Walter Brueggemann, Prophetic Imagination, and the Productive Science of Homiletics

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-181
Author(s):  
Derek Knoke
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Historical Reconstruction ◽  
The World ◽  
Prophetic Imagination ◽  
Walter Brueggemann ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
The Church

This review asks to what degree Walter Brueggemann locates biblical interpretation within homiletics, particularly where homiletics is defined as a ‘productive science’ – the goal of which is to make or create something. To the degree this is true, biblical interpretation is not determined by an a priori referent, whether that referent be a closed rationality of social scientific description (or historical reconstruction) or whether that referent be a resistant theological ideology which one imposes on the text. Rather, such a hermeneutic – a productive hermeneutic – would be determined by a desired goal or outcome. Homiletics, thus defined, is a means to an end – an end achieved by naming God as an acting subject in the world to bring about said goal or outcome. This review suggests that Brueggemann’s biblical interpretation can be described in this way and that a productive hermeneutic may be both social scientifically viable and beneficial for the church.

scholarly journals Postcolonial theory as a hermeneutical tool for Biblical reading

2008 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazare S. Rukundwa
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Method ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

In this article, postcolonial theory is presented as a tool for Biblical interpretation, in an attempt to find colonial intentions (be they political, cultural or economic) that informed and influenced the writer’s context. Although criticism has been levelled at the church and other religious institutions for having, consciously or unconsciously, facilitated colonial conquests and imperial establishment all over the world, postcolonial theory calls them to a constructive reading that enables readers to see the concerns of the universal mission of justice. Postcolonial theory, as a tool for Biblical interpretation, deals with the Bible as a “cultural product” in time and space. However, as part of socio-scientific method, postcolonial theory encounters some crucial translation problems such as ethnocentrism and anachronism. Nevertheless, whatever hermeneutical tool the reader uses, it must yield two important things from Scripture reading: discovering life and discovering faith.

scholarly journals The mining-induced displacement and resettlement: The church as a leaven and ecclesiology in context’s response

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Thomas Resane
Keyword(s):  
General Theory ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Integration Policy ◽  
Identity Integration ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Economic Imbalances ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
The Church

Natural resources, especially minerals from the earth, are to be protected by humanity. The church, which acts as leaven in the world is called to rise and address the unfriendly mining activities called mining-induced displacement and resettlement (MIDR). The general theory of interpretation of creation account calls for human stewardship in the world. Humans must view themselves as partners with God in preserving and sustaining the cosmos. The communities had suffered negative socio-economic imbalances. The ekklesia in this cosmic chaos is called upon to fulfil four major functions, namely identity, integration, policy, and management as a way of intervention in communities that are victims of these mining activities. This response, ecclesiology in context, is the combination of theological and social-scientific approaches to the development of practical models and strategies for the church’s interaction with modern society and its challenges.

scholarly journals EDITORIAL: A NEW NINETY-FIVE THESES ON SCRIPTURE

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Peter A. Lillback
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Theological Interpretation ◽  
Story Line ◽  
Rule Of Faith ◽  
Divine Inspiration ◽  
Objective Standard ◽  
Truth Claims ◽  
The Church

October 31, 2017 1. The church is always in need of reforming according to the Word of God if it is to remain the Christian church. 2. A program for reforming the church requires a reaffirmation of sola Scriptura. 3. The church’s way of reading and understanding Scripture must be formed by Scripture itself, with Scripture interpreting Scripture. 4. Postmodern rejections of Scripture’s story line propose substitute narratives based on an a priori rejection of the divine inspiration of Scripture. 5. Postmodern methods of biblical interpretation reject sola Scriptura and replace it with a biblically alien system of hermeneutics. 6. The Scriptures offer assurance and confident hope, whereas postmodern interpretations are self-focused, resulting in relativism, uncertainty, and narcissism. 7. The interpretation of Scripture is not ultimately governed by the beliefs of a community, but rather by Scripture interpreting Scripture. Without this standard, the message of Scripture is relativized, resulting in ambiguity, and theological and spiritual chaos. 8. The rule of faith of Scripture compared with Scripture and Scripture interpreting Scripture is an objective standard for truth claims, meaningful discourse, and theological accountability. 9. Confessional orthodoxy is relevant and must be taken into account in biblical and theological interpretation. 10. No church confession is infallible, as this is true of Scripture alone. 11. ...

Christ, Church, and the Cosmos

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunday B. Babajide Komolafe
Keyword(s):  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Church Of Christ ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
Christ Church ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
The Church

Through 20 centuries since the Word became flesh and lived among us, the theological evolution of Christianity cannot be discussed without close reference to the activities of the church as a servant-steward of God's cosmic mission. This paper discusses mission as the hermeneutic for biblical interpretation since Ephesians presents a “cosmic Christology” with its main focus on Christ and about the Church as it fulfills the purposes of Christ. It concludes by provoking an “ecclesiology of responsibility.” That is, an ecclesiology that does not pay tribute to the letter as belonging only to ancient times, but one that recognizes it imposes an obligation relevant for being the church of Christ in the world today.

Rembrandt Reads the Gospels: Form, Context and Theological Responsibility in New Testament Interpretation

1997 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
Constructive Theology ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Biblical Scholar ◽  
Road Story ◽  
The Church

Art is part of the history of the church, and relates to spirituality and to the practical expression of Christian faith. It illustrates theological loci and biblical themes. Often, the art which fulfils this function does so with the conscious intent of the artist; sometimes not. Attempts have been made, however, to argue that art not only illustrates theology, but also contributes to it. Even so, systematic theologians and biblical scholars — when they do talk to each other — still converse on the basis of largely word-centred approaches to their tasks. I am neither systematic theologian nor biblical scholar, precisely because I attempt to keep a foot in both camps. I am even less of an art critic. Yet it is clear that in the world of art there is a whole area of exploration yet to be ventured into not only historically (have we really sufficiently explored how biblical interpretation and doctrinal theology have been influenced by art?) but also from the perspective of constructive theology (what contribution can art past and present make to the very reformulation and expansion of Christian doctrine?). This paper offers a brief reading of three paintings by Rembrandt, of the Emmaus Road story in Luke 24.13–35. The theological significance of the changing interpretations of the passage is drawn out and the implications of the use of the paintings, in terms of the creative use of the Bible in Christian theology.

1968: On Social, Epistemic, and Historiographic(?) Revolutions

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto D. Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Studies ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The World ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Young Students ◽  
Historic Significance ◽  
Agent Of Change

This article addresses the meaning and significance of the “world revolution of 1968,” as well as the historiography of 1968. I critically interrogate how the production of a narrative about 1968 and the creation of ethnic studies, despite its world-historic significance, has tended to perpetuate a limiting, essentialized and static notion of “the student” as the primary actor and an inherent agent of change. Although students did play an enormous role in the events leading up to, through, and after 1968 in various parts of the world—and I in no way wish to diminish this fact—this article nonetheless argues that the now hegemonic narrative of a student-led revolt has also had a number of negative consequences, two of which will be the focus here. One problem is that the generation-driven models that situate 1968 as a revolt of the young students versus a presumably older generation, embodied by both their parents and the dominant institutions of the time, are in effect a sociosymbolic reproduction of modernity/coloniality’s logic or driving impulse and obsession with newness. Hence an a priori valuation is assigned to the new, embodied in this case by the student, at the expense of the presumably outmoded old. Secondly, this apparent essentializing of “the student” has entrapped ethnic studies scholars, and many of the period’s activists (some of whom had been students themselves), into said logic, thereby risking the foreclosure of a politics beyond (re)enchantment or even obsession with newness yet again.

Conflict and Financial Scandal on History, Culture, and Politic

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (03) ◽  
pp. 20628-20638
Author(s):  
Anik Yuesti ◽  
I Made Dwi Adnyana
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Spiritual World ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
The World ◽  
Financial Scandals ◽  
Financial Transparency ◽  
The Church ◽  
Transparency And Accountability

One of the things that are often highlighted in the world of spirituality is a matter of sexual scandal. But lately, the focus of the spiritual world is financial transparency and accountability. Financial scandals began to arise in the Church, as was the case in the Protestant Christian Church of Bukti Doa Nusa Dua Congregation in Bali. The scandal involved clergy and even some church leaders. This study aims to describe how the conflict occurred because of financial scandals in the Church. The method used in this study is the Ontic dialectic. Based on this research, the conflict in the Bukit Doa Church is a conflict caused by an internal financial scandal. The scandal resulted in fairly widespread conflict in the various lines of the organization. It led to the issuance of the Dismissal Decrees of the church pastor and also one of the members of Financial Supervisory Council. This conflict has also resulted in the leadership of the church had violated human rights. Source of conflict is not resolved in a fair, but more concerned with political interests and groups. Thus, the source of the problem is still attached to its original place.

Lived Catholicity

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 149-163
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Kirch
Keyword(s):  
Pope Francis ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
The Church

Both Pope Francis and Robert Schreiter recognize that the world has been profoundly affected by conflict, globalization, and the breakdown of relationships on multiple levels. They also assert that the Church must address these situations. The ecclesiologies of both Schreiter and Francis offer effective tools for this work. This article will examine several key, shared concepts within their ecclesiologies. Specifically, their understandings of the missionary nature of the Church and their robust understanding of catholicity prove to be key concepts in the Church's response to a world marred by sin.

Dreams Give Birth to Reality”. Engraving Austroseraphicum Coelum as an Attempt to Create a New Reality by the Spanish Habsburgs Dynastic Propaganda / Sny rodzą rzeczywistość…”. Grafika Austroseraphicum Coelum jako próba kreowania nowej rzeczywistości za pomocą propagandy dynastycznej Habsburgów hiszpańskich

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Kurowiak
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
General Condition ◽  
Symbolic System ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
Mission Of God ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

AbstractAs a work of propaganda, graphics Austroseraphicum Coelum Paulus Pontius should create a new reality, make appearances. The main impression while seeing the graphics is the admiration for the power of Habsburgs, which interacts with the power of the Mother of God. She, in turn, refers the viewer to God, as well as Franciscans placed on the graphic, they become a symbol of the Church. This is a starting point for further interpretation of the drawing. By the presence of certain characters, allegories, symbols, we can see references to a particular political situation in the Netherlands - the war with the northern provinces of Spain. The message of the graphic is: the Spanish Habsburgs, commissioned by the mission of God, they are able to fight all of the enemies, especially Protestants, with the help of Immaculate and the Franciscans. The main aim of the graphic is to convince the viewer that this will happen and to create in his mind a vision of the new reality. But Spain was in the seventeenth century nothing but a shadow of former itself (in the time of Philip IV the general condition of Spain get worse). That was the reason why they wanted to hold the belief that the empire continues unwavering. The form of this work (graphics), also allowed to export them around the world, and the ambiguity of the symbolic system, its contents relate to different contexts, and as a result, the Habsburgs, not only Spanish, they could promote their strength everywhere. Therefore it was used very well as a single work of propaganda, as well as a part of a broader campaign

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