Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The earth and her ecology is in crisis, which impacts upon both human and
nonhuman communities. Not only due to the blame for ecological destruction that is
attributed to humanity (and specifically also to the Christian religion), but also because of
the destruction of species, environments and the natural habitat of living beings theology
is asked of to step into its public and prophetic role in order to address the challenges in
whichever way it can. David Kelsey’s enormous theological anthropology, Eccentric
Existence (2009), probably provides opportunities for this, through its theological inquiry
and (re)formulation of Christian traditions’ central doctrines and faith formulations.
Kelsey’s main thesis is that God relates to all that is not God to create, draw into
eschatological consummation, and reconcile.
God relates to create the earth and her ecology. God relates to the earth and her
ecology creatively (‘living on borrowed breath’) which entails that God relates “to” the
earth and her ecology through the medium of address. The ultimate context of the earth
and her ecology is therefore that of being directly and indirectly addressed by the triune
God, through which it responds to its being called into being. The call that Kelsey
describes, and therefore God’s creation of the earth and her ecology, is public and
communal, involving both the radical freedom of otherness and the intimate nearness of
sameness. God relates to bless the earth and her ecology creatively in God’s life-giving
address, by enabling it to be alive and to bring forth life. The earth and her ecology, as
particular instances or forms of life, is dynamic, persistent and frail. Creaturely reality
involves being and having living bodies, through being created as dying life. The earth
and her ecology not only lives, but is enabled to flourish, on borrowed breath. In this
way, the earth and her ecology exists eccentrically, finding its reality and worth and being
and value outside of itself, in God’s relating to bless it creatively.
God relates to draw the earth and her ecology into eschatological consummation.
God relates by drawing the earth and her ecology into eschatological consummation
(‘living on borrowed time’) which stipulates that God relates “between” the earth and her
ecology through the medium of promise. The ultimate context of the earth and her
ecology is therefore that of being drawn into God’s own triune life and being called to participate in the glory of God. The earth and her ecology is defined by the absolute
promise of eschatological blessing and the implicit promise of transformation in the
present and in the future, which is God’s reaching out to all that is not God (also
described as the missio Dei). The earth and her ecology, as particular instances or forms
of life, stands under both God’s election (or ‘yes’) and God’s judgment (or ‘no’). The
earth and her ecology not only lives, but is enabled to flourish, on borrowed time. In this
way, the earth and her ecology exists eccentrically, finding its reality and worth and being
and value outside of itself, in God’s relating to bless it eschatologically.
God reconciles the earth and her ecology to Godself. God relates by reconciling
the earth and her ecology through their multiple estrangements (‘living by another’s
death’) and entails that God relates “amongst” the earth and her ecology through the
medium of exchange. The ultimate context of the earth and her ecology is therefore that
of being reconciled to God through its multiple estrangements and being drawn into the
divine life of God Godself. Incarnation and what Kelsey calls ‘exchange’ – God
incarnated in Jesus exchanging Godself with the earth and her ecology amidst processes
of violence and destruction to transform their living death into true life – defines the earth
and her ecology in this mode of relating. The earth and her ecology is reconciled with
herself and with living beings and all of life through their reconciliation by and in God.
God’s reconciliation is liberation and transformation of the earth and her ecology within
particular times and places, within its particular contexts. The life of the earth and her
ecology is therefore no longer tied to the fulfillment of certain functions or duties (or
even vocations) that it may be subjected to or expected of, but lies solely in the worth and
value that it finds in living and existing by the life and death of another, of God incarnate,
of Jesus the Son. The earth and her ecology not only lives, but is enabled to flourish, by
another’s death. In this way, the earth and her ecology exists eccentrically, finding its
reality and worth and being and value outside of itself, in God’s relating to reconcile it
through its multiple estrangements.
God stands in relationship to the earth and her ecology in three ways that sustains
and blesses it to flourish as mysterious living being that reflects the glory of the triune
God. The appropriate response to this, respectively, is eccentric faith, eccentric hope and eccentric love. The earth and her ecology, like all living beings and all of life, exists
eccentrically, through God that relates to it. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aarde en haar ekologie is tans in krisis, wat impakteer op beide menslike en
nie-menslike gemeenskappe. Nie net weens die skuld vir ekologiese verwoesting wat aan
mense (en spesifiek ook aan die Christelike geloof) toegeskryf word nie, maar ook weens
die verwoesting van spesies, omgewings en die natuurlike habitat van lewende wesens
word daar van teologie gevra om in dié se publieke en profetiese rol in te tree en die
uitdagings aan te spreek op welke manier dit ook al kan. David Kelsey se enorme
teologiese antropologie, Eccentric Existence (2009), bied waarskynlik geleenthede
hiervoor, deur die in-diepte teologiese ondersoek en (her)besinning van Christelike
tradisies se sentrale doktrines en geloofstellinge waarmee dit besig is. Kelsey se hooftese
is dat God in verhouding tree tot alles wat nie God is om te skep, in eskatologiese
vervulling te bring, en te versoen.
God tree in verhouding tot die aarde en haar ekologie deur dit te skep (waardeur
dit op geleende asem leef), wat behels dat God ‘tot’ die aarde en haar ekologie in
verhouding tree deur die medium van aanspraak. Die uiteindelike konteks van die aarde
en haar ekologie is daarom dié wat direk en indirek aangespreek word deur die drie-enige
God, deurdat dit reageer daarop dat dit geroep is tot bestaan. Die oproep wat Kelsey
beskryf, en daarom God se skepping van die aarde en haar ekologie, is publiek en
gemeenskaplik, en behels beide die radikale vryheid van andersheid en die intieme
nabyheid van eendersheid. God seën die aarde en haar ekologie kreatief in God se lewegewende
aanspraak, deur dit in staat te stel om te lewe en om lewe voort te bring. Die
aarde en haar ekologie, as spesifieke lewensvorme, is dinamies, voortdurend en weerloos.
Geskape realiteit behels beide om lewende liggame te hê en te wees. Die aarde en haar
ekologie leef nie alleen nie, maar word in staat gestel om te floreer, op geleende asem.
Op hierdie manier bestaan die aarde en haar ekologie eksentries, en vind dit die realiteit
en waarde en wese buite ditself, in God wat in verhouding daartoe tree om dit kreatief te
seën.
God tree in verhouding tot die aarde en haar ekologie om dit in te bring in
eskatologiese vervulling. God tree in verhouding tot die aarde en haar ekologie (waardeur
dit op geleende tyd leef) wat bepaal dat God in verhouding staan ‘tussen’ die aarde en haar ekologie, deur die medium van belofte. Die uiteindelike konteks van die aarde en
haar ekologie is daarom dié wat gebring word in God se eie drie-enige lewe en wat
geroep word om deel te neem aan die glorie van God. Die aarde en haar ekologie word
gedefinieer deur die absolute belofte van eskatologiese seën en die implisiete belofte van
transformasie in die hede en in die toekoms, wat God se uitreiking na alles wat nie God is
nie is (ook beskryf deur die missio Dei). Die aarde en haar ekologie, as spesifieke
lewensvorme, staan onder beide God se verkiesing (God se ‘ja) en God se oordeel (God
se ‘nee’). Die aarde en haar ekologie leef nie net nie, maar word in staat gestel om te
floreer, op geleende asem. Op hierdie manier bestaan die aarde en haar ekologie
eksentries, en vind dit die realiteit en waarde en wese buite ditself, in God wat in
verhouding daartoe tree om dit eskatologies te seën.
God versoen die aarde en haar ekologie tot Godself. God tree in verhouding tot
die aarde en haar ekologie deur dit te versoen (waardeur dit leef deur ‘n ander se dood) en
behels dat God ‘tussen’ die aarde en haar ekologie in verhouding tree deur die medium
van vervanging. Die uiteindelike konteks van die aarde en haar ekologie is daarom die
wat versoen is tot God deur hul veelvoudige vervreemdinge en wat ingebring word in die
goddelike lewe van Godself. Inkarnasie en wat Kelsey noem ‘vervanging’ – God wat
mens word in Jesus vervang Godself met die aarde en haar ekologie te midde prosesse
van geweld en verwoesting om hul lewende dood te transformeer in ware lewe –
definieer die aarde en haar ekologie in hierdie modus van verhouding. Die aarde en haar
ekologie word versoen met haarself en met lewende wesens en die hele lewe deur hul
versoening deur en in God. God se versoening is bevryding en transformasie van die
aarde en haar ekologie binne spesifieke tye en plekke, binne hul spesifieke kontekste. Die
lewe van die aarde en haar ekologie is daarom nie meer gebonde tot die vervulling van
spesifieke funksies of pligte (of selfs roepinge) wat daarvan verwag word nie, maar lê
alleen in die waarde wat dit vind daarin om te leef en bestaan deur die lewe van ‘n ander,
van God-wat-mens-geword-het, van Jesus die Seun. Die aarde en haar ekologie leef nie
alleen nie, maar word in staat gestel om te floreer, deur ‘n ander se dood. Op hierdie
manier bestaan die aarde en haar ekologie eksentries, en vind dit haar realiteit en waarde
en wese buite haarself, in God wat dit versoen deur veelvoudige vervreemdinge. God staan in verhouding tot die aarde en haar ekologie op drie maniere wat dit
onderhou en dit seën om te floreer as geheimsinnige lewende wese wat die glorie van die
drie-enige God reflekteer. Die gepaste reaksie hierop is, respektiewelik, eksentriese
geloof, eksentriese hoop en eksentriese liefde. Die aarde en haar ekologie, soos alle
lewende wense en die hele lewe, bestaan eksentries deur God wat in verhouding daarmee
tree. / jme2012
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/17934 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Marais, Nadia |
| Contributors | Smit, D. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 287 leaves |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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