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This thesis examines the thought of the Spanish philosopher-theologian Ignacio Ellacuría, one of the so-called second generation of Latin-American liberation theologians. The focus is on Ellacuría's intention to construct a Christian interpretation of salvation that is conceptually relevant to, and capable of making a practical difference in, our challenging historical and political realities. This intention was formed in the wake of the Vatican's 1984 "Instruction on Certain Aspects of the Theology of Liberation" (Libertatis nuntius), in which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith charged that liberation theology eliminates the transcendent aspects of salvation by falling prey to an exclusively this-worldly (and often Marxist class-struggle) account of liberation. Ellacuría confronted this challenge in a comprehensive way through an analysis of the philosophy of his mentor, philosopher Xavier Zubiri. In this way, Ellacuría interpreted transcendence as being within historical reality not just beyond it. This then forges a direct link between transcendence, understood intra-historically, and the struggle for social justice for the poor majorities in contexts of systemic oppression. For Ellacuría, this struggle is the historical manifestation and proper meaning of the Reign of God. This dissertation begins by locating Ellacuría's intellectual work in the dual context of El Salvador and his own biography. It then expounds Zubiri's philosophy of historical reality before explaining Ellacuría's deployment of it to reinterpret salvation and liberation. It concludes with an analysis of the ethical implications of Ellacuría's approach. The three-fold thesis of the dissertation is that (1) Zubiri's philosophy of historical realism is coherent and relevant to the Christian understanding of salvation and liberation, (2) Ellacuría's adaptation of Zubiri's philosophy is a creative and intellectually compelling solution to an exceptionally difficult conceptual problem, and (3) Ellacuría's theological achievement has precisely the ethical implications that he believed it did, namely, that there can be no separation between the Kingdom of God and this-world liberative movements on behalf of the poor and oppressed.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics)) -- University of the North, 2000 / Refer to document

Thesis advisor: Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez / A lo largo de NuestrAmérica, comunidades eclesiales —algunas dentro y otras al margen de la iglesia católica romana— están creando nuevos rituales para sus celebraciones litúrgicas, ejerciendo una creatividad que se basa en y sobrepasa la interpretación normativa de la teología litúrgica que se ha desarrollado a raíz del Concilio Vaticano II. El presente trabajo explora, por un lado, cómo la recepción de tal teología conciliar por parte del magisterio episcopal latinoamericano y caribeño no ha madurado lo suficiente para atender las necesidades celebrativas de estas comunidades eclesiales y, por otro lado, cómo las comunidades mismas han retomado su propio protagonismo y creatividad litúrgica para celebrar de una manera que motive y alimente su praxis cristiana. A través de un proceso de investigación cualitativa sobre las celebraciones extra-ordinarias de las Comunidades Eclesiales de Base (CEBs) de El Salvador, como ejemplo y referente para la región, concluimos que la teología litúrgica expresada puede considerarse como fiel al Concilio y como desafío para la teología litúrgica normativa. En la primera parte de la tesis, abordamos la reflexión teológica y la enseñanza magisterial episcopal. El primer capítulo compara diferentes líneas teológicas que han influido en la recepción de la teología litúrgica del Concilio Vaticano II en NuestrAmérica, identificando un conjunto de reflexiones de(s)coloniales pendientes de incorporarse más plenamente a la tradición. El segundo capítulo traza la recepción de la teología litúrgica conciliar a lo largo de las cuatro Conferencias Generales posconciliares del Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño (CELAM), concluyendo que la teología litúrgica resultante carecía de la profundidad y la madurez necesarias para que la liturgia cristiana fuera «cumbre y fuente» de la vida cristiana para muchas comunidades del subcontinente. El tercer capítulo analiza de cerca la recepción magisterial episcopal del Concilio en El Salvador, mostrando cómo una «eclesiología dual» propia del periodo posconciliar inmediato ha dado paso hoy en día a diferencias más extensas entre las CEBs y la institución eclesiástica. Tales diferencias han dado lugar a que las CEBs retomen su protagonismo y creatividad litúrgica para buscar celebrar su fe de manera coherente con su vida y praxis cristiana. En la segunda parte de la tesis, trabajamos las experiencias vitales y litúrgicas de las CEBs de El Salvador. El cuarto capítulo justifica el uso de métodos cualitativos de investigación para la teología, reconociéndolos como herramienta importante para las actuales teologías de la liberación y de las culturas. Identificamos aquí el papel y la actividad de un «sujeto teológico descolonial», como una «telaraña» de subjetividades que resiste y re-existe a pesar de la persistente colonialidad de la religión sacrificial. Es a un nudo de esta telaraña que giramos en el capítulo 5 para concentrar la mirada y el análisis en la práctica litúrgica de las CEBs de El Salvador con la teología que las anima, reconociendo específicamente en sus altares y en los momentos eucarísticos de sus celebraciones el espíritu de la teología litúrgica conciliar. Al final, las celebraciones litúrgicas y reflexiones teológicas de las CEBs representan una expresión de la tradición viva de la fe que sigue abriendo nuevos desafíos para la vida cristiana. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

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This dissertation explores relationships between Christian communities, ecological theology, food and meal patterns, and planetary wellbeing amid changing climates in the Plantationocene. The thesis is that a process theology of the Eucharist provides a framework for Christian sacramental theology to respond to the dynamic conditions of food amid changing climates on Earth by prioritizing processes of restoring and sustaining communion with God and all our creaturely kindred in ecological wellbeing. This dissertation presents and develops the process theology of Norman Pittenger, a Christian process theologian and theological interpreter of Alfred North Whitehead. By critically retrieving Norman Pittenger’s process ecclesiology, I aim to encourage Christian process theology to develop theological perspectives of sacramentality as celebrated through the church and Christian life for the wellbeing of the planet. In addition to developing a process theology of the Eucharist, this dissertation also lays foundations for a broader process theology of meals that seeks to respond to the dynamic conditions of food in changing climates in modernity. Weaving together the work of Theodore Walker, Jr., William T. Cavanaugh, Catherine Keller, Nick Estes, S. Yael Dennis, Filipe Maia, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Donna Haraway, Anna Tsing, and William Cronon, I critique modernity as a paradigm of commodifying relationships that depend on isolating people from one another and dismembering ecosystems for capital profit. I identify modernity’s meals as products of and contributors to anthropogenic climate change in the Plantationocene that depend upon processes of commodification and dismemberment of ecological bodies. How humans eat matters for the wellbeing of the world. For many Christians, the Eucharist meal is central to relationship with God and other people. The particularities of local eucharistic communities influence how the church experiences eucharistic relationships with God. Likewise, experiences of the Eucharist influence the particularities that characterize any local church. This dissertation contends that encountering cosmic Love in the Eucharist meal transforms the church to reveal and enact love in all our meals, promoting planetary wellbeing through food justice and ecological health.

Evangelicals have an unquestionable heritage for involvement in the world and its social problems and the Bible provides a basis for a liberative gospel. For the God of the Bible is not only a God of love and peace, but also of justice and he is therefore on the side of the poor, oppressed and suffering. he has given us a spirit of engagement with the world as salt and light and not escapism. As we give serious consideration to the challenges of liberation theologies, we need to hear the voice who calls his people in every age to go out into the lost and lonely world (as he did), in order to live and love, to witness and serve like him and for him and that is what African Evangelicalism is all about. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / M. Th. (Religious Studies)

Pentecostalism, which developed its essential character during the classical period of 1901-1916, has many significant contributions to make to modern theology. Often viewed as a type of fundamentalism, it is actually a theological tradition in its own right that deserves consideration along with the other two major streams of protestantism, conservative evangelicalism and more liberal ecumenical-mainline thought. Although it emphasizes the experience of the Holy Spirit, pentecostalism is highly Christocentric as is evidenced by its foundational symbol of faith, the fourfold gospel of Jesus as savior, healer, baptizer, and coming king. This work examines how the pentecostal fourfold gospel, as a functional, from below Spirit Christology, anticipates and intersects with trends in twentieth century ecumenical theological thought. The result of the study is the articulation of a fuller, more holistic understanding of the work of Christ in salvation in the world today. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Text in German / The present work deals with the historical and theological foundations of radical evangelicalism and places it within the context of theologies which influenced it and are similar to it. Radical evangelicalism integrates insights from various theological roots into a evangelical basal concept. Radical theology succeeded, through its contextual outworking, in overcoming the narrow focus of European evangelical theology and yet it remains genuinely evangelical. It is in the position of breaking through the sterility of academic theology and the dualistic worldview which is peculiar to wide parts of the evangelical movement by a world view that is turned towards the world. Thus it is proving itself to be a highly relevant theology for the needs of a divided world. The work develops in three steps. First of all the historical development of radical evangelicalism will be traced, from its beginning at the Congress for world evangelism in Lausanne in 1974 to the present day. Thus it will become clear that in the 30 years since Lausanne radical theology has entered the mainstream of evangelicalism. There follows in a detailed section a setting out of the theology of radical evangelicalism by means of several chosen themes. It will deal with radical hermeneutics, eschatology, salvation, the meaning of mission and evangelism and the relationship between Gospel and culture. Finally the social action of radical evangelicalism will be set out and it will be demonstrated that its energetic theology is at its basic level in fact a driving sprituality. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

Thesis / There is potential for a schism, within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) today, between Fundamentalist and Liberationist Methodists, who struggle to find common identity and vision. A question that needs examination is whether it is possible to develop an authentically, uniting Southern African Methodist Theology within the current Institutional structure of the MCSA. For this to become possible, some key areas of discussion are highlighted in this paper, such as the training of ministers and the MCSA as Institution. This paper attempts to enter into conversation between Fundamental and Liberation Methodism using the Doctrine of Christian Perfection, 'the Grand Depositum' of Methodism, as a point of reference and develop an epistemological framework based on Wesley’s 'quadrilateral' of Scripture, reason, experience and tradition. This paper takes as a standpoint the need for an authentically Southern African Methodist theology, which is both uniting and transformatory, in order for the MCSA to fulfil its vision of “A Christ Healed Africa for the Healing of Nations.” / Systematic theology and Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Testament)