6 Fourth Ezra: Time and History as Theological Critique

2014 ◽  
pp. 154-179
Keyword(s):  
Theological Critique

scholarly journals Mocking the just God? A theological critique of President Mnangagwa’s use of the name of God to justify his rule in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suspicion Mudzanire ◽  
Collium Banda
Keyword(s):  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Military Coup ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
The People ◽  
Attributes Of God ◽  
Robert Mugabe ◽  
Theological Critique ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Church

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa justified his unconstitutional ascendency to power after a military coup that dethroned former President Robert Mugabe in 2017 by claiming that ‘the voice of the people is the voice of God’. He repeated the claim in 2018 when Nelson Chamisa refused to recognise him as the legitimately elected president of the country after accusing him of rigging the 2018 elections. Mnangagwa’s use of God’s name to authenticate his rule raises the question: as one of the foundational attributes of God is justice, what does it mean for political leaders openly claiming to be ordained into office by him? This leads to a further question: Has Mnangagwa’s rule satisfied the demands that come with claiming to be ordained by God to rule, and what should be the church’s response towards Mnangagwa’s rule in view of God’s justice? This article uses God’s attribute of justice to critically evaluate Mnangagwa’s claim that ‘the voice of the people is the voice of God’. The claim is described and placed within Mnangagwa’s claims and insinuations to be a Christian. His current rule, which is characterised by violent repression and corruption is examined and evaluated. God’s attribute of justice is presented and highlighted in how it challenges Mnangagwa to reform his rule to align it with God’s nature of justice.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article combines insights from religion and politics, the mission of the church in a context of political oppression and systematic theology to highlight the need for the Zimbabwean churches to judge all political systems according to the adherence to God’s justice. It also provides some theological tools by which churches can protect themselves from being co-opted by unjust and oppressive regimes that violate God’s justice.

Mercy Triumphs over Judgement: Intrusive or Enabling Mercy?

2020 ◽  
pp. 167-194
Author(s):  
Richard Bourne
Keyword(s):  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Moral Agency ◽  
Theological Anthropology ◽  
Character Formation ◽  
Moral Anthropology ◽  
Hard Treatment ◽  
Theological Critique ◽  
Justice And Mercy

This chapter engages in a philosophical and theological critique of thinkers who construe justice and mercy as contradictory norms. It develops a theological account of restorative justice in which mercy is understood as the ‘operative condition’ enabling the pursuit of justice beyond mere retribution. It elaborates this through an account of the moral anthropology inherent in Christian accounts of penance which understand moral agency as a time-bound pursuit of character-formation. Justice is pursued not in meting out a measure of proportionate hard-treatment, but in the merciful gift of the ‘penitential time’ which may enable reform of character and action. It ends with a tentative account of sanctification, desire and desistence and suggests these aspects of theological anthropology might inform a critique of the criminogenic machine of consumerism.

scholarly journals COUNSELS OF PERFECTION AND REFORMATION POLITICAL THOUGHT

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-330
Author(s):  
SARAH MORTIMER
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Thought ◽  
Good Works ◽  
Reformation Theology ◽  
The Status ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Theological Critique ◽  
The Church

AbstractThe debate over counsels of perfection was a crucial aspect of the formation of political and ethical thought in the sixteenth century. It led both Protestants and Catholics to consider the status of law and to consider how far it obliged human beings, rather than simply permitting particular actions. From Luther onwards, Protestants came to see God's standards for human beings in absolute terms, rejecting any suggestion that there were good works which were merely counselled rather than commanded, and therefore not obligatory. This view of ethics underpinned the Protestant theological critique of Catholic doctrines of merit but it also shaped the distinctively Protestant account of natural law. It enabled Luther and his allies to defend magisterial control over the church, and it also formed a crucial element of Protestant resistance theory. By examining the Lutheran position on counsels, expressed in theological and political writings, and comparing it with contemporary Catholic accounts, this article offers a new perspective on Reformation theology and political thought.

Ethics at the Edges of Law: Christian Moralists and American Legal Thought

Horizons ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-354
Author(s):  
John Coughlin
Keyword(s):  
Religious Ethics ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Interdisciplinary Work ◽  
Public Issues ◽  
Legal Thought ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Theological Critique ◽  
The One ◽  
Vantage Points

At the outset of Ethics at the Edges of Law: Christian Moralists and American Legal Thought, Cathleen Kaveny explains that the purpose of her book is to impart new energy to the interdisciplinary conversation between Christian ethicists and legal scholars. Kaveny observes that the tête-à-tête has tended to be one directional, with legal scholars drawing on theological principles in order to offer critiques of public policy, law, and case precedent. As significant as the theological critique may be, Kaveny proposes that the dialogue would be enriched if it were to be expanded beyond the unilateral direction. On the one hand, she writes to invite theologians and ethicists to turn to the law. On the other hand, she affirms the role played by religious ethics in contributing to debates about controversial public issues. Pointing to the promise of interdisciplinary work between religious ethics and law, Kaveny comments: The extensive normative reflections on the overarching nature and purpose of human society can provide vantage points from which to critique the quotidian decision of the legislatures and courts. Conversely, the manner in which the legal system settles specific cases offers rich material with which to test and to hone more abstract theological and philosophical reflections about personal and social obligations. (90)

The Moral Theory of the Atonement: An Historical and Theological Critique

1985 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alister McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Twelfth Century ◽  
Moral Theory ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Central Theme ◽  
Historical Criticism ◽  
Theological Critique

In 1892, Hastings Rashdall delivered a University Sermon at Oxford entitled ‘Abelard's Doctrine of the Atonement’. In this sermon, he outlines with increasing enthusiasm what he considered to be ‘as noble and perspicuous a statement as can even yet be found of the faith which is still the life of Christendom’. The central theme of his sermon is that in the twelfth century figure of Peter Abailard can be found a theory of the Atonement which meets the demands of an age shaped in the spirit of Darwinism and historical criticism. What Rashdall understands by the ‘Abelardian doctrine of the Atonement’ is expounded at much greater length in his 1915 Bampton Lectures, The Idea of Atonement in Christian Theology.

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