On Being a Theologian of the Cross

On Being a Theologian of the Cross

Author: Gerhard O. Forde

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9780802843456

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Gerhard Forde examines the nature of the "theology of the cross, noting what makes it different from other kinds of theology. His starting point is a thorough analysis of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation of 1518, the classic text of the theology of the cross.


Why Do We Have Creeds?

Why Do We Have Creeds?

Author: Burk Parsons

Publisher: P & R Publishing

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 39

ISBN-13: 9781596382022

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The pluralist society is wrong! Everyone's beliefs are not equally valid - truth is not down to who is the biggest bully! Creeds give direction, unity, and fellowship - and show the world what we believe.


The Cross and the Lynching Tree

The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Author: James H. Cone

Publisher: Orbis Books

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 160833001X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A landmark in the conversation about race and religion in America. "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree." Acts 10:39 The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and "black death," the cross symbolizes divine power and "black life" God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era. In a work that spans social history, theology, and cultural studies, Cone explores the message of the spirituals and the power of the blues; the passion and of Emmet Till and the engaged vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.; he invokes the spirits of Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ida B. Well, and the witness of black artists, writers, preachers, and fighters for justice. And he remembers the victims, especially the 5,000 who perished during the lynching period. Through their witness he contemplates the greatest challenge of any Christian theology to explain how life can be made meaningful in the face of death and injustice.


The Beauty of the Cross

The Beauty of the Cross

Author: Richard Viladesau

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2005-12-01

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0198040660

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the earliest period of its existence, Christianity has been recognized as the "religion of the cross." Some of the great monuments of Western art are representations of the brutal torture and execution of Christ. Despite the horror of crucifixion, we often find such images beautiful. The beauty of the cross expresses the central paradox of Christian faith: the cross of Christ's execution is the symbol of God's victory over death and sin. The cross as an aesthetic object and as a means of devotion corresponds to the mystery of God's wisdom and power manifest in suffering and apparent failure. In this volume, Richard Viladesau seeks to understand the beauty of the cross as it developed in both theology and art from their beginnings until the eve of the renaissance. He argues that art and symbolism functioned as an alternative strand of theological expression -- sometimes parallel to, sometimes interwoven with, and sometimes in tension with formal theological reflection on the meaning of the Crucifixion and its role insalvation history. Using specific works of art to epitomize particular artistic and theological paradigms, Viladesau then explores the contours of each paradigm through the works of representative theologians as well as liturgical, poetic, artistic, and musical sources. The beauty of the cross is examined from Patristic theology and the earliest representations of the Logos on the cross, to the monastic theology of victory and the Romanesque crucified "majesty," to the Anselmian "revolution" that centered theological and artistic attention on the suffering humanity of Jesus, and finally to the breakdown of the high scholastic theology of the redemption in empirically concentrated nominalism and the beginnings of naturalism in art. By examining the relationship between aesthetic and conceptual theology, Viladesau deepens our understanding of the foremost symbol of Christianity. This volume makes an important contribution to an emerging field, breaking new ground in theological aesthetics. The Beauty of the Cross is a valuable resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the passion of Christ and its representation.


Between Cross and Resurrection

Between Cross and Resurrection

Author: Alan E. Lewis

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2003-06-20

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 9780802826787

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For much of Christian history the church has given no place to Holy Saturday in its liturgy or worship. Yet the space dividing Calvary and the Garden may be the best place from which to reflect on the meaning of Christ's death and resurrection. This superb work by the late Alan Lewis develops on a grand scale and in great detail a theology of Holy Saturday.The first comprehensive theology of Holy Saturday ever written, Between Cross and Resurrectionshows that at the center of the biblical story and the church's creed lies a three-day narrative. Lewis explores the meaning of Holy Saturday -- the restless day of burial and waiting -- from the perspectives of narrative (hearing the story), doctrine (thinking the story), and ethics (living the story). Along the way he visits as many spiritual themes as possible in order to demonstrate the range of topics that take on fresh meaning when viewed from the vantage point of Holy Saturday.Between Cross and Resurrection is not only incisive and elegantly written, but it is also a uniquely moving work deeply rooted in Christian experience. While writing this book Lewis experienced his own Holy Saturday in suffering from and finally succumbing to cancer. He considered Between Cross and Resurrection to be the culmination of his life's work.


Theologia Crucis

Theologia Crucis

Author: Robert Cady Saler

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 1498231926

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Recovery of Paul and Luther's theology of the cross has been an enduring legacy of twentieth-century theology, and in our own day the topic has continued to expand as more and more global voices join the conversation. The array of literature produced on the cross and its theological significance can be overwhelming. In this readable and concise introduction, Robert Saler provides an overview of the key motifs present in theologians seeking to understand how the cross of Jesus Christ informs the work of theology, ministry, and activism on behalf of victims of injustice today. He also demonstrates how theology of the cross can be a lens through which to understand crucial questions of our time related to the nature of beauty, God's redemption, and the forces which seek to overwhelm both. Ranging from Luther and Bonhoeffer to James Cone and feminist theologians, Saler makes this literature accessible to all who wish to understand how the cross shapes Christian claims about God and God's work on behalf of the world.


The Theology of the Cross for the 21st Century

The Theology of the Cross for the 21st Century

Author: Alberto L. García

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780570052883

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Essays explore the significance of Luther's theology of the cross within the context of the cross within the context of the various world religions and philosophies.


Theology of the Cross

Theology of the Cross

Author: Caleb Keith

Publisher: New Reformation Publications

Published: 2018-12-28

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 1948969068

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Theology of the Cross is one of the core elements of Martin Luther's theology. The development of this doctrine through the Heidelberg Disputation has been considered an essential element of Luther's breakthrough on justification, and crucial to his theological reforms and future split with the Roman Catholic Church. These statements by Luther, originally penned to be defended in debate, are counter-intuitive, contrary, offensive, and thrilling paradoxes, starting with the first and most astounding of them all: "The Law of God, the most salutary doctrine of life cannot advance humans on their way to righteousness, but rather hinders them." We hope the collection of interpretations that follow the theses in this book will help you to understand their impact.


The Triumph of the Cross

The Triumph of the Cross

Author: Richard Viladesau

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2008-04-22

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 0199714770

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a sequel to Richard Viladesau's well-received study, The Beauty of the Cross: The Passion of Christ in Theology and the Arts from the Catacombs to the Eve of the Renaissance. It continues his project of presenting theological history by using art as both an independent religious or theological "text" and as a means of understanding the cultural context for academic theology. Viladesau argues that art and symbolism function as alternative strands of theological expression sometimes parallel to, sometimes interwoven with, and sometimes in tension with formal theological reflection on the meaning of crucifixion and its role in salvation history. This book examines the two great revolutionary movements that gave birth to the modern West: the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. This period was eventful for both theology and art, and thus particularly fruitful for Viladesau's project. Using individual works of art, over sixty of which are reproduced in this book, to epitomize particular artistic and theological models, he explores the contours of each paradigm through the works of representative theologians as well as liturgical, poetic, artistic, and musical sources. To name a few examples, the theologies of Savonarola, Luther, Calvin, and the Council of Trent, are examined in correlation to the new situation of art in the era of Fra Angelico, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Dürer, Cranach, and the Mannerists. In this book, Viladesau continues to deepen our understanding of the foremost symbol of Christianity.