Ancient and Modern Christianity

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook NotesA Bibliography of the Pioneers of the Socinian-Unitarian Movement in Modern Christianity in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland. Earl Morse Wilbur W. W. RobbinsW. W. Robbins Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Religion Volume 32, Number 1Jan., 1952 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/484253 Views: 2Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

China and Christianity in Modern and Contemporary History and Beyond

This article deals with the use of the Old Testament in seeking answers to modern ethical issues. A distinction must he made between the ethics of the Old Testament - a field for Old Testament scholars and the use of the Old Testament by modern Christians in answering their ethical problems. The article focuses on the hermeneutical problem and the use of the Old Testament in three publications is discussed to illustrate this problem. This is followed by a discussion of the hermeneutical problem as it relates to the use of the Old Testament in addressing ethical problems. The article stresses the need for sound hermeneutics and exegesis when using the Old Testament in ethical discussions.

Admittedly, Chapter 3 focuses mainly on contemporary thinkers. The aim of this chapter is to retrieve and develop creatively a strand of Christian thought, stretching from early Christian interpretations of biblical data through the hagiographies of the saints into modern Christian thought, that provides an eschatological foundation for concern over the welfare of nonhuman animals. This strand opens a space for an alternative to the dominant tradition.

The Crescent and the Cross as religious symbols are beyond the mere signification of religious affiliations. They are symbols on which over two hundred years of wars were sustained and are indicative of the religious dichotomy between modern Christianity and Islam across the globe. However, the tangential relationship between the usage of the symbols and the Jihad or the Crusade reeks of memories of fierce competition and unhealed historical memories. The collective memory of the wars fought under the symbols has remained a moniker for conquests and forceful submission. The exclusive propensities of the experiences are evident in the interreligious relation of the adherents of both religions in Nigeria. This article attempts to answer the question of how the exclusive religious disposition underlining most instances of religious crises in the country may be addressed. This article uses deconstructive analysis to strip the symbols and their exclusive religious dispositions for an inclusive religious pluralism model. It argues for the need for a critical rethinking of the exclusive interreligious model operative in the country to facilitate social development and the peaceful co-existence of the adherents of both religions.

Radicalism is at the heart of Christianity’s foundational documents in the New Testament. This chapter is an attempt to embrace the various contributions to the subject contained in this book. First, the interpretative lens of ‘Contraries’, a central theme of William Blake’s thought, is used to explore the dialectic between Desire and Reason, to understand the tension between the quest for perfection and compromise and the way in which this dialectic informs biblical hermeneutics, particularly the Pauline corpus and the Gospel of Luke. Secondly, the career of Gerrard Winstanley offers the opportunity to understand the character and context of radicalism. Finally, the recognition of the secular character of the Christian response is crucial. Leaving the gift at the altar and working for peace, reconciliation, and justice with all humans, irrespective of faith commitment, characterize the public theology of one of the major examples of radicalism in modern Christianity, liberation theology.

Ancient and Modern Christianity

Evangelicals recognise that exegesis must ultimately lead towards ethics, or practical Christian living. Unfortunately, too often the roadmap for that process has been neglected, and the link between the two becomes disjointed. This article discusses SSC, biblical theology, and ethics in 1 Peter, but attempts to contribute to the discussion by showing how the three interrelate, in that the identity theology of 1 Peter represents a reaction to the social-religious circumstances of its audience. This reaction, in turn, naturally allows the author to transition into ethics for the Christian. By being aware of this interrelation (with biblical theology as the ‘hinge’ between SSC and ethics), the modern Christian can properly apply 1 Peter’s theology to their own circumstances and avoid potential abuses.

The devastating outbreak of rinderpest in the British Isles in 1865–66 — the so‐called “cattle plague” — was a significant event in Victorian Britain, one that did much to shape British agriculture, animal disease control, and veterinary medicine. This article argues that the cattle plague also had long‐term significance for the relationship between the Church of England and non‐human animals. During eighteenth‐century rinderpest outbreaks, Anglican clergy had rarely considered the suffering animals. In 1865–66 and afterwards, services in Anglican churches increasingly involved animal themes, issues, and presences. From this time, it became usual for Anglicans to mark moments of severe animal disease with special prayers and services. The crisis also encouraged changes in how Church of England clergy, and ministers in other Christian denominations, spoke about animals in sermons. During the outbreak of rinderpest, there was a sharpened awareness of the extent to which cows and humans had common interests and inhabited a shared community. A heightened appreciation of the bonds and interdependencies between people and farmed animals, the article suggests, had much significance for ecological thinking among nineteenth‐century ministers of religion. The article argues for the distinctive status of cattle in modern Christianity.

The aim of the article is to define the doctrinal features of the theology of prosperity, its spiritual and socio-cultural origins, the reasons for its spread in the neo-Protestant environment, as well as the representation of the traditionalist views of this non-Christian phenomenon.Research methodology. The comparative method is used to distinguish the theology of prosperity from the traditional Christian doctrine.Results. In modern Protestantism and other Christian denominations, the charismatic movement that promotes itself as the correct version of Christianity is rapidly spreading. This movement does not have a clearly defined doctrine, organizationally divided into almost independent congregations, but the basis of its ideology is the common phenomenon — the theological substantiation of the necessity of the successful life and material enrichment — the theology of prosperity. The reasons for the spread of this phenomenon are both in purely Protestant features and in the aspiration of a modern man not to torture the difficult path of the spiritual perfection, but to live a prosperous and comfortable life. The theology of prosperity refers to the numerous projects for the renewal of Christian theology, which have been updated on the day of postmodern.Novelty. The theology of prosperity was first analyzed as a postmodern theological project, defined as a modernization line in Christianity, using pseudo-biblical rhetoric.The practical significance. The material in this article can be used in the preparation of the academic disciplines in religious studies and the history of contemporary culture.Keywords: theology of prosperity, neo-Christianity, charismatics, neo-Pentecostalism, ecumenism, consumer society.

A Generous Peace and Boundless Love: Expanding Thomas Berry's Cosmology of Peace Matthew Eaton Introduction The New Cosmology and eco‐spirituality seen in the work of Thomas Berry outline a relatively new way to view reality. In this perspective, humans are no longer understood as a special creation transcending the natural world. For Berry, and others following this school of thought, the human is understood as one aspect of a unified, though ever‐changing, creation event, inseparably tied to the same processes that brought about the rest of the cosmos. This “New Story,” as Berry calls it, is needed because it provides revelatory insight into the nature and identity of both humanity and divinity and the ethical demands that accompany our participation in the cosmic drama. The ethic Berry derives from the New Story can be described as a “cosmology of peace”—a way of being that allows the cosmos to flourish and function according to its own nature, with as little human interference as possible. In a cosmology of peace, humans recognize their kinship with nature and allow the biosphere to flourish. Yet, as Berry points out, we cannot understand cosmic peace as the absence of violence as this would betray the nature of the cosmos itself. Life does not arise out of a purely peaceful matrix, but one of wondrous cooperation and shocking violence. While not downplaying the role of cooperation, it is difficult—if not impossible—to imagine how the cosmos and life on Earth could have arisen apart from death, violence, and the suffering of sentient creatures. For Berry, both the cooperative and the violent sides of nature are a key to creating a “Peace of Earth.” Thus, cosmic peace does not aim at overcoming all violence but at maintaining creative tension in the natural system that allows nature to function properly. For Berry, “unnatural” violence (i.e., anthropogenic acts that disrupt nature's inherited functionality) needs to be overcome, while “natural” forms of violence (i.e., that which arises naturally and promotes further creativity) is welcomed. Yet, the Christian tradition refuses to accept all forms of natural violence. Central to the Christian faith is belief in a deity of boundless love who shows concern for the suffering of all creatures whether or not their suffering leads to further creativity. Suffering is seen as something to be overcome, as the divine wishes all to flourish and all violence to come to an end. Modern Christianity must now embrace but also make sense of the tension arising from holding simultaneously to the necessity of violence for cosmogenesis and the conviction that divinity cares for each individual member of creation and desires that all things thrive according to their nature. In this essay, I offer a peace theology that embraces the tension existing between scientific cosmologies and the Christian faith. I suggest that while Berry's view of cosmic peace ought to be our top priority, the Christian faith encourages a more inclusive, generous vision of peace that embraces non‐violence in situations where natural violence may still be acceptable in certain circumstances. Below, I outline Berry's understanding of natural and unnatural violence, as well as his vision for a cosmology of peace. Next, I summarize John Duns Scotus's notion of haecceitas as a model for boundless divine love. Following this, I survey the work of Denis Edwards, who suggests eschatological redemption as a way to deal with the tension between cosmic violence and the love of God for individual creatures. Finally, I expand on Edwards's suggestion that eschatological redemption begins on Earth by constructing a new cosmology of peace that begins to eschew “natural” forms of violence, without upsetting the larger environmental ethic of Berry nor the inner spontaneity of the cosmos itself. Violence in nature and a cosmology of peace Throughout his work, Thomas Berry continually describes cosmogenesis arising out of a matrix of communion and relationship. “Cosmogenesis is organized by communion. To be is to be related, for relationship is the essence of existence.” Yet, relationships take multiple forms and occur in non‐violent as well as violent processes. While Berry does not ignore the cooperative aspects of cosmogenesis, he emphasizes...

Book Review: History of the World Christian Movement. Vol. 2: Modern Christianity from 1454 to 1800

The prosperity gospel movement has achieved considerable prominence in modern Christianity, especially in developing areas, offering material wealth and physical well-being to churchgoers who exhibit adequate faith. This theological perspective opposes the Reformation idea of justification by faith alone, highlighting salvation as a divine gift attained by faith rather than human endeavour or monetary transaction. This study investigates the theological conflicts between prosperity gospel teachings and the notion of justification by faith alone, evaluating their differing interpretations of blessing, salvation, and the Christian existence. The study is positioned within the worldwide framework of contemporary Christianity, focussing specifically on areas where prosperity theology has thrived in conjunction with conventional evangelical doctrines. A thorough literary analysis methodology is utilised, scrutinising core theological texts, biblical exegesis, historical church records, and modern scholarly critiques to assess both theological perspectives. The results indicate major theological discrepancies between prosperity gospel doctrines and the principle of justification by faith alone. The prosperity gospel advocates for worldly affluence as a sign of divine favour, whereas justification by faith underscores spiritual development irrespective of monetary conditions. The research indicates that prosperity teachings frequently result in spiritual disillusionment when anticipated advantages do not manifest, whereas justification by faith offers a more robust foundation for faith in the face of suffering. Justification by faith alone provides a theologically sound alternative to prosperity gospel doctrines, anchoring Christian identity in divine grace rather than material success. This conventional theory offers pastoral alternatives for confronting sorrow and disappointment that prosperity theology fails to address enough. This research enhances modern theological dialogue by demonstrating that justification by faith alone counters the excesses of the prosperity gospel, while providing constructive approaches for pastoral care, biblical interpretation, and spiritual formation across many Christian contexts.

Modern Christianity

The conflict and contact between Muslims and Christians in the Middle Ages is among the most important but least appreciated developments of the period from the seventh to the fourteenth century. Michael Frassetto argues that the relationship between these two faiths during the Middle Ages was essential to the cultural and religious developments of Christianity and Islam—even as Christians and Muslims often found themselves engaged in violent conflict. Frassetto traces the history of those conflicts and argues that these holy wars helped create the identity that defined the essential characteristics of Christians and Muslims. The polemic works that often accompanied these holy wars was important, Frassetto contends, because by defining the essential evil of the enemy, Christian authors were also defining their own beliefs and practices. Holy war was not the only defining element of the relationship between Christians and Muslims during the Middle Ages, and Frassetto explains that everyday contacts between Christian and Muslim leaders and scholars generated more peaceful relations and shaped the literary, intellectual, and religious culture that defined medieval and even modern Christianity and Islam.