The bold thesis of Canonical Theism is that the good and life-giving Holy Spirit has equipped the church not only with a canon of scripture but also with an abundant canonical heritage of materials, persons, and practices. However, much of the latter has been ignored or cast aside. The authors call for the retrieval and redeployment of the full range of this rich legacy. Voices from across the spectrum here chart that mine of opportunity and invite the entire church to explore the benefits of their discoveries.Ambitious in its scope and agenda, Canonical Theism offers insights that will enable the readers to discover anew the faith that has nourished converts, created saints, and upheld martyrs across the years.Contributors: William J. Abraham Frederick D. Aquino Paul L. Gavrilyuk Charles Gutenson Douglas M. Koskela Mark E. Powell Frederick W. Schmidt Horace Six-Means Natalie B. Van Kirk Jason E. Vickers David F. Watson
What are the roles of canon and community in the understanding and articulation of Christian doctrine? Should the church be the doctrinal arbiter in the twenty-first century? In Canonical Theology John Peckham tackles this complex, ongoing discussion by shedding light on issues surrounding the biblical canon and the role of the community for theology and practice. Peckham examines the nature of the biblical canon, the proper relationship of Scripture and tradition, and the interpretation and application of Scripture for theology. He lays out a compelling canonical approach to systematic theology — including an explanation of his method, a step-by-step account of how to practice it, and an example of what theology derived from this canonical approach looks like.
The past several decades have seen a renaissance in Christian philosophy, led by the work of Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, William Alston, Eleonore Stump, and others. In the spirit of Plantinga s famous manifesto, Advice to Christian Philosophers, James K. A. Smith here offers not only advice to Pentecostal philosophers but also some Pentecostal advice to Christian philosophers. In this inaugural Pentecostal Manifestos volume Smith begins from the conviction that implicit in Pentecostal and charismatic spirituality is a tacit worldview or social imaginary. Thinking in Tongues unpacks and articulates the key elements of this Pentecostal worldview and then explores their implications for philosophical reflection on ontology, epistemology, aesthetics, language, science, and philosophy of religion. In each case, Smith demonstrates how the implicit wisdom of Pentecostal spirituality makes unique contributions to current conversations in Christian philosophy.
David Trementozzi contends that conservative-traditional Christianity has uncritically adopted an intellectualist (i.e., rationally-driven) view of faith in its understanding and practice of salvation. Throughout, he maintains that an intellectualist soteriology should be rejected because it prioritizes the rational over other behavioral and affective aspects of faith. An intellectualist rendering of salvation is incomplete because human experience is neither abstract nor gnostic—it is embodied and experientially relevant. An intellectualist soteriology simply cannot account for the dynamic and transforming possibilities of saving grace. Salvation in the Flesh offers an innovative perspective on the embodied nature of faith and the centrality of the Holy Spirit in the Christian doctrine of salvation. Drawing from the cognitive neurosciences and psychology, Trementozzi argues for a holistic awareness of cognition to better inform an embodied understanding of faith. In dialogue with the cognitive sciences, he appropriates Jonathan Edwards’ theology of religious affections, early church practices, and pentecostal spirituality to highlight the soteriological significance of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy for a renewal soteriology of embodiment. In doing so, Trementozzi offers a vision of salvation that more thoroughly accounts for the multifarious ways God’s saving grace interacts with human flesh and blood.
Saint John Henry Newman is widely acknowledged to be an important theologian. Despite this, Newman commentators believe that his work has received little recognition by philosophers. This book explores whether or not Newman's supposed philosophical isolation constitutes a misconception in Newman historiography. First of all, it does this by examining Newman's general philosophical reception over the last two centuries; surveying a wide range of philosophical positions and philosophers from the many different branches of this discipline. The book then focuses upon whether or not Newman has made a contribution to one specific philosophical position, seldom given attention within Newman scholarship: the particularist approach to epistemology. In its investigations into this and the other more general dimension of Newman's philosophical reception, the book offers an historical re-evaluation of Newman's philosophical legacy.
A celebration of 25 years of the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar that features contributions from a diverse lineup of today's most respected scholars. For twenty-five years, the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar has produced a steady stream of influential, global, diverse, ecumenical and world-class research and publications that have impacted a generation of scholars now in mid-career, teaching or ministering at various universities, seminaries, divinity schools, or churches around the globe. The volumes of the seminar have resourced countless classrooms and have been cited thousands of times in scholarly research and in the pulpits and Bible studies worldwide. In celebration of the 25th year of the seminar (1997-2022), this compendium reflects on its work and impact. It offers new essays that chart the value of the seminar for biblical interpretation and the needs of biblical interpretation in the future, and includes stories from the formative SAHS community. This volume distills the work of the seminar for a new generation of students, opening to them a gateway to the community and to the resources developed over the past two decades. Tightly organized, carefully arranged and cross-referenced, this volume: Highlights the work of a significant movement in biblical interpretation in the academy Charts a path of biblical interpretation from the past to the future Helps readers understand the philosophical and theological commitments that undergird biblical interpretation Helps readers construct a theological hermeneutics that yields a deeper, richer reading of Scripture Introduces readers to stories of the seminar from scholars and ministers impacted by it This celebratory volume not only gives a unique perspective on the architecture of biblical interpretation in the first quarter of the twenty-first century, but it is offered in hope of preparing fertile soil for the next generation of women and men to cultivate biblical interpretation for years to come. The volume features essays by Craig Bartholomew, David Beldman, Amber L. Bowen, Susan Bubbers, Jean-Louis Chrétien, Havilah Dharamraj, Bo Lim, Murray Rae, J. Aaron Simmons, Anthony Thiselton, and John Wyatt.
Valuable insights into key disputed topics from a veritable who's who of evangelical scholars In this volume thirty-seven first-rate evangelical scholars present a thorough study of biblical authority and a full range of issues connected to it. Recognizing that Scripture and its authority are now being both challenged and defended with renewed vigor, editor D. A. Carson assigned the topics that these select scholars address in the book. After an introduction by Carson to the many facets of the current discussion, the contributors present robust essays on relevant historical, biblical, theological, philosophical, epistemological, and comparative-religions topics. To conclude, Carson answers a number of frequently asked questions about the nature of Scripture, cross-referencing these FAQs to the preceding chapters. This comprehensive volume by a team of recognized experts will be the go-to reference on the nature and authority of the Bible for years to come. CONTRIBUTORS James Beilby Kirsten Birkett Henri A. G. Blocher Craig L. Blomberg D. A. Carson Graham A. Cole Stephen G. Dempster Daniel M. Doriani Simon Gathercole David Gibson Ida Glaser Paul Helm Charles E. Hill Peter F. Jensen Robert Kolb Anthony N. S. Lane Te-Li Lau Richard Lints V. Philips Long Thomas H. McCall Douglas J. Moo Andrew David Naselli Harold Netland Osvaldo Padilla Michael C. Rea Bradley N. Seeman Alex G. Smith R. Scott Smith Rodney L. Stiling Glenn S. Sunshine Timothy C. Tennent Mark D. Thompson Kevin J. Vanhoozer Bruce K. Waltke Barry G. Webb Peter J. Williams John D. Woodbridge
This is a study of canon in the Christian tradition. Standard accounts locate the canonical heritage of the church within epistemology. The author explores the consquences of this move, from the Fathers to modern feminist theology.
The last few decades have seen a revolution in debates about the rationality of Christian belief. Among the array of current options for justifying religious belief, however, nearly every one assumes that a general theory of knowing and a minimal version of theism must be adopted before the rationality of Christian belief can be tackled. In Crossing the Threshold of Divine Revelation William J. Abraham confronts both of these assumptions, arguing that epistemology must begin with its particular target of inquiry in Abraham s case the full-blooded canonical theism of the early, undivided Christian church. He argues, moreover, that special divine revelation forms a crucial threshold at the entrance to the epistemology of Christian belief. Sure to intrigue philosophers, theologians, and curious students, Abraham s robust vision of Christian faith provides a creative solution to many of the current difficulties in philosophy and theology.
This guide aims to elaborate and constructively engage some of the ongoing dogmatic challenges within the field of Christian pneumatology. Rather than a strict survey, the book largely represents a collection of working proposals on a number of relevant themes, including cosmology, mediation, the nature and role of Spirit-baptism, and discernment. For those who have found pneumatology frustrating and confusing, the book can serve as an aid to clarify some of the most crucial matters at stake in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and in turn provide some ways forward amidst the morass of possibilities available.
