Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-128).

The theology of the cross is both a method of doing evangelical theology, as well as an evangelical confession of the Christian Faith. It is universal in scope, and it is set within the context of the Reformation doctrine of the Two Kingdoms. It, therefore, insists that while the Kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of Christ are to be distinguished from each other, nevertheless, they constitute an intrinsic unity. Marx's concept of man and his theory of history constitute his peculiar atheistic Weltanschauung. This preoccupation with man as an alienated being is paralleled by the concern for man's salvation as expressed in the theology of the cross. However, Marx's anthropology remains one-dimensional in scope, and is thereby placed within the realm of the Kingdom of the world. The Marxian claim that man is the centre of himself and the final and sole arbiter of his own destiny, and that God is a totally human idea which ultimately enslaves man, challenges the Church to proclaim and "incarnate" the liberating message of the Gospel anew today. The Church is called to articulate a theology of the cross in which God is confessed as being pro-man. The Church points to the cross of Christ where it sees God paradoxically revealed in suffering, shame and death, where God seemed (and seems) to be most absent, it is precisely there that He is most present, actively struggling on behalf of man. Cross and Resurrection are bound together. The Christian life is therefore a life of celebration and hope sub cruce. Caribbean theology is at the crossroads: it is historically connected with western theology and finds some "natural" affinities with Liberation Theology. However, while it may and should attempt to draw from the richness of both theologies, it should guard against capitulating to either of those forms. It must articulate an indigenous theology of the cross which maintains the tension between identity and relevance of the Gospel. To do otherwise would lead to a theology (or ideology) of glory. In short, Caribbean theology's primary concern must be the proclamation and "incarnation" of the message that the Triune God, through the praxis of love in His Son, and through the witness of His Spirit, is present in suffering and death, wrath and judgement, working on behalf of man and his reconciliation.

M.A. (Bible Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist der Entwurf einer theologisch fundierten und empirisch-psychologisch evidenten Persönlichkeitstheorie. Sie soll christologisch verankert sein. Dazu wird zunächst mit Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer und Helmut Thielicke vor dem biblisch-theologischen Hintergrund des Noahbunds die grundsätzliche Doppelseitigkeit der menschlichen Existenz aufgezeigt. In der postlapsalischen Erhaltungsordnung herrschen Sünde und Tod vor, aber die Schöpfungsrealität bleibt fragmentarisch bewahrt, so dass psychosoziale und spirituelle Gesundheit unter dem Vorbehalt der Vorläufigkeit möglich ist. Um diese zu erlangen, muss der Mensch zur adäquaten Befriedigung seiner Bedürfnisse finden. Dies geschieht nur unter dem Primat der Verantwortlichkeit. Verantwortlichkeit beinhaltet, dass der Mensch in die Schuld gestellt ist. Schuld und Verantwortlichkeit besitzen ontologische Tiefe. Der Sünde wegen ist der Mensch bestrebt, sein Leben nicht vor Gott verantworten zu müssen. Sein Verhältnis zu Gott ist von Angst bestimmt. Dies hat Paul Tillich in seiner Ontologie der Angst entfaltet. Die Versuche des Menschen, die existenzielle Angst der Gottentfremdung zu objektivieren, hat Søren Kierkegaard mit den vier Grundformen der Verzweiflung beschrieben. Ihr psychopathologisches Äquivalent sind die von Fritz Riemann überlieferten vier Grundformen der Angst. Diese drei Modelle der dunklen Seite menschlicher Persönlichkeit sind deckungsgleich. Die Doppelseitigkeit der menschlichen Existenz impliziert, dass die Kehrseite der existenziellen Angst das existenzielle Bedürfnis ist. Die Bedürfniskonstrukte von Fiedler, Epstein und Grawe, die aus dem gegenwärtigen Erkenntnisstand der Persönlichkeitsforschung unter Einbezug der Neuropsychologie hervorgehen, erweisen sich in diesem Sinne als auffallend deckungsgleich mit den Modellen der dunklen Seite. Daraus ergibt sich ein holistisches Persönlichkeitsmodell, das die negative Determiniertheit durch die Sünde und die positive durch die Grundbedürfnisse, das ontologische Bedürfnis nach Spiritualität eingeschlossen, als unlösliche Einheit aufweist. Der gemeinsame Nenner dieser Modelle scheint sich auch allmählich in der Persönlichkeitsdiagnostik durchzusetzen. / The aim of this paper is the outline of a theologically founded and empirically-psychologically reasonable theory of personality. It shall be christologically anchored. For this purpose at first with Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Helmut Thielicke the fundamental double-sidedness of human existence in front of the biblical-theological background of the noachitic covenant is pointed out. Within the divine conserving order after the fall of man sin and death dominate, but the reality of the order of creation is fragmentarilly saved as well, so that psychosocial and spiritual health, with reservation of preliminarity, is possible. To achieve it, man must get to the adequate satisfaction of his needs. This can only happen under the dominance of responsibility. Responsibility contains being put into debt and therefore being guilty as well. Guilt and responsibility own ontological depth. As the result of sin man tries to avoid responsibility in the presence of God. His relation to God is determined by anxiety. That's what Paul Tillich pointed out by his ontology of anxiety. The attempts of man trying to overcome the existencial anxiety under the alienation from God Søren Kierkegaard has described by the four fundamental forms of desperation. Their psychopathological equivalent are the four fundamental forms of anxiety, which Fritz Riemann described. These three models of the dark side of human existence are congruent. The double-sidedness of human existence contains that the other side of existencial anxiety is existencial need. The need-models of Fiedler, Epstein and Grawe, which result from the present state of personality-research under regard of neuropsychology, show significant congruence with the models of the dark side. This leads to an holistic model of personality, which demonstrates the negative determination by sin and the positive one by the fundamental needs, including the ontological spiritual need, as an insoluble unit. The common denominator of these models gradually seems to prevail in the field of personality-diagnostic as well. / Abstract in German and English / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

王俊. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-232). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Wang Jun.

This thesis will investigate the significance of the Eastern Orthodox perspective of theosis, for the bioethical principle of autonomy, specifically with regard to its respect for the elderly. Theosis is a central doctrine of the Orthodox Church which pertains to the salvation of human persons and their free and cooperative response to God's grace, and as such, has an intimate relationship with the Eastern Orthodox understanding of personhood. / On the one hand there are a number of areas of mutual concern or overlap between the concept of respect for autonomy and the Orthodox understanding of personhood and the goal of theosis. There are, however, significant differences which prevent them from being viewed as synonymous or even as totally compatible. / There are complementary aspects, some of which will be identified in this initial study. It is hoped that such an investigation can help to further develop Eastern Orthodox thinking with regard to bioethical issues and be of value when dealing with the complex issues related to the elderly. This topic will also be of interest to a wider audience involved in bioethical reflection from both Christian and secular perspectives.

Because of the centrality of Christ, truly God and truly human, Christian theology regards the understanding of the human as one of its essential tasks. In the wake of environmental concerns, however, the dominant self-understanding of the human is presently being challenged and rethought by Christians. This study is an attempt to contribute to this larger effort of examining the role of the human in Christian theological responses to the ecological "crisis," a question that is surfacing as a paramount concern in this emergent literature. / In this work I examine how the role of the human is an inherent problematic in Christian ecological literature. I review some of the principal categories or paradigms of Christian ecological literature, such as Gaia theory, process theology, new cosmology, ecofeminism, and liberation theology. / All these approaches, I contend, make important contributions to a renewed understanding of human interaction with nature. Yet each model, on its own, seems somewhat incomplete in its portrait of the human. On the one hand, a certain segment of this religious and theological literature diminishes or undervalues the role of the human in our ecological destiny. On the other hand, much of this literature neglects to examine seriously humanity's historical context, which includes economic, political, and social dimensions. / Through a study of these paradigms for approaching the environmental crisis, this work explores the idea that only a theology that views the human agent as a principal actor in both the devastation and reclamation of the life systems of the planet is a viable ecological theology. Such a theology views the human agent in terms of social, economic, political, cultural, moral, as well as ecological transformation in order to confront comprehensively the threats to the planet's ecosystems. With the reading assistance of liberation theology from Latin America, with its emphasis on solidarity, a preferential option for the destitute, and societal transformation, this work raises the possibility of a political theology of the environment, outlining several salient horizons for such a theology.

Note: / Because of the centrality of Christ, truly God and truly human, Christiantheology regards the understanding of the human as one of its essentialtasks. In the wake of environmental concerns, however. the dominantself-understanding of the human is presently being chaUenged andrethought by Christians. This study is an attempt to contribute to thislarger effort of examining the role of the human in Christiantheological responses to the ecological "crisis." a question that issurfacing as a paramount concern in this emergent literature.[...] / Due a la centralite du Christ, vrai dieu et vrai homme, la theologieChretienne considere que l'aspect humain est un element essentiel aetudier. Au milieu des preoccupations environnementales, cependant, lacomprehension dominante de la personne humaine est mise en cause eten train d'etre revisee par les auteurs chn!tiens. Cette etude tachedecontribuer a l'effort plus vaste d'examiner le role de l'etre humainpanni des reponses theologiques chretiennes en face de la criseecologique, cette question se pose comme une preoccupation capitaledans la litterature emergente.[...]

No description available.

Recent trends in theology have created an environment where the thought of John Macmurray, a twentieth-century Scottish thinker and Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, is increasingly relevant. In particular the reemergence of a robust trinitarianism has raised issues surrounding relational concepts of person and the nature of the relationship between human and divine persons. Macmurray's philosophy is cited as a contemporary example of persons in relation which parallels certain Cappadocian and Athanasian notions of the Trinity. The relationship between Macmurray's anthropology and his theology, however, is largely unexplored, due in part to confusion over the exact nature of his doctrine of God as well as the lack of a thorough exposition of his thought as a whole. Because of the highly integrated nature of Macmurray's work one cannot properly understand the philosophical, anthropological, or theological dimensions in isolation from each other. Therefore this thesis considers these three dimensions of Macmurray's thought, providing a systematization and clarification of his philosophy, anthropology, and theology. Through the interaction between the philosophical, anthropological, and theological aspects of Macmurray's thought the ontological and epistemological relationship between God and humanity surfaces. Ontologically Macmurray clearly differentiates between God and humanity. Yet epistemologically there is a necessary relation because all human knowing and reflection is conditioned and limited by human reality. Since Macmurray believes humans experience God, he believes all human knowledge of God must be expressed within the terms of human reality. This does not necessarily lead to anthropomorphism as long as one realizes one is speaking in a limited and theoretical fashion about God who is at least personal. Macmurray's thought is then used to critically engage the theology of Moltmann, Gunton, Torrance, Cunningham, and Lampe particularly with respect to their understandings of the divine-human relationship.