Niebuhr, Hromadka, Troeltsch, and Barth

Niebuhr, Hromadka, Troeltsch, and Barth
Author: Kosuke Nishitani
Publisher: Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers
Total Pages: 432
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN:

Just as history of the twentieth century experienced dramatic events - World War I, Communism, Nazism, World War II, the Cold War, and the ruin of the Soviet Union - Christian theology underwent significant phases: dialectic theology, de-mythologization, theology of hope, theology of liberation, and post-liberal theology of narrative. One of its most important advances is the recognition that the departure point of theology is nothing, but God's self-revelation. While evaluating this vantage point, the author explores a new, necessary perspective for relevant Christian social ethics by analyzing the theological relations of Niebuhr, the American theologian of liberal democracy; Hromadka, the Czech theologian of communism; Barth, the Swiss theologian of revelation; and Troeltsch, the German theologian of history.

Castle and Cathedral

Castle and Cathedral
Author: Bruce R. Berglund
Publisher: Central European University Press
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2017-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9633862361

This book takes a new approach to interwar Prague by addressing religion as an integral part of the city's cultural history. Berglund views Prague's cultural history in the broader context of religious change and secularization in 20th-century Europe. Based on detailed knowledge of sources, the monograph explores the interdisciplinary linkages between politics, architecture and theology in the building of symbolism and a "new mythology" of the first Czechoslovak republic (1918-1938). Berglunds text provides an important service for understanding both Czech history as well as current Czech political debate. The author's method can be characterized as culture history, able to connect several disciplines, emphasizing common topic (religion, politics, symbolics). Modern Czech elites, superficially characterized as "ateistic", appears in a new light to be deeply religious, a transition from more traditional, (mostly) Catholic religiosity, to a concept of a new, modern, ethical religion. The study incorporates biographical research, focusing on three principal characters: Tomás Garrigue Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first president; his daughter Alice Garrigue Masaryková, founding director of the Czechoslovak Red Cross; and Joze Plecnik, the Slovenian architect who directed the renovations of Prague Castle.

The Future of Christian Realism

The Future of Christian Realism
Author: Dallas Gingles
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2023-04-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666924008

In the world’s most developed democracies, anxiety about the future of democracy is palpable. The tension between moral aspiration and moral despair has reached a point of crisis. Christian realism arose during a similar time of crisis, when Reinhold Niebuhr used the insights of the Christian tradition to interpret the clash between democracy and totalitarianism. Beginning with Robin Lovin’s account of Christian realism as a nuanced blend of theological, moral, and political realisms, The Future of Christian Realism addresses fundamental topics in theology, ethics, and politics. The contributors come from different traditions, span five continents, and together present a case for the continuing relevance of Christian realism. By paying close attention to many of the most pressing moral challenges facing societies today, the authors illustrate and evaluate the enduring relevance of Christian realism.

Castle and Cathedral in Modern Prague

Castle and Cathedral in Modern Prague
Author: Bruce R. Berglund
Publisher: Central European University Press
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2017-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9633861578

Six million people visit Prague Castle each year. Here is the story of how this ancient citadel was transformed after World War I from a neglected, run-down relic into the seat of power for independent Czechoslovakia?and the symbolic center of democratic postwar Europe. The restoration of Prague Castle was a collaboration of three remarkable figures in twentieth-century east central Europe: Tom ? Masaryk, the philosopher who became Czechoslovakia?s first president; his daughter Alice, a social worker trained in the settlement houses of Chicago who was founding director of the Czechoslovak Red Cross and her father?s trusted confidante; and the architect, Jo?e Ple?nik of Slovenia, who integrated reverence for Classical architecture into distinctly modern designs. Their shared vision saw the Castle not simply as a government building or historic landmark but as the sacred center of the new republic, even the new Europe?a place that would embody a different kind of democratic politics, rooted in the spiritual and the moral. With a biographer?s attention to detail, historian Bruce Berglund presents lively and intimate portraits of these three figures. At the same time, he also places them in the context of politics and culture in interwar Prague and the broader history of religion and secularization in modern Europe. Gracefully written and grounded in a wide array of sources, Castle and Cathedral in Modern Prague is an original and accessible study of how people at the center of Europe, in the early decades of the twentieth century, struggled with questions of morality, faith, loyalty, and skepticism.

Fighting Against War

Fighting Against War
Author: Julie Kimber
Publisher: Leftbank Press/Australian Society for the Study of Labour History
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2015-02-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0994238975

The extended commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great War have commenced in earnest. Over the next four years people around the world will struggle to avoid the politicised public narratives of these remembrances. Nationalistic sentiment is no less palpable today than imperial sentiment was a century ago. Its opponents are still there too. Among the countless commemorative activities that will occur, there are innumerable counter narratives. Although they are compelling in their telling of oppositional stories, they have yet to capture the imagination of the dominant storytellers of our generation. Mainstream media, governments, and politicians of all persuasions, remain a captive of “soft jingoism”, and the myth making of Geoffrey Serle’s “fire-eating generals”. In such a view, war remains a lamentable, but necessary evil. The true costs of war are absorbed only partially. Given the destabilisation of much of the globe, and the increasing militarisation of domestic politics by Western governments, it is unsurprising that a widespread movement for peace is momentarily lost. But history provides hope. By looking back we can see the ebb and flow of peace movements, and the lessons here are instructive. The present commemorative phase provides historians with a license to tell the stories that underscore the feeble fabric of nationalistic hubris – ones that seek to analyse and understand the human condition rather than simply commemorate it. Tales of national re-birth are but one facet of war, complicated by a much richer, dirtier, and more nuanced reality. This reality challenges the necessity of war, and allows us to empathise with war’s victims, elucidate oppositional tactics, and provide explanations for the difficulties in sustaining a pacifist approach in the midst of war. The chapters here deal with aspects of peace and anti-war, of memory, of forgetting, and of legacy. The majority – unsurprisingly, given the present historical moment – concentrate on the experience of the First World War. The shadows of that war are long, and the historiography they build on extensive. Contributors include Phillip Deery, Julie Kimber, Karen Agutter, Anne Beggs Sunter, Robert Bollard, Verity Burgmann, Liam Byrne, Lachlan Clohesy, Rhys Cooper, Carolyn Holbrook, Nick Irving, Chris McConville, Douglas Newton, Bobbie Oliver, Carolyn Rasmussen, Phil Roberts, and Kim Thoday.

Understanding Japaneseness

Understanding Japaneseness
Author: Kosuke Nishitani
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2016-09-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0761868224

Japan, although a small country, is identified as perhaps the only civilization composed of just one nation. In spite of its many encounters with axial civilizations Japan has somehow preserved a unique sense of self. This enduring quality lends an air of mystery to Japanese culture that continues to draw the fascination of many. Such curiosity about the nature of Japan and its people has prompted the publication of many books that contribute to the academic genre known as “Nipponjinron.” This book makes a distinctly new contribution as a theological anthropology of Japaneseness by paying careful attention to the religious sensibilities that undergird Japanese behavior. The author draws on numerous seminal works of Nipponjinron to build a sturdy philosophical and historical platform. Through concrete examples, classic literature, historical analysis, and religious reflection, the author carefully and skillfully illuminates a new path to understanding Japaneseness by drawing the reader’s attention to the lifeblood of Japanese behavior, “maternal-filial affection.”

John Hick's Religious Pluralism in Global Perspective

John Hick's Religious Pluralism in Global Perspective
Author: Sharada Sugirtharajah
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2023-01-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3031110080

This volume contains fresh scholarly contributions to mark the birth centenary of John Hick, the internationally well-known philosopher of religion, whose works continue to have significant global relevance in today’s religiously diverse and conflict-ridden world. His writings have reset the parameters of religious pluralism. Up till now, Hick’s religious pluralism has been mainly seen in relation to the Western context where Christianity is the predominant religion. This volume includes both Western and non-Western engagement with his thinking in contexts such as Japan, China, Korea, Nigeria, and India, where Christianity is a minority religion with little political power. Its distinctiveness lies in widening the debate on religious pluralism by bringing Hick’s pluralistic hypothesis into a constructive cross-cultural and interreligious conversation with scholars of Hinduism, Jainism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and African traditional religions. In doing so, this collection examines how Hick’s philosophy of religious pluralism has been received, appropriated and appraised by these scholars. It has been appreciated and critiqued in equal measure, and continues to impact on current thinking on religious pluralism. This volume makes a significant contribution to the debate initiated by Hick.

Arc

Arc
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2004
Genre: Christianity
ISBN:

Story Lines

Story Lines
Author: Skye Fackre Gibson
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2002
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Much more than just a traditional festschrift, "Story Lines" is a book reflecting -- and moving beyond -- much of the ferment in twentieth-century theology. Written by a cast of esteemed Christian thinkers who have shaped an entire generation of theological inquiry, this volume transforms the changing and conflicted theological scene of the last half century into a clear and steady path for the church of today. Though diverse in orientation -- ecumenical and evangelical, Protestant and Roman Catholic -- the contributors to "Story Lines" share Gabe Fackres commitment to classical Christian teaching that seeks to speak to the times. The organizing principle of this work is story, the master metaphor with which Fackre is associated. Each chapter contributes to the telling of the great narrative of Christianity by probing key aspects of the faith for the twenty-first century. The first set of essays discusses the meaning of the Christian story today. The second section of the book explores the mission of the Christian story within a global context. The final essays look at the Christian story as ministry. The volume also includes a comprehensive listing of Fackres publications. Informed, ecumenical, and written by authors deeply committed to relating Christian thought and practice to contemporary life, "Story Lines" is not only a fitting tribute to its esteemed honoree but also a substantial theological statement in its own right.CONTRIBUTORS: Elizabeth Achtemeier Paul J. Achtemeier Joseph A. Bassett Donald G. Bloesch Carl E. Braaten Elmer M. Colyer Paul A. Crow Jr. Herbert Davis Avery Cardinal Dulles Richard L. Floyd KathrynGreene-McCreight Jeffrey Gros Leander S. Harding Roberta G. Heath S. Mark Heim Carl F. H. Henry George Hunsinger Robert W. Jenson Leander E. Keck Diane C. Kessler George Lindbeck Martin E. Marty Jrgen Moltmann Kenneth B. Mulholland Richard H. Olmsted Alan P. F. Sell Roger L. Shinn Llewellyn Parsons Smith Max L. Stackhouse Frederick R. Trost Paul Westermeyer