Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

On Dionysian Theological Methodology, Joseph Arrendale

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite was an anonymous theologian who likely lived in Syria around the sixth century CE. He is primarily known for his advancements in the field of apophatic, or negative, theology. However, far from being against positive statements about God, Dionysius viewed them as necessary springboards for the worship of a God that is beyond word or concept. The structure of the Dionysian method for doing theology allows for the avoidance of idolatry as well as for sidestepping the charge of onto-theology in Christian God-talk. Thomas Aquinas and Hans Urs von Balthasar are theologians that each appropriated the Dionysian …

Do This, In Memory Of Me!, Joseph Qiu-Lin Zhang

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

In order to better understand the meaning of the Eucharist, in this paper I describe three theologians’ views about the Eucharist. Their views represent three denominations of the Church. They are: Martin Luther (Lutheran), Alexander Schmemann (Orthodox), and Thomas Merton (Roman Catholic). I compare their views from three aspects: The meaning of the presence of Jesus Christ in bread and wine in the Eucharist, the qualification of receiving communion, and the entire meaning of the Eucharist.

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Mismeasuring Humanity: Dangers Of "The Contemporary Orthodoxy", Vincent M. Smiles

Headwaters

The various unjust discriminations (racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc.) that plague society are tied to the larger question of how human lives and minds are regarded in society as a whole. Humans have always had a problem of mismeasuring the “other,” but this problem is compounded by promotion, from powerful voices, of the view that humans are just so much physics and chemistry, that the mind is the brain, and that humans are deluded about the power of consciousness and freedom. Daniel Dennett refers to the latter as “the contemporary orthodoxy,” as though it is the view of humanity that all …

Transcendent Mind, Emergent Universe In The Thought Of Michael Polanyi, Vincent Smiles

Theology Faculty Publications

This essay vindicates two major aspects of the science-based philosophy of Michael Polanyi: 1. His concept of tacit knowing, and 2. His concept of the multi-levelled character of reality. These two notions relate closely with one another, and together support the thesis to be argued here, that when it comes to understanding human beings, and most especially the human mind, science and religion have to meet on the common ground of the transcendent capacities of human beings, which are pointers to the transcendent character of the universe. The mind is an emergent of the universe, as are all of its …

Benedictine Communio: A Gift For The Church?, Michael Leonard Hahn

School of Theology and Seminary Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“I Am The Mahar Of Your Mahars:” Cokhāmelā, The Modern Dalit Movement, And The Dalit Christian Theology, Chris Conway

School of Theology and Seminary Faculty Publications

Over the last century, Cokhāmelā’s place and prominence in the Modern Dalit Movement and Dalit Christian theology have waned significantly. As the liberating potential of his work failed to be actualized, and more recent Dalit figures like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and movements like Dalit Sahitya began to examine his work and life more critically, Cokhāmelā and his abhangas were found inadequate. Cokhāmelā became identified as one whose conscientisation remained incomplete, primarily because he failed to convert from Hinduism and saw his caste through the lens of karma. This essay re-examines Cokhāmelā’s life, death, and legacy so as to reassess his …