Papers by Daniel G Oprean
JURNALUL LIBERTATII DE CONSTIINTA, 2023
Kairos : Evangelical Journal of Theology, 2023
This paper aims to explore the dimensions of Joshua's journey of discipleship. The thesis of the ... more This paper aims to explore the dimensions of Joshua's journey of discipleship. The thesis of the paper is that such a journey begins with Joshua's movement from the shadow of Moses to the shadow of the Lord. And that means that Joshua is not only a person who follows in the footsteps of Moses, but he also advances uniquely towards fulfilling the call of God. And that is seen secondly, in the way he continues his journey, in a movement from the generation of Exodus that became the generation of failure, to which he belongs, by age, to the generation born in the wilderness that became the generation of entering the Promised Land. Joshua became part of that generation, through a continual advance, characterized by a constant submission, in obedience to the will of God. This continual advance in faithfulness, enables Joshua, as it is argued in the third part of the paper, not only to create a generation of obedience but also to become an inspirational model for future leaders and generations in the history of the people of God. Therefore, the exploration of the beginning, continuation, and fruit of Joshua's journey of discipleship, reveals the necessary ingredients of any journey of discipleship, beginning with the departure from human models and patterns, and continuing with a constant alignment with the patterns of the will of God. Only as such, a journey of discipleship could have as its fruit a relevant legacy, whose helpful illustration is Joshua and his life.
Patricia Runcan (coord.), Consiliere și Mentorare cu impact, Timișoara, Editura de Vest, 2021
Nu da povață celui ce nu ți-o cere, căci nu te ascultă. Însetează-l întâi. Pune-l în situația de ... more Nu da povață celui ce nu ți-o cere, căci nu te ascultă. Însetează-l întâi. Pune-l în situația de a ți-o cere. Și pe urmă spune-i-dacă ai de spus ceva." (C. Noica) Introducere Se vorbește mult despre consiliere în societatea contemporană. De la domeniul economic și financiar, până la cel politic și militar, conceptul "consiliere" este folosit pentru a defini un expert într-un anumit domeniu, capabil să ofere cele mai bune direcții de acțiune pentru o persoană, familie, organizație sau chiar țară. De aceea, există astăzi consilieri economici, financiari, militari, politici. În domeniul religios, deopotrivă, "piața" este invadată de consilieri spirituali care par specializați în consilierea familiei, a copiilor, a afacerilor, a bisericilor etc. Nu este, totdeauna, clar, însă, dacă experiența acestor consilieri se dovedește a fi benefică pentru cei consiliați. Din acest motiv, atunci când vorbim de consilierea spirituală, este vital să ne întoarcem cu atenție la modelul de consiliere al lui Hristos. În această lucrare sunt evidențiate trei dimensiuni ale ceea ce s-ar putea numi modelul hristic de consiliere spirituală. Având în vedere dimensiunile impuse de această lucrare, ne vom focaliza pe trei texte biblice care reliefează cele trei dimensiuni ale modelului hristic de consiliere. Primul text este cel din Luca 11:1, un text care evidențiază prima dimensiune a modelului-stârnirea interesului prin exemplul personal. Al doilea text este cel din Evanghelia după Marcu 4:1-35, un text care evidențiază a doua dimensiune a modelului hristic de consiliere-antrenarea receptivității prin învățare spirituală. Al treilea text este din Marcu 6:31-34, un text care evidențiază a treia dimensiune a modelului hristic de consilierecultivarea pasiunii spirituale prin dăruire sacrificială. Stârnirea interesului prin exemplul personal Sunt multe ocaziile în care Mântuitorul caută să stârnească interesul ucenicilor prin exemplul personal. Aici voi arăta acest lucru ȋntr-unul din episoadele în care Hristos le stârnește interesul pentru rugăciune: "Într-o zi, Isus se ruga într-un loc anumit. Când a isprăvit rugăciunea, unul din ucenicii Lui i-a zis: Doamne învață-ne să ne rugăm, Cum a învățat și Ioan pe ucenicii lui." (Luca 11:1). Episodul acesta este plasat într-un loc retras unde
Journal of Conscience , 2022
A Theological Reflection on Love as a Supreme Human Value. It is the aim of this article to under... more A Theological Reflection on Love as a Supreme Human Value. It is the aim of this article to underline the fact that love is not merely one of the human values, as conceived by human thought over history, but rather it is a supreme human value. This quality is given by the fact, as it will be argued by the theological argument of this article, love originates in God, being the way God lives in the complexity of the three divine Persons, who share the same being. Moreover, love, from a theological perspective, is expressed in creation of everything that exists, being the reason for the creative act of God, that is One in three Persons. Finally, the article will focus on the way Christ event is the culmination of God' s love, that is overflowed in creation and in the redemptive acts of the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit.
Perichoresis Volume 20. Doctoral Supplement (2022).
The aim of this work is threefold. First, it is an attempt to revisit the doctrine of God's gener... more The aim of this work is threefold. First, it is an attempt to revisit the doctrine of God's general revelation in conversation of dogmatic and biblical theology. Beyond the classical twofold categorizations of revelation, as natural and supernatural or general and special, in this work we argue for a threefold understanding of God's general revelation: revelation in history, revelation in conscience and revelation in creation. Second, we intend to affirm that the foundation for this threefold conception of general revelation is the doctrine of the Trinity and the perichoretic relationships between the three divine Persons in internal life of the Trinity as well as in their activity in creation and salvation. Therefore, history is a space of the Triune God's revelation, the revelation in conscience is a trinitarian activity, and revelation in creation is unfolding the Father, who creates through the Son in the Spirit. Third, we aim to affirm that there could be possible to elaborate a perichoretic model of God's general revelation. Being rooted in the perichoretic understanding of Trinity, such a model pressuposes the fact that the three forms of God's general revelation are indisolubly connected, without contradiction, separation or confusion.
JURNALUL LIBERTĂȚII DE CONȘTIINȚĂ VOL. 9, NR. 2, 2021
The aim of this article is to explore the theological foundation and expression of the concept of... more The aim of this article is to explore the theological foundation and expression of the concept of human dignity. Starting with the concept of imago Dei as the foundation for human dignity, and continuing with the expression of hu- man dignity, namely, human being’s place and role in creation, the argument will end with the affirmation of human dignity, namely, the aim of God’s re- demptive actions. The argument of this article has as its pressuposition the fact that according with the theological revelation, human dignity is inherent to humankind. Therefore, the article is a plea for a personalist view of human dignity as opposed to a functionalist view of human dignity.
Keywords: Human being, human dignity, theological reflection, creation, redemption.
ConScienS Conference Proceedings of Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies. Princeton,, 2021
It is the aim of this article to sketch the dimensions of Pauline theology of koinonia. The Chris... more It is the aim of this article to sketch the dimensions of Pauline theology of koinonia. The Christian life is lived in the reality of participation in Christ's death, resurrection and suffering. And these are the elements of what could be called the vertical dimension of koinonia with Christ, at the individual and communal level. There is also a horizontal dimension of koinonia with Christ, namely the communion of believers in the Body of Christ, the Church. Any individual believer is to acknowledge his participation in the community of Christ. This is actually reminded anytime when the believers share the Eucharist. The common element that connects the two dimensions, vertical and horizontal, of koinonia with Christ, is His example, expressed powerfully in his kenosis. The church mirrors Christ's kenosis in every member's attitude towards each other, in the embrace of the other in the same way in which, lovingly and sacrificially, Christ embraced humanity, in his body, transforming it from within.
Jurnal teologic Vol 19, Nr 2 , 2020
It is the aim of this article to explore the coordinates of Paul Fiddes' life journey. His life a... more It is the aim of this article to explore the coordinates of Paul Fiddes' life journey. His life as the sum of his encounters, is a beautiful illustration of the way an outstanding theologian's personality and scholarship is formed. Starting with his biography and continuing with his intellectual and spiritual encounters, the article will show the way his perspective on God roots his view of human beings and salvation, and the way in which he views the development of God's relationship with the world and of the world with God. Moreover, it will be revealed the fact that Fiddes' ecumenical thought, developed as a result of his ecumenical perspective on theology, namely the multidenominational, pluralistic and inclusive way of doing theology, in dialogue between Scriptures and tradition and in conversation with other traditions from the Christian family.
Jurnal teologic Vol 17, Nr 2, , 2018
This paper argues that first, the theology of Calvin in general, and his theology of ministry in ... more This paper argues that first, the theology of Calvin in general, and his theology of ministry in particular were shaped by his personal experience, by his education, and by the crisis in the Roman-Catholic Church. Second, this argument is based on the idea that every interpretation of Calvin's theology needs this large context, and third, Calvin's theology of ministry is based on his ecclesiological ideas.
Journal of Humanistic and Social Studies, Volume XI, No. 1 (21), 2020
The aim of this article is that to remind the fact that forgiveness is not a practice that should... more The aim of this article is that to remind the fact that forgiveness is not a practice that should be held captive for the religious life of a person or human community. Rather, it should be a practice of the public life of a society. Yet, there are biblical models for such a practice of forgiveneness, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Therefore, for the biblical model embodied by the prophet Jeremiah, the article will continue with the biblical model embodied by John the Baptist. The two are proeminent figure in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. The third model is that embodied by Jesus Christ, the central person in the New Testament. From the exploration of the three models, the paper will continue with the coordinates of Church's participation in Christ's model. It will end with the way the practice of forgiveness is reflected in Romanian society and politics after 1989.
Journal of Humanistic and Social Studies, Volume XII, No. 1 (23), 2021
It is the aim of this article to sketch the portrait of Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae as a public theolog... more It is the aim of this article to sketch the portrait of Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae as a public theologian. Starting with his biography and continuing with his intellectual and spiritual development will become clear that Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae was a theologian profoundly involved in the cultural, intelectual and spiritual life of the Romanian society of the twentieth century. We will observe the fact that the uniqueness of Dumitru Stăniloae in the tapestry of Romanian theological thought is given, among many other things, by his robust interaction with different traditions than his own, an interaction that roots his interdisciplinary, dialogical approach to theology. We will also focus on the way Stăniloae is a theologian who rediscovers the vital connection between theology and spirituality. Moreover, we will understand that there are also many elements in Stăniloae's theological thought that could be taken in account in a formulation of new ways of thinking about the Church and her mission in third millennium Romania.
Scientia Moralitas International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2020
It is the aim of this article to analyze a few remedies that could contribute to the cure of abus... more It is the aim of this article to analyze a few remedies that could contribute to the cure of abusive religiosity. Promoting a conversation between philosophy, psychology and theology, the article focuses on three such remedies. The first one is the holistic understanding of human nature, in all its complexity and with all its paradoxes. The second one is the proper understanding of the phenomenon of conversion with the contrast between conformation and transformation. The third one is the proper understanding and practice of authority, with all the danger that come with the exercise of power.
Kairos Evangelical Journal of Theology, Vol. XIV No. 2 , 2020
The aim of this paper is to explore a few factors that contribute to the tendency towards secular... more The aim of this paper is to explore a few factors that contribute to the tendency towards secularization in the evangelical churches in Central and Eastern Europe. It further suggests theological remedies to address the causes of secularization. The thesis of this paper is that there are three causes for the tendency towards secularization. First is the secularization of theological education, second is the crisis of ecclesial identity, and third is the secularization of leadership. The first proposal of this paper is that the remedy for the secularization of theological education is redefining theology as communion, theological education as transformation, and theological formation as discipleship. Second, the remedy for the crisis of ecclesial identity that leads to negative identity markers is the replacement of the external conformation model of Christian life (which leads to social isolation, subculturality, and spiritual abuse) with the internal transformation model, which leads to a healthy spirituality and a meaningful theology of mission. Third and finally, the remedy for the secularization of leadership is the rediscovery of the kenotic model of Christian life and ministry.
Dialogul dintre exegeză și teologie în predicarea biblică, 2018
Se consideră adesea că orice discurs teologic, ca și orice predică, trebuie să aibă o teză, o ant... more Se consideră adesea că orice discurs teologic, ca și orice predică, trebuie să aibă o teză, o antiteză și o metodă. Cu alte cuvinte, să răspundă la trei întrebări: "Ce?", "De ce?", și "Cum?". În această lucrare, încercăm să atragem atenția asupra faptului că, atunci când vorbim de teologie și predicare, esențială este și clarificarea tipului de public căruia discursul și/sau predica le sunt adresate, "Cui?". Conform lui John Stott, credincioșia față de textul biblic este primul criteriu de evaluare al predicării expozitive, claritatea în prezentare este cel deal doilea, iar relevanța față de audiență este cel deal treilea criteriu de evaluare. 1 Însă, relevanța este obținută prin studierea și cunoașterea audienței. 2 Tocmai la sublinierea importanței acestei cunoașteri, dorim să contribuie lucrarea de față. Metodologic, vom arăta mai întâi, pe scurt, modul în care David Tracy, un important teolog contemporan, privește prezența teologiei în societate, academie și biserică. Apoi, vom arăta că evanghelistul Luca, sub inspirație divină, prezintă Evanghelia ca "adevăr public", care se adresează nu numai nevoilor oamenilor din diverse categorii sociale, dar care are relevanță în contextul culturii, educației și spiritualității societății din vremea apostolului Pavel-un bun mod de a ne reaminti de relevanța perenă a Evangheliei, din vechime până în zilele noastre.
Dialogul dintre exegeză și teologie în predicarea biblică , 2018
Introducere Nu au fost puțini cei care au considerat Evanghelia după Marcu, cea mai scurtă dintre... more Introducere Nu au fost puțini cei care au considerat Evanghelia după Marcu, cea mai scurtă dintre Evanghelii, 1 o scriere nu foarte elaborată, poate scrisă de un autor mai puțin dotat din punct de vedere intelectual sau teologic. O lectură atentă însă a acestei prime Evanghelii scrise vreodată, revelează un spirit profund, al unui om care știe ce înseamnă călătoria dureroasă a uceniciei, de la imaturitatea care renunță, la maturitatea care perseverează, până la sfârșit. Evanghelia după Marcu poartă această amprentă a unei personalități profund transformate de exemplul lui Hristos. Scopul acestei lucrări este să ofere lumină asupra modului în care teme teologice importante pentru gândirea primului secol creștin, sunt regăsite în scrierea lui Marcu, în urma influenței incontestabile a doi dintre mentorii săi: apostolii Pavel și Petru. Astfel, aceste teme teologice devin importante pentru predicarea din textul evangheliei după Marcu, mai specific pentru respectarea primului principiu al predicării expozitive, cel al credincioșiei față de text. 2 Metodologic, vom observa cum Evanghelia după Marcu, fiind prima evanghelie scrisă și, pentru o scurtă vreme în istorie, chiar singura Evanghelie existentă, ocazionează și înregistrează o serie de premiere. Pentru prima dată în creștinism sunt consemnate evenimente semnificative teologic, atât din viața lui Iisus Hristos, din viețile ucenicilor Săi, cât și din viața comunității căreia îi este adresată Evanghelia după Marcu.
Dialogul dintre exegeză și teologie în predicarea biblică , 2018
Plērōma anul XII nr. 2, 2010
This paper ("The Sovereignty of God in History: The Key of Biblical Eschatology") aims to demonst... more This paper ("The Sovereignty of God in History: The Key of Biblical Eschatology") aims to demonstrate that the understanding of God's sovereignty in history is the key of biblical eschatology. It can also be the remedy for an eschatology which deforms God's character and relegates Christ to a secondary place in the history of humanity. A biblical eschatology is framed by God's sovereignty and is rooted in the Person Introducere Trăim vremuri în care îngrijorarea cu privire la viitor pare a afecta din ce în ce mai mult nu numai societatea în ansamblul ei, ci şi pe cei care declară că se încred într-un Dumnezeu bun şi suveran. Această stare de fapt, pe de o parte afectează adesea credinţa că Dumnezeul Suveran nu a pierdut controlul asupra umanităţii, iar pe de altă parte constituie solul fertil pentru scenarii care Îl transformă pe Dumnezeu-Tatăl într-un personaj secundar în istorie. La rândul lor, aceste scenarii conduc o eshatologie
Postmodernity - friend or foe? Communicating the Gospel to postmodern people: Theological and Practical Reflections from Central Eastern Europe , 2009
Religion as a Factor of Intercultural Dialogue , 2019
Plērōma anul XIII nr. 2,, 2011
The present paper ("The Grammar of Discipleship: Reflections from Apostle Paul's Spiritual Journe... more The present paper ("The Grammar of Discipleship: Reflections from Apostle Paul's Spiritual Journey") aims to explore the dynamics of the life of discipleship, seen as a spiritual journey which brings transformation and growth and entails moving from unbelief to believing, from zeal without understanding to a ministry inspired by the Spirit and from following a model to assuming the status of a model for others. The argument is developed by using the coordinates of the spiritual life, beginning with the road of Damascus, seen as a metaphor of the fundamental dimensions of discipleship, continuing with the road to Arabia, seen as a metaphor illustrating the formative dimension of discipleship, and ending with the road to Rome, seen as a metaphor which portrays the sacrificial dimension of discipleship.
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Papers by Daniel G Oprean
Keywords: Human being, human dignity, theological reflection, creation, redemption.
Keywords: Human being, human dignity, theological reflection, creation, redemption.