scholarly journals “Let the Children Come to Me…For unto Them, the Kingdom of God Belongs” Mk 10:13-16: The Pastoral Challenges of this Invitation in African Church Today

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Ekanem, SDB ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Gospel Of Mark ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Look Back ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Church

Africa is blessed with an overwhelming population of young people, who in the words of the African Synod Fathers, constitute its “numerical strength” but unfortunately, these have been kept in the cold, marginalized, exploited for selfish aims, manipulated and misled by political demagogues (Mbuy, 2001). Against this kind of backdrop the Gospel of Mark 10: 13-16 offer us a concrete, practical and pastoral way of welcoming the young people as Jesus did and giving them a sense of belonging. When I look back at some experiences I am touched by the attitude of Jesus when he said, ‘let the children come to me’… and then I ask, how can the Church be available and say the same, ‘let the young people come to me’? Many young people want to encounter the Lord through different forms of apostolate but maybe there are no serious youth apostolates or they are lazy to things of God or they had dreadful experiences of not being allowed to get near Jesus. Why? Perhaps, it is the attitudes of Jesus’ disciples. In most of our Churches is this not the common attitude of some of our pastors? But Jesus irrespective of what and who they are said “Bring the children to me.”

scholarly journals Luther and Economic Questions

1910 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 131-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Alfred Faulkner
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
The Other ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Special Knowledge ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Church

There are two facts to be borne in mind in regard to Luther's whole attitude to social and economic questions. The first is that ordinarily this was a territory to be confined to experts, in which ministers should not meddle. He believed that a special knowledge was necessary to deal with some of these matters, and that they had better be left to those to whom Providence had assigned them, whether the jurists, those clever in worldly knowledge, or the authorities. The other fact is that the Church after all has social duties, and that Church and clergy must fight flagrant abuses and try to bring in the Kingdom of God on earth. The Church must use the Word of God against sin and sinners, and so by spiritual ministries help the needs of the time. The authorities on their part shall proceed by strict justice against evil doers. But there is another fact here which it is necessary to mention to get Luther's whole attitude, viz., that the State's function is not simply to administer justice, but to secure the general weal. They shall do the very best they can for their subjects, says Luther. “The authorities shall serve their subjects and use their office not petulantly [nicht zu Mutwillen] but for the advancement of the common good, and especially for the poor.” The princes shall give laws which shall limit as far as possible social misery and national dangers. They should listen to the proposals of the Church to this end, and on the ground of wise counsels of churchmen, do away with old laws and make new ones.

scholarly journals Invited into the Markan paradox: The church as authentic followers of Jesus in a superhero culture

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Joubert
Keyword(s):  
Gospel Of Mark ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
The Self ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Life Change ◽  
Outward Appearance ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Mediterranean Culture ◽  
Public Persona ◽  
The Church

Amidst contemporary culture’s obsession with superheroes as the basis of the new mythologies of our day, and numerous religious communities’ ‘sterilized’ version of Jesus, the church has to rediscover the paradoxical life and teachings of Jesus, as narrated in the Gospel of Mark. Within the honour-and-shame-based Mediterranean culture, within which Mark was written, Jesus’ atypical demeanour and his radical teachings on self-sacrifice, coupled with his shameful death, were perplexing. His opponents did not find any proof in his scandalous teachings and inglorious outward appearance to confirm his messianic claims. In terms of the present obsession with superheroes, Jesus was never in a costume in public. He did not take on a temporary public persona in a staged drama en route to the cross. At all times, Jesus was the slave-like Son of God who came to serve and lay down his own life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45). The crucified Jesus, stripped of all honour and godforsaken, is the paradoxical sign and physical embodiment of the kingdom of God. The risen Jesus is no different. He still is who he is. This largely undiscovered Jesus of Mark’s Gospel must capture the imagination of the church all over again, the kind of imagination that elicits admiration, amazement and life-change. Only when the church begins to embody the kenotic route of Jesus that it will become clear to her and others that she, in fact, possesses paradoxical ‘superpowers’ – the self-sacrificing kind.

Mission’s public engagement: The conversation of missiology and public theology

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Kim
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Interest ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Church

The recent development of public theology, the formation of the Global Network for Public Theology, and active scholarly discussions through the platform of the International Journal of Public Theology demonstrate that there is significant interest in the public engagement of theology in contemporary society. Public theology could be identified as critical, reflective, and reasoned engagement of theology in society to bring the kingdom of God, which is for the sake of the poor and marginalized. As David Bosch suggests, mission transforms society and at the same time the concept of mission is being transformed as the church interacts with the wider society. This article aims first to highlight some key features shared by missiology and public theology; second to discuss ways and means to enhance each discipline in its engagement in society, particularly as regards the common good; and third to explore a possibility of “public missiology” or “missiology of public life” in the context of secular and multicultural societies.

Renewal Theology and the ‘Common Good’

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-106
Author(s):  
Mark J. Cartledge
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Spiritual Gifts ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The World ◽  
The Common ◽  
Charismatic Renewal ◽  
The Church

This study investigates how an account informed by sources from the Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal tradition is able to address the domain of public theology and in particular the concept of ‘common good’. It uses the key Renewal topic of the charismata (spiritual gifts) as expressed by Paul in 1 Cor. 12.8–10 and reflects theologically on how these gifts may be used and expressed by the church for the benefit of wider society and the ‘common good’. It argues that because the mission of the church is for the benefit of the world there is an inevitable ‘spillover’ in the use of the charismata that is rooted in the concept of redemption. By means of these gifts the church both blesses society and resists evil. This argument is given a broader framework by being placed in relation to the concepts of creation, church and the kingdom of God.

Perspectives on Evil in the Book of Revelation

2020 ◽  
pp. 273-289
Author(s):  
Gregory Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Social Situation ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Book Of Revelation ◽  
Roman Culture ◽  
The Church

This chapter argues that the concept of evil in the book of Revelation is defined in terms of opposition to the kingdom of God and is, therefore, closely tied to the book’s social situation. Some scholars argue that the oppression of faithful Christians by Rome is the underlying context; this has led to a view that evil is primarily external to the church. Other scholars argue that compromise and accommodation with Roman culture is the underlying context, which has led to a view that evil is both internal and external to the church, but it does not involve overt oppression. This chapter suggests that Revelation addresses both the oppressed and the compromised through the use of a warfare metaphor. Revelation posits that victory over evil occurs through faithful witness, both of Christ and of his followers, and the faithfulness of God to his creation.

Theology as Work: The Mandatum and the Rights of Labor

Horizons ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-134
Author(s):  
Patrick T. McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Academic Freedom ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Catholic Social Teaching ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Church ◽  
Safe Working

ABSTRACTMany oppose the mandatum as a threat to the academic freedom of Catholic scholars and the autonomy and credibility of Catholic universities. But the imposition of this juridical bond on working theologians is also in tension with Catholic Social Teaching on the rights and dignity of labor. Work is the labor necessary to earn our daily bread. But it is also the vocation by which we realize ourselves as persons and the profession through which we contribute to the common good. Thus, along with the right to a just wage and safe working conditions, Catholic Social Teaching defends workers' rights to a full partnership in the enterprise, and calls upon the church to be a model of participation and cooperation. The imposition of the mandatum fails to live up to this standard and threatens the jobs and vocations of theologians while undermining this profession's contribution to the church.

Juan de Miralles and the American Revolution

1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-375
Author(s):  
Helen Matzke McCadden
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
American Revolution ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
The Other ◽  
General Officers ◽  
Burial Rites ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Church

In the Presbyterian burying ground at George Washington's encampment in Morristown, New Jersey, on April 29, 1780, Roman Catholic burial rites were performed for a distinguished emissary from Cuba. Dr. James Thacher, army surgeon, recorded the obsequies in his Journal thus:His Excellency General Washington, with several other general officers and members of Congress, attended the funeral solemnities, and walked as chief mourners. The other officers of the army, and numerous respectable citizens, formed a splendid procession, extending about one mile. The pall-bearers were six field officers, and the coffin was borne on the shoulders of four officers of the artillery in full uniform… A Spanish priest performed service at the grave, in the Roman Catholic form. The coffin was inclosed in a box of plank, and all the profusion of pomp and grandeur were deposited in the silent grave, in the common burying-ground, near the church at Morristown.

Justice Seeking is Joy Seeking: The Formation of Faith-Informed, Community-Focused, Critical Consciousness in Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
David Anderson Hooker ◽  
Elizabeth W. Corrie ◽  
Itihari Toure
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Good Life ◽  
The Good Life ◽  
Intentional Community ◽  
Game Of Life ◽  
Critical Junctures ◽  
Generational Identity ◽  
The Church

Abstract Seeking justice, understanding what makes for peace and pursuing it, these are integral aspects of the pursuit of the Good Life. In this chapter three youth and community development experts make the case that 1) a vital aspect of development is empowering adolescents with a faith-informed, community-focused, critical consciousness; 2) young people are formed in community and joy cannot be fully experienced except communally and in the pursuit of JustPeace; and 3) the church has opportunities to intervene at critical junctures in youth formation to help them see the importance of pursuing communal JustPeace for their own ability to live the Good Life. In support of these claims, a framework of radical Identity is postulated and two practices—the Eight Bowls of Life Ceremony for generational identity marking and the Game of Life, part of a three-week intentional community of the Youth Theological Initiative (yti) – are presented. Each practice contributes to formation of justice-seeking identities in adolescents as integral aspects of preparation for the life-long pursuit of God’s joy, God’s good life, and even God’s salvation.

Die koninkryk van God in die Ou Testament: ’n Kort oorsig

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. O'Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Real Difference ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
The Past ◽  
To Come ◽  
Psalm 22 ◽  
The Church ◽  
Technical Terms

The kingdom of God in the Old Testament: A brief survey. The kingdom of God is a central concept in the teaching of Jesus, but the question posed by this article is the following: What does the Old Testament say about the kingdom of God? Several Old Testament terms convey the concept of kingdom, kingship and rule of God. This article focuses on the Hebrew and Aramaic ‘technical’ terms for kingdom: mamlākâ, malkût, mělûkâ and malkû. One finds only a few Old Testament references where these terms are directly connected to God, most of them in the post-exilic literature: 1 Chronicles 17:14; 28:5; 29:11; 2 Chronicles 13:8; Psalm 22:29; 103:19; 145:11–13; Daniel 2:44; 3:33 (4:3); 4:31 (4:34); 6:27; 7:14, 18, 27; Obadiah 21. A brief study of these specific references leads to a few preliminary conclusions: The kingdom of God refers to a realm and the reign of God, the God of the kingdom is depicted in different ways, God’s kingdom is eternal and incomparable with earthly kingdoms, the scope of the kingdom is particularistic and universalistic, the Old Testament testifies about a kingdom that is and one that is yet to come, et cetera. It seems that there is no real difference when comparing the ‘kingdom of God’ with the ‘God is King’ passages. One cannot unequivocally declare that ‘kingdom of God’ is the central concept in the Old Testament. However, we must acknowledge that Jesus’s teaching about the kingdom of God did not evolve in a vacuum. His followers probably knew about the Old Testament perspective on the kingdom of God.Contribution: The concept ‘kingdom of God’ is relevant for the church in South Africa, especially congregations who strive to be missional. Unfortunately, the Old Testament perspective was neglected in the past. The purpose of this brief survey is to stimulate academics and church leaders in their further reflection on the kingdom of God.

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