History as a theological issue /
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These days no one believes in the redemptive essence of history (Lyotard). The individual of today lives without culture, history, social engagement and moral norms (Lasch). It is in this intellectual climate that History as a Theological Issue has been written. Nico Bakker analyses seminal conceptions of history from the past and from our day, and compares them with the newest notions of history in biblical and systematic theology. In so doing he engages in conversation with thinkers from Augustine to Popper, along with many others. His thinking is informed in particular by the work of Barth, Pannenberg, and the Dutch reformed theologians Miskotte and Breukelman. Of central significance is his ability to apply basic theological notions to culture. In this way he connects the present-day crisis of culture with the permanent alienation of church and Christianity from its own origins in the scriptures. Now that since the 1950s a new awareness structure is beginning to emerge (Gebser), the author considers that theology is in need of a radical rethink. History as a Theological Issue is written primarily for theologians, historians, biblical critics and philosophers of religion and is recommended reading for all who are seriously interested in the present-day crisis of culture and in the widespread alienation from the Bible, Church and Christianity.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [289]-294) and indexes. :
9789004397354
Secularization in contemporary religious radicalism : an introduction /
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The concept of secularization has grown to become one of the most important features of contemporary religious thought. This book introduces and examines the thinking of sixteen key theologions, philosophers and historians of religion to explain (a) why by the late nineteenth century the traditional concept of God as an ontologically real being came to be considered no longer necessary and (b) how the new perspective on God, which accepts him only as an idea, turned into the preferred approach of today's religion and philosophy, namely "religious radicalism".
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [187]-201) and index. :
9789004397385 :
1566-2098 ;
The point of it all : essays on Jesus Christ /
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The atheism of modern thought is based on irrational assumptions...First-century Jews expected a suffering Messiah...Jesus knew it was he...Jesus' birth and resurrection in history . The point of the parables...The point of Christology...The historical grounds for scepticism about Christian claims concerning Jesus Christ rely on misreadings of the Bible. In a series of original essays, the author issues a formidable challenge to many of the presuppositions of modern theology.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [151]-163). :
9789004397347 :
1566-2098 ;
Understanding the Incarnation : 'A Candle of Understanding' /
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Human beings have always struggled to find their place in the universe and sought understanding and contact with the divine. In contrast to the many failures and dead-ends the historically rooted but timeless Christian message looks radically different. Precisely the reverse dynamic has created the way: In the Incarnation the divine has come to humanity, making a bridge through the life and redeeming death of Jesus. As the author shows, the multiple witnesses of the New Testament and generations of Christian writers have grasped this and expounded it in their different ways. The philosophers and the scientists down to the present day have sought and are seeking a Theory of Everything. In the light of the candle of understanding, it is there to be discovered by all in the Incarnation. Suddenly, Christmas, Easter, and much besides, make sense.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004397378
Faith Lost: Faith Regained : Rediscovering a Transforming Christian Belief /
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A holistic, positive answer to modernist and post-modernist challenges to Christian faith. Recent trends in theology have adapted to what has been assumed to be universally valid scientific thinking, thereby contributing to the erosion of traditional protestant belief. Pointing to parable as a tool of understanding and appealing to aesthetic appreciation as an analogy, the author makes an impassioned call for a return to an assured biblical faith. The answer lies in a fuller epistemology and a profounder ontology to explain the universe and man's place in it.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004397361