Refounding and Repeating: Ways to the New

In this article, I present insights from an empirical study of a congregation which consists of a medley of refugees from the Middle East who have recently converted from Islam and ethnic Danes whose families have belonged to the Lutheran Church for generations. 1 The empirical material is analyzed in light of Søren Kierkegaard's category of repetition, in the sense of receiving anew, because this phenomenon appears crucial, not only to the genre of preaching but to preachers and listeners alike – especially, in times and situations of transition. I suggest that the Kierkegaardian notion of repetition may be useful as a homiletical category with regard of scholars' method, preachers' preparation and listeners' appropriation of preaching.

Christians often speak about revival; believers are encouraged to pray for and seek revival; books and articles are written on this subject. However, the New Testament does not use the expression “revival” on a semantic level. Therefore, the question is raised about the origins of the wording and the idea of revival in the New Testament church. To what extent is it justifiable to talk about revival? Since the concept of revival comes from the Old Testament, this paper analyzes key terms and verses in the Old Testament, and then analyzes in which ways and to what extent the New Testament speaks about it. The discussion argues that the New Testament connects revival, restoration or renewal primarily with Christ and his salvific work. Furthermore, the coming of the kingdom anticipated within Jesus’ ministry demands a harmonization of the Old Testament concept of revival with the new reality. Moreover, it could be said that the concept of revival in some segments represents an obstacle for Christians to adopt Jesus’ model of the manifestation of God’s kingdom. Ključne riječi revival; renewal; awakening; kingdom; context

Recapitulation and the Eternal Kingdom of Christ, 2018

*This paper was written as a senior capstone project for my undergraduate degree. I must admit that I am not as convinced of the arguments here as I used to be. While the view advocated for here is certainly possible, I currently find the amillennial view more consistent overall. Abstract: When investigating what the Scriptures say regarding the millennium, many people are essentially figuring out which pre-established system (traditional pre-millennialism, amillennialism, or postmillennialism) they should agree with. A potential result of such a mindset is that one may not sufficiently read the Scripture on its own terms apart from the predetermined categories of these systems. Consequently, one may overlook important interpretive features of the text. This misstep may indeed be taking place in popular understandings of Revelation 19-22. Space will not allow for an in-depth critique of the various millennial views. However, this paper seeks to set forth a view of the series of visions in Revelation 19:11-22:5 that may do better justice to the composition of Revelation and the whole of the biblical witness regarding the last days. This view contends that the judgment of Revelation 19:11-20:3 and the millennial reign of 20:4-6 are visionary depictions of the same events as the judgment of 20:7-15 and the new creation of 21:1-22:5.In particular, the battle of Armageddon and the battle of Gog and Magog are the same event depicted different ways, and the millennium and the new creation are also the same event envisioned two different ways. In order to investigate this thesis, this paper examines patterns of recapitulation in the visions of Revelation 6-16. Then, it looks at the development of the visions of 19:11-22:5 with special emphasis on the intertextual allusions made by the author that indicate the relationships among the visions.

Ecclesial Futures

2015

This paper argues that precisely by focusing on the continuation of tradition, Old Catholic theology is able to arrive at theological renewal, especially in an intercultural manner and in ecumenical dialogue. As a case study, this paper considers the recent dialogue between the Union of Utrecht of Old Catholic Church and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church.

Religious Studies Review, 2007

holding the Word and Eucharist in equal tension and possessing a structure of worship that not only challenges but also elicits a response from its members as to who they are called to be in Christ. A service order determined by fads and a desire to be relevant to contemporary society shapes the church and its members in the image of the world and not of Christ-a trend that "spells doom for [the church] and for the world."

Religions, 2019

The dual concern of this article is to present the vision of the church articulated by the renowned generation of Catholic ressourcement thinkers in the mid-twentieth century, and to demonstrate its continued fecundity in the pluralist, multi-cultural context of contemporary western society. It seeks to contribute primarily to ecclesiology, while also providing historical and social commentary with respectful suggestions for its relevance to present-day ecclesiology. The article provides an interpretative framework for understanding ressourcement with reference to its philosophical foundations and the vision of its founders. Its aims are, first, to articulate the role of ressourcement in the modern context and, secondly, to document the genesis and emergence of that movement’s perception of the church’s mandate in the world, based on an essential return to the sources of Christianity. The paper presents the public vision of ressourcement ecclesiology in two parts, drawing principall...

The Esoteric Quarterly, 2013

The purpose of this article is to introduce the reader to the types of esoteric Christianity that have developed out of the ancient mystery traditions of Greece, Egypt, and various other locales. Additionally, it seeks to demonstrate how incorporating these esoteric aspects into mainstream Christianity will produce a more informed participant of the Christian faith. By examining the rituals of the mystery traditions, principally those of death and rebirth, one can identify a connection between Christian practices and the ancient mysteries. In this article, the frayed ends of those traditions are found to reconstitute in the Christian religious system, particularly within its esoteric branches. The writings of Christian esotericists such as Richard Smoley, Antoine Faivre, Rudolf Steiner—and even the Universalist philosophy of Alain Badiou—are shown to reveal spiritual components absent from mainstream Christianity. Their work provides a roadmap to the secret teachings espoused by Christ Jesus, i.e. that of self-apostleship or self-initiation.

The first step in developing a practice for the church lies in rooting your practice in the biblical text. One must study God's Word to discover what he says about your ministry. In Matthew chapter 16, we find the story of the origins of the church. Jesus teaches about the essential nature of the church. There's no better source in looking for a keys to church growth and health than the inventor's words themselves, for truly the church was God's idea. That must never be forgotten. Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). What did Jesus mean? What is the church? What do churches do?

Josephinum Journal of Theology, 2018

Attempts to implement the Second Vatican Council's call for a Scriptural renewal of moral theology have proven to be rare, due to its challenging nature and the shortage of viable models. The goal of this article is to propose such a model. We will begin by examining the Second Vatican Council's vision of a renewal. We will then draw out a model from John Paul II's moral theology by analyzing his work in Veritatis splendor and the theology of the body catecheses. In the light of these basic hermeneutical and exegetical guidelines, we will finally sketch out how moral theologians can use his model as a kind of flexible "renewal recipe," to direct and guide their own development of a Scripturally nourished moral theology.