Augustinus’ omgang met verlieservaringen

This paper discusses Augustine’s dealings with the death of a friend and that of his mother Monica, as told in his Confessions. Neoplatonists are uncertain about the afterlife; death ends it all for secularists; Augustine has hope, for death is not the end. One grieves over the death of a loved one, but not without given the promise of everlasting life. Augustine places this life in the next in God’s grace. The sorrow over the passing of a loved one evidences the transience of this existence; Christian hope looks beyond time to eternity.

Gandhi’s Militant Nonviolence in the Light of Girard’s Mimetic Anthropology

Nuclear rivalry, as well as terrorism and the war against terror, exemplify the dangerous escalation of violence that is threatening our world. Gandhi’s militant nonviolence offers a possible alternative that avoids a complacent indifference toward injustice as well as the imitation of violence that leads to its escalation. The French-American cultural anthropologist René Girard discovered mimetic rivalries as one of the main roots of human conflicts, and also highlighted the contagious nature of violence. This article shows that Gandhi shares these basic insights of Girard’s anthropology, which increases the plausibility of his plea for nonviolence. Reading Gandhi with Girard also complements Girard’s mimetic theory by offering an active practice of nonviolence as a response to violent threats, and by broadening the scope of its religious outreach. Gandhi’s reading of the Sermon on Mount not only renounces violence and retaliation like Girard but also underlines the need to actively break with evil. Both Gandhi and Girard also address the religious preconditions of nonviolent action by underlining the need to prefer godly over worldly pursuits, and to overcome the fear of death by God’s grace. This congruence shows that Girard’s anthropology is valid beyond its usual affinity with Judaism and Christianity.

«МОНАСТЫРЬ В МИРУ» КАК ОБРАЗ ВСЕОБЩЕГО ОБЪЕДИНЕНИЯ В РОМАНЕ БРАТЬЯ КАРАМАЗОВЫ THE LAY MONASTERY AS AN IMAGE OF UNIVERSAL UNIFICATION IN THE NOVEL THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV

The article deals with the theme of a "lay monastery" (“монастырь в миру“), which became one of the important milestones of spiritual life and the life of the Сhurch in the late 19th and 20th centuries and which was reflected in the later works of Dostoevsky. According to Russian thinkers, there was an obvious need to overcome the spiritual isolation of the Church, which should show a desire to merge with the world and manifest heartfelt and vital work on this path. However, the new form and way of salvation are seen as an impulse of humanity to overcome the gap and strengthen connections with the Church. Dostoevsky thought that in the fluid and already different spiritual and historical reality, it was of the utmost importance to find or create new ways of salvation and unification. The Brothers Karamazov tells of the increasing social influence of hermits’ (подвижник). Dostoevsky suggested that their influence was utilitarian in nature and could be associated with the upper limit of Russian medieval culture in the 17th century, when the cult of saints was significantly strengthened as they were revered primarily as real helpers in secular affairs. Sanctity in Russia was often achieved by following the paths of martyrdom, passion-bearing, asceticism in its extreme forms, hermitry, mysticism and foolishness (юродство) rather than through constant, consistent, and purposeful self-discipline and abstention. However, the unifying factor is "Labor with Christ", where both joy about the world and spiritual ennobling are revealed, as Dostoevsky illustrates a path on which there is the possibility of expedient union between the laity and the Church. In the last chapter, in which Alyosha gathers the children and makes a speech, the mission of the "lay monastery" is carried out, because he manages to unite people in the name of Ilyushechka and his expected resurrection, thus, in the name of Christ. Each thing, having an absolute meaning, exists not only in a passive correlation to the other, but also takes action, fills it up and is being filled up. Only in a universal synthesis of this type, does the true miracle of universal interconnection live. Here, we are witnessing the mysterious communion of the boys and their entry into the mystical Church. One can use Lurie's successful comparison of two ways of life, secular and monastic, with Law and Grace (159). The lay monastery corresponds to the meeting of the Old Testament law and evangelical freedom, as two Christian paths that should exist in constant conjunction. Dostoevsky's thesis once again confirms the idea of Solovyov: "The Church is there where the people are, united by mutual brotherly love and free unanimity, who become a receptacle of God's grace, which is the true essence and vital principle of the Church, that forms one spiritual organism" (1914, 4: 658).

The Doctrine of Soteriology from a Comparative Perspective

Although the doctrine of soteriology (salvation) is core to Christianity, it has divided ecclesiology for over five centuries, since the Protestant reformation of the sixteenth century. There is a misunderstanding on the role of grace and works of faith in the process of attaining salvation, especially between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, particularly the Lutherans. The misunderstandings have been visible in the process of teaching and practice of this doctrine to their respective memberships; and many Christians are in dilemma in regard to work or not to work so as to earn salvation. The teaching on justification that leads to salvation deals with how both grace and works are involved in the process that leads to salvation. The use of the Hegelian dialect, in this article, helps us to find and propose a common way of understanding soteriology. It also guides us in understanding the teachings from the proponents of salvation by grace alone and from those who antagonistically propose that both God’s grace and a believer’s works play a role in God’s salvific plan in an individual. We therefore aim at finding a way of teaching Christians in our contemporary world in matters regarding soteriology from its doctrinal perspectives. It is anticipated that this will help in addressing the rift that obtains in the teaching of the doctrine of soteriology. Hence, this article will strive to shed more light on how one could receive justification in order to be in God’s salvific plan.

“We Rule from the Great Rurik...”: on the Issue of the Formation of the Common Spiritual and Political Axiological Complex “Russian Land – Russian State – Russian Realm”

The article is devoted to the study of Russian traditional basic values. On the basis of the traditionalist-conservative approach, the authors examine the origin and development of the complex of spiritual and political values and ideals specific to the national intellectual history. In particular, the genesis of the concept of «state» is considered as one of the key ones for the study of traditional Russian spiritual and political values. The authors reconstruct the logic of the development and historical transformation of the idea of «Land-State-Realm» in the public consciousness of Russian people. On the basis of the political-textual and content analysis of a large number of sources on the national intellectual history, the definition of the state as a complicated axiological complex is proposed. The authors arrive at the conclusion that throughout the entire national history the value of the state was determined not only by political reasons of the need for unity, strength and independence, but also by spiritual and moral ones -since «Holy Russia» was the only country in the world where God's grace existed and concentrated. The authors emphasize that the recognition of the state as one of the most important spiritual and moral values is a specific feature of Russian civilization, which is fundamentally important for the formation of a unique political identity and the awareness of the meaning of one's own being.

COVID-19 Impact on Church Society Ministry

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused countless impacts and influences on human life. It disturbs the order of life and macro and micro-economics, drastically and radically changes human cultural and behavioral patterns, and greatly impacts the concepts of church theology, pastoring, and ministry. This study is a descriptive qualitative study on the COVID-19 and normal & abnormal reactions & responses to it. Through this article, the authors observed that the COVID-19 existence has transformed and recorrected the Christian paradigm on 1) ecclesiology, which to date exclusively based on building to the real Church, namely God’s people in the form of house/“tent” churches; 2) digital media utilization in this Society 5.0 era as God’s grace to all humanity. Findings and changes in society through renewable technology are an inseparable part of the pandemic. A dichotomic gap of understanding between science and technology for centuries should be reformulated. New technological inventions and social media created by humans are media in the hands of God that should be utilized by the Church to minister in various categories to improve the quality of ministry and service; and 3) creative and innovative interpretation of threefold responsibilities of the Church: koinonia, diakonia, and martyria.

Vista Siklus Apostasi dan Kuasa Doa dalam Kitab Hakim-hakim untuk Intensi Relevansional

Abstrak: Gambaran kebejadan dan apostasi manusia itu terlihat dengan jelas di dalam Kitab Hakim-hakim. Kitab ini menjadi catatan sejarah dan metafora tentang tendensi di setiap zaman dan setiap generasi terhadap fenomena apostasi. Apostasi terjadi bukan karena tidak mengakui adanya Tuhan tetapi memercayai sesuatu selain Tuhan. Ternyata satu-satunya yang dipelajari dari sejarah adalah tidak mempelajari sejarah. Mengunakan metode kualitatif deskriptif dengan pendekatan studi literatur didapatkan kesimpulan bahwa dosa kemurtadan membuat semua prestasi manusia sia-sia. Semua hasil kerja keras tidak dapat dinikmati. Dosa merampas apa pun yang diperoleh. Bahkan akan mendatangkan bencana kemanusiaan, sampai mereka bertobat. Tetapi, jika mereka sungguh-sungguh bertobat, mencari Tuhan, dan berdoa memohon belas kasihan-Nya, maka sesuai dengan wahyu di Kitab Hakim-hakim, Tuhan akan mendatangkan kelegaan, kesembuhan. Hakim yang definitf, Yesus Krustus, akan turun tangan mengatasi apa pun yang tidak bisa dilakukan manusia. Prinsip penting yang muncul dalam Kitab Hakim-hakim sebagai sebuah kebenaran alkitabiah, “dosa apostasi mengasilkan sengsara, doa dan pertobatan melahirkan kesejahteraan. Allah di tambah ketaatan akan mengasilkan kuasa, kasih karunia Tuhan lebih besar dari segala dosa. Abstract: The description of human depravity and apostasy can be seen clearly in the Book of Judges. This book is a historical record and a metaphor for the tendency in every age and every generation to the phenomenon of apostasy. Apostasy occurs not because of not acknowledging the existence of God but believing in something other than God. It turns out that the only thing to learn from history is not to study history. Using a descriptive qualitative method with a literature study approach, it is concluded that the sin of apostasy makes all human achievements in vain. All the results of hard work cannot be enjoyed. Sin takes whatever is gained. It will even bring disaster to humanity, until they repent. However, if they truly repent, seek God, and pray for His mercy, then according to the revelation in the Book of Judges, God will bring relief, healing. The definitive Judge, Jesus Christ, will intervene in anything that humans cannot do. An important principle that appears in the Book of Judges as a biblical truth, “the sin of apostasy produces suffering, prayer and repentance beget prosperity. God plus obedience will produce power, God's grace is greater than all sin.

Gratitude to God: Jonathan Edwards and the Opening of the Self

The study of gratitude has become an increasingly important topic among psychologists to address the nature of human flourishing. Of more recent interest is how gratitude to God specifically functions within an account of human flourishing, with theologians seeking to provide a distinctively Christian account of the nature of gratitude. This article enters into the ongoing conversation by attending to Jonathan Edwards’s (1703-1758) theological anthropology and development of natural and supernatural gratitude. In particular, Edwards’s anthropology includes within it an account of how the self can, and should, enlarge to receive another in love. This “enlargement” is the creaturely mirror of God’s self-giving and is the supernatural response to the creature who has received God’s grace and been infused with divine love. As a supernatural response based on God’s action in the soul, this account of gratitude differs from its natural counterpart. On Edwards’s account, therefore, there is a need to develop studies that differentiate natural and supernatural gratitude. Furthermore, this article ends with a suggestion for a study that could pick up this task based on recent psychological studies that attend to how gratitude affects self-relation. On Edwards’s account of the enlargement of the self, as well as his notion of supernatural gratitude, there is meaningful research to be done on how these can help assess development in the formation of gratitude and human flourishing.

Karl Barth's Moral Thought

Does theological ethics articulate moral norms with the assistance of moral philosophy? Or does it leave that task to moral philosophy alone while it describes a distinctively Christian way of acting or form of life? These questions lie at the heart of theological ethics as a discipline. Karl Barth’s theological ethics makes a strong case for the first alternative. This book follows Barth’s efforts to present God’s grace as a moral norm in his treatments of divine commands, moral reasoning, responsibility, and agency. It shows how Barth’s conviction that grace is the norm of human action generates problems for his ethics at nearly every turn, as it involves a moral good that confronts human beings from outside rather than perfecting them as the kind of creature they are. Yet it defends Barth’s insistence on the right of theology to articulate moral norms, and it shows how Barth may lead theological ethics to exercise that right in a more compelling way than he did.