The problem of human freedom before God echoes through the conflicts of western theology. Karl Barth faced not only the question of autonomy but also the theological answers that liberals had attempted to provide to it. This notable book, written by a Roman Catholic theologian, provides a comprehensive and useful guide to the 'new wave' of German Barth interpretation.
How are we to understand the freedom for which Christ has set us free (Gal 5:1)? Could it be that we have barely glimpsed what this might mean? Most theological accounts of freedom frame the discussion in terms of heteronomy or autonomy. In the Protestant tradition, Calvinists are known for championing the former and Arminians are credited with advocating the latter. More recently, open theists, in significantly modifying the Arminian paradigm, argue that neither tradition provides a satisfying account of human freedom and propose a more libertarian form of autonomy. This book joins the debate at this point, not in order to take sides, but to suggest a theology that can get beyond (not between) the heteronomy and autonomy that seem to exhaust the present theological options. Clark Pinnock serves as the chief protagonist because of his role as a leading figure in the "Openness of God" movement. Because his own development can be described as a pilgrimage from Calvinism to Arminianism to open theism, the present work is able to offer its sympathetic critique in the form of an invitation: that we continue to journey in the spirit of openness beyond both heteronomy and autonomy towards a view of divine and human freedom that is covenantal, participatory, and unlimited.
This book investigates the way in which the 'actualistic ontology' - i.e., the fact that God and human agents are beings-in-act in a covenant relationship - that underlies the Church Dogmatics of Karl Barth affects his conception of ethical agency. It analyses this effect along three paths of inquiry: knowing what is right (the noetic dimension), doing what is right (the ontic dimension), and achieving what is right (the telic dimension). The first section of the book explores the discipline of theological ethics as Barth construes it, both in its theoretical status and in its actual practice. In the second section, the ontological import of ethical agency for Barth is considered in relation to the divine action and the divine command. The final section of the book examines the teleological purpose envisaged in this theological ethics in terms of participation, witness, and glorification. At each stage of the book, the strong interconnectedness of theological ethics and actualistic ontology in the Church Dogmatics is drawn out. The resultant appreciation of the actualistic dimension which underlies the theological ethics of Karl Barth feeds into a fruitful engagement with a variety of critiques of Barth's conception of ethical agency. It is demonstrated that resources can be found within this actualistic ontology to answer some of the diverse criticisms, and that attempts to revise Barth's theological ethics at the margins would have catastrophic and irreversible consequences for his whole theological project.
A study of individualism and the Bible provides an excellent example of how culture both shapes our understanding of Scripture and ought to be shaped by it. Every reading of Scripture is an encultured reading, and good students of the Bible must be aware of where their cultural bias might lead them astray. However, too often critics have proposed that because individualistic cultures are culturally removed from the world of the Bible, that by necessity makes readings with an individualistic emphasis suspect. This work shows that these criticisms are unfounded. A reading of Scripture influenced by individualism does indeed highlight several important aspects of theology. It features the significance of each human in the divine program because if the imago dei. This significance is clearly seen in personal responsibility for both sin and righteousness, faith and unbelief. The Bible elevates the significant of the individual, and so should we as well.
Although interest in the theology of Karl Barth is greater today than at any time since his death, Barth's moral thought continues to be widely misunderstood. This groundbreaking study of the twentieth-century's most important Christian thinker offers the first treatment of Barth's ethics from a Roman Catholic perspective. Focusing particularly on Barth's 'ethics of creation' in the Church Dogmatics, Rose reclaims Barth from a number of misinterpretations and presents Barth's account of the good life within his distinctively Christian metaphysics. Among the most provocative of Rose's claims is that Barth sees the Christian life as guided by reason and nature, an interpretation that finds Barth in conversation with ancient and medieval ethical theories about the nature of human happiness. A significant contribution to Barth studies and current debates in contemporary Christian theology, Ethics with Barth sheds valuable light on the connection between metaphysics and ethics, the trinitarian dimensions of Christian moral thought, the nature of the divine good, the role of Christian philosophy, Barth's conception of moral reasoning, and his views on eudaimonism and the natural law.
T. F. Torrance is widely regarded as the most significant British academic theologian of the twentieth century. He is especially noted for his ground-breaking contribution to the study of the relationship of Christian theology and the natural sciences. He is unquestionably one of the most prolific of theological writers and is the most senior member of the nearest thing to a 'theological dynasty' that Great Britain has ever produced. Here, Alister McGrath, himself one of this country's leading theologians, traces the development of Torrance's theological thought and provides a comprehensive account of his life and career. Particular attention is paid to the important role played by Torrance in the English-language reception of the theology of Karl Barth, and to his pioneering engagement with the relation between theology and science. While making extensive reference to Torrance's published works, McGrath also draws on important unpublished writings and private papers. The book contains many unpublished photograhs, together with a complete bibliography of Torrance's works.
Henry Longueville Mansel (1820-1871), Anglican theologian and philosopher, has wrongly been remembered as a Kantian agnostic whose ideas led to those of Herbert Spencer. Francesca Norman’s book provides a thorough revisioning of Mansel’s theology in context and reveals the personal basis of Spencer’s animus towards Mansel. Mansel is revealed as an orthodox Anglican theistic personalist whose ideas inspired Newman to write his Grammar of Assent. Located in context, Mansel’s personal connections with leading Tory figures such as Lord Carnarvon and Benjamin Disraeli are explored. Key controversies with Frederick Denison Maurice and John Stuart Mill are interpreted with reference to the party political elections of 1859 and 1865. Norman offers a vital vision of nineteenth-century theology, philosophy, and politics.