Books on the topic 'Christianity's historicality'

This chapter looks at emigrants’ religious experiences in the final decades of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, when emigration took place either in larger wooden sailing ships, or in steamships. These larger vessels made religious encounters across the various classes of passengers less common, but such encounters as did occur are found to be broadly similar to those in previous decades, with both the maintenance of religious difference and new sympathies across religious divides occurring. There were common elements that facilitated this experience. So the conclusion is reached that their particular form of Christianity was important to many emigrants, and the emigrant voyage gave quite a number of emigrants a surprising experience of religious similarity with different Christian denominations. These factors made Christianity a more central aspect of British colonial societies than has been maintained historically.

This is a historically infused study of the intersection of local encounters with global religion (Christianity) in Latin America. Using a mixture of deep archival research and ethnographic methods, this book discusses how everyday people inscribe supernormal spirit power (in a variety of guises) with the ability to provide alternative sources of authority and validate “otros saberes” (other knowledges or epistemologies) in the context of specific cultures to create order and meaning in a chaotic late-capitalist universe. This work is about emerging forms of “new” Christianity in Latin America—a Christianity that is as utilitarian as it is miraculous and as quotidian as it is supernatural. It is “new” in that it is innately modern in a very specific sense, directly empowering believers with a repertoire of strategies to survive, even thrive, in a challenging and often hostile modern world.

The Oxford History of Anglicanism is a major new and unprecedented international study of the identity and historical influence of one of the world’s largest versions of Christianity. This global study of Anglicanism from the sixteenth century examines how Anglican identity was constructed and contested at various periods since the sixteenth century; and its historical influence during the past six centuries. It explores not just the ecclesiastical and theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political, social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of Christianity that has been historically significant in Western culture, and a burgeoning force in non-Western societies today. The chapters are written by international experts in their various historical fields which includes the most recent research in their areas, as well as original research. The series forms an invaluable reference for both scholars and interested non-specialists. Volume V of The Oxford History of Anglicanism explores Anglicanism from 1910 to 2000.

The Introduction presents the issue of the importance of Hegel’s account of the world religions and the neglect of this material in the secondary literature. An account is given of the quite limited secondary literature on this topic. The main theses of the work are stated: Hegel’s interpretation and defense of Christianity cannot be properly understood without an appreciation of his assessment of the other world religions. A key claim in his argument is that the different religions develop historically parallel to the development of human culture and spirit. Thus, the story of the development of the different conceptions of the gods is at the same time the story of the development of human freedom.

Chapter 1 gives an account of the methodology and organization of Hegel’s Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. He wishes to restore religion to its proper position by restoring the traditional doctrines of Christianity. But to do this it is necessary to see how the conception of the divine has developed historically through the different world religions. Hegel wishes to show that the general state of a given culture or people can be seen reflected in its conception of the divine. Thus, he can trace the development of human culture or “spirit” through history by analyzing the different world religions. Finally, an account is given of the rise of Orientalism in Europe during Hegel’s time and its influence on his thinking.

Dogmatic truth claims historically played a decisive role in shaping the identities of the various branches and denominations of Christianity. The demise of traditional metaphysics through the rise of modern epistemologies during the Enlightenment led to reformulations of ecclesiology in the nineteenth century. This chapter offers a selective survey of these reformulations. Under Kant’s shadow, Schleiermacher and Hegel defended the right-of-residence of the Church in this world while concurring that doctrinal truth claims could no longer be considered the ground and purpose of the Church. Another reactionary strand of nineteenth-century ecclesiology, evident in the Oxford Movement and Vatican I, responded to the onslaught of modern incredulities towards ecclesial dogmas by attempting to restore the primacy of theological ontology over epistemology.

Theologically and historically sound, Resane’s South African Christian Experiences: From Colonialism to Democracy, envisions a robust Christianity that acknowledges itself as “a community of justified sinners” who are on an eschatological journey of conversion. This Christianity does not look away from its historical sins and participation in corruption and evils such as Apartheid. Resane argues that failing to adhere to Jesus’ teachings is not a reason for Christianity to recede from public life. Rather, doing so further pushes Christianity away from Jesus who emphatically called for the Church to engage in the liberation of society. By framing how the Christian must engage with his/her community as a component to belief – that saying must mean doing for belief to happen – Resane frames his theology as an eschatological clarion call for internal and social renewal, an interplay between the individual Christian, the communal churches of Christ, and society at large. Dr J. Sands – Northwest University “Drawing from our own wells” is a prophetic call for theologians to develop context specific liberation theologies drawn from their own contexts, history, experiences, and different types of knowledge. This book locates its loci in the historical and contemporary context in South Africa, as well as drawing from the rich legacy of liberation theologies including African, Kairos, Black, Circle and many other theologies to address contemporary issues facing South Africa. Resane’s book contributes towards enhancing the much needed local theologies of liberation based on contextual realities and knowledges. Dr Nontando Hadebe – Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians South African Christian Experiences: From Colonialism to Democracy captures the societal binaries that are part and parcel of Christianity, especially in the African context. The definition of God is also affected by these binaries, such as, is God Black or White? The book proposes both the non-binary approach, and the process of inculturation. The work also shows how not to have one theology, but different theologies, hence references and expansions on the Trinity, Pneumatology, Christology, etc. Furthermore, this work portrays Christ as seen from an African point of view, and what it means to attach African attributes to Christ, as opposed to the traditional Western understanding. Rev. Fr. Thabang Nkadimeng – History of Christianity, University of KwaZulu Natal Resane has dug deep into the history of the church in South Africa, and brought the experiences of Indigenous people and Christians, including theologians, to the attention of every reader. The author demonstrates an intense knowledge of the history of Christianity. He also portrays that there is still more to be done, both from the Christian historical perspective and the theological perspective for the church to be relevant to all the contexts in which it finds itself. Prof. Mokhele Madise – Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology, University of South Africa

THIS CHAPTER SETS the foundation necessary for appreciating Urfalli Suryani religious emotionality through essential elements in the local musical experience. It draws on the history of the Syrian Orthodox Church, on Syriac liturgy and theology, and on living Lenten practices rooted in early asceticism, to underscore survival. The chapter locates the Syriac chant of Edessa not only historically in relation to early Christianity but also in the contemporary context of Aleppo and its social space. Through the example of a chant that accompanies daily bowing, the narrative situates living practice simultaneously in the church’s early roots and in its contemporary urban surrounding. Here, the body, and its (in)significance, will emerge as essential to local forms of knowledge, value, and musicality in Hayy al-Suryan, to which the next chapters will turn.

This chapter explores the radical Anglican contribution to the sudden upsurge of political radicalism which Britain experienced in the late 1960s. As the Sixties progressed, increasing numbers of Anglican radicals were drawn to revolutionary politics by their readings of Christian eschatology, a phenomenon which split the movement between revolutionaries and moderates. Since the secularization metanarrative was becoming increasingly normalized, and since politics was not one of the churches’ historically recognized areas of special authority, radical Christianities played only a contributory role in Britain’s ‘1968’. Nonetheless, radical Christian organizations were often financially and organizationally privileged compared to their secular counterparts, and this allowed them to punch above their numerical weight. Radical Anglican expectations of a coming political revolution peaked in 1968 and 1969; the disappointment of these hopes in the early 1970s provided a central catalyst for the disintegration of Christian radicalism as a cohesive movement.

All singular terms for designating a religious tradition (e.g. Buddhism, Christianity) belie their multiplex diversity. Historically evolved, culturally embodied religious traditions are by their very nature dynamic, complex, and multilayered. Buddhism is no exception. The tripartite division that developed to encompass the historical breadth of the Buddhist tradition—Hinayana (Theravada), Mahayana, Tantrayana (Vajrayana)—merely suggests a diversity that includes perhaps hundreds if not thousands of different sects, subsects, and movements. Even broad historical-cultural distinctions such as Thai Buddhism or Japanese Buddhism fail to encompass differences in belief and practice interwoven into the textures of global Buddhisms. This chapter addresses the question of Buddhist encounters with diversity in terms of the tripartite division familiar to all Buddhist traditions, namely, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. While this model is shared by the varied forms of Buddhism, the ways in which it is embodied and expressed have been quite diverse.

Paul has been rediscovered outside of the apostle’s traditional religious reading circles, particularly among radical leftist philosophers such as Giorgio Agamben, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj Žižek. This is the first book to historically and philosophically situate the forerunner of this recent philosophical turn to Paul, the Jewish rabbi and philosopher Jacob Taubes (1923–1987). Paul becomes an effective tool for Taubes to position himself within European philosophical debates of the twentieth century, a position he gains through Nietzsche’s polemical readings of the ancient apostle as well as through Freud’s psychoanalysis. Taubes performs a powerful deconstruction of dominant conceptions of the apostle, such as the view that Paul is the first Christian who broke definitively with Judaism and drained Christianity of its political potential. As a Jewish rabbi steeped in a philosophical tradition marked by European Christianity, Taubes is able to emphasize Paul’s Jewishness as well as the political explosiveness of the apostle’s revolutionary doctrine of the cross. For Taubes, the Pauline movement was the birth of a politics of ugliness, the invention of a revolutionary notion trenchantly critical of the “beautiful” culture of the powerful, a movement which sides definitively with the oppressed—the “crucified”—against the strong. Building on Nietzsche’s and Taubes’s insights, Løland suggests future directions that readings of Paul the apostle might lead in light of recent biblical scholarship on Paul and current discussions of the Pauline epistles within reading circles of the continental philosophers.

Historically, the majority of Pentecostal churches stem from holiness and revivalistic streams of Christianity, while neo-Pentecostal churches are often indigenous plantings that broke away from congregations established by earlier Protestant mission. Given their stress on religious experience and their belief in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostal churches have always stressed individual holiness, and this holiness is understood in terms of abstinence from drugs, alcohol, gambling, immodest dress, and sexual immorality as traditionally defined. This chapter describes adjustments and initiatives that indicate how new norms may emerge. The issue is essentially concerned with the interpretation of Scripture and variations in church government. Where these interpretations align with an LBGT-friendly hermeneutic, LBGT-friendly Pentecostal churches will and have emerged. Such changes tend to occur in new or split-off groups rather than in traditional Pentecostal denominations, especially when denominations are governed by large ministerial conferences where decisions are by secret ballot.

Hate as an emotion, while not exactly the same in all instances, manifests in certain ways regardless of whether the context is religion, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, or other kinds of difference. Religious ideologies and institutions historically have served as backgrounds that condition the performance of hatred by individuals and groups. Some religious hatred arises from intellectual cultures characterized by an absolutizing worldview, in which reality is parsed into clearly bounded categories of holy and unholy, good and evil, saved and damned. Religion is a marker of group identity, and is frequently interwoven with other aspects of identity, including nationalistic, ethnic, and cultural elements. Religious hatred, accordingly, is sometimes mixed with hatred having to do with ethnicity or nationalistic fervor. Religious hatred is most easily observed in violence, and it is through violence that it is most effectively expressed. In the history of religious hatred in the West, Judaism shares the center stage with Christianity and Islam. Religious hatred is not limited to monotheistic religions.

The Oxford History of Anglicanism is a major new and unprecedented international study of the identity and historical influence of one of the world’s largest versions of Christianity. This global study of Anglicanism from the sixteenth century looks at how Anglican identity was constructed and contested at various periods since the sixteenth century; and its historical influence during the past six centuries. It explores not just the ecclesiastical and theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political, social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of Christianity that has been historically significant in Western culture, and a burgeoning force in non-Western societies today. The chapters are written by international experts in their various historical fields which includes the most recent research in their areas, as well as original research. The series forms an invaluable reference for both scholars and interested non-specialists. Volume II of The Oxford History of Anglicanism explores the period between 1662 and 1829 when its defining feature was arguably its establishment status, which gave the Church of England a political and social position greater than before or since. The contributors explore the consequences for the Anglican Church of its establishment position and the effects of being the established Church of an emerging global power. The volume examines the ways in which the Anglican Church engaged with Evangelicalism and the Enlightenment; outlines the constitutional situation and main challenges and opportunities facing the Church; considers the Anglican Church in the regions and parts of the growing British Empire; and includes a number of thematic chapters assessing continuity and change.

While Western moral, philosophical, and theological thought has historically privileged the good, this has been accompanied by profound, if subterranean, interest in evil. This book charts a history of evil as it has been thought within this tradition. Showing that the problem of evil, as a conceptual problem—that is, as a problem to be dealt with through rational means—came to the fore with the rise of monotheism, this book initially outlines the dynamics that led to it becoming the problem of Christianity, before tracing how subsequent thought, first within an explicitly theological framework, and subsequently from secular foundations, developed from this problematic. With chapters on figures in early and Medieval Christian philosophy, modern philosophy, German Idealism, Nietzsche, Arendt, post-structuralism, and contemporary analytical philosophy, it demonstrates the breadth and depth of thinking on evil within this tradition and includes discussions on thinkers not normally included in analyses of the topic, such as Jacques Lacan and Cornelius Castoriadis. These reveal that, far from being something clear and obvious as common-sense, everyday intuition tends to hold, the meaning and nature of evil has been remarkably complex, differentiated, and contested.

No figure of fourth-century Christianity seems to be both so well known and clouded in mystery as Hilary of Poitiers. His invaluable position historically is unquestioned, but the coherence and significance of his own thought is less certain. While scholars have worked to renew Hilary’s place within his historical and polemical context, much remains to be said concerning his actual contribution within these revised contextual parameters, and the overall shape of his thought remains obscure. This book provides a new paradigm for understanding Hilary’s De Trinitate. It contends that in all of Hilary’s polemical and constructive argumentation, which is essentially trinitarian, he is inherently developing an anthropology. This work therefore reinterprets Hilary’s overall theological project in terms of the continual, and for him necessary, anthropological corollary of trinitarian theology—to reframe it in terms of a “trinitarian anthropology.” The coherence of Hilary’s work depends upon this framework, and without it his thought will continue to elude his readers. The book demonstrates this by following Hilary’s main lines of trinitarian argument, out of which flows his anthropological vision. These main lines of argument, divided into the book’s chapters, unfold into a progressive picture of humanity from potentiality to perfection. This work will also aid those seeking a more precise picture of fourth-century polemical controversy through trenchant examination of the theologies involved and the philosophical and historical influences acting upon them. The book also places the controversy in the context of its theological heritage, providing a helpful guide to previous Christian thought.