Taylor is an early example of a divine who wanted to find a way of remaining an orthodox Christian while rejecting the Augustinian doctrine of original sin. Taylor could not see how the term ‘sin’could be correctly applied to anything but an individual’freely-chosen acts. However, he recognised that the reduction of the Christian concept of sin to particular sins constituted the Pelagian heresy. He attempted to avoid it by placing the insight behind the traditional doctrine in the challenge posed to the will by a naturalised version of the Augustinian fallen state, which was nonetheless morally indifferent in itself. The insights and confusions in Taylor’treatment of original sin and his anthropology, notably regarding the human will and its freedom, provide a fruitful basis for a more general consideration of the question of ‘orthodoxy’concerning original sin and the classical Christian doctrine of man.

Congregationalists were a major presence in the ecclesiastical landscape of Edwardian Hampshire. With a number of churches in the major urban centres of Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, and places of worship in most market towns and many villages they were much in evidence and their activities received extensive coverage in the local press. Their leaders, both clerical and lay, were often prominent figures in the local community as they sought to give expression to their Evangelical convictions tempered with a strong social conscience. From what they had to say about Congregational leadership, identity, doctrine and relations with the wider world and indeed their relative silence on the issue of gender relations, something of the essence of Edwardian Congregationalism emerges. In their discourses various tensions were to the fore, including those between faith and good works; the spiritual and secular impulses at the heart of the institutional principle; and the conflicting priorities of churches and society at large. These reflect the restlessness of the period and point to a possible 'turning of the tide'. They also call into question the suitability of constructs such as 'faith in crisis' or 'faith society' to characterise the church history of the Edwardian era.

This thesis discusses the Threefold Blessing: salvation, financial prosperity, and healing as a contextual hope in the Korean Pentecostal context. Ironically, hope always begins in hopeless situations and it will not function as a hope unless it is renewed in the new context. No one hopes for the hope that already has been achieved. As hope is contradictory to current difficulties, it can be hope to those who are suffering from the current lack, deficiency and hardship. The Threefold Blessing was the most urgent and eager hope for desperate Koreans in the post Korean context. As the Threefold Blessing was contradictory to the socio-economic and political situations of Korea after the War, it could be hope to Koreans. In fact, the Threefold Blessing successfully contextualized into the Korean context and has deeply lodged into Korean Pentecostals’ life. However, as today’s Korean contexts changed, it is questionable if the Threefold Blessing can continuously give hope to contemporary Koreans. Thus, the Threefold Blessing has to be reinterpreted and recontextualized into today’s Korean Pentecostal context theologically. If the old Threefold Blessing emphasized spiritual, physical and prosperous life of individuals, the new Threefold Blessing has to be understood in wider theological perspectives, including social and ecological matters. Throughout this thesis, I will review the contextualization of the Threefold Blessing in the Korean context as a Pentecostal hope and suggest the ways of its recontextualization for present and future Korean Pentecostals with theological interaction with Jürgen Moltmann’s theology of hope.

Abstract not available

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [80]-87).

Thesis (M.A. in Religion)--Vanderbilt University, May 2007. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this thesis is to indicate the extent to which nineteenth century eucharistic thought and practice underwent a process of change within the Church of Scotland. It seeks also to identify those aspects of the Sacrament which were The thesis begins by showing that the older Scottish Reformed Communion did not remain intact, either in form or in theological emphasis. Within a century of the inauguration of Reformed discipline and teaching, such was the diversity of belief A review of the relevant literature of the first half of the nineteenth century reveals that much of the debate on the Lord's Supper in Scotland focussed upon the issue of the frequency of celebration. There is no doubt that the prevailing pract The early nineteenth century debate over the matter of frequency also draws attention to that epoch's preoccupation with the death of Christ as an aspect of sacramental thought which received undue consideration, overshadowing the old Reformed The thesis goes on to attribute such an understanding to the predominance of the federal or covenant theology within the Church of Scotland. An examination is made of the origin and nature of federalism and its effect upon nineteenth century e However, the thesis also shows that the liturgical awakening of the early nineteenth century helped to bring about the gradual and irreversible recession of federalism in the life of the Church. Moreover, it is argued that Romanticism provided aa With the assertion of the values of Romanticism and the erosion of federal theology, other influences made themselves felt in the nineteenth century Scottish Church. Anglican scholars affected by Tractarianism were known and admired by some, at In view of the burgeoning of German influence upon Scottish cultural and intellectual life - beginning tentatively in the last decades of the eighteenth century to become one of the established features of Scottish life by 1850 - due account is German influence manifested itself obliquely, however, during the decade 1850-1860 and prior to the founding of the Church Service Society in 1865. Moreover, this influence was specifically related to the Eucharist and was transmitted to the C The view is advanced at this stage that the liturgical development of the nineteenth century, particularly in relation to the Lord's Supper, cannot adequately be surveyed without taking into account the Communion psalmody, and latterly hymnody, If the appearance of The Scottish Mission Hymnbook (1912) marked one aspect of the Scoto-Catholic party's concern for eucharistic worship and praise, the earlier publication of William Milligan's Ascension and Heavenly Priesthood of The thesis concludes by indicating the manner in which some of the late nineteenth century eucharistic themes were developed or modified by circumstances and events as this present century progressed.

This thesis is an exploration of ambiguity in rhetoric, dialectic, religio-political writing and literature in Early Modern England. It examines the ways in which the attitudes to ambiguity were formed in Early Modern England, with a focus on the development of ideas about the so-called ‘Jesuitical equivocation’ or ‘mental reservation’, a special case of ambiguity. In late sixteenth century England, hiding Catholic priests sought a way of defending Catholics from what they perceived as unjust persecution. They believed to have found a solution in the doctrine of equivocation, according to which it is justifiable to deceive one’s questioner by giving replies that the examiner is likely to misunderstand because they are phrased ambiguously, or because the speaker qualifies his/her words by a restriction only spoken within themselves, specifying what he means only to his own conscience and God. The thesis first explores the ways in which ambiguity occurred in sixteenth century education (by looking at Aristotle, Cicero, the Rhetorica ad Herennium, Quintilian, Servius, Melanchthon and John Case) to argue that the doctrine of mental reservation is grounded in the Classical and Renaissance rhetorical and dialectical tradition. In my second chapter I examine how the doctrine evolved from its first statement in 1584 by Doctor Navarrus, through the Casuistical tradition to Henry Garnet’s infamous A treatise of equivocation. The third chapter is devoted to the controversy between the Protestant Thomas Morton and the Catholic Robert Persons, who debate whether equivocation is a justifiable evasion, or a simple lie. The second part attempts to demonstrate that the obvious mistrust in ambiguity, usually seen as the effect of the trial of the Gunpowder Plotters and the ensuing anti- Jesuit propaganda, is in fact rooted more deeply in Renaissance culture. The fourth chapter explores Sidney’s Arcadia, and the ways in which prophecies, the princes’ disguises, and misunderstood speeches become indicators of the limitations of human understanding. The fifth chapter on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night concentrates on how conveying or concealing a message and understanding or misunderstanding the speaker’s intention can be seen as acts of exercising power. Finally, a reading of Macbeth explores the ethics of deception, by looking at the instances of deceit that result from ambiguous language, employed by and against Macbeth. To demonstrate the parallels between religio-political discourse and literature, the thesis looks at common assumptions about how meaning is produced, conveyed, understood, misunderstood, or allowed to be misunderstood.

McFague’s contributions to theology span over 40 years. Does her theological project, which aims to reform the Christian tradition, retain the coherence and consistency needed to fulfil this aim today? Surprisingly, McFague's body of work remains coherent, consistent and viable after many years of debate in relation to her own aims and methods and the responses of critics. However her theology can, in places, be strengthened in meeting its aim by an integration of more recent research or the work of her respondents. Developments in her thought over time remain generally consistent with her earlier work. Analysis of the basic categories of her thought shows a unity of form and content and an underlying conceptual unity. The models McFague advances are consistent as expressions of her stated method and aims. They perform the tasks set for them, if not always by the means she describes. Again the importance of the conceptual level proves greater than McFague allows. The coherence and consistency of the greater part of her work is weaker in its interaction with the Christian tradition. Her position on this has changed most over time. Work remains to be done on integrating her models with traditional ones. Despite her own judgements, this integration is desirable to maximise the reform of that tradition as she wishes and for her theology most naturally to be seen as reforming rather than revolutionary. But overall, McFague's work makes a valuable contribution to contemporary theology. She expounds coherent, original metaphorical models addressing contemporary concerns and a coherent theoretical framework that has largely withstood the scrutiny of respondents and developments in her field. Within this framework models may be created and assessed in creative tension with Christian tradition. However this relationship with the tradition remains to be deepened, strengthened and clarified by future research.

This study consists of three main aspects. Firstly, an overview of the major theories of metaphor as proposed during the past two millennia was given. The overview concluded with a summary of the most important aspects, which should be considered in the interpretation of metaphor. It was Indicated that the conceptual theory of metaphor provides an effective definition to identify and interpret metaphors. Secondly, the most prominent problems pertaining to the exegesis of the book of Jeremiah, which could influence the interpretation of metaphors, were identified and discussed. In the light of these problems, a canonical approach of the book of Jeremiah was opted for in order to focus on the theological significance of expressions, and passages. Thirdly, the diction and metaphorical concepts pertaining to the relationship between YHWH, Israel and the gods were identified. Selected terms, names/epithets of gods, and worship details were discussed in order to compile a picture of the nature and extent of the idolatrous involvement of Israel. Occurrences of these expressions elsewhere in the OT, and information from extra-Biblical and archaeological sources were examined in order to glean information for the interpretation of metaphors. Selected metaphors referring to the gods were analysed, as well as the Jeremianic marriage metaphor. This study showed that metaphor is the only way in which the devotee cognitively can understand and experience the divine, and ultimately express himself/herself religiously. The analyses of metaphors and related terminology indicated that the ANE theological worldview constitutes an important factor in the interpretation of these metaphors. The other deities were denigrated in pejorative language to the status of non-gods by the Yahwistic prophet/author(s), and described as lifeless, worthless deceptions that are of no benefit to Israel. In contrast, YHWH is exalted e.g. as the caring Husband, Leader, Advisor and Rainmaker, the true, living God and King, worthy of his status and the worshipping of Israel. Israel is described in accusatory language as the guilty party, and as sufferer under the punitive measures of YHWH. The Yahwistic interpretation entailed that Israel's involvement in idolatrous activities caused the fall of the Judean kingdom and the exile. In this, YHWH is depicted as the Punisher who is actively involved in Israel's disastrous circumstances and who employs nations to serve his goal. However, He was also actively involved in preparations of a new future for the remnant of Israel. It was concluded that the polemic against the other gods in the poetry was directed mainly towards the images representing the deities, as well as the alliances formed by Israel with foreign political powers and their gods. The images of the other gods and the foreign powers were regarded as intruders in YHWH's territory, and as third parties meddling in his relationship with Israel. The worthlessness of the other gods was viewed against the ANE concept, namely that a deity worthy his status must provide security, agricultural blessings and guidance to the devotees in his territory. Against this background, YHWH is celebrated by the Yahwists as the incomparable, one and only, true and living God who is worthy of his status as deity and is capable of helping Israel. Israel is called upon to trust in Him to secure their future, and not in mortal beings and their human-made idols. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.