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This article explains 'the glory of God' in the context of two Biblical claims seemingly at odds with each other: God does not share divine glory with humans, and God does share divine glory with them. The article offers a resolution of the apparent conflict on the basis of a Biblical conception of divine glory as inexhaustible perfect goodness that could, in principle, be shared in two ways: with human controlling ownership over its nature and value, and without such ownership. It finds widely neglected importance of divine glory in relation to voluntary human cooperation with God in sharing in it, without controlling ownership. As a result, divine perfect (defect-free) goodness inhabits a context of imperfection in human moral defects. The article explains that this context does not preclude divine glory but can advance its value and salience. It also finds the Apostle Paul and the author of John's Gospel to agree on a voluntary human role in sharing in divine glory and on a central role of this sharing in God's salvific 'gospel of glory'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though peace is the most important theme in human history and also in church history, it is not so easy to lead to peace or to discuss on peace. In the previous discussions on peace, there have been some diverse positions such as holy war, just war, pacifism and so on. And recently a new discussion on just peace has been increasing especially centering around the World Council of Churches (WCC). This article explores a brief trajectory of the new discussion on just peace centering around the WCC and its subsequent relation to Korean church. Then this article investigates theological discussions on peace in Korean church, by taking a close look at four famous and influential figures, each of whom represents one position of the whole spectrum. This article pays special attention to the gospel in those discussions, because it is obvious that the gospel of the Scripture is about peace, which is ' shalom ' (םולשָ‎) in the Old Testament and ' eirene ' (εἰρήνη) in the New Testament. In so doing, this article argues that a robust theological discussion on peace in the future requires a more elaborate matrix of peace, justice, and the gospel, though with an open hermeneutical diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on an in-depth analysis of Psalm 85, exploring its themes of divine favor, human struggles, and the quest for reconciliation and justice. Topics include the interpretation of different verses in the psalm, reflections on contemporary societal issues, and insights into building a community grounded in mercy, righteousness, and peace.

The recurring biblical idea of 'God with us' is underdeveloped in the literature. This article corrects for that deficiency. The God of Jews and Christians offers to 'be with us' but is also famous for moral conflict with humans, from the beginning to the end of the scriptural writings. In this regard, at least, we have a marked contrast with the typical gods of deists and of various other theists. This article clarifies the relevant kind of divine conflict in terms of moral life 'with God' against moral death. It shows, on this basis, what humans should expect of God regarding morally significant relations in 'being with' humans. The article avoids two extremes regarding the divine accompaniment of humans: one extreme as constant presence to awareness, and the other as merely causal without salient experienced content. An important result is a basis in experienced evidence for our assessment of the reality and the moral character of God. Such a basis can move inquirers beyond some stalemates in longstanding controversy about God's reality and goodness. It also can highlight a unique value of God for humans: namely, being a trustworthy accompanier bringing lasting moral life over moral failure and death. The divine conflict reveals God's righteous character and aims for an interpersonal divine-human resolution in moral life that is inherently cooperative rather than competitively exclusive. The article identifies how this conflict includes a quest for God's accompanying, or being together with, humans in righteousness and thus is irreducibly interpersonal and interactive, and not merely moralistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the meaning of the phrase δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ, which is repeated twice in Rom 3:24–26, and its tradition-historical background. Thus far, the topic of the demonstration of God's righteousness has not been sufficiently illuminated compared to the theme of justification by faith. Additionally, previous attempts to understand δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ as retributive justice or in accordance with the concept of צדקה‎ have not only distorted the meaning of δικαιοσύνη but also they have failed to explain convincingly how δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ is related to διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων and δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ. Based on the analysis of text structure and key words, this study argues that Paul's thinking, which relates the issue of God's righteousness to the justification of sinners, is based on the Exodus tradition and the book of Isaiah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How, according to the best Biblical theodicy, does God justify God's allowing extreme suffering and evil? According to this article, the Biblical God is Lord of the future as well as the present and uses the future to fulfill divine promises to humans. The future fulfillment, coupled with present divine proximity to humans, includes restoring and saving them in full righteousness, given their losses from suffering and evil. This lesson is part of a widely neglected Biblical theodicy of restoration for humans in divine righteousness at God's appointed time. Such righteousness aims to renew people for their lasting moral good in relationship with God and others. Benefiting from some Old Testament writers, the apostle Paul, and Jesus, the proposed theodicy illuminates God's intention in bringing about a world that undergoes severe suffering and evil. It fits with humans' 'knowing in part' and thus their being unable to justify God, but it leaves room for God justifying God in righteousness to be fulfilled, coupled with present divine proximity to humans in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I argue that Søren Kierkegaard's prefatory editorial remark in Practice in Christianity about resorting to and making use of grace has a medieval inheritance, which stems from his reading of Hugh of St Victor (1096–1142). Rather than grounding Kierkegaard's remark exclusively within the Lutheran tradition, I suggest that the medieval inheritance of the relationship between operative and cooperative grace contributed to a theological development in Kierkegaard's view of sanctification. Moreover, Kierkegaard's journal entries prior to the publication of Practice in Christianity provide the connection to Hugh of St Victor's theology of sanctification. I briefly survey the development of Kierkegaard's view of grace and examine Kierkegaard's commentary on Hugh of St Victor's Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Then, I survey Hugh's distinction between restorative and cooperative grace against the wider backdrop of his theology of sanctification to highlight a structural affinity with Kierkegaard's writings. My aim is to identify and illuminate this unexplored Catholic source of Kierkegaard's distinction between grace and works that indicates a non-competitive relationship between divine and human agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hind Swaraj was published in Gujarati language in the journal Indian Opinion under the title Hind Swarajaya in 1909, and its English version as Indian Home Rule by Mahatma Gandhi was published in Phoenix, Natal, 1910. This extraordinary work possesses an authority of its own. It is the seed from which the Gandhian thought has grown. He considered the views expressed in the 'Hind Swaraj' as sacred as 'almost part of his being'. Gandhi, through the expressions in this, spelt out his strategy for future action which was to be rooted in the belief of the pre-eminence of ancient Indian civilisation, which in contrast with the western 'represents the best that the world has ever seen'. The high point of the book is the virtue of non-violence as against violent revolution and the need to use ethical means to attain independence by means of educational reforms and adoption of technology suitable to Indian conditions. He advised the revolutionaries to follow the righteousness of Indian culture by reverting 'to their own glorious civilisation'. The core of the book, as conveyed through the title is an analysis of the nature of British rule in India and its manifestations, its consequences in the political and moral decay of Indian society. Hind Swaraj is the prescription to pull India out of this muddle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book of Jeremiah contains many passages condemning the people of Judah for their sins, including acts of injustice. The book also makes clear that God is punishing Judah through the coming Babylonian invasion. A theological problem that confronts the reader is that the violent actions of the Babylonian army do not correspond to the ideals of justice that are described elsewhere in the book. One solution to this problem is to find the theological significance of Jeremiah in the guidance it offers to those who have experienced any kind of communal or personal disaster, without reference to human culpability for sin. Without denying the legitimacy of this approach, this essay proposes a theological reading of Jeremiah that recognizes the gap between perfect divine justice and the horrific calamity that Babylon inflicted on Judah, and yet seeks to incorporate Jeremiah's rhetoric of human culpability into a coherent theological framework that speaks to matters of justice and injustice. It is suggested that the book of Jeremiah interpreted the Babylonian invasion typologically as a symbol of divine justice, but as with other forms of typology, the historical type and the spiritual reality did not perfectly correspond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biblical theology should be grounded in a broad perspective, an Überblick, on the character of God as the main actor in biblical history. Without such a perspective, we will lose sight of what kind of agent motivates the main story-line of the Bible. If our perspective is inadequate, we will fail to recognize how God works in history, including biblical history. Biblical interpreters typically have neglected a key feature of the biblical God: God as righteous agitator for redemptive good in human lives, individually and socially. In doing so, they have failed to give an adequate portrayal of what God is doing or trying to do in history. This article corrects that neglect by acknowledging the biblical God as agitating in history for righteousness among humans as a reflection of God's unique moral character. It explains how such agitating distinguishes God from the gods of deism and determinism, while enabling the redemptive work of this God to be seen not only in biblical history but also in everyday human life. The article relates divine agitation to the crisis of Jesus in Gethsemane in relation to the kingdom of God and to the apostle Paul on dying-and-rising with Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinction between the good and the wicked is common in wisdom literature. Although the distinction can be viewed as ubiquitous, I would like to problematize it by considering the literary device deployed in constructing the archetypes of the good and the wicked. Specifically, I analyze the depiction of the wicked in chapters 1–6 in Wisdom of Solomon and argue that the construction of the wicked in Wisdom is indispensable in understanding how the righteous obtain wisdom through divine protection and acceptance of divine provision. First, I offer a close reading of the text, mainly Chapters 1–6, and parse out the ways of depicting the wicked in Wisdom of Solomon. In particular, I highlight the "collectivity" of the crowd, as opposed to a "single" righteous individual or group. Social theories of the crowd are critical to my formulation of the characteristics of the wicked. Second, I examine the relationship between the wicked and the righteous, and propose the idea of "a mirror effect" in these antithetical depictions. The mirror effect exhibits didactic values, as it instructs one to pursue righteousness and shun from evil. Third, I focus on the interaction between God, the righteous, and the wicked and suggest that divine intervention in helping the righteous stand firm among the wicked manifests both divine justice and divine mercy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A minority of witnesses to the text of Phil. 3.12 (e.g., P46, GA 06, 010, 012, Irenaeus [Latin Translation], Ambrosiaster) attest to a reading in which Paul claims he has not yet been justified (or made/found righteous [δικαιόω]). Scholars have labeled the reading 'intriguing', 'very interesting', 'striking', and 'astounding'. Yet, in spite of such lofty descriptors, little extensive attention has been devoted to this textual issue. All but a handful of scholars who have addressed the reading have denied it a place in the initial text. However, its attestation in P46, the high potential for parablepsis, the difficulty of explaining the reading as a later insertion, and its coherence with Pauline references to final justification at the last judgment have resulted in reassessments of the issue in more recent scholarship. This article provides an overview of past and current scholarly appraisals of the reading and offers some suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds to critics of Reinhold Niebuhr by exploring two themes important for locating his views on cruelty's emergence in modern society. The first relates to his basic insight into the relationship between individual morality and group loyalty and solidarity. Niebuhr provides a sophisticated argument for such group dynamics in his work, issued in Moral Man, Immoral Society, as well as his essays on race. These also form the basis for his second thematic argument regarding cruelty, the role of 'righteousness' as it relates to security and insecurity. Niebuhr's views on race, I argue, need to be considered more broadly as an example of his views on groups, power, and cruelty. The paper concludes with some modest proposals for thinking about combatting cruelty via Niebuhr's counsel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christian discipleship acknowledges the importance of the body for a holistic response to God's redemption for all of life. The biblical view shows a Christian's body and soul as a sacred unit that demands responsible stewardship. Often, however, the body is an arena where sin and righteousness struggle with habitual inclinations toward destructive rather than life-nurturing behaviors. Spiritual formation aimed at Christlikeness is crucial for the conquering of battles faced by Christians of all ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-qualitative inquiry can be seen to challenge—not fix—at least four elements of what Elizabeth St. Pierre calls conventional humanist qualitative inquiry: the nature of data, the role of methods, the quest for increasing clarity, and the idea of an individual "voice." In conducting post-qualitative research rather than offering replacements for these or completely renouncing them, I outline four key balancing acts. Unless understood as continuous acts of balancing, post-qualitative inquiry runs a risk of being identified as yet another isolated fortress of righteousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acts of Christian forgiveness that run counter to natural inclinations and ethical intuitions raise questions about the nature of human identity and the basis of moral theology. An assessment of the biblical and theological warrant for Christian forgiveness challenges the ethical misappropriation of the language of covenant, torah and righteousness to that of contract, law and justice. The argument is made that forgiveness should be seen as normative—indeed, obligatory rather than supererogatory. A theological account is then provided of the conditions under which our natural inclinations are transformed so as to facilitate an orientation of forgiveness. It is argued that the doctrines of the incarnation and human participation in the mind of Christ (where transformation is conceived as both ‘evangelical’ and ‘ecclesial’) are axiomatic for interpreting the Christian life and thus moral theology. This leads to the conclusion that a combination of ‘reconciled exemplarism’ and ‘semantic externalism’ is key to the exposition of Christian ethics – the language of which tracks God’s historical engagement with humanity rather than denoting immanent, ethical categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Read through the lens of modern reconciliatory theory, 2 Cor 2:14–7:4 demonstrates that Paul portrays himself as the recipient of God’s gratuitous forgiveness and reconciliation. Against the polemical charge that his past as a persecutor precluded his being an authentic apostle, Paul engages the multivalent metaphors of triumph/procession and reconciliation/friendship. His own participation in the process of reconciliation and his new vocation as ambassador show that it is not simply Paul’s writings but his own personal experience that forms the foundation on which modern Christian reconciliation may continue to build. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pistis Christou debate involves numerous debate partners and a shockingly voluminous amount of secondary literature. At this point, I thought it necessary to provide a survey of the current state of the debate, not least so as to summarize in one place the main arguments for both sides of the debate. At the beginning of the article I gather together and present the main arguments for those advocating an objective reading of the phrase, while the second half of the essay mainly involves a presentation of the arguments for the subjective camp. Having provided this summary, with many comments of my own alongside, I conclude by emphasizing the two pieces of evidence that seem still to push in the direction of the subjective construal. When the survey comes to a close, I arrive at the conclusion that, while debate is certainly not over, those advocating a subjective reading of the expression have the momentum of the scholarly guild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retribution in Deuteronomy is bound up with the character of God, known from dealings in history with Israel and other nations. Retribution is applied according to a certain rightness of things, or “justice and righteousness,” rooted in the person of God, so that God’s love and compassion have the final determining word. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In most English-language Bibles--particularly those arising out of Protestantism--the Greek word dikaiosyne, which occurs most often in Romans, is overwhelmingly translated "righteousness." Scholars have long voiced concerns with this rendering, and in this article I both review their objections and ask why this tradition of translation has been so tenacious. The answer proposed is twofold: first, the ancient Anglo-Saxon pedigree of the word rightwiseness (whose meaning originally included notions of justice about which Paul seems to have been writing) and its consequent preference by the first English Bible translators, the Wyclijfites; and second, the penetrating brilliance and lasting influence of William Tyndale, along with his inclination to follow the Wyclijfite choice in this matter. I also consider alternative traditions of New Testament translation relative to this important Greek word and sketch the historical context out of which these divergent traditions have developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented that discusses issue article on topics include a postcolonial approach to views on human sexuality in the Anglican Communion, the role of individualism in the translation of righteousness in the Bible, and interreligious dialogue.

A response to Richard Moore’s critique of N. T. Wright’s translation of Paul’s use of δικαιοσύνη language. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The book of Proverbs appears to employ two alternative conceptual paradigms with respect to the evaluation of human actions: the pragmatic-utilitarian model of the ‘deed-consequence nexus’, and the theological notion of divine retribution. These conceptual frameworks have frequently been adduced as evidence of diachronic stratification in the book—an older layer promoting pragmatic-mundane wisdom and a later level of theological elaboration. This article examines the various arguments made for viewing Proverbs as either synchronic or diachronic. It also explores the possibility that the dual presence of the human and divine systems is a function of the seam between the author’s didactic-utilitarian purpose and the conventional sapiential religious-moralistic view. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Biblical prophecy seeks both to reconcile people to God and to reconcile God with people. Close examination of the roles of Abraham (Genesis 18), Moses (Exodus 32) and Elijah (1 Kings 19) demonstrates that prophets must always bear this dual responsibility, especially in arguing with God, lest they be unworthy of their loyalty both to the people and to God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that charitable acts in the book of Tobit are religious acts of remembrance. On the one hand, the narrative emphasizes the practice of righteousness, the doing of what is true, and the performance of charitable deeds. On the other hand, the remembrance of God is an equally prominent motif in the story. This gives rise to the question of how remembering is linked to acts of charity. The close connection between remembering and almsgiving argues against the commonly held view that the story endorses acts of charity because such acts facilitate social cohesion and mutual support in the Diaspora. Given the theological value the narrative places on almsgiving, the book of Tobit witnesses to the emergence of a horizontal expression of service to God as part of the religious piety in Second Temple Judaism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This essay summarizes my book The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul in two main stages. First it describes the book’s distinctive account of a problem in modern Pauline scholarship in relation to several key debates and some of their most important representative figures—Wrede, Sanders, Stendahl, and Martyn. It then describes how the book offers in its first half (Parts I-III) an underlying unified and theological account of these issues—the unwitting release of Arianism within Paul’s interpretation in the specific form of a conditional conception of salvation in terms of a sequence of contracts. Following this the essay charts quickly the solution to this conundrum offered by the book’s second half (Parts IV and V): a non-contractual reading of all the texts in Paul that could generate a problematic contractual and conditional construal. This rereading concentrates on Romans 1-4 (1:16-5:1), and, within that passage, on the especially important 1:18-3:20, which is construed as a Socratic argument and thereby unconditionally in the broader setting of Romans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues that Paulk use of dikaio- terminology, the language of "justification," has been too narrowly construed by N. T. Wright in his latest monograph on the subject. Wright's position, that Paul employs the language of justification to signify a divinely bestowed change in status, tells only part of the story. This language also connotes real transformation. A unique feature of the article is that it starts with an analysis of the phrase "righteousness of God" in 2 Corinthians 5:21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a post 9/11 world where large-scale violence against civilian populations is ever more being justified through fundamentalist interpretations of Sacred Scripture, it is a moral imperative that religious communities establish a basis for some kind of objective criteria to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate interpretations of their sacred texts. While there has been much focus in the United States on the issue of Islamic extremism, the fact remains that Christian fundamentalism is a growing phenomenon behind US military aggression. However, Christian fundamentalism is not only an inadequate response to Islamic extremism, but more importantly it is dangerous because both ideologies share a presumption of their own righteousness and each divinely sanctions its acts of aggression toward the other. As an interpretive starting point, historical criticism becomes a much needed ‘prophetic voice of reason,’ whereby inspired texts are examined honestly and in light of the historical limitations they contain. A critical examination of biblical tradition, for example, will demonstrate that violence and cruelty are not tangential to biblical narratives, but intrinsic to them. Therefore, it is argued that the criteria to determine what is ethically demanded by the biblical texts must be sought in the future world toward which biblical narratives point, but in which they themselves do not fully participate. Only in this way can communities of faith begin to unmask the myth of their own righteousness and with it, the ambiguity that allows for the perpetration of untold violence and evil in the name of religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although social conflict has obvious ties with physical combat, the literature on social conflict ignores its corporeal substratum. Reviewing that literature yields a paradigm of sources of conflict comprising six major variables: hostility level, reactivity, rigidity, moral righteousness, weak conflict-aversive values, and ineffective dampening factors. Each of those variables has some representation in the body. Realizing this enables us to ask what kinds of conflict-relevant meanings emanate from processes within the human body itself, and what supra-organismic variables imbue bodily conduct with meanings that relate to conflict. That analysis in turn opens up a new dimension of the general theory of action by way of amending Parsons-Lidzes’s concept of the behavioural system. The chapter suggests calling this the actional organism – the subsystem of action where the organism’s input of energies and the inputs from sources of meanings meet and interpenetrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Letter to the Philippians penned by Polycarp of Smyrna is sometimes dismissed as an example of a proof-texting moralism, indicative of the post-apostolic church's fall from the heights of Pauline Christianity. Read on its own terms, this complex exhortatory letter reveals a vigorous, pastorally sensitive effort to integrate both behavioural and theological aspects of 'righteousness' as Polycarp seeks to maintain the stability and integrity of the Philippian congregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an inter-textual reading of Paul in the avoidance of the "narrowing" reading of Paul provided by Protestantism. The use of metaphors by Paul and "righteousness" in particular are examined. It is argued that the use of the term by Paul should be understood in the light of Isaiah.

Discusses the differences of the righteousness of the law from the righteousness of faith in apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. Definition of righteousness according to the Matthean text; Comparison of the extraordinary righteousness offered by God in Christ to unrighteous people with the ordinary righteousness incumbent upon all, including Jews and Christians; Details of apostle Paul's letter to the Romans which involved an understanding of how both Jews and Gentiles could be declared righteous by God through faith.

The article offers an interpretation of the Biblical Old Testament passage of Job 38:1-7. Subjects discussed include the accusations of the Biblical character Job against God; the theme of knowledge as explored in Job, and the theological themes and lessons of suffering and righteousness in the Book of Job.

The article offers an interpretation of Psalm 15 which brings the elements of wisdom, prophetic and priestly traditions. Psalm 15 presents practical advice in living a good life and stresses the dangers coming from careless speech, urging people to control their tongues. Psalm 15 informs to find ways in discussing personal economic righteousness.

The article presents a recommended sermon for the 24th of October 2010. It focuses on the value of parables in guiding people to the path to righteousness and to the way of God and it explains that God made people to work alongside Him to forward divine goals for creation. It cites verses 9-14 of chapter 18 of the book of Luke. The author explains the real life applications of the passages mentioned in the sermon.

The article discusses the notion of being born again in the Bible with reference to an encounter between Jesus Christ and biblical character Nicodemus. It mentions several passages about being born again from the book of John, first letter of Peter and in the letter to Titus. It is said that Jesus Christ told Nicodemus that the concept is a prerequisite for seeing the Kingdom of God. It is emphasized that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus that righteousness comes from the acceptance that the transforming love of God brings true fulfillment in faith and life.

Presents a sermon by Reverend Peter Neilson of Edinburgh, Scotland for November 21, 2004, the Feast of Christ the King. Views on Jesus of Nazareth as First Minister of the Scottish Parliament; Vision of a Scottish nation ruled by Christ as king; Significance of the term righteousness; Relation of Christ to political power.

Focuses on the interpretation of the passage Romans 1:28-32, which is about the power of God for salvation of humankind from sins by Paul the Apostle. Assertion of Paul on the righteousness of God; Description of God's punishment and Jesus' death by Paul; Effects of debased mind and interpersonal relationships on one's relationship with God.

Analyzes Genesis 15:1, a biblical narrative that mentions God's reckoning of righteousness to Abraham on the basis of his faith. Reason for Abraham's fear of losing the rewards that were due for his goodworks; Similarities between the Palestinian Targum and the Antiquities of Flavius Josephu, which retells the story of Genesis; Basis of Paul's discussion on works righteousness.

The article presents a sermon given by Bishop Robert Gillies of Aberdeen and Orkney during the third Sunday of Easter. He describes the expectations of people in God who carries out faithfully the righteous and right actions of someone who is a just, secure judge, while God to voice of appropriate condemnation for those who have done wrong.

Presents a sermon for the second Sunday of Lent. Description of the righteousness of Abraham; Encounters of Jesus Christ with the Pharisees; Mission of Saint Paul at Philippi.