The Divine Wisdom and the Divine Economy

I am warmly grateful for the constructive comments and insightful questions of a range of people in respect of the material articulated in this paper – John Behr, Christophe Chalamet, Paul Dafydd Jones, Tom Greggs, Friedrich Lohmann, Christoph Schwöbel, Janet Soskice, and (especially) Phil Ziegler.Peer reviewedPostprin

Posterity or Prosperity? Critiquing and Refiguring Prosperity Theologies in an Ecological Age

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, prosperity theologies have simultaneously received a warm reception by some and a critical cold shoulder by others. With emotive responses provoked on both sides, what cannot be ignored is the influence prosperity thinking has, and will have, on the global church. Yet, little to no attention has been devoted to the intersection between prosperity theology and the issues surrounding the ecological crisis, such as climate change, environmental degradation, human greed, and wanton consumerism. Does such an intersection exist? This article explores this question by contrasting prosperity theology’s divine economy and agrarianism’s great economy. In sum, it suggests that the uncritical reception of prosperity teachings— though they speak pointedly to real, felt human needs—can ultimately create ecologically harmful, if not anti-ecological, modes of thinking and living within its adherents

Posterity or Prosperity? Critiquing and Refiguring Prosperity Theologies in an Ecological Age

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, prosperity theologies have simultaneously received a warm reception by some and a critical cold shoulder by others. With emotive responses provoked on both sides, what cannot be ignored is the influence prosperity thinking has, and will have, on the global church. Yet, little to no attention has been devoted to the intersection between prosperity theology and the issues surrounding the ecological crisis, such as climate change, environmental degradation, human greed, and wanton consumerism. Does such an intersection exist? This article explores this question by contrasting prosperity theology’s divine economy and agrarianism’s great economy. In sum, it suggests that the uncritical reception of prosperity teachings— though they speak pointedly to real, felt human needs—can ultimately create ecologically harmful, if not anti-ecological, modes of thinking and living within its adherents

Opera Trinitatis Ad Extra and Collective Agency

This paper assesses the viability of the model of ”collective action’ for the understanding of the doctrine of the inseparability of trinitarian operations, broadly conceived within a Social-Trinitarian framework. I argue that a ”loose’ understanding of this inseparability as ”unity of intention’ is insufficiently monotheistic and that it can be ”tightened’ by an understanding of the ontology of triune operations analogically modelled after collective actions of a ”constitutive’ kind. I also show that attention to the ”description relativity of action ascriptions’ can potentially move us beyond the impasse of the doctrine of appropriation. Finally, I respond to potential objections

A Postmodernist Theologian\u27s Critique of Capitalism

Radically Orthodox theologians believe they are developing an operative Christian economics qualitatively different from the economics with which Christian economists are familiar. Some use postmodernist concepts, relating to desire and power. This paper evaluates a leading exponent of this thesis, Daniel Bell Jr., in his 2012 Economy of Desire, a book so far overlooked in Christian economics discussion. This paper contends that Bell does not take the case for an alternative Christian economics further than where earlier Christian economists had reached, that postmodernist concepts do not illuminate the issues, and that his critique of capitalism does not lead to clear-cut alternatives. The case here is that capitalism is in process of being reformed incrementally on the road to the alternative or divine economy — the mustard seed notion. In the last section, instances are given of how this is being achieved

'And a sword will pierce your soul also’: reflections on the holy mother and the holy child

This article explores themes of maternal purification and the separation of mother and child through close attention to the presentation narratives in Luke 2. It draws upon cultural theory, artistic representations of the narratives and theological reflection upon experience to address the ambiguities of the maternal relation. It suggests that a recovery of this ambiguity is a necessary not only for understanding this particular biblical event but also our relations with the divine

In memory of Konrad von Hofmann, 1810-1877

Hofmann wanted to teach \u27the old truth in a new garb\u27. Taking seriously the rationalists\u27 impact on the orthodox view of scripture, he tried to verify Christian truth by appealing to a personal experience of regeneration. Divine revelation proceeded in a series of historical events Heilsgeschichte mediated to us through scripture, which bears earmarks, linguistic and cultural, of the times of its composition. he modified the orthodox view of the Atonement, saying that reconciliation was made not through Christ but rather in Christ. Because of the historical view of scripture, he took a keen interest in the unfolding of the eschatological drama at the end of time. Erlangen theology