Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Arguing With God: An Honest Conversation, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

For the Jew, “I beg to differ” has been an enduring tactic of achieving and affirming identity. The Jew had addressed the same caveat to God—not in self-contradiction, but in dialectic aiming at attainment of fuller realization of who he is, as Jew and as human being. In asking about God, we examine our own selves: whether we are sensitive to the grandeur and supremacy of what we ask about, whether we are wholeheartedly concerned with what we ask about. Unless we are involved, we fail to sense the issue.

An Introduction To Philosophy And Theology Within Catholic Liberal Education, Angus Brook

Angus Brook

Stasis In Moltmann E Schmitt, Pier Giuseppe Monateri

Pier Giuseppe Monateri

The essay introduces an original interpretation of Moltmann’s thought on Christian kenosis, according to the fundamental critical method known as ‘close reading’. On this ground, the Author brings to the surface the complex bulk of literary quotations which give substance to a specific passage in Moltmann’s work “The Crucified God”. Quotations become an intellectual device apt to produce meaning through its proper deferral and suspension. Within this framework, the Author’s main purpose is to put at the centre of the scene the explicit reference made by Moltmann to C. Schmitt’s concept of stasis, in order to explain the self-emptying of …

Hate Talk, Straight Thought And Wisdom: A Guide To Critical Thinking, Argumentation And Decision Making (Pdf), T. L. Brink

T. L. Brink

I Am The Light Of The World: An “I Am” Statement Of Jesus, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

The Gospel of John contains eight “I AM” statements of Jesus. “I AM” is the term God first used of Himself when speaking to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). By using this statement, Jesus was aligning Himself with God. One specific use of the statement in John comes in chapter 8 verse 12. Jesus states that He is the light of the world. His claim showed and declared that He has come to take away darkness from the world and give them the light of life. The statement showed His power, and His Deity and His relationship with …

The Signs And Miracles Of Jesus In John’S Gospel, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

The Gospel of John is also known as the “Miraculous Gospel” or the “Gospel of Signs.” In his book, John records 8 signs that prove the Deity of Christ. Jesus came to display His Deity to the world. Though the other Gospels record many other miracles, the eight that will be explored here are specific to proving that Christ is the Messiah.

What We Talk About When We Talk About The Soul, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

The author discusses the popularity among college students of the concept of the soul, and attempts to place it in its proper context. He dispenses with orthodox theological arguments and New Age arguments as scientifically untenable. He takes a so-called Wittgensteinian approach, noting soul's linguistic significance. He analyzes expressions which use the concept of soul and concludes that they are qualitatively different from testable factual expressions. He notes that soul talk is about hopes and aspirations, inspiration, or feelings deeper than friendship. He assigns it meaning outside of scientific concepts. He likens expressions of soul to creative and ethical acts, …

Theological And Pedagogical Implications Of The Role Of Zionism In Reform Jewish Manifestos: A Bridge From Vision To Praxis, Haim O. Rechnitzer, Gabriella Minnes Brandes

Haim O Rechnitzer חיים א. רכניצר

In this article, we explore the transition from philosophical and theological manifestos to their practical and educational implementation as we analyze the official American Reform-Judaism discourse as curricular text. This analysis provides a tool for a discussion of the relationships between vision and its implementation particularly for educators and leaders. We highlight the possibilities of dialogue among educators, rabbis-in-training, and leaders to aid in the formation of new visionary documents and, in doing so, affect the dynamics of paving new directions. We demonstrate a model that may be used to investigate such translations from vision to a lived experience and …

A Scientific Rationale For Belief In God?, Philip E. Graves

PHILIP E GRAVES

This paper presents a concise scientific rationale for the existence of God. The works of Ray Kurzweil and the many other artificial intelligence researchers provide a backdrop to the central thesis. An entity (computers or humans, it not mattering which) will eventually approach all-knowing. How much time passes before this occurs is not important. All-knowing is likely to be all-powerful insofar as knowledge leads to power, as has been our experience. One would suspect that this would be inclusive of time travel. The methods by which knowledge grows require “seed” facts to begin working. The seed facts can easily be, …

Haim Guri And Rabbi David Buzaglo: A Theo-Political Meeting Place Of Zionist Sabra Poetry And Jewish Liturgy, Haim O. Rechnitzer

Haim O Rechnitzer חיים א. רכניצר

Haim Guri’s poem Bab el Wad is arguably one of the most famous pieces of modern Zionist poetry ever created, and after being set to music, became one of Israel’s most recognizable songs. R. David Buzaglo composed the words to his piyyut “Binu Hamordim” to Shmuel Pershko’s melody to Bab el Wad. The relationship between these two works has been previously examined in the articles by Meir Buzaglo and Shimon Biton. These two scholars argue that in borrowing the melody, R. David Buzaglo was offering a critique of the Israeli ethos of commemoration encouraged by Guri, particularly with respect to …

The Numinous And Modernity: An Interpretation Of Rudolf Otto's Philosophy Of Religion, Todd Gooch

Todd Gooch

The author traces the development of Rudolf Otto’s attempt to construct a normative science of religion. This should respond to concerns facing Protestant theologians in Germany at the turn of the century. Moreover, he examines the reception of Otto’s ideas after World War One. The volume contains name and subject indexes.

Reviewed by:

Gregory D. Alles, The Journal of Religion 83:4 (Oct. 2003), 654-656.

Hans Waldenfels, S.J., Theologische Literaturzeitung 127:6 (Oct. 2002), 673-674.