Religion Final
No Salvation Outside the Poor
Comes up in our discussion about Jon Sobrino; he states that there is no salvation outside the poor; says that people in poverty can teach us about human dignity and their ability to have faith even in suffering.
Theology "from below"
Defined as the feeling of consciousness, rather than the recognition of Christ (theology from above). This came up in our discussion surrounding Bart and dialectical theology. It refers to the idea that one has a spiritual conscious first, rather than recognizing Christ and then developing a spiritual conscience.
Johann Baptist Metz
German catholic theologian -rejects idea of suffering is okay by God or that God has it in his plan -dangerous memory, motivated to rework the whole of christian theology from the ground up in light of the disruptive experience of the holocaust. Broke from Metz because of this
Lynching Tree
Refers to writings by James Cone that speak of the horrible treatment of African-Americans during the slave era. He talks about the tensions between the beliefs of the church and the terrible acts committed by religious people during the time. Neighborly love was spread, but at the black man's expense and only for white people.
Kant
Religion Within the Bounds of Mere Reason
How does Immanuel Kant distinguish "historical" forms of religion, which claim some form of supernatural revelation, from a "purely rational faith"
Religion is not solely rational and intellectual but also heavily feelings based. Feeling is largely where religion is found. The starting point of religiosity is piety not rationality. For this reason Christianity starts with a community connection with Christ and christian church. Supernatural is present in history of the church
Prosperity Gospel
"Does God want you to be rich" Osteen's sermons that God wants you to be successful and this involves financial success (limited view of Christianity to those belonging to a certain social class); Go dwills financial blessings and health
Lo Cotidiano
"Everyday life"
Liberation Theology
A movement in Christian theology, developed mainly by Latin American Roman Catholics, that emphasizes liberation from social, political, and economic oppression as an anticipation of ultimate salvation.
La Lucha
An elaboration of Mujerista theology
Ruether
Anthropology: Humanity as Male and Female
Barmen Declaration
-A document adopted by Christians in Nazi Germany who opposed the German Christian movement. -Rejects the subordination of the Church to the state and the subordination of the word and spirit to the Church -written mostly by Karl Barth
Friedrich Schleiermacher
-Aesthetic,moral, and religious feelings are -Respectively produced by the reception into -Consciousness of large ideas--nature, mankind and the world -Those feelings are the sense of being one with these -Vast objects. Religious feeling therefore is the highest Form of thought and of life; in it we are Conscious of our unity with the world And God; it is thus the sense of absolute Dependance
Feminist theology
-Movement within religion to reconsider the traditions, practices, scriptures, and theologies of those religions from a feminist perspective-goals include increasing the role of women among the clergy and religious authorities, reinterpreting male dominated imagery and language about God, determining women's place in relation to career and motherhood
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus
-Outside the Church there is no salvation
Hans Urs von Balthasar
-Swiss theologian and catholic priest -along with Rahner, sought to offer an intellectual, faithful response to western modernism. Resisted the reductionism and human focus of modernity, he resisted the reductionism and human focus of modernity, wanting christianity to challenge modern sensibilities -emphasises the beauty of faith, gospel
Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz
-innovator of mujerista theology -focuses on a tradition from latina feminism -theology includes latin american womens Responses to the daily struggles of life(la lucha)
E. Schillebeeckx
-need to experience poverty to feel real christianity -active during the 2nd vatican council -God does not want us to suffer -negative contrast experience (outrage at human suffering, came up with actions to better suffering)-sees a decline in religious practice-thinks secularism is a good thing-declutters sphere of idolisation and removes superficial aspect of faith
Gustavo Gutiérrez
-regarded as one of the founders of liberation theology -peruvian philosopher, theologian, and dominican priest -it is only through the manifestation of a committed faith that the purposes of God can be manifested to man, regardless of the color or social class under which he was born. Liberation theology insists on prioritizing the gift of life as the supreme manifestation of God
Black Liberation Theology
-theological perspective which originated In some black churches in the US and later other parts of the world which contextualizes Christianity in an attempt to help blacks overcome oppression focuses especially on the injustices committed against blacks during segregation and apartheid
Johann Baptist Metz
1492
Please compare and contrast the theological approaches of Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar. How do they relate the knowledge of God to human experience
Balthasar's theology is based on the beauty of faith (christ, christian action, christian thought). Focus on dramatic encounter of human person with God in life. No orientation to truth without love. Christ is a manifestation of God. Focus on dramatic encounter of human person with God in life. Rahner on the other hand teaches the idea that we bare an orientation to God but our being is found in absolute mystery. We are aware that we are connected to something greater. We are always on the move; asking questions and intending something greater. The two are different in that Rhaner theology is a theology "of below" and Balth has a theology "of above".
Karl Barth writes, "The God of Schleiermacher cannot show mercy" ("Humanity of God," 51). How does Barth's own theological approach differ from that of Friedrich Schleiermacher
Barth was Involved in in dialectical theology which emphasises a Gulf between God and humanity. A christian leaders opposed to Naziism. Revelation comes up against culture. God is wholly other and breaks into the world. Our worth comes from being loved by God. Therefore we have rights. This differs from Schleiermacher in that Schleiermacher believes that we are fully dependent on our relationship with God. Historically the only miracle needed is that of Christ. Really the distinction between the two seems that Barth is very focused on God being involved in human beings' life as well as giving them active purpose. Schleiermacher talks of more of a consciousness that God is there rather than a God that actively r
Dialectical Theology
Barth, things being in opposition to each other, school of thought that emphasized the tensions, paradoxes, and contradictions between God and humanity and the absolute gulf between the human and the divine
What distinctive perspective is offered by Black liberation theology, and what is the goal of this reflective perspective
Black Liberation theology focuses upon African American's uniquely black perspective in the US. It seeks to speak up for those who have historically been oppressed and continue to be oppressed. It criticizes current US theology that is too comfortable with things in the past such as white supremacy. This view wants to provide a God for those who are suffering and address the sins that have been done specifically by white people who view themselves as God's chosen people. It recognizes Christ as an oppressed Jew and that through Christ, those who are sinful can be reconciled.
Preferential Option for the Poor
Discussed by Gustavo Gutierrez. Poverty is a complex human condition so it can have complex consequences. There has been a new, active presence of the poor and it is not an option for the people to not respect and help the poor. God loved the weak/abused so we must too.
Guitterez
Encountering God in History
Rosemary Radford Ruether
Feminist scholar and Catholic theologian. Ruether is an advocate of women's ordination, a movement among Catholic religious persons who affirm women's capacity to serve as priests, despite official sanction
What distinctive perspective is offered by Feminist theology, and what is the goal of this reflective perspective
Feminist theology provides the perspective of focusing on women within the Christian tradition in terms of inequality, inferior representation, or lack of leadership positions. The goal of this reflective perspective is to acknowledge the differences of men and women depicted within the church, and move to a more equal theology and system. Ruether has been a huge contributor to Feminist theology, and focuses on the imago dei differences between male and female. Feminist theology has been criticized as being only about the white women, leading to Mujerista theology and other theologies that focus on intersectionality.
P. Jenkins
Idea of "New Christianity" which states that the new Christian is the poor, hungry, and persecuted because the center of Christianity has shifted to the global south.
According to R.R. Ruether, in what ways has theology in the past tended to depict femininity or femaleness as less fully in the image of God
It has been believed that women correlate with the lower part of human nature which is seen as the source of sin. Therefore, women are often linked to the sin-prome part of the self. Her physical, sexual nature associated her with the lower part of the self. A woman is an "inferior mix" as she has more of the lower self and less of the higher spiritual nature making her incapable of fully representing God. Women are subordinate to men who do represent the higher spiritual self so women must be avoided by men as they are temptresses. This is seen as a punishment for her sin. Aristotelian biology sees a baby girl as a defect brought by the woman's body. According to Aquinas, males naturally excel when it comes to higher reason which represents God more than women.
Jon Sobrino
Jesuit catholic priest and theologian, known most for his contributions to liberation theology,
Anonymous Christianity
Karl Rahner Christians are not the only people who can reach salvation anyone living out Christian ideals without identifying as a Christian
According to G. Gutiérrez, how does liberation theology complement and challenge traditional forms of Catholic thought and practice
LIberation theology supports traditional ideas of Catholic thought that man is destined to be in communion with God and that sin is a refusal to love. It claims that God's love extends to all people and that we are called to do the same. God is present in both history and where there is justice there is God. However, it challenges traditional Catholic practice by claiming that there is a preferential option for the poor and favors theology from the perspective of those who are living in poverty. It calls for Christians to serve those living impoverished lives and dedicate themselves to social justice by following the example of Christ.
Theology as Interruption
Metz, being disturbed and unsettled by suffering, results in a solidarity with victims of suffering, sustaining suffering in our everyday lives (being disturbed by it and not complacent with it)
Isasi Diaz
Mujerista Theology
Mujerista Theology
Mujerista theology refers to a theological view from Latina women. We talked about Mujerista theology at the end of the year in regards to Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz's reading about Latina women in the church. This theology refers the struggle for liberation for Latina women and their faith within our society
Sobrino
Primordial Holiness
How does Jon Sobrino describe "Primordial holiness," and how does this perspective differ from more conventional understandings of holiness
Primordial holiness comes from extreme situation in which a human's focus is directed on Heaven through suffering. People are given an inhuman capability for joy. This primordial holiness brings salvation. This idea of a poor and suffering person is a reflection of the glory of God.
Feeling of Absolute Dependence
Schleiermacher, our feeling of dependence is a sense of God (consciousness of God shared by all human beings) we are both aware of ourselves as free but also as dependent upon something great this feeling of dependence comes from things that you can't choose (ex; where you are born, family you are born into,) there is an ongoing question of God echoing throughout history Christ's presence is the supernatural communicated in a natural, historical way (shows us something that can't be proven scientifically
How, according to Schillebeeckx, might secularization be positive or beneficial for religious faith
Secularization has transformed Christian thought into social justice. Therefore, Christians can become more dedicated to social justice by acting out their ideals through actions and serving those in need.
Jenkins
Seeing Christianity Again for the First time
Karl Barth
Swiss Reformed theologian who is often regarded as the greatest Protestant theologian
Schleiermacher
The Christian Faith
Medellín (1968)
The Conference of Latin American Bishops was a bishops' conference held in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia. In this conference, the bishops agreed that the church should take "a preferential option for the poor"
Von Balthasar
The Freedom of the Subject
James Cone
The Human Being in Black Theology
Karl Barth
The Humanity of God
Rahner
The Mystery of the Human Person
Schillebeeckx
The Search for the Living God
How does Karl Rahner describe "the mystery of the human person," and how does the question of human living relate to faith
The mystery of the human person is that we ultimately don't fully know ourselves and can't know ourselves. We understand that we inferior to God, but ultimately there is no answer to what the human person is. Human beings also think of ourselves as something greater than the material world which is a predisposed sense for the divine. We see echoes and traces of God in which transcends our conceptions but ultimately God is also an incomprehensible mystery.
According to J.B. Metz, what are the responsibilities of theology "after Auschwitz," and how should we reflect on the ambiguous legacy of European theology
Theodicy- rationalize God in the face of suffering , Faith as Mysticism of suffering unto God. Solidarity with the poor and suffering Interruptions- faith comes to us in things that really bother us. Transcendence and revelation occurs to us. Lives interrupted by suffering lean into and open ourselves up to. The church needs to be a witness to dangerous memories. The church needs to be culturally polycentric - not european but located all over. Open to poverty all over. New contexts and spaces for dialogue. Recognizing the ongoing suffering and poverty of the developing world.
What distinctive perspective is offered by Mujerista theology, and what is the goal of this reflective perspective
This perspective focuses upon the experiences of Latin American women's specific social context and circumstances. It highlights the importance of finding meaning in "lo cotidiano", or everyday life. In this perspective, everyday life can be a rich source of value and something meaningful. It emphasizes the daily struggle and seeks to dismiss the glorification of suffering, but instead find value in it and address how it is a struggle to live fully. It also draws attention to the need for voices to be heard that historically haven't been represented.
James Cone
best known for his advocacy of Black theology and black liberation theology
Karl Rahner on troubled atheism
one striving to be intellectually honest, act of courage to reject these central ideas of God, in order to be good Christian you must deny some false ideas about God. God is incomprehensible to human mind humans cannot fully understand ourselves
