Catholicism and the Problem of God

Catholicism and the Problem of God

Author: Mark K. Spencer

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-11-23

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 1009290649

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This Element is an overview of the Catholic conception of God and of philosophical problems regarding God that arose during its historical development. After summarizing key Catholic doctrines, the first section considers problems regarding God that arose because Catholicism originally drew on both Jewish and Greek conceptions of God. The second section turns to controversies regarding God as Trinitarian and incarnate, which arose in early church councils, with reference to how that conception developed during the Middle Ages. In the third section, the author considers problems regarding God's actions towards creatures, including creation, providence, predestination, and the nature of divine action in itself. Finally, the last section considers problems regarding how we relate to God. The Element focuses on tensions among different Catholic spiritualities, and on problems having to do with analogical language about God and human desire for God.


Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity

Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity

Author: Chris Kaczor

Publisher: Word on Fire Institute

Published: 2021-06-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781943243785

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Jordan Peterson's lectures and writings on psychology, philosophy, and religion have been a cultural phenomenon. Yet Peterson's own thought is marked by a tensive suspension between archetype and reality--between the ideal of Christ and the God who acts in history. Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life is the first systematic analysis, from a Christian perspective, of both Peterson's biblical series on YouTube and his bestselling book 12 Rules for Life, with an epilogue examining its sequel, Beyond Order. Christopher Kaczor and Matthew R. Petrusek draw readers into the depths of Peterson's thought on Scripture, suffering, and meaning, exploring both the points of contact with Christianity and the ways in which faith fulfills Peterson's project.


Divine Hiddenness

Divine Hiddenness

Author: Daniel Howard-Snyder

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780521006101

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A distinguished group of philosophers of religion explore the question of divine hiddenness.


The Unchanging Truth of God? Crucial Philosophical Issues for Theology

The Unchanging Truth of God? Crucial Philosophical Issues for Theology

Author: Thomas G. Guarino

Publisher: CUA Press

Published: 2022-02-18

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0813234719

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It has long been a cornerstone of Catholic belief that Christians can be intelligent and creative thinkers—inquisitive seekers after truth—as well as men and women of ardent faith. Catholics are entirely committed, then, to the claim that human rationality and religious faith are complementary realities since they are equally gifts of God. But understanding precisely how faith and reason cohere has not always been a smooth path. At times, theology has allowed philosophy to become the leading (and baleful) partner in the faith-reason relationship, thereby lapsing into rationalism or relativism. At other times, theology has been tempted by fideism, with philosophy now regarded as little more than a pernicious intruder corrupting Christian faith, life and thought. The essays in this volume display how Catholicism understands the proper confluence between philosophy and theology, between human rationality and Christian faith, between the natural order and supernatural grace. To illustrate these points, the book draws on a long line of Christian thinkers: Origen, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas and, in our own day, Fides et Ratio of John Paul II and the Regensburg Address of Benedict XVI. How is theology always a “Jewgreek” enterprise—to borrow a term from Jacques Derrida—always a combination of the biblical (Hebraic) and philosophical (Hellenic) traditions? Why is one particular element of philosophy, metaphysics, essential for the intelligibility and clarity of Catholic theology? Why is this so much the case that John Paul II could state emphatically: “a philosophy which shuns metaphysics would be radically unsuited to the task of mediation in the understanding of Revelation”? But theology cannot simply be about dialogue with philosophers of yesteryear. Theology must constantly incorporate fresh thinking and remain in lively conversation with an extensive variety of contemporary perspectives. This book displays how reciprocity and absorption has been characteristic of theology’s past and must represent its future as well.


God without Parts

God without Parts

Author: James E. Dolezal

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2011-11-09

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1621891097

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The doctrine of divine simplicity has long played a crucial role in Western Christianity's understanding of God. It claimed that by denying that God is composed of parts Christians are able to account for his absolute self-sufficiency and his ultimate sufficiency as the absolute Creator of the world. If God were a composite being then something other than the Godhead itself would be required to explain or account for God. If this were the case then God would not be most absolute and would not be able to adequately know or account for himself without reference to something other than himself. This book develops these arguments by examining the implications of divine simplicity for God's existence, attributes, knowledge, and will. Along the way there is extensive interaction with older writers, such as Thomas Aquinas and the Reformed scholastics, as well as more recent philosophers and theologians. An attempt is made to answer some of the currently popular criticisms of divine simplicity and to reassert the vital importance of continuing to confess that God is without parts, even in the modern philosophical-theological milieu.


People of God

People of God

Author: Anthony E. Gilles

Publisher: Franciscan Media

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780867163636

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The history of Catholicism is the history of Christian faith. Anthony E. Gilles traces its development—from its beginnings in hushed gatherings within the Roman Empire to its current size and influence—in an accessible and enjoyable style. A revised and updated compilation of the history volumes from his best-selling People of God series, this book will help you understand how the Church developed in relation to, or in rebellion against, the larger culture. It details centuries of crucial turning points from the development of apostolic succession to the implementation of the reforms of Vatican II. Complete with maps, timelines and special "focus" sections on important events and issues, this valuable resource belongs in the collection of every student of Church history.


Why Be Catholic?

Why Be Catholic?

Author: Patrick Madrid

Publisher: Image

Published: 2014-06-03

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0307986446

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The popular blogger and publisher of Envoy magazine offers 10 key reasons why he loves being Catholic (and you should too). Drawing heavily on poignant anecdotes from his own experience as a life-long Catholic born in 1960s, Madrid offers readers a way of looking at the Church--its members, teachings, customs, and history--from perspectives many may have never considered. Growing up Catholic during a time of great social and theological upheaval and transition, a time in which countless Catholics abandoned their religion in search of something else, Patrick Madrid learned a great deal about why people leave Catholicism and why others stay. This experience helped him gain many insights into what it is about the Catholic Church that some people reject, as well as those things that others treasure. Drawing upon Madrid's personal experiences, Why Be Catholic? offers a deeply personal, fact-based, rationale for why everyone should be Catholic or at least consider the Catholic Church in a new light.


Catholicism Today

Catholicism Today

Author: Evyatar Marienberg

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-07

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1317963555

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Catholics are not Christians. They worship Mary. They do whatever the pope says. They cannot divorce. They eat fish on Fridays. These flawed but common statements reflect a combined ignorance of and fascination with Catholicism and the Catholic Church. Catholicism Today: An Introduction to the Contemporary Catholic Church aims to familiarize its readers with contemporary Catholicism. The book is designed to address common misconceptions and frequently-asked questions regarding the Church, its teachings, and the lived experience of Catholics in modern societies worldwide. Opening with a concise historical overview of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, the text explores the core beliefs and rituals that define Catholicism in practice, the organization of the Church and the Catholic calendar, as well as the broad question of what it means to be Catholic in a variety of cultural contexts. The book ends with a discussion of the challenges facing the Church both now and in the coming decades. Also included are two short appendices on Eastern Catholicism and Catholicism in the United States.


Dark Passages of the Bible

Dark Passages of the Bible

Author: Matthew J. Ramage

Publisher: CUA Press

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0813221560

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Following the lead of Pope Benedict XVI, in Dark Passages of the Bible Matthew Ramage weds the historical-critical approach with a theological reading of Scripture based in the patristic-medieval tradition. Whereas these two approaches are often viewed as mutually exclusive or even contradictory, Ramage insists that the two are mutually enriching and necessary for doing justice to the Bible s most challenging texts.


Empowering the People of God

Empowering the People of God

Author: Christopher D. Denny

Publisher: Fordham Univ Press

Published: 2013-11-01

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 0823254011

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The early 1960s were a heady time for Catholic laypeople. Pope Pius XII’s assurance “You do not belong to the Church. You are the Church” emboldened the laity to challenge Church authority in ways previously considered unthinkable. Empowering the People of God offers a fresh look at the Catholic laity and its relationship with the hierarchy in the period immediately preceding the Second Vatican Council and in the turbulent era that followed. This collection of essays explores a diverse assortment of manifestations of Catholic action, ranging from genteel reform to radical activism, and an equally wide variety of locales, apostolates, and movements.