The Nature, Philosophy, and Sustaining Factors of the Theology of Wealth in Africa： Theological Reflections

This paper is a theological reflection on the theology of wealth in Africa--its nature, philosophy, and sustaining factors. Through the methodology of theological reflections, the paper finds out that the theology of wealth, though difficult to describe, is sustained on the African continent by economic hardship, the influence of some preachers of the theology of wealth, and the availability of improved facilities for disseminating the content of the theology of wealth. It also finds out that the entire philosophy of the theology of wealth is biblically, theologically, and ethically deficient. Biblically, it adapts parts of scripture to suit its teachings. Theologically, it puts forth viewpoints that are foreign to theological thought. Ethically, it is a means of exploiting congregants. The paper concludes with a recommendation that the content and nature of the theology of wealth must be highlighted and thoroughly explained to both clergy and membership of different denominations so that all will be safeguarded against the impact of this false gospel on their lives.

The Grammars of Mystical Experience in Christian Theological Dialogue

The philosophical horizon of this essay is theoretically comparative and hermeneutically dialogic. Its main philosophical and theological tonality expresses, in first person and through three discursive moments, the differentiated fusion of horizons between phenomenological and grammatical description and understanding of experience. After a philosophical overture-outlining the ethos of the dialogic problematic and situating it within the contemporary diverse and dialogic dynamic of phenomenology-I will expose the consistent, possible modalities of convergence between Husserlian phenomenology and Wittgensteinian grammar of the mystical shapes of experience. The tense, responsorial dialogue among Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, and Wittgenstein＇s styles of thinking, far from being anymore limited to the debates between the analytical and phenomenological, will be considered from the crossed categorial spaces of Austrian philosophy and German culture in general. In a second section, I will show how the styles of phenomenology today are advancing into a cautious micro-logical grammar of comparative inquiry. This thematization will first consider some precise semantic clarifications： Experience, the mystical, extasis, evidence, and truth; in a second section, the theoretical levels of grammar and phenomenology of mystical experience are heralded in the context of the Christian theological dialogue, where I emphasize the rebirth of French theological thinking and dialogic transcendence, beginning with Maritain and de Chardin to Marcel, de Lubac, Levinas, and Marion. Finally, I consider the aesthetic expressions of mystical experience, both from the visual and musical dimensions. I will conclude this talk by highlighting theological perspectives drawn from my research in musico-philosophical problematics, through an awakening to the resonance of Being and the Divine in sonic and musical life. Through a theology of the musical λογοζ, the grammar of mystical experience reveals the sacramentality of music and the mystery of silence

Shepherding Public Discourse Practices： Homiletic Form Aligned to the Logic Operative in Racial Rhetoric and Public Theological Discourse for Secular Liberal Democracies

Given that preaching is the primary mode of public theological discourse for most Christian ministers, an intellectual virtue of verbal restraint is required when practicing public theology and it is wise to address the ways that homilies can shepherd public discourse practices. A theology of rhetoric includes the homilist＇s moral purpose. Homilies either enhance public discourse or pervert it. This essay sketches a pattern of sermon movement that respects the logic operative in public theology, given the social context of America. Homilies can help cultivate the pastoral care of public rhetoric by modeling discourse that nurtures the politics of accountability. While many call for a public ethos where divergent moral voices engage each other in highly contested arenas, a precondition to practicing effective public theology requires that one exercises discourse in a way that respects the social limits on the free exercise of religion. It is important that a public theology of rhetoric clarifies the original social agreement for acceptable religious discourse in the public arena. Homiletics, as a dimension of practical theology, can teach preachers methods of pastoral care for public discourse. The social agreement in liberal democracies to contain the combative nature of religious discourse assumes a logic that is circumscribed by commitments to （1） religious pluralism, （2） theological agnosticism, and （3） epistemological pragmatism. Here we propose that a sermon＇s form, which implicitly touches upon these commitments, can tap into the basic modes of persuasion in secular liberal societies. This respects the moral purposes previously agreed upon and expected of partisans during highly contestable times. This calls for incarnational humility on the part of the Christian public theologian and it guides her/his practice.

Philosophy and Theology in the Islamic Culture： Al-Farabis De scientiis

In this paper, the author refers to the Latin translation of the Kitab Ihsa ＇al＇ Ulum of Al-Frabi made by Dominicus Gundissalinus in the Xllth Century in Toledo, Spain. This text under the Latin title De scientiis was one of the most influential texts of the Arab and Persian world in the western Latin Europe. It is an introductory text into all until known sciences written for students and laymen （illiterate） who want to study one of these sciences. The text of Al-Farabi discusses the seven liberal arts, all of the works on physics of Aristotle and includes some reflexions on metaphysics, political philosophy and theology. There are two important points： （1） All sciences have a theoretical and practical aspect. All sciences are sciences of principles and causes and their application to the practical world. （2） The so called prima philosophia is the political philosophy and not metaphysics. In this respect, Al-Farabi subordinates theology as a science of the religious laws to politics as a science of civil laws. In the same respect, he combines, under the famous sentence of Plato that philosophers are the governors and the very well companions of mankind, politics with theology

Anselm and Derrida An Unlikely Connection

This essay suggests an unlikely encounter between the recent thinker of the deconstruction of speeches, Jacques Derrida, and the medieval constructor of theological speeches, Saint Anselm. The common motto is the idea of gift. The gift of the death of Christ in the economy of salvation is the target of Derrida＇s deconstruction. Anselm himself enables this. However, there is in Anselm＇s theology of Trinity a metaphysics of the gift of being and of being other, elaborated with regard to the procession of the Holy Spirit. And it is possible to submit the original gift of the Holy Spirit to the same kind of deconstruction, that is, of economic reduction, to which the gift of the death of Christ had been submitted. But both the construction and the deconstruction of the theology of gift resort to the same kind of analogy procedure. And economy does not enable us to think the gift as purely as does theology.

Reflecting on European Migration and Refugees： From a Feminist Perspective

Women come to Europe from the Middle East, from Africa and other threatened regions. In many cases, they bring their religion with them--as Muslim women, Yezidi women or as Christian women, alone or with their children and their families. Seeking refuge is a process of change for themselves as well as for the European societies. What kind of experiences do women gain during and after their flight？ Are there experiences that are specific to women？ The insights into the reality of fleeing women lead to existential philosophical reflections. Hannah Arendt＇s definition of humanity and the right to have rights is relevant to current migrants＇ experiences. Intersectionality examines the multiple discriminations and social inequality of women seeking asylum in Europe. On the basis of political theory Seyla Benhabib clarifies that the right to have rights is inexorably dependent on whether social acceptance has been granted or not. To analyze these questions, the requirements of and advantages to European societies must be defined. And how can this line of inquiry be used to develop a politically motivated theology？

Paul Tillich’s Systematic Theology Interpreted As Being His Spiritual Autobiography

The real subject of Paul Tillich’s three-volume Systematic Theology is not God but rather the history of Tillich’s personal relationship with God.The religious experiences to which Tillich refers in this,his major work,are his own,although he never admits it.This article attempts to draw parallels between Tillich’s mystical development and that of other mystics.Questions are raised about the possibility of mystical voices,visions,ecstasies,raptures and deliria being symptoms of schizophrenia.

Interdisciplinary Proportions in the Study of Economics

The interdisciplinary approach is both the cause and the result of the synergy that develops between the various branches of Science.Economics lends and borrows tools and methods of analytical approach from other sciences in order to complete its contribution to knowledge.Thus the main economic problem related to the unlimited needs of the people and the limited means that exist to meet these needs begins with the theological teaching of the Old Testament and the expulsion of the protoplasts from the Garden of Eden.Adam Smith’s“Invisible Hand”leading the economy to the optimum level of prosperity is another presentation of the“Invisible Hand”of Divine Providence,as it appears in the works of Thomas Aquinas.In this and in other cases the finding of interdisciplinary analogies leads the researcher to the holistic approach of the knowledge and science of Economics but also of the operation of the society.

Ethnography of Catholic Youth Group： Dialogues and Experiences of Faith

This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church （CC） in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Catholic groups work, in particular groups of Pastoral Youth and Charismatic Renovation prayer groups. As a result, observations are presented from an ethnographic work in groups identified with the spirituality of Liberation Theology and from charismatic ones. Besides, the text shows, from participants＇ experiences, the differences between both perspectives of religious living and the detachment and lack of dialogue which exists inside Catholicism.

坚持宗教中国化,构建中华文明共同体

Historically,Chinese religions have been the product of continuous exchange with and mutual learning from other religions and civilizations.Religions from other areas of the world,especially Buddhism from India,Christianity from the Mediterranean,and Islam from Arabia have been localized and inculturated by absorbing elements of Chinese culture,achieving new Chinese forms through creative transformation and innovative development while enriching the diversity and enhancing the flourishing of Chinese culture.To continue to support the inculturation of religions in China and to foster dialogue between them and Chinese culture is to build China as a cultural community with diverse religions.It is necessary therefore to consult the representative theories and practices of inter-religious dialogue in contemporary international academic circles—e.g.,scriptural reasoning,comparative theology,and interreligious theology then to develop inculturated forms of world religions through a comprehensive inculturation strategy of recovering,retrieving,restoring,reconfiguring,reconstructing,and renewing.By such means,we can contribute to building up China as a cultural community of religious diversity.

基督教图像与寓意释经学

每一种宗教都有自己特有的图像学,包括特有的题材、主题、风格,以及对于宗教教义的表达方式。基督教的图像学对于西方艺术的影响深远。我们可能了解基督教的图像志,即关于基督教图像的题材和主题,比如我们知道基督教图像最为普遍的一些题材是有关基督、圣母、圣徒的行迹。但是对于这些图像的解释,对于这些图像的内涵、意义的阐释却不是件容易的事,基督教的图像学往往与基督教神学和释经学之间有非常紧密的联系。本文希望通过一幅这幅图表现了三个场景,

经典·翻译·辩读——第七届“神学与人文学”暑期国际研讨班会议综述

2011年8月3日至7日,由中国人民大学文学院和基督教文化研究所主办,香港汉语基督教文化研究所协办的第七届"神学与人文学"暑期国际研讨班在北京举行。来自海内外的11位著名学者和来自全国多所高校和研究机构的40余位青年学者与会,围绕着"经典翻译与经文辩读"这一主题进行了专题研讨。中国人民大学文学院副院长耿幼壮教授主持了此次研讨班,中国社会科学院宗教研究所所长卓新平教授应邀致辞,并就会议主题发表了自己的见解。此次共有9位学者作了大会主题发言。

对现实性的审美超越——布鲁门伯格解读《马太受难曲》

引言1728年,身为克腾侯爵宫廷乐队指挥的巴赫(Johann Sebastian Bach,1685-1750)以《马太福音》基督被捕和受难的情节为文本基础,利用亨利奇的宗教诗文,创作了《马太受难曲》。(1)作品第一次演出就以完败告终,公众领会不到巴赫的音乐所隐喻的'宇宙奥秘'。那么,巴赫的非凡力量表现在何处呢?神学家断言,巴赫应该被尊为'第五福音'的传道者;音乐文化史家则说,巴赫是'巴洛克音乐的高峰及终结';比较晚近的音乐理论家和美学家还激进地认为,巴赫在《马太受难曲》中把'钉他于十字架'配以音乐。

政治神学及当代中国——莫尔特曼北京高级专家对谈会实录(上)

杨慧林(中国人民大学,主持人):莫尔特曼教授很多的神学著作为中国学者所熟悉,很多著作都有中译本,但是有一个细节我不知道各位注意到没有:莫尔特曼教授有一位学生曾念粤,他曾经给莫尔特曼教授作过一个访谈,其中介绍了莫尔特曼教授年轻的时候参加了第二次世界大战,战后曾经在英国做过战俘。正是在英国的战俘营,莫尔特曼教授开始对神学感兴趣。我们这代人没有赶上战争,但是赶上了"文化大革命"。

比较研究视域中的文学、汉学和宗教研究——第十届“神学与人文学”暑期国际研讨班综述

2014年9月18日至21日,由中国人民大学文学院和中国人民大学基督教文化研究所主办、亚洲基督教高等教育联合董事会和香港汉语基督教文化研究所协办的第十届"神学与人文学"暑期国际研讨班,在吉林延边大学举行。本届暑期国际研讨班同时作为中国比较文学学会第十一届年会的一个圆桌论坛:"比较文学与宗教研究"分论坛。来自美国、英国、香港和国内11所高校共22位学者参加了本届暑期国际研讨班。在"比较文学与宗教研究"

论莫尔特曼游戏神学的审美解放论性质——兼与马尔库塞之比较

于尔根·莫尔特曼(Jurgen Moltmann,1926—,)是二十世纪最具影响力的新教神学家之一。在当代神学中,有多个重要的概念是直接或间接由于他的影响而广为人知的,人们也往往习惯于拿这些概念作他的神学思想(或其中某一维度)的标签。

苦难·解救·信念——论默茨政治神学的核心意旨

在现代性语境中发生的奥斯维辛的苦难,是人类生存记忆中的一个永久的创伤,从此,人类的信仰、理性和良知再也不能无视这一穿透神经的长刺,永远背刻了一种苦难的印记。

明末清初天主(上帝)存在的“道德论证”——以利玛窦的“良能说”及其对孟子思想的运用为中心

在对中国基督教史各个时期的研究中,学者们从宗教、科学、文化、艺术、哲学等领域,聚焦于各自发现的问题焦点,做出了广泛而深入的讨论。而'上帝论'事关神学的核心教义,所以对于'上帝论'与明清思想界的碰撞,研究者大都会有各有特点、深度不同的解答,但对于上帝存在的证明问题的专门研究,尽管学界研究中多有涉及,但较为专门深入的讨论则欠奉。异域传教,在启示的奥义和《圣经》的权威失却效力的状况下。

论基督教神学与达尔文主义的相容点

一、基督教传统对《圣经》的非字面化诠释从字面的含义来看,上帝是在几千年之前,以神迹的方式单独创造了每一种生物,每一种生物的形态是不变的,从其受创的那一刻直至今日。但是,这种特创论似乎意味着上帝与人类的制造方式相同,只不过上帝的能力更大一些而已。这还产生了一个问题,就是上帝似乎需要不断地施行神迹来维持和更新他的工作,否则生物随时有出现问题的可能。

基督教的现代性,政治儒学,政治哲学

据"大秦景教流行中国碑"记载,基督教"异端"聂斯托利派(Nestorianism)于唐贞观九年(公元635年)传人唐代长安,这是中国基督教史已知的第一个见证。但随着唐武宗灭佛,基督教在中国销声匿迹。此后,元、明、清三朝基督教重又传人中国。