Thesis (Th. M.)--Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-93).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002. / Abstract.. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-93).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002. / Abstract.. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-93).

Thesis advisor: Frederick G. Lawrence / Contemporary religious believers tend to conceive of the sacraments as objective expressions of grace distinct from their ritual enactment and often exclusive of ethical obligations. Ecclesial structures have reinforced these understandings by associating the sacraments with Christological interpretations that diminish the active participation of Christians in worship by emphasizing Christ's eminence and power. By highlighting Christ's self-emptying love in the act of kenosis, I argue for new Christological understandings to support ongoing liturgical and ecclesial renewal. My research explores two major areas: the resurgence of sacramental theology after Vatican II, especially within the work of Chauvet, and the rise of a critical theology of the cross in the writings of Jürgen Moltmann and its kenotic implications for the church. By bringing together these two areas, I argue for an alternative sacramental framework that combines internal conceptions of grace with outward expressions of meaning that bear fruit in liturgical inculturation and acts of solidarity. This dissertation begins with a study of the liturgical renewal following Vatican II and its world-wide implementation. I pay special attention to the development of postconciliar liturgical renewal in light of the principle of active participation (actuosa participatio) in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, and examine the relationship of structuralist approaches to liturgy to Christology. In chapter two, I explore sources for Christology that point to fresh understandings about the nature and person of Christ and the work of salvation. In chapters three and four, I present a thorough study of the work of Louis-Marie Chauvet on the sacraments, and Jürgen Moltmann on the cross. In doing so, I construct a relationship between sacraments and Christology centered on Christ's kenosis as a means of supporting ongoing liturgical and ecclesial renewal. In the final chapter, I explore how kenotic Christology can shape our understanding of the liturgy and contribute to greater inculturation in worship and acts of solidarity in the world. I conclude by proposing new ways to think about the liturgy that may become the ground for future ecclesial transformation. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: Khaled Anatolios / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis advisor: John F. Baldovin / Abstract This dissertation grows from our experience of the perennial problem of violence and conflict witnessed at a great scale in Sub-Saharan Africa. In many parts of Africa, especially south of the Sahara, now even worse in the north, there are recurrent bloody conflicts, violence and wars. Ordinarily, one would be lured to argue that what Heraclitus said is the real experience of Africa: where it seems "war is father and king of all things."1 In this trend of thought war, bloody conflicts and violence are mere symptoms of the underlying belligerent nature of the universe. In Heraclitus' philosophical view any change (physical, social, political, economic) can only arise out of war or violent conflict. On the other hand, in reading and hearing stories from all over the world it reveals to us that violence, conflict and the difficulty of establishing lasting peace is a universal problem, not only African. This realization triggered this study to see if we could establish common roots to the problem of violence in the world and at the same time to seek ways of reconciling people in the aftermath or even during the conflict. Therefore although the African situation provoked the thought, our research covers the anthropological roots to the universal problem of recurrent violence that has immersed our world into a culture of death. However in the last chapter we will specifically draw our attention to the nature and mission of the Church of Africa in its social context in order to ascertain the foundational causes of the persistent violence and so seek ways to reconciliation. Employing René Girard's mimetic anthropology and trinitarian/eucharistic theology we argue that reconciliation is a Divine-Human self-emptying event because the one who initiates reconciliation must be ready to surrender to the offending other and become the price of that reconciliation. The Trinity and the gift of the Eucharist just before the paschal mystery presents to us that God, the offended other but loving other, in Jesus became the price of our reconciliation. Therefore every work of reconciliation is an imitation of a self-emptying God in Christ Jesus. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis advisor: John Makransky / The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to Christian theological anthropology by bringing in the "interruption" of another religious tradition, Buddhism, in order to see how key Buddhist doctrines such as emptiness and practices of meditation may inform aspects of the Christian feminist discussions of kenosis in the spiritual life, and the search for a relational self. It also seeks to enhance Buddhist-Christian dialogue by bringing the "interruption" of feminist voices from both the Buddhist and Christian traditions into conversation with each other in order to see what they might offer, not only towards the search for "right relationship," but also towards bringing about the re-integration of doctrine and spiritual practices for more effective action in the world today. In the first part of the dissertation, I lay out the background of these two concepts of kenosis and emptiness within their respective religious traditions including the Buddhist-Christian dialogues around these two concepts. I then look at how Christian feminists (Sarah Coakley and Mary Grey) as well as Buddhist feminists (Anne Klein and Rita Gross) critique the traditional interpretations of these concepts and how they reconstruct such concepts in their articulation of a relational self and in their argument for the importance of practice and its relationship with doctrine. In the second part of this dissertation, I focus on the comparison between these Buddhist and Christian feminists and how they can mutually learn from each other. I argue that Buddhist feminist discussions on emptiness and meditation enhances and deepens the Christian feminist articulations of kenosis and how an empowered self can be found through a kenotic spirituality. I also demonstrate how such a dialogue can bring us back to the rich resources within the Christian tradition, such as the image of Mary and Marian devotions. Furthermore, I show how this feminist comparison contributes back to Buddhist-Christian dialogue by including the voices of women and their concern for suffering and the importance of praxis in our interreligious encounters today. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Zugl.: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2007

Thesis advisor: John R. Sachs / This thesis is concerned with ecotheology and theological anthropology, in general, and in particular, with the interpretation of the imago Dei motif as a source of ecological commitment. More specifically, it is an exploration of the theological idea of kenosis as one meaningful, sound, and timely understanding of imago Dei within the context of the current ecological crisis. Although criticized for its alleged anthropocentric overtones, the notion of imago Dei should not be put aside or silenced, but rather reinterpreted. Understood as kenosis, it is a source and not a hindrance for ecological concern and ethical commitment inasmuch as it elicits a fruitful understanding of humanity. Therefore, this dissertation occurs at the intersection between ecotheology and theological anthropology, or in other words it is a theological exploration within the domain of theological anthropology through an ecological lens. Chapter one traces the appearance of ecotheology within contemporary theological reflection, its assessment of the ecological crisis, and the different models or strategies that theologians have explored in order to link ecological challenges and theology. After defining both “ecology” and “ecological crisis”, and identifying some of the manifestations of the latter, the chapter examines the specific rationale of ecotheology and shows how and why it calls into question three main assumptions of classic theological anthropology, namely, the dignity, uniqueness, and role of humanity within creation. It provides a clear understanding of the status of ecotheology, its particular rationale, and its challenge to standard theological anthropology. Chapter two turns to the interpretation of imago Dei. First, it characterizes and assesses three main historical lines of interpretation: essentialist, functionalist, and relational, which can summarize and group the contributions of those who have offered a theological understanding of imago Dei. Then, the chapter proposes the notion of kenosis as one sound, meaningful and timely interpretation of this theological motif. Defined as both making-room or self-limitation and self-giving or self-emptying love, kenosis is portrayed through its biblical and systematic usage. The chapter argues that kenosis discloses something crucial about God’s agency within creation and about Jesus Christ as revelatory of true humanity. Consequently, it can be considered as an inspiring and significant anthropological notion in the context of the current ecological crisis. Kenosis not only connects the three classic interpretations of imago Dei, but it also serves them as a specifier, inasmuch as it provides concrete content and a precise direction for understanding humanity as created in the image of God. The chapter ends dealing with the main critiques which have been addressed to kenosis as a meaningful notion for theological anthropology. Chapter three is a constructive one. It explores the fruitfulness of kenosis and its ability to shed light upon humanity through the three dimensions of ecology: personal, social, and environmental. It shows the inspiring character of kenosis as an anthropological image which helps to shape people’s imagination, and the way believers portray and make practical sense of the Christian depiction of humanity. First, after highlighting the necessity of ecological conversion and a new ethos, the chapter proposes the notions of limit and asceticism as two important anthropological features that kenosis offers to personal ecology, and that may inspire us in searching and discerning new ways of life. Then, the chapter addresses the issue of the images that may help us in our searching for and voicing new ways of social interaction and life. The concept of “civilization of poverty” coined by philosopher Ignacio Ellacuría is particularly examined. Rooted in the social dimension of ecology, this concept is in tune with the twofold movement of kenosis of self-limitation and self-giving love. Finally, the chapter shows how kenosis offers a corrective to the notion of stewardship and enhances what is better in it. Inasmuch as the former in its double meaning of self-limitation and self-giving love entails clear practical consequences, it complements greatly the latter, which has become a sort of default position for many theologians. It is shown how this alliance between these two images heightens what is good in each of them, in order to inspire us in discerning and embodying an ecologically friendly lifestyle. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sandro Pereira.pdf: 909868 bytes, checksum: 254f41b3bb9c82be1f079c553f3e215e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / From the text of Philippians 2,5-11 this work performs an exegesis of the text known as kenosis. It thus tries to identify traits in existing ideological heritage of the society at the time of this writing, to then, point to the possibilities of recurring mythic structures. This work makes a preliminary analysis on the cultural, social and religious world of the Apostle Paul and goes through a brief overview of the research s history. It offers a possibility of translation of the Greek text into Portuguese and then wants to view in graphic form the structure and movement of the "Christological hymn." It displays the monomyth and the discourse s analysis as methodological tools for the production of two new readings. Using these methodologies, this work seeks to show the similarities between certain recurring mythic structures and emptying of Christ in the Pauline tradition. It seeks to validate the proposal of this work presenting other mythics narratives that permeated the imagery of the Greco-Roman society. At the end suggests some steps to a reading of kenosis as social criticism. / A partir do texto de Filipenses 2,5-11 este trabalho realiza uma exegese no texto conhecido como kenosis. Para isso, busca a identificação de traços existentes na herança ideológica da sociedade da época da redação deste documento para, em seguida, apontar para as possibilidades de estruturas míticas recorrentes. Faz uma primeira análise no mundo cultural, social e religioso do apóstolo Paulo e passa por uma breve abordagem da história da pesquisa. Oferece uma possibilidade de tradução do texto grego para o português e depois, quer visualizar em forma gráfica a estrutura e o movimento do hino cristológico . Apresenta o monomito e a análise do discurso como ferramentas metodológicas para a produção de duas novas leituras. Com o uso dessas metodologias, procura mostrar as semelhanças entre certas estruturas míticas recorrentes e o esvaziamento de Cristo na tradição paulina. Busca validar a proposta apresentando outras narrativas míticas que impregnavam a imagética da sociedade greco-romana. Ao final sugere alguns passos para uma leitura da kenosis como crítica social.