Download or read book The Descent of God written by Joseph M. Hallman and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2004-01-20 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a fascinating study which confirms that there is as much support in the Fathers as in heterodox sources - though different - for the idea of a suffering God. Louis Dupre, Yale University Joseph Hallman here makes a significant contribution to the perennial theological dilemma: how can an unchanging God relate to a changing world? The author displays a mastery of the patristic sources as well as familiarity with contemporary philosophical approaches to the issue. The Greek philosophical assumption of the immutability of God has retained a profound influence on Christian thought until modern times despite the attempts of patristic writers to harmonize the Incarnation with God's immutability. Hallman suggests that the most promising resolution to this dilemma comes to us in the work of Whitehead. Carl A. Volz, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary Hallman's book is unusual and timely. Hallman is a systematic thinker, not a historian, yet he has taken the time to read the early Christian sources attentively, and his conclusions are surprising and provocative. In a sense, this book is a theological version of candid camera: it sets forth those things that early Christian thinkers are not supposed to have said.... In an age in which historians of Christian thought ignore contemporary thinkers, and systematic theologians act as though Christian thought began with the Enlightenment, 'The Descent of God' is a challenge to both brands of obscurantism. Robert L. Wilken, University of Virginia

Download or read book Divine Impassibility written by Robert J. Matz and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does God suffer? Does God experience emotions? Does God change? How should we interpret passages of Scripture that seem to support one view or the other? And where do the incarnation and Christ's suffering on the cross fit into this? This Spectrum Multiview volume brings together four theologians with decidedly different answers to these questions. The contributors make a case for their own view—ranging from a traditional affirmation of divine impassibility (the idea that God does not suffer) to the position that God is necessarily and intimately affected by creation—and then each contributor responds to the others' views. The lively but irenic discussion that takes place in this conversation demonstrates not only the diversity of opinion among Christians on this theological conundrum but also its ongoing relevance for today. Views and Contributors: Strong Impassibility (James E. Dolezal, assistant professor in the School of Divinity at Cairn University) Qualified Impassibility (Daniel Castelo, professor of dogmatic and constructive theology at Seattle Pacific University) Qualified Passibility (John C. Peckham, professor of theology and Christian philosophy at Andrews University) Strong Passibility (Thomas Jay Oord, professor of theology and philosophy at Northwest Nazarene University Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

Download or read book Divine Impassibility and the Mystery of Human Suffering written by James Keating and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2009-07-14 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "James F. Keating and Thomas Joseph White have gathered here a selection of essays that consider how God's suffering or lack thereof can relate to our redemption from and through human suffering. The contributors - Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox - tread carefully but surely over this thorny ground, defending diverse and often opposing perspectives. Divine Impassibility and the Mystery of Human Suffering is an excellent contribution to the latest stage in this difficult and important theological controversy."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Suffering Divine Things written by Reinhard Hütter and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do Christian beliefs and practices interrelate? What is the nature and task of theology? These questions have reemerged in the contemporary discussion with new vigor. In this book Reinhard Hütter explores the link between Christian theory and action, rigorously arguing for a renewed understanding of theology as a distinct church practice. Using "pathos"-"suffering" God's saving activity-as a powerful theological motif, Hütter offers fresh insight into the relationships between the Holy Spirit and the church, doctrine and theology, and beliefs and practices. In addition, Hütter shows how reclaiming "pathos" as a central motif for theology challenges modern and postmodern views focused on human identity, agency, and creativity as definitive of theology's nature and task. Throughout, Hütter remains acutely aware of recent trends in theological discourse and develops his argument in conversation with leading contemporary thinkers from North America and Europe. His constructive work promises to reclaim theology's crucial role in the life and mission of the church.

Download or read book Faith in the Great Physician written by Heather D. Curtis and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2007-11-30 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This history of evangelical faith healing in nineteenth-century America examines the nation’s shifting attitudes about sickness, suffering, and health. Faith in the Great Physician tells the story of how participants in the divine healing movement transformed the ways Americans coped with physical affliction and pursued bodily wellbeing. Heather D. Curtis offers critical reflection on the theological, cultural, and social forces that come into play when one questions the purpose of suffering and the possibility of healing. Belief in divine healing ran counter to a deep-seated Christian ethic that linked physical suffering with spiritual holiness. By engaging in devotional disciplines and participating in social reform efforts, proponents of faith cure embraced a model of spiritual experience that endorsed active service, rather than passive endurance, as the proper Christian response to illness and pain. Emphasizing the centrality of religious practices to the enterprise of divine healing, Curtis sheds light on the relationship among Christian faith, medical science, and the changing meanings of suffering and healing in American culture. Recipient of the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize of the American Society of Church History for 2007

Download or read book Theodicy of Love written by John C. Peckham and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2018-11-06 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If God is all powerful and entirely good and loving, why is there so much evil in the world? Based on a close canonical reading of Scripture, this book offers a new approach to the challenge of reconciling the Christian confession of a loving God with the realities of suffering and evil. John Peckham offers a constructive proposal for a theodicy of love that upholds both the sovereignty of God and human freedom, showing that Scripture points toward a framework for thinking about God's love in relation to the world.

Download or read book One of the Trinity Has Suffered Balthasar s Theology of Divine Suffering in Dialogue written by Joshua R. Brotherton and published by Emmaus Academic. This book was released on 2020-01-01 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hans Urs von Balthasar’s discourse on the descent of Christ into hell and its implications for the Triune God have been disputed for half a century. One of the Trinity has Suffered evaluates and revises von Balthasar’s theology of divine suffering in a way that interacts with and significantly enriches contemporary Catholic theology. In this book, Joshua R. Brotherton engages twentieth-century Thomistic theology, as well as the thought of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) and Pope St. John Paul II. Drawing from the vast secondary literature on von Balthasar, Brotherton offers a balanced assessment of his work on the topic of divine suffering, both critical and appreciative. Recognizing von Balthasar’s laudable attempt to integrate mystical spirituality and systematic theology, Brotherton seeks to distinguish valid insights from confused mixtures of metaphorical, meta-symbolic, and philosophical (metaphysical) discourse on God, particularly with respect to the classical problem of how the Creator who willed to become incarnate may be said to suffer. Truly, “One of the Trinity has suffered,” and yet this mystery of faith must be carefully explained and understood in conformity with sustained Catholic reflection on divine immutability and simplicity, the dual nature and unique personhood of Christ, the Trinity of divine subsistent relations, the freedom of God in creating and becoming man, the analogy of being, the problem of evil, and the immensity and infinite value of Christ’s redemptive suffering.

Download or read book Does God Suffer written by Thomas Gerard Weinandy and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of this book challenges the contemporary view of God and suffering. Calling upon scripture, and the philosophical and theological tradition of the Fathers and Aquinas, he advocates the incarnational truth that the Son of God actually does experience human living, including suffering.

Download or read book Divine Suffering written by Andrew J. Schmutzer and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-02-22 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Divine Suffering is an inter-disciplinary study that draws from systematics, philosophy, biblical theology, and pastoral experience. In addition to covering topics like the suffering of the Father in the Son and God’s cruciform vulnerability, this book also explores how divine suffering animates the Christian gospel and resonates in the ongoing persecution of believers. The study of the suffering God has everything to do with Theology, History, and Church Mission. Like exploring a cathedral from all its entrances, both scholars and seekers will find ample opportunity for theological challenge, biblical insight, and missional hope. To accomplish this, both Scripture and doctrine are closely investigated. Today, divine suffering must face the contemporary realities of protest atheism, escalating wars, new studies in relational theology, and dialogical personhood that presses the need to explain a Christian message about the kind of God who is not only transcendent but also personal. Divine Suffering introduces us to the history of God, not just the God of history. In this study, we meet a God available to our pain though not diminished by it. Mounting forms of grief need to be met with an equally pastoral understanding that validates suffering without valorizing it.

Download or read book God s Wounds Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering Volume One written by Jeff B. Pool and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the first volume of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering: God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, Divine Vulnerability and Creation. This study first develops an approach to interpreting the contested claims about the suffering of God. Thus, the larger study focuses its inquiry into the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely, to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. Through this approach this volume of studies into the Christian symbol of divine suffering then investigates the two major presuppositions that the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally hold: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love (God is love); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life--the imago Dei as love. When fully elaborated, these presuppositions reveal the conditions of possibility for divine suffering and divine vulnerability with respect to creation.

Download or read book God s Wounds Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering Volume Two written by Jeff B. Pool and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the second volume of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering: God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, vol. 2, Evil and Divine Suffering. The larger study focuses its inquiry into the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely, then to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. This second volume of studies proceeds on the basis of the presuppositions of this symbol, those implicit attestations that provide the conditions of possibility for divine suffering-that which constitutes divine vulnerability with respect to creation-as identified and examined in the first volume of this project: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love (God is love); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life-the imago Dei as love. The second volume then investigates the first two divine wounds or modes of divine suffering to which the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally attest: (1) divine grief, suffering because of betrayal by the beloved human or human sin; and (2) divine self-sacrifice, suffering for the beloved human in its bondage to sin or misery, to establish the possibility of redemption and reconciliation. Each divine wound, thus, constitutes a response to a creaturely occasion. The suffering in each divine wound also occurs in two stages: a passive stage and an active stage. In divine grief, God suffers because of human sin, betrayal of the divine lover by the beloved human: divine sorrow as the passive stage of divine grief; and divine anguish as the active stage of divine grief. In divine self-sacrifice, God suffers in response to the misery or bondage of the beloved human's infidelity: divine travail (focused on the divine incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth) as the active stage of divine self-sacrifice; and divine agony (focused on divine suffering in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth) as the passive stage of divine self-sacrifice.

Download or read book Surprised by Suffering written by R. C. Sproul and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 1994-09 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With honesty, sensitivity, and concern for biblical truth, Sproul addresses the afterlife and the role of suffering in human experience.

Download or read book Suffering in Mu tazilite Theology written by Heemskerk and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-07-26 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘Abd al-Ğabbār (d. 1024 AD) belonged to the Bahšamiyya branch of the Basra Mu‘tazila. The Mu‘tazilites upheld the principle of divine justice, and from this perspective they attempted to explain the existence of pain and suffering. This volume deals with ‘Abd al-Ğabbār's opinions on different aspects of pain, such as what pain is, how it is perceived, how it comes into existence, how to judge the infliction of pain and for which purpose God imposes suffering on His creatures. Attention is also given to opinions expressed by Mānkdīm and Ibn Mattawayh, disciples of ‘Abd al-Ğabbār. Included is a historical survey of the Bahšamiyya school. The book sheds light on ‘Abd al-Ğabbār's Mu‘tazilite method in dealing with the question of the existence of human suffering.

Download or read book God s Wounds Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering Volume Two written by Jeff B. Pool and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the second volume of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering: God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, vol. 2, Evil and Divine Suffering. The larger study focuses its inquiry into the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely, then to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. This second volume of studies proceeds on the basis of the presuppositions of this symbol, those implicit attestations that provide the conditions of possibility for divine suffering-that which constitutes divine vulnerability with respect to creation-as identified and examined in the first volume of this project: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love ("God is love"); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life-the imago Dei as love. The second volume then investigates the first two divine wounds or modes of divine suffering to which the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally attest: (1) divine grief, suffering because of betrayal by the beloved human or human sin; and (2) divine self-sacrifice, suffering for the beloved human in its bondage to sin or misery, to establish the possibility of redemption and reconciliation. Each divine wound, thus, constitutes a response to a creaturely occasion. The suffering in each divine wound also occurs in two stages: a passive stage and an active stage. In divine grief, God suffers because of human sin, betrayal of the divine lover by the beloved human: divine sorrow as the passive stage of divine grief; and divine anguish as the active stage of divine grief. In divine self-sacrifice, God suffers in response to the misery or bondage of the beloved human's infidelity: divine travail (focused on the divine incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth) as the active stage of divine self-sacrifice; and divine agony (focused on divine suffering in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth) as the passive stage of divine self-sacrifice.

Download or read book Divine Disruption written by Dr. Tony Evans and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2021-11-09 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: USA Today Bestseller Learn how to work your way through life’s unexpected challenges with grace and find a deeper faith while on your journey. In this biblical and conversational book by Dr. Tony Evans and his four adult children—Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans—you will hear five insightful perspectives on what it means to hold on to faith when life breaks your heart. We have all been through difficult seasons and times in life when it seems like the hits keep coming and you can barely catch your breath. The Evans family knows what this is like, as they’ve experienced the deep grief of losing eight loved ones in less than two years’ time, including the devastating passing of Lois Evans, the matriarch of the family. In Divine Disruption, Dr. Tony Evans and his children pull back the curtain on their faith-shaking experiences, in order to provide biblical wisdom and practical encouragement for how to deal with the hard, unexpected things we all inevitably face. You’ll walk away with insights on: Why bad things happen despite a good and powerful God Persevering in difficult times and experiencing God’s peace What causes distress in your life—and how to move past it How to keep your faith from being damaged during tough times Join the Evans Family in this unique Kingdom Legacy partnership as they candidly share honest questions they’ve asked, raw emotions they’ve felt, and solutions they’ve learned. Your life may have been interrupted, but you can use that to grow closer to God—and find peace.

Download or read book The Mystery of God and Suffering written by Kenneth R. Overberg SJ and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humans have long searched for an adequate answer to an age-old question: If God is good, why do we suffer? An entire book of the Bible, Job, is dedicated to the problem of God and human suffering. Theologians across continents and centuries have debated the intricacies, inconsistencies, and assumptions the question elicits. And of course, many have turned to Jesus's own suffering, and his horrible death at the cross, in search of understanding. All too often, the resulting approaches to the mystery of suffering, though linked to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and traditions, fail to satisfy contemporary hearts and minds. The Mystery of God and Suffering draws guidance from the Gospel of John and the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians, and focuses on God's overflowing love in creation as a foundation for understanding Jesus's death and its implications for those who follow him. This work offers an alternative vision, one emphasizing incarnation over atonement, for all those who find themselves uneasy or even oppressed by the notion of a vindictive God who demands the suffering and death of his son. The Mystery of God and Suffering also speaks to a larger audience, comprised of all those who suffer and search for meaning in their suffering. With a focus on the eternal concepts of life and love that are not simply integral to but inseparable from a God who is good, as well as on insights of believers through the ages, The Mystery of God and Suffering offers wise guidance for our journey into the abyss of suffering.

Download or read book God s Wounds written by Jeff B Pool and published by James Clarke & Company. This book was released on 2011-07-28 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, Volume I: Divine Vulnerability and Creation is the first of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering. The larger study focuses its inquiry on the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely. The goal is then to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. In this first volume, the author develops an approach to interpreting the contested claims about the suffering of God. Through this approach to the Christian symbol of divine suffering, he then investigates the two major presuppositions that the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally hold: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love ('God is love'); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life - the imago Dei as love. When fully elaborated, these presuppositions reveal the conditions of possibility for divine suffering and divine vulnerability with respect to creation.