Of Snails and Salvation

The Christian missionary John Thomas Gulick (1832–1923) has long been recognized as an important evolutionary theorist. Most recently, his scientific contributions have been commended by biologists skeptical of the sufficiency of pan-adaptationist accounts of evolution. While Gulick’s scientific work has been noticed, his theological and metaphysical commitments have been largely dismissed, ignored, or downplayed. This paper argues that this not only marginalizes what for Gulick was of central importance but has also distorted historical accounts of his theory of evolution. In the portrait drawn here, Gulick’s understanding of evolution emerges as a significant example of the creative interplay between theological and evolutionary ideas and explanations in the early twentieth century. Gulick’s intellectual influences, his theological vision, and his opposition to fatalism combined to form a lifelong quest to understand both snails and salvation.

A “Liturgical Mysticism of Open Eyes”: Johann Baptist Metz, Caryll Houselander, and Pandemic Liturgy

The German theologian Johann Baptist Metz (1928–2019) called for a spirituality that sees more suffering, not less, the more liberated it is; he has described this as a “mysticism of open eyes.” This theological vision involves all people, living and dead, becoming free to stand as subjects before God. Caryll Houselander (1901–1954), an English author, developed a liturgically infused mysticism focused on seeing Christ in each person. Her vision of Christ in others was rooted in creatively portraying the particularities of human life in the great “rhythm” of the Christ-life lived in the Mystical Body and expressed in the liturgy. This article proposes that juxtaposing these two authors reveals a “liturgical mysticism of open eyes,” playing off Metz’s initial phrasing. The work of Metz and Houselander together presents a fruitful liturgical theology for Christian communities during and in response to the pandemic as they engage questions of suffering, justice, and responsibility. By rooting our decisions about liturgical and social lives in a “liturgical mysticism of open eyes,” the church may remain rooted to a liturgical spirituality, while also recognizing and being open to the suffering of individuals and communities while liturgies are altered, moved online, or postponed altogether.

Grace and Conformity

The Reformed Conformity that flourished within the Early Stuart English Church was a rich and distinctive theological tradition that has never before been studied in its own right. While scholars have observed how Reformed Conformists clashed with Laudians and Puritans alike, no sustained study of their teaching on grace and their attitude to the Church has yet been undertaken, despite the acknowledged centrality of these topics to Early Stuart theological controversy. This ground-breaking monograph recovers this essential strand of Early Stuart Christian identity. It examines and analyses the teaching and writings of ten prominent theologians, all of whom made significant contributions to the debates that arose within the Church of England during the reigns of James I and Charles I and all of whom combined their loyalty to orthodox Reformed teaching on grace and salvation, with a commitment to the established polity of the English Church. The study makes the case for the coherence of their theological vision by underlining the connections that these Reformed Conformists made between their teaching on grace and their approach to Church order and liturgy. By engaging with a robust and influential theological tradition that was neither Puritan nor Laudian, this monograph significantly enriches our account of the Early Stuart Church, as well as contributing to the ongoing scholarly reappraisal of the wider Reformed tradition. It builds on the resurgence of academic interest in British soteriological discussion, and uses that discussion, as previous studies have not, to gain valuable new insights into Early Stuart ecclesiology.

Menggali makna keluarga Allah dalam dunia Alkitab dan surat Efesus: analisis historis-biblis

This study aims to find the historical and theological vision of the Church’s concept as the household of God. Historically, the idea of family or household was a heritage of ancient society. Theologically, the idea was related to God in Jesus Christ as a cornerstone and foundation for the Christian community living in the world. This concept is very relevant as the way for Christians to face various crises in life. This research uses qualitative research methods through a literature study approach. The data analysis uses the historical-theological criticism, which starts from the idea of family and household in the New Testament world, covering the context of Israel in the Bible, Greco-Roman society, and New Testament writings, then interpretation the meaning of the community of the believer as the household of God in Ephesians 2:19. Argumentatively, I argue that the idea of God’s household has a strong influence on the relevance of being Church today in addressing various social problems, both problems of life crises and social inequalities, as well as various conflicts. Abstrak Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan visi teologi-historis konsep persekutuan beriman sebagai keluarga Allah. Secara historis, gagasan keluarga atau rumah tangga telah mengakar di dalam konteks masyarakat di masa lampau. Secara teologis, konsep ini dihubungkan dengan Allah di dalam Yesus Kristus, yang dimaknai sebagai batu penjuru dan dasar dari kehidupan komu-nitas Kristen hingga di masa kini. Gagasan ini masih tetap relevan sebagai jalan bagai umat Kristen merespons berbagai persoalan dan krisis dalam kehidupan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kepustakaan. Analisis data menggunakan metode kritik historis-teologis yang dimulai dengan analisis konsep keluarga atau rumah tangga di dalam dunia Perjanjian Baru, meliputu konteks Israel dalam Alkitab, masyarakat Yunani-Romawi, tulisan-tulisan PB, dan penafsiran makna komunitas beriman sebagai keluarga Allah di dalam Efesus 2:19. Secara argumentatif, penulis menegaskan bahwa konsep keluarga Allah sangat relevan dan mempunyai dampak bagi keberadaan gereja hingga di masa kini, terutama dalam menghadapi berbagai persoalan sosila, krisis kehidupan, dan berbagai konflik.

The Spirit and the Common Good

Some books stand out as noteworthy for their insights, relevance, and aesthetic appeal. A reader will always refer back to them as among their favorites. Daniela Augustine’s, The Spirit and the Common Good, is such a book for the present author. This is a book that one will want to do more than simply read, but also think out loud in conversation with. Thus, the author would like to converse with Augustine’s discussion so as to explore its theological basis and direction. Though hers is not a work in constructive theology, there is a rich theological vision that she draws upon to confront issues of public justice and compassion. Her theological explanations are usually brief, but often quite provocative. The author wishes to explore her theological vision and probe it for further insight.

Il respiro corto dello Spirito nelle mega-chiese, ai tempi della pandemia

What effect has the pandemic on Mega-churches? The forced closure or drastic reduction of those present admitted to religious services has in fact called into question both the regime of truth that many of these churches follow, from the theological and spiritual point of view, and the drama-liturgy of hand-to-hand combat between the transmormative force of the Spirit and the prince of all evils, Satan. In this way, Mega-churches moved from the mass event experienced in large auditoriums to an online service, on a domestic scale, for many anonymous and distant faithful, to which a consoling message can be conveyed in a phase of inconvenience and suffering in their daily life. The epidemic has stolen the scene from the great performers of the Mega-churches and from those who, enthusiastic, took their seats in the stalls or moved freely possessed by spirits waiting to be freed, actively participating in the deliverance’s rite. These faithful, probably, now watching from a distance at home, in front of their computer screen, another scene, less involving and, above all, without the parrhesia of the regime of truth, which materialized in the ritual space. The epidemic represents a double contingency for the Mega-churches: on the one hand, it weakens the theological vision of a God who can do everything and of the Spirit who blows triumphantly and defeats all evil, on the other, it dematerializes the presence of the enemy who becomes invisible and intrusive, no longer physically dominable, from which no charismatic leader is more able to delivere the faithful.

Sketsa Pelayanan Gereja Sebelum, Selama, dan Sesudah Masa Pandemi COVID-19

Masa pandemi COVID-19 dapat diibaratkan sebagai “cermin” yang menunjukkan keaslian atau realita wajah pelayanan gereja. Sebelum masa pandemi, telah ada observasi yang muncul dari berbagai literatur, penelitian, dan beragam pengalaman dalam konteks pelayanan yang menunjukkan adanya keterpisahan antara teologi yang Alkitabiah dan praksis pelayanan kejemaatan serta adanya pengabaian terhadap hal-hal yang primer dalam pelayanan. Kedua observasi ini seolah-olah dibuktikan kebenarannya dalam masa pandemi. Melalui tiga penelitian tentang pelayanan gerejawi yang dilakukan di Indonesia selama masa pandemi, yaitu rangkaian penelitian dari Bilangan Research Center, Survei Nasional dan Rembuk Nasional dari Sekolah Tinggi Teologi SAAT, Malang, serta rangkaian penelitian dari Pusat Studi Pertumbuhan Gereja Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Amanat Agung, Jakarta, didapati bahwa gereja masih memiliki konsep teodisi yang tidak utuh atau proporsional, pelayanan gereja masih sangat bergantung kepada peran rohaniwan sebagai tenaga profesional dan terpusat secara sempit kepada aspek ibadah, ada kesenjangan yang serius antara generasi senior dan generasi muda, serta pelayanan gereja belum siap untuk berhadapan dengan teknologi. Merespons realita tersebut, artikel ini mengusulkan agar gereja melakukan penataan ulang pelayanan pascapandemi dalam enam hal, yaitu: membangun visi teologis yang bisa diejawantahkan dengan jelas dan utuh dalam pelayanan, menjadikan ibadah sebagai sentral tetapi bukan sebagai satu-satunya pelayanan yang penting, menggencarkan pembinaan dan pemuridan berbasis keluarga, memperkuat pelayanan pastoral yang menekankan relasi personal yang mendalam, memperhatikan pelayanan kepada generasi muda atau penerus, serta mengutamakan kapasitas pengutusan daripada kapasitas menampung orang di dalam gereja semata-mata. The COVID-19 pandemic can be likened to a “mirror” that shows the authenticity of church ministries’ real face. Before the pandemic, there had been observations emerging from various kinds of literature, research, and various experiences in the ministry context that showed a separation between biblical theology and the ministry’s praxis and the neglect of the primary things in the ministry. These two observations seem to be proven to be true during the pandemic. In three studies on church services conducted in Indonesia during the pandemic, namely a series of researches from Bilangan Research Center, National Survey and National Dialogue from South East Asia Bible Seminary, Malang, as well as a series of researches from the Center for the Church Growth Studies of Amanat Agung Theological School, Jakarta, it was found that the church still has a disproportionate concept of theodicy. The church services are still very dependent on the clergy’s role as professionals and narrowly centered merely on the worship ministry. There is also a serious gap between the older and the younger generation, and church services are not yet ready to deal with technology. Responding to this reality, the writers propose that the church needs to refocus its post-pandemic ministry in six ways, namely: building a theological vision that can be embodied in the ministry, making worship ministry a central but not as a center in ministry, developing family-based discipleship, strengthening pastoral ministry that emphasizes deep personal relationships, paying attention to ministering the next generation, and prioritize the sending capacity rather than solely the seating capacity.

Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Meaning of Christmas

Balthasar’s reflections on the mystery of Christmas provide not only a basic entry into his thought, but also an expanded view of his theological vision. Drawing primarily upon his sermons and scriptural meditations, this essay presents a Balthasar both familiar and new: ideas at the heart of his Christology, Trinitarian theology, Mariology, and anthropology receive significant attention. Yet Balthasar’s reflections on Christmas also provide some of his most important engagements with less-noticed themes—particularly regarding Christian praxis toward the poor and oppressed. More than in other texts, these shorter pieces routinely insist that each Christian is called to follow the path taken by the Son of God and set out into the world in service of the poor and lowly.