Videos by Benno van den Toren
Developed in collaboration with scholars and librarians in Africa and around the globe, African T... more Developed in collaboration with scholars and librarians in Africa and around the globe, African Theology Worldwide is a new and developing, freely accessible online platform for African Christian Theology. Supported by the Protestant Theological University, and generously funded by the John Templeton Foundation and other donors, it contains a collaborative bibliography, bibliographical encyclopaedia articles, a research portal, and other supporting materials that direct researchers to the best available resources and provide access to a wide variety of online materials. 2 views
Articles by Benno van den Toren
Asia Journal of Theology, 2021
This article orchestrates an intercultural theological conversation between Karl Barth's theology... more This article orchestrates an intercultural theological conversation between Karl Barth's theology of religions and selected Asian Christian theologians. The latter rightly stress that Barth's criticism of religions is mainly concerned with Christian religion, although it does allow for the recognition of "other true lights. " Yet, insufficient attention is paid to the fact that Barth considers Christianity in particular "the true religion. " In critical conversation with these Asian reflections, it becomes clear that we need to move beyond Barth because (1) his Christocentrism neglects God's presence as Creator and Spirit in other religious traditions, (2) Barth's actualism does not allow him to properly distinguish between the word of God in the Christian Scriptures and in the "other lights, " and (3) this actualism stands in the way of a full recognition of the historical nature of revelation and salvation in Christ.
The Bibliographical Encyclopaedia of African Theology, 2021
De kerntheorie van Alvin Plantinga, 1998
Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology, 2007
European Journal of Theology, 1993
Evangelical Review of Theology, 2009
Examines a revival that occurred among the Igbo people of Nigeria, and the new Pentecostal church... more Examines a revival that occurred among the Igbo people of Nigeria, and the new Pentecostal churches it generated.
Perspectives Missionaires, 2009
Former des disciples dans la forêt équatoriale
Hokhma, 2010
Formation des disciples parmi les Pygmées Aka de la République Centrafricaine.
In: Messiaanse exegese: Bijbelse theologie met het oog op het Rijk: Opstellen aangeboden aan Rinse Reeling Brouwer, 2019
Uitgegeven als: 'Babel werd een babbelstad? Een messiaanse lezing van de babylonische spraakverwa... more Uitgegeven als: 'Babel werd een babbelstad? Een messiaanse lezing van de babylonische spraakverwarring'. In Messiaanse exegese: Bijbelse theologie met het oog op het Rijk: Opstellen aangeboden aan Rinse Reeling Brouwer, red. Rinse Reeling Brouwer, Edward van 't Slot, Ariaan Baan, Renée van Riessen, Marco Visser en Wilken Veen, Zoetermeer: Boekencentrum, 2019, pp.79-88. Paginanummers in de tekst.]
Interkulturelle Theologie. Zeitschrift Für Missionswissenschaft, 2019
Exchange, 1997
218] Christ has been presented as the answer to questions a white man would ask, the solution to ... more 218] Christ has been presented as the answer to questions a white man would ask, the solution to needs that western man would feel, the Saviour of the world of the European world-view, the object of the adoration and prayer of historic Christendom. But if Christ were to appear as the answer to questions that Africans are asking, what would he look like? (John V. Taylor, quoted by Bediako 1990:5) This article aims at a description and appreciation of the unusual combination in the theology of the Ghanaian theologian Kwame Bediako of a positively open and appreciative attitude towards the traditional African religious context and at the same time a solid Christocentric stance. The central question of this paper will be whether this unusual combination is possible or whether it leads to untenable tensions which would force him in the end to give priority to one at the expense of the other. This is of course highly relevant from a mission perspective: if we aim to bring Jesus Christ to people, a Christocentric theology should be the starting point and an openness to the context is essential; but in many theological positions both poles are more rivals than allies.
Science and Christian Belief, 2016
This article explores the value of the distinction between 'doctrine' and 'theological theory' fo... more This article explores the value of the distinction between 'doctrine' and 'theological theory' for creating space at the interface between the natural sciences and theology. It argues that in a taxonomy of theological statements, doctrines have a different role and greater weight than theological theories. Doctrines express the teachings of the church that guard Christian identity and regulate the Christian life. As such they also make truth claims that can be in tension with scientific theories, for example concerning the origin of the human species. However, these tensions are often experienced more particularly at the level of theological theories, which are developed to gain a deeper understanding of the reality of the Gospel behind these doctrines. Though these theories are important as an expression of our desire to know God, in order to understand the different facets of human experience and for apologetic reasons, they are of secondary importance compared to doctrines and should be held more lightly. Because theological theories are often more deeply shaped by available cultural thought-forms than doctrines, they can be and sometimes should be exchanged for alternatives that make more sense in the light of the totality of our experience, including insights gained from the natural sciences.
Kontekstueel, 2001
DR. BENNO VAN DEN TOREN Voor velen blijft Europa gevoelsmatig het centrum van de wereld en het is... more DR. BENNO VAN DEN TOREN Voor velen blijft Europa gevoelsmatig het centrum van de wereld en het is natuurlijk ook het centrum van onze wereld, maar het zou jammer zijn als onze aandacht voor Afrikaanse en andere niet-westerse theologie vooral een exotische interesse was. Je leest erover, zoals velen keken naar de dia's op een zendingsavond: dankbaar dat God ook buiten Europa werkt, maar zonder dat medechristenen ver weg je wezenlijk iets te zeggen hebben. Dat kan niet, want de kerk van Christus is een kerk van alle tijden en van alle plaatsen. Heel concreet zien we ook dat het zwaa rtepunt van de christelijke kerk de laatste jaren naar de landen ten zuiden van de evenaar verschoven is, vooral naar Afrika en Latijns -Amerika.
Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift, 2016
The recent report of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences on the future of Religiou... more The recent report of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences on the future of Religious Studies and Theology Klaar om te wenden (2015) pleads for a close collaboration between Religious Studies and Theology, but remains unclear on the precise contribution of theology to the joint study of 'lived religion'. On the basis of a reflection on processes of secularization in sub-Saharan Africa, this author argues for the need of questioning the theological convictions in concepts of religion implicit in notions of secularization. Theology is furthermore essential for the critical formulation of value judgments on different aspects of the process of secularization that are crucial for the public relevance of the study of religion envisaged by the report.
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Videos by Benno van den Toren
Articles by Benno van den Toren