safe and effective strength training in youth will be discussed and specific practical recommendations will be presented.

Life Review in Pastoral Counseling: Background and Efficacy for Use with the Terminally III

2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. LeFavi ◽  
Marcia H. Wessels
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Pastoral Counseling ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Review ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Traumatic Death ◽  
Spiritual Assessment

Research continues to confirm that sharing one's life story through the process of life review enhances psychological well-being and increases life satisfaction. Although researchers have outlined techniques and activities that may be used in life review with older adults, little work has focused on the use of life review methods with terminally ill patients. Additionally, researchers have suggested that life review can take on the form of a spiritual assessment; and that such spiritually oriented life reviews may enhance a sense of meaning and foster reconciliation as one approaches dying. In this article, the authors provide a brief review of the research on and the practice of life review. Further, by merging concepts of life review with systematic theology, they offer a sample instrument—using the example of one faith framework—with which pastoral caregivers can better approach the spiritual needs of patients and facilitate a less traumatic death in the terminally ill.

Attending to the Teacher in the Teaching: Prioritizing Faculty Well-Being

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Brianne H. Roos ◽  
Carey C. Borkoski
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this review article is to examine the well-being of faculty in higher education. Success in academia depends on productivity in research, teaching, and service to the university, and the workload model that excludes attention to the welfare of faculty members themselves contributes to stress and burnout. Importantly, student success and well-being is influenced largely by their faculty members, whose ability to inspire and lead depends on their own well-being. This review article underscores the importance of attending to the well-being of the people behind the productivity in higher education. Method This study is a narrative review of the literature about faculty well-being in higher education. The history of well-being in the workplace and academia, concepts of stress and well-being in higher education faculty, and evidence-based strategies to promote and cultivate faculty well-being were explored in the literature using electronic sources. Conclusions Faculty feel overburdened and pressured to work constantly to meet the demands of academia, and they strive for work–life balance. Faculty report stress and burnout related to excessively high expectations, financial pressures to obtain research funding, limited time to manage their workload, and a belief that individual progress is never sufficient. Faculty well-being is important for the individual and in support of scholarship and student outcomes. This article concludes with strategies to improve faculty well-being that incorporate an intentional focus on faculty members themselves, prioritize a community of well-being, and implement continuous high-quality professional learning.

Helping athletes flourish using mindfulness and acceptance approaches – an introduction and mini review

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Control Techniques ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Randomized Controlled Studies ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Core Concepts

Mindfulness and acceptance are core concepts of the third wave of cognitive and behavioral psychotherapies. Their aim is not to overpower thoughts and emotions by suppression and using control techniques but to change the relationships with them. This article focuses on mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches in sports. It briefly outlines these approaches and concludes that they are characterized by promoting three processes, which are present-moment attention, metacognitive awareness, and acceptance. Subsequently, the paper describes one approach particularly suitable for sports in detail – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – with a special focus on how athletes can promote psychological flexibility and thrive in their effort to perform. This paper further addresses the question of whether mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches are effective in sports by summarizing research from the past five years in the form of a mini-review. Findings from 19 reviewed studies, including 15 controlled or randomized controlled studies, suggest that different athlete populations can benefit from mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches in terms of athletic performance and well-being. Positive effects on performance and well-being could be mediated by other psychological processes, e.g., enhanced emotion regulation. Further research is needed, especially regarding the mechanisms that impact mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions in sports.

scholarly journals The concept of revelation in terms of the evolution of consciousness

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Nürnberger
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectory ◽  
Evolution Of Consciousness ◽  
Realist Approach ◽  
Creative Power ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Social Environmental

Following Paul’s injunction in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 we have to ‘become scientists’ to a scientifically informed audience. While theology cannot agree with the naturalist denial of transcendence, it can adopt the experiential-realist approach typical for the sciences in its description of the Christian faith as an immanent part of cosmic evolution, albeit at a higher level of emergence. The article begins with my understanding of evolutionary theory (big bang cosmology, entropy, emergence, neural networks as infrastructure of consciousness, evolution and differentiation, sequences of past, present and future, contingency etc.) It then describes God consciousness as the intuition, perception or conceptualisation of the transcendent Source and Destiny of experienced reality and locates God consciousness in the evolutionary process. Biblical God consciousness displays two distinct characteristics: God’s creative power is experienced in reality, while God’s benevolent intentionality is proclaimed on the basis of a religious tradition. The evolutionary trajectory of biblical God consciousness, culminating in the Christ-event, is sketched and the God consciousness of Jesus is deduced from its religious embeddedness, its social-environmental relationships and its religious impact. Implications of an experiential-realist approach are (1) a dynamic, rather than ontological Christology and (2) the cosmic significance of the sacrifice of God in Christ. On this basis revelation is described first in experiential-realist and then in theological terms. The tension between the experience of God’s creative power and the proclamation of God’s benevolence leads to a dynamic, rather than ontological rendering of the Trinity. Finally, traditional eschatological assumptions are reconceptualised as God’s dynamic vision of comprehensive well-being operating like a horizon that moves on as we approach it and displays ever new vistas, challenges and opportunities.

Ecological approaches to perceptual learning: learning to perceive and perceiving as learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 363-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Szokolszky ◽  
Catherine Read ◽  
Zsolt Palatinus ◽  
Kinga Palatinus
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ecological Psychology ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Review Article ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Development And Evolution

In this theoretical review article, our primary goal is to contribute to the post-cognitivist understanding of learning to perceive and perceiving as learning, by discussing a framework for perception and perceptual learning initiated by James J Gibson, and extended by Eleanor J Gibson and others. This Ecological Psychology has a coherent set of assumptions based on the concept of mutualism between the perceiving organism and its surroundings, and the idea of affordances as action possibilities of the surround that are perceptible by the organism. At the same time, Ecological Psychology, broadly construed, consists of different perspectives that take different routes to address questions related to the core concepts of perceptual learning. In this article, we focus on three theoretical stances within Ecological Psychology on the issue of perceptual learning: that of Eleanor J Gibson, the current theory of direct learning by Jacobs and Michaels, and the “organicist” approach based on ideas of organicist biology and developments in evolutionary biology. We consider perceptual learning as embedded in development and evolution, and we explore perceptual learning in more depth in the context of tool use and language development. We also discuss the relation between Ecological Psychology and Enactivism on the nature of perception. In conclusion, we summarize the benefits of Ecological Psychology, as a robust but still developing post-cognitivist framework, for the study of perceptual learning and cognitive science in general.

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