Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Motherhood And Love: Beyond The Gendered Stereotypes Of Theology, Sandra Sullivan-Dunbar

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article reviews the book Motherhood and Love: Beyond the Gendered Stereotypes of Theology, by Cristina Grenholm.

Review Of Piety And Responsibility: Patterns Of Unity In Karl Rahner, Karl Barth, And Vedanta Decika, Hugh Nicholson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The article reviews the book Piety and Responsibility: Patterns of Unity in Karl Rahner, Karl Barth, and Vedanta Desika by John Sheveland.

Invoking Lakshmi: The Goddess Of Wealth In Song And Ceremony. By Constantina Rhodes. Albany: State University Of New York Press, 2010. Isbn 978-1-4384-3321-9, Pp. Xii, 279., Tracy Pintchman

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Introduction: The New Voices Of Muslim Women Theologians, Marcia Hermansen

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This pioneering volume defines the contours of the emerging engagements of Muslim women scholars from around the world with the authoritative interpretive traditions of Islam, classical and contemporary. Muslima theology, here broadly defined to encompass a range of interpretive strategies and perspectives arising from multiple social locations, interrogates Islamic scripture and other forms of religious discourse to empower Muslim women of faith to speak for themselves in the interests of gender justice. Contributions provide an overview of the field at this juncture-ranging from pioneering Muslim scriptural feminism to detailed analyses of legal and mystical texts by a new international cohort …

Hans Urs Von Balthasar And Kenosis: The Pathway To Human Agency, Timothy J. Yoder

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the kenotic motif in the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, particularly in light of his concern to protect human agency. This dissertation argues that Balthasar views kenotic spiritual practice as the pathway to achieve true human agency. This kenotic pathway to agency is placed in contrast to Balthasar's concept of original sin as an attempt by humanity to achieve agency on their own terms. The narrative of original sin results in two possible outcomes for Balthasar: a spiritual pathway toward the absorption of the self, which results in the annihilation of …

Down To Earth Ethics: Exploring Relation And Environmental Responsibility, Matthew Gowans

Dissertations

This dissertation is aimed at exploring the question of direct engagement with the natural world as a way of establishing certain moral and ontological truths, particularly those connected to our current environmental struggles. Contrary to the wave of much of modern Western thinking, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Buber and Aldo Leopold demonstrate an ethics that is relational in nature, action oriented, and bound up in inexpressible wonder. Consequently, these thinkers are also critical of a world which bases the whole of reality solely on the logic of rational investigation and the material facts of science. The heart of ethical responsibility in …

Towards A Roman Catholic Soteriology For The Sinned-Against Creature: An Intercultural Dialogue Between The Soteriology Of Edward Schillebeeckx And Korean-American Theologies Of 'Han', Kevin Patrick Considine

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to point towards a Roman Catholic soteriology for the sinned-against creature that uses 'han' as a fundamental theological source. This dissertation is concerned with two main areas--Roman Catholic soteriology and intercultural theological dialogue--due to their growing importance in the 21st century in which globalization continues to be the driving force that organizes the economic, social, cultural, and political structures of the world, for the benefit of some and the dehumanization of many others.

I argue that Korean-American theologies and anthropologies of 'han' provide one important resource for supplementing and developing the relatively inadequate Roman …

Hidden Treasure: The Epistemology Of Love According To Hans Urs On Balthasar, Timothy John Squier

Dissertations

Many contemporary thinkers have wrestled with the notion that Balthasar is unwilling to consider modern theology's starting point of the consciousness of the knower. Otherwise stated, some scholars argue that Balthasar's point of departure is the will (love) to the neglect of human consciousness (intellect). The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that a constructive analysis of Balthasar's doctrine of revelation brings to light an intricate epistemology that is critical to postmodern epistemological scholarship. By way of Neo-Scholasticism much conversation has taken place pertaining to the relationship between faith and reason within the human knower. Whereas the Neo-Scholastic tradition …

John The Baptist And The Jewish Setting Of Matthew, Brian C. Dennert

Dissertations

Although recent discussions on the Gospel of Matthew have emphasized the document's setting within first-century Judaism, these studies have not analyzed how the figure of John the Baptist functions within this setting. The failure to address the significance of the Baptist for the Gospel's Jewish setting is striking because recent study on the historical Baptist has emphasized his ministry and place within first-century Judaism. Therefore, this dissertation places a perennial topic within a new framework, believing that attention to the Jewish setting of the Gospel may prompt fresh observations and explanations of the role of John the Baptist within the …

The Religion Of Consumption And Christian Neighbor Love, Christopher Porter

Dissertations

Loyola University Chicago

THE RELIGION OF CONSUMPTION AND CHRISTIAN NEIGHBOR LOVE

Consumerism is a word frequently used in various disciplines to express the variety of attitudes, motivations, and practices found among the middle and upper classes. It drives the global economy and influences individuals' socio-psychological perceptions. Some have gone so far as to call consumerism a religion, yet they have not substantiated this claim. This dissertation offers a framework that accounts for consumerism as a religion both as a person's ultimate concern and as a structuralized belief system. As such, it prescribes moral values that shape how people respond to …

Religious Pluralism And The Catholic Church: Lonergan's Method And The Jacques Dupuis Controversy, Andrea J. Stapleton Berger

Dissertations

This project applies Lonergan's method to the controversy that resulted from the censure of Jacques Dupuis by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith over his book, Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism. The application of Lonergan's method reveals the potential for the resolution of the issues presented by Dupuis in the area of developing a Catholic theology of pluralism as well as the tension between the Catholic Magisterium and the work of Catholic theologians.

Q 10:21-22 And Formative Christology, Olegs Andrejevs

Dissertations

Q 10:21-22 is the famous "Johannine Thunderbolt," a passage whose precise meaning and role in Q have long been debated by New Testament scholars with seemingly no consensus reached to this date. This crux interpretum presents the readers with a thanksgiving prayer by Jesus that appears particularly puzzling in its present context in the reconstructed Q. In his prayer Jesus appears to express gratitude to God, whom he calls Father, for something that contradicts the very purpose of the immediately preceding mission discourse (Q 10:2-16). In a shocking turn of events, Jesus appears to rejoice over the selective disclosure of …

Neue Studien Zu Den Johanneischen Schriften, Urban C. Von Wahlde

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The article reviews the book "Neue Studien Zu Den Johanneischen Schriften," by Johannes Beutler.

Review Of The Conversation Of Faith And Reason: Modern Catholic Thought From Hermes To Benedict Xvi, Jon Nilson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The article reviews the book "The Conversation of Faith and Reason: Modern Catholic Thought From Hermes to Benedict XVI," by Aidan Nichols.

Review Of The Cross And The Lynching Tree, Jon Nilson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The article reviews the book "The Cross and the Lynching Tree," by James H. Cone.

The Spirit Of Contradiction In The Buddhist Doctrine Of Not-Self, Hugh Nicholson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

An essay is presented discussing the various interpretations of the Theravāda Buddhist doctrine of "Not-self," or anattā. The author points out two contrasting manifestations of the teaching, including the "political-oppositional" form and the "spiritual-transformative" form. The relations between these paradigms are examined in depth through reference to works by Steven Collins, Richard Combrich, and Johannes Bronkhorst.

Was Jesus Right To Eat With Sinners And Tax Collectors?, John Joseph Kilgallen S.J.

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

All Jewish religious teachers wanted sinners to repent; how one achieves this was disputed, as was Jesus' choosing to associate with sinners in their houses and at their meals. Four times Luke describes Jesus as fraternizing with sinners, which violated Jewish pious practice. The first three times (chaps. 5, 7 and 15) Jesus underlines his motive for this conduct and its value; the fourth time (chap. 19), and rather late in the Gospel, Luke shows that indeed Jesus' method proved true, i.e. the wisdom of his conduct was shown justified by repentant children of God.

Troels Nørager, Taking Leave Of Abraham: An Essay On Religion And Democracy, Colby Dickinson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article reviews the book, Taking Leave of Abraham: An Essay on Religion and Democracy, by Troels Nørager.

The Mystery Of God In Situations Of Suffering: Toward The Universality Of Christ And A Reconstruction Of African Identity, Leocretia L. Muganda

Dissertations

During the patristic era, theology dealt with the problem of how to explain the union of the two natures in Christ without losing the impassible nature of God. Today, the understanding of God as impassible is no longer absolute in light of present human suffering. To gain a better understanding of God as passible, the following areas will be examined: the patristic view and the contemporary critique of divine impassibility, the African context and the reconstruction of African Christology via inculturation and liberation. The concept of God as passible can make a significant difference in the lives of Christians. This …

A Portrait Of Christ The Hero In The Epistle To The Hebrews, Jeremy Miselbrook

Dissertations

The Epistle to the Hebrews has been noted as one of the most intricate documents of the New Testament. The author artistically employs a multiplicity of well-known images and ideas which resonate with his audience while simultaneously exemplifying Christ as the paragon of these images. The author of Hebrews presents a portrait of Christ that places him in relation to other figures known to his audience and uses figures to convey his intricate Christology. This dissertation investigates how the author of Hebrews places Christ in the context of Greco-Roman heroic references to portray Christ's superiority over all other heroes.

Chapter …

A Fresh Approach To The Miracle Stories In Matthew 8-9: Literary Analysis Through The Literary Technique Of Matthew's Three Stage Progression Pre-Supposedly Adopted By The First Evangelist, Gwan Seuk Ryu

Dissertations

The structure of Mt 8-9 is very complex, and there is no unanimous understanding. If we use Matthew's Three Stage Progression (MTSP), a writing technique that is found frequently in the gospel of Matthew, we can theologicaly explain the intention of Mt 8-9 more clearly than any other existing explanations. Matthew arranged the nine miracle stories progressively in three clusters (8:1-17; 8:23-9:8; 9:18-34). Those three clusters are divided by two intervening pericopae (8:18-22; 9:9-17). The first cluster describes Jesus as the merciful healing Messiah. Jesus heals every disease he encounters. In the second cluster, Jesus is the divine being who …

Romans 1:18-2:11 And The Substructure Of Psalm 106(105): Evocations Of The Calf?, Alexander James Lucas

Dissertations

Employing an architectural metaphor inspired by C. H. Dodd and utilizing methodology that draws from Richard B. Hays and Francis Watson, this dissertation presents a primary proposal and secondary sketch. The primary proposal is that both constitutively and rhetorically (through ironic, inferential, and indirect application), Ps 106(105) serves as the substructure for Paul's argumentation throughout Rom 1:18-2:11. Constitutively, Rom 1:18-32 (especially vv. 22-32) hinges on the triadic interplay between "they (ex)changed" and "God gave them over," an interplay that creates a sin-retribution sequence with an a-ba-ba-b pattern (vv. 22-23, 24-25, 26-27, 28-32). Both elements of this a-ba-ba-b pattern derive from …

Theological Plunderphonics: Public Theology And "The Fragment", William Myatt

Dissertations

In response to methodological vagueness in public theology, I construct a theory of "the fragment" that enables the public theologian to respond adequately to contemporary exigencies and appropriately to traditional self-understandings. After surveying four streams of public-theological thought (chapter one), I consider the debate between David Tracy (chapter two) and George Lindbeck (chapter three). The various observations of these three chapters give way to a suggested criteriology for public theology. I then turn to Paul Ricoeur (chapter four) and Walter Benjamin (chapter five) to assist in constructing a theory of the fragment (chapter six). The thesis defended by this dissertation …

Divine Sovereignty, Divine Providence, And Prayer In The Thought Of Evagrius Ponticus, Chris Steven Gombos

Dissertations

In the thought of Evagrius Ponticus, we discern an interdependent relationship between prayer and theological belief, particularly between prayer and divine sovereignty and divine providence. We find that Evagrius's teachings on divine sovereignty and divine providence inform and govern his teachings on prayer, specifically the forms of prayer known as petition and pure prayer. And conversely Evagrius's teachings on prayer inform and deepen his teachings on divine sovereignty and divine providence, thereby demonstrating the full interdependence between spiritual practice and theological belief in the thought of one of the early Church's monastic masters.

The first chapter is divided into two …

The Figure Of Adam In Rom 5:12-21 And 1 Cor 15:21-22, 45-49: The New Creation And Its Ethical And Social Reconfigurations, Felipe De J. Legarreta

Dissertations (6 month embargo)

The Adam and Christ antithesis in Paul resembles other Jewish interpreters of the story of the creation of man and of the fall that draw ethical implications. Yet Paul uniquelly interprets the story of the origins in an eschatological perspective that calls believers to transform their lives after the image of the new Adam Christ in order to attain the eschatological resurrection in Him.

Haiti's Troubles: Perspectives From The Theology Of Work And From Liberation Theology, Lys Stéphane Florival

Dissertations (2 year embargo)

This dissertation examines "signs of the times" in contemporary Haiti, concentrating on the harsh realities of work and workers in the context of entrenched poverty and ecological devastation. It seeks to formulate a Christian theological-ethical framework that will empower movements of both the Church and Haitian society to engage the problems of the degradation of work and exploitation of workers. This investigation adopts the critical method of correlation using insights from certain modern theologies of work (Chenu, John Paul II, and Miroslav Volf) and from liberation theology (Gutiérrez, Godefroy Midy, and J-B Aristide) to analyze key features of the realities …

The Logic Of The ‘As If’ And The Existence Of God: An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Belief In The Work Of Jacques Derrida, Colby Dickinson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The religious thematics at play in the work of Jacques Derrida have often provided an ongoing platform from which to struggle with the entire scope of his work, thus moving the seemingly peripheral discourses on religion within his oeuvre to the center stage. Despite repeated attempts to come to terms both theologically and philosophically with the conditional nature of representations, the problematics of representation are perhaps nowhere more forcefully demonstrated than in the work of Derrida. Indeed, for Derrida, the ‘as if’, as a regulative principle directly appropriated and modified from its Kantian context, becomes the central lynchpin for understanding, …

Interests, Rights And Standards Of Care In The Context Of Globalized Medicine, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Historically speaking, medical ethics responded to the ideological misuse of scientific (or pseudo- scientific) research and gave priority to the individual patient’s right to be respected in any medical intervention. This right has been confirmed in several guidelines, from the Helsinki Declaration to the European Oviedo Convention of Human Rights in Biomedicine and many professional ethics codices.

For most works on medical ethics, the right of the patients is spelled out as respect for their interests, justified by freedom as basis of autonomy, moral agency, and a modern understanding of the individuals’ right to decide on questions of their (good) …

Catholic Sexual Ethics - A Necessary Revision: Theological Responses To The Sexual Abuse Scandal, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Autonomy And Care In Medicine, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper argues that the core principle of bioethics, autonomy, is rooted both in the 20th century history of the development of new medical technologies as in political liberalism transferred to medical practices, rendering the medical decision-making of patients a centerpiece of medical interventions. The paper shows how the ambiguity in the interpretation of autonomy reflects the ambivalence of bioethics towards making normative claims on the moral agents insofar as these go beyond the respect for a patient’s autonomy. In the second part, the paper analyzes the alternative approach of care ethics, which intends to emphasize both the vulnerability and …