scholarly journals Full and Emptied: Interpreting Christ's Divinity for Theologies of Religion

Lumen et Vita ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi Haas

The concept that “fullness” is to be found in Jesus Christ has been invoked to support the uniqueness of Jesus, including in the context of world religions. Yet the metaphorical sense of fullness is amenable to a variety of interpretations. Is this uniqueness the logical consequence of Christian faith, or an over-reliance on what amounts to a spatial metaphor? Are the uniqueness and primacy of Jesus meant only as praise, or does this also constitute a proposition about Jesus, vulnerable to the logic of non-contradiction? Is a lack or any partial lack of “fullness” to be found in any setting, if all things are created through, by, and for Jesus? This paper explores the concept of the “fullness of truth” in its biblical context, as a doctrinal claim, and in contemporary interpretations in order to offer an analysis of “fullness” in Christ in light of the identity and call of the Church, the sacrament of God's salvific life. Treating fullness as an abstracted premise or proposition leads quickly to an ontotheological interpretation of Jesus' divinity. Instead, we would do well to learn the meaning of the metaphor by attending to its expressions in the life of the Church, a central one of which is the self-emptying love, the communion with which, we are promised, leads into all truth.

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-54
Author(s):  
Yesri E. Talan

Syncretism is not just phenomenology in the church but is a real and serious problem. Syncretism is a mixture of Christian faith and culture that results in the congregation losing its identity as a believer, blurred beliefs and do not have absolute truth. Syncretism in the church is a real and serious problem in the life of the church because it negatively impacts spiritual growth.The church cannot grow in true knowledge about Jesus Christ because of the dualism of belief, so Jesus Christ is not the only way of truth and life. The method used in this paper is theological qualitative research. Qualitative is a research method that emphasizes an in-depth understanding of a problem with the process of observation and interview. Conducting literature review and exposition of verses related to the discussion material. This research is descriptive. The results obtained are found the danger of syncretism to the church, namely: the absence of absolute truth in Christ because of the dualism that affects the spiritual growth of the church. Abstrak Sinkretisme bukan hanya fenomenologi di gereja tetapi menjadi masalah nyata dan serius. Sinkretisme adalah percampuran antara iman Kristen dengan budaya yang mengakibatkan jemaat kehilangan identitasnya sebagai orang percaya, kepercayaannya kabur dan tidak memiliki kebenaran absolut. Sinkretisme adalah masalah serius dalam kehidupan gereja karena memiliki dampak negatif pada pertumbuhan rohani. Gereja tidak dapat bertumbuh dalam pengenalan yang benar akan Yesus Kristus karena dualisme kepercayaan, sehingga Yesus Kristus bukanlah satu-satunya jalan kebenaran dan kehidupan. Metode yang dipakai dalam peulisan ini adalah kualitatif teologi. Kualitatif adalah metode penelitian yang menekankan pada suatu pemahaman secara mendalam terhadap suatu masalah dengan proses observasi dan wawancara. Melakukan kajian pustaka dan eksposisi ayat-ayat yang berkaitan dengan materi pembahasan. Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif. Hasil yang diperoleh adalah ditemukan adanya bahaya sinkretisme terhadap jemaat, yaitu: tidak adanya kebenaran mutlak di dalam Kritus karena adanya dualisme yang mempengaruhi pertumbuhan rohani jemaat.


Author(s):  
I Putu Ayub Darmawan

Make Disciples: The Duty of Church Discipleship According to Matthew 28: 18-20. This article discusses the task of church discipleship according to Matthew 28: 18-20. The author conducted a literature study to understand the intent of Matthew 28: 18-20 and to carry out the construction of the task of discipleship in the church. The task of discipleship, Jesus addressed his disciples, then proceeded to their successors who lived in a community of faith to carry out the task of discipleship. In the task of discipleship, the community of faith in a church as an institution takes action to proclaim the good news so that every nation can be part of a community of faith in Jesus Christ. In discipleship, everyone who enters the community of faith in Christ is accepted without distinction, because this task is a multicultural task. Teaching is an important part of the discipleship task. Teaching is done in order to strengthen new believers or new students enter the community of faith in Jesus, then they become disciples of the Lord Jesus who can be sent to disciple others. Jadikanlah Murid: Tugas Pemuridan Gereja Menurut Matius 28:18-20. Artikel ini membahas tentang tugas pemuridan gereja menurut Matius 28:18-20. Penulis melakukan studi pustaka untuk memahami maksud Matius 28:18-20 dan melakukan konstruksi tugas pemuridan gereja. Tugas pemuridan, Yesus tujukan kepada para murid-murid-Nya, kemudian dilanjutkan oleh pada penerus mereka yang hidup dalam sebuah komunitas iman untuk menjalankan tugas pemuridan tersebut. Dalam tugas pemuridan, komunitas iman dalam sebuah gereja sebagai suatu institusi melakukan tindakan pergi untuk mewartakan kabar baik sehingga setiap bangsa dapat menjadi bagian dari komunitas iman pada Yesus Kristus. Dalam pemuridan, setiap orang yang masuk dalam komunitas iman pada Kristus, diterima dengan tanpa membedakan mereka, sebab tugas ini adalah tugas yang multikultural. Pengajaran merupakan bagian penting dalam tugas pemuridan. Pengajaran dilakukan agar dapat memantapkan orang-orang yang baru percaya atau murid-murid baru masuk ke dalam komunitas iman pada Yesus, kemudian mereka menjadi murid Tuhan Yesus yang dapat diutus untuk memuridkan orang lain.


1962 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
Rudolf J. Ehrlich

The subject ‘Papacy and Scripture‘ is of great importance today for two main reasons:1. Reformed Theology itself requires that we must not be satisfied with the theological standpoint reached at the time of the Reformation but should submit ourselves to continual questioning by the Truth, and so move on to a position more in accordance with the dictates of the self-same Truth which is Jesus Christ. The very fact that we are ‘Reformed’ theologians itself raises the question of whether the anti-Roman arguments legitimately used by the Reformers still hold good; which means that, as a matter of urgency, we must reappraise our relationship with the Church of Rome.


2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Fritz Krüger

From animosity to reconciliation: Colossians as narrative of cosmologic migration Ethical discussion concerning the phenomenon of animosity can gain a lot in depth and effectiveness if a strategy is followed of uncovering the cosmological narratives on which worldviews are based. Each worldview generates its own ethical system on the basis of fundamental metaphysical matrices in the form of cosmological narratives. In this article, the letter to the Colos- sians is used to demonstrate how a cosmological narrative of cosmic estrangement results in an ethic of animosity, while a cosmological narrative of reconciliation in Christ results in an ethic of peace and reconciliation. Three cosmological narratives are compared for this purpose: a popular pagan, a Jewish apo- calyptic mystical and a Christ-centred cosmological narrative are read together. In this way it is demonstrated that a new ethic – which ends the common animosity of our world – is only possible if a cosmic migration occurs, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the beloved Son, Jesus Christ. In the discussion, the church will play a prominent role as exem- plary community of the new creation, because it is in the church that the peace of Christ, the result of his victory over the powers, rules over and in people, in this way establishing new relationships of peace and justice.


Author(s):  
Mike Higton

Rowan Williams’s ecclesiology is shaped by his account of the spiritual life. He examines the transformation of human beings’ relationships to one another, driven by their encounter with God’s utterly gracious love in Jesus Christ. The church is the community of forgiven people generated by Christ’s resurrection. It is animated by its constant exposure to God’s love in Christ in word and sacrament. It is held to that exposure by its doctrinal discipline. It is a community in which members go on learning from one another how to go more deeply into that exposure. For Williams, the church’s commitment to unity and its commitment to truth go together: truth cannot be discovered without holding together in unity to learn from one another; and proper ecclesial unity is unity in this search for truth.


1956 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-250
Author(s):  
John Godsey

It may sound a bit presumptuous to speak of the architecture of a dogmatics which is not yet complete, but the size and scope of Professor Barth's Church Dogmatics to date would seem to justify our attempt to examine its outer structure in order to discover the basic dynamic principles involved in this Protestant ‘Summa’. In following this procedure, however, we should be aware that we are working backwards, for, unlike the many dogmatics in which the Christian Faith has been forced into a pre-established mould, Professor Barth has been willing to cast the mould in accordance with the demands of the Faith itself. This is not to deny in any way the obvious human element involving meticulous planning and unusually sensitive organisational skill, but is to state clearly that the Church Dogmatics is not a system conforming to the dictates of human reason, but is a bold yet humble attempt to write a systematic theology which conforms to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. As such, the architectural plans must necessarily result from obedient and faithful listening to the Word of God spoken to the Church, and all future designs must remain fluid and prepared for unexpected changes.


1966 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-340
Author(s):  
Philip J. Lee

Of the many efforts of the socio-religious school to describe and direct the course of American Protestantism, Professor Harvey Cox's The Secular City1 is by far the most impressive. The title itself with the explanatory sub-title: ‘A celebration of its liberties and an invitation to its discipline’, announces the end of the self-flagellation period we have been enjoying for far too long. Had he performed no other service we should still be most grateful to Professor Cox for his affirmation of our generation, his willing walk into the twentieth century, and his insistence that the Church of Jesus Christ join the present human race. At last a theologian has defended the (telephone) ‘switchboard’ and the (motorway) ‘cloverleaf’ and has exposed the unhealthy and hypocritical business of attacking the only kind of life any of us really intends to live.


2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (115) ◽  
pp. 317
Author(s):  
Juan Antonio Ruiz de Gopegui

O processo da renovação catequética adquire cada dia consciência mais clara de que a catequese deve ser obra de toda a comunidade eclesial. É na Igreja local que o cristão deve aprender a dizer a própria fé com palavras e gestos, como expressão de uma experiência pessoal de Deus. A confissão da fé cristã só pode nascer do reconhecimento da voz do próprio Deus na figura de Jesus Cristo transmitida pela Igreja. Reconhecer Deus em Jesus Cristo significa encontrar nele o Sentido pleno não apenas da própria vida, mas da vida do mundo todo. Para as comunidades cristãs serem lugar privilegiado da socialização da fé, a eucaristia dominical, enquanto mistagogia ao Mistério de Cristo, deverá ser o centro da catequese. Tirar as consequências disso levaria a Igreja a rever, em profundidade, a configuração das comunidades locais e consequentemente dos ministérios.ABSTRACT: The process of catechetical renovation acquires each day a clearer consciousness that catechism should be the work of the entire ecclesial community. It is in the local Church that the Christian should learn to articulate one’s own faith with words and gestures, as expression of a personal experience of God. The perseveranconfession of the Christian faith can only emerge from the recognition of Gods own voice in the figure of Jesus Christ transmitted by the Church. To recognize God in Jesus Christ means to find in him the full meaning not only of one’s own life, but of the life of the whole world. For the Christian communities to be the privileged place of faith sharing, the Sunday Eucharist, while mystical expression of the Mystery of Christ, will have to be the center of the catechism. To obtain the consequences of this would bring the Church to review, indepthly, the configuration of the local communities and consequently the configuration of the ministries. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Alberth Darwono Sarimin

The existensi of the church in this world because of mandate mission of Jesus Christ. To know how the church can serve community well, in this paper the Colossians become a focus of research and the reason to choose this letter was the collosians consist of plural community.The purpose of this paper is to look at how religion sociology influences social life and theology can drive social change system.  While the research method that was used is library researchSocial structure that is formed in Colossian community provides an opportunity for the growth of false teaching and seeing this social structure strongly built in Colossian Paul raised a theology of fullness of God in Christ and belivers are fulfilled in Christ. In other words that the supremacy of Christ in everything and over everythingThe existence of the church has a role to drive social system and to apply that system Christ should be supremed, supremacy of Christ is above the mission and the church has a strategy to carry out its mission. In other words, to be able to serve community, the church should place Christ over everything and have a strategy in carrying out its mission so that the church which is a sub system in the community able to move a larger system Keywords: Fulllness, fulfilled, supremacy, Christ 


JURNAL LUXNOS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212
Author(s):  
Yosia Belo

Abstract: This research is a qualitative study on abortion from the perspective of Christian faith. This research was conducted to provide academic arguments and scientific references for the Church against the rampant abortion practices and practices, especially in big cities including Jakarta. Using a qualitative approach, it is found that from a Christian ethical perspective, the act of abortion cannot be justified and chosen as an ethical decision because it contradicts or is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. Because God so loves human life and is even willing to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem humans from sin. So that humans are not justified in ending the life of an innocent and wronged baby just for practical reasons. Abstrak: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif terhadap aborsi ditinjau dari perspektif iman Kristen. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk memberikan argumentasi akademis dan referensi ilmiah bagi Gereja terhadap maraknya tindakan dan praktik aborsi terutama di kota-kota besar termasuk Jakarta. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dijumpai bahwa dari perspektif etika Kristen, maka tindakan aborsi tidak dapat dibenarkan dan dipilih sebagai keputusan etis karena bertolakbelakang atau berlawanan dengan ajaran Alkitab. Karena Allah begitu mencintai kehidupan manusia bahkan rela mengutus Anak-Nya yang tunggal, yaitu Yesus Kristus untuk menebus manusia dari dosa. Sehingga manusia tidak dibenarkan mengakhiri kehidupan bayi yang tidak berdosa dan besalah hanya karena alasan-alasan yang praktis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document