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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Calvinist, Reformed & Presbyterian Churches
This book explores one of the great paradoxes of our era. Western
culture has almost imperceptibly come to secularize the sacred,
while at the same time sacralizing the secular. The authors
endeavor to show the debilitating effects that this paradox has had
on the foundations of Christian worship with special reference to
the history of worship and in particular the Presbyterian Church in
Australia. The authors show how the theological predilection for
'minimization' has become inextricably woven into the fabric of
what we call 'the theory of transformative subjugation' which
drives the rationale for religious secularization. The book argues
that it is necessary to consider a serious reconstruction of
theological education in which its framework is located in a
specific Christian theory of knowledge which engenders the Lordship
of Christ and encourages a spirit of transformative love and
connectedness. It is only in this context that the theology of
worship and the beauty and usefulness of liturgical forms can be
appreciated.
Puritanism has a reputation for being emotionally dry, but
seventeenth-century Puritans did not only have rich and complex
emotional lives, they also found meaning in and drew spiritual
strength from emotion. From theology to lived experience and from
joy to affliction, this volume surveys the wealth and depth of the
Puritans' passions.
The Reformer John Calvin has influenced America in a formative way.
Calvin remains respected as a theologian to whose work
intellectuals on both the right and left appeal. In the
nineteen-nineties, Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) formed
a politically influential ecumenical coalition to oppose abortion
and change the culture. Its ecumenism of the trenches influenced
the administration of George W. Bush and continues to influence
religious elements in the Tea Party. Evangelicals in the coalition
presume to speak for Calvin. This book provides a counter argument.
Calvin rejects the ethics advocated by ECT, an ethics of individual
virtue, conscience and natural right. Instead, he affirms an ethics
of obedience to the authority of secular government as an
institution with a divinely ordained mandate. This work considers
the following themes in Calvin: *Calvin on Faith. Modern and
postmodern philosophical approaches, including Reformed
epistemology, do not explain how Calvin understood faith. Faith is
divine activity. Belief is human activity. Faith is not a belief
system or worldview on which to base a political theology. The
author provides four Augustinian theses about Calvin on faith
*Calvin on Sanctification. Calvin rejected virtue ethics or an
ethics of individual conscience. His ethics require self-denial and
service. An important requirement of his ethics is obedience to
government. The author provides three theses about Calvin on
sanctification, as a critique of attempts to revive virtue ethics.
*Calvin on Natural Law. Calvin's doctrine of natural law is one of
the most vexed issues in Calvin studies. The author provides five
theses to clarify Calvin's doctrine of natural law. For Calvin,
secular government transcends the authority of conscience, and
Christians in conscience are required to obey it. In conclusion,
the author discusses Karl Barth's interpretation of Calvin and its
relevance for the church struggle against the Third Reich. Based on
his analysis of Calvin, he provides a defense of gay marriage and
the right to terminate a pregnancy, as well as an analysis of
religious freedom. Calvin would reject ECT's theology of virtue,
conscience and natural law. But he would affirm its ecumenism as a
possible path out of culture war.
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