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"On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport" is a book that explores the intersection of religion and sports from a Catholic perspective. The authors discuss the historical transformations and insights of the Catholic tradition on sport, the spirit of play, the sacramental perspective in viewing sport, and the ethical issues related to sport. The book aims to provide a contemporary theological framework for understanding the meaning of sport, and while it focuses on Catholicism, it does not distinguish itself significantly from other Christian approaches. The authors also touch on topics such as gender, injury, and the paschal mystery in relation to sports. Overall, the book offers interesting and thought-provoking insights for both theology and the philosophy of sport. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a rhetorical and ideological analysis of the birth of Jesus. Topics discussed include differences in the accounts of Jesus' birth in the gospels of Luke and Matthew motivated by theological considerations and political conditions facing the Christian community, geographical conundrum about Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and settlement in Nazareth, the Virgin Birth, and messianic claims of Christianity portraying Jesus as descendant and successor of King David.

ABSTRACT This article engages the global displacement crisis by rendering the concept of ‘home’ as a theological problem for politics, linking contemporary geopolitical conflict to broader issues of forced migration. For help, we engage Simone Weil's theopolitical critique of domination‐based political organising, Hannah Arendt's insights into the texture of political space and belonging, and Jodi Dean's concept of a ‘collective desire for collectivity’ to propose a lateral, connective politics of home that secures local communities while also fostering global connection. Our constructive theological proposal is that the power of love for home entails the embrace of neighbour (near and far) that moves beyond the usual options of liberal cosmopolitanism, communitarian localism, and the Realpolitik of geopolitical alliances. By reconsidering and intensifying the Christian concept of neighbour‐love and linking it to the common reality of displacement and the common longing for home, we take the first steps towards illuming and unveiling a political theology of home that is neither preferential nor naively inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an interview with Jörg Matthias Determann, a Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, focusing on Islamic theology's engagement with extraterrestrial life. He discusses interpretations of Islamic scripture regarding the existence of intelligent beings beyond Earth, potential theological implications, and the flexibility of Islamic theology to accommodate such ideas, emphasizing the intersection of science, religion, and cultural narratives.

This article provides an overview of John Rawls' work in political philosophy, particularly his book "A Theory of Justice," and its relevance to contemporary political and constitutional crises. It discusses the challenges faced by liberal democratic societies in the 21st century and argues for the continued importance of Rawls' ideas. The article also mentions other works by Rawls and ongoing scholarly discussions on his contributions to political philosophy. It concludes by outlining the topics covered in a special issue of the Journal of Social Philosophy, including voting regulations, welfare state capitalism, property-owning democracy, liberal democratic socialism, and the distinction between ideal and nonideal theory. The text offers a comprehensive analysis of Rawls' ideas, presenting different perspectives and addressing objections and alternative viewpoints. [Extracted from the article]

There is debate about whether the Corpus Dionysiacum consists of two parts or offers a coherent position. One group of scholars presents a divisionist position, distinguishing one group of treatises dominated by the idea of hierarchical mediation from a second concentrating on the idea of individual and mystical knowledge of God. The second scholarly interpretation supports a holistic view and underlines the unity of the Corpus. I argue that the Corpus is a unity fraught with tension. Dionysius presents, I argue, a comprehensive view of human beings and their place in the world that offers different—and maybe at times competing—paths to understanding and to the ascent to the divine. The mystical, metaphysical, and meditative path and the sacramental path are not merely parallel ways, one for monks and the other for the bishops and laity. They are connected through the communal theological work presented in the fiction of a theological correspondence between the author and various members of the hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of caretaker governments in Bangladesh since the restoration of democracy in 1991. It discusses the different types of caretaker governments and their role in ensuring fair elections. The article acknowledges the challenges posed by partisan politics and military intervention. It also explores the concept of deliberative democracy and the legality and legitimacy of caretaker governments. Additionally, the article examines the concept of a caretaker state of exception and its implications. Overall, the article suggests that caretaker governments have had both positive and negative effects on democratic politics in Bangladesh. [Extracted from the article]

This article sketches an intellectual history of the distinction between Christian theology and Christian ethics. The twists and turns of that history have been obscured by a recent tendency to deny the distinction's usefulness, as part of a wider strategy for reasserting theology's relevance to modern social problems. By contrast, earlier theologians assumed the value of the theology/ethics divide, interpreting it through Aristotelian, neo‐Kantian, and finally Marxist categories. The distinction fell into disrepute because theologians struggled to maintain the distinction consistently and disagreed on the concerns implicated by it, variously using it to affirm the moral subject's agency, the divine/human difference, or the complexity of real people's circumstances. Nonetheless, the distinction has persisted as a useful shorthand for recognizing the limitations of Christian theology, qua a conceptual discourse, in fully apprehending its subject matter of the Christian life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the potential benefits of incorporating monastic theology into contemporary catechesis. It emphasizes the importance of personal religious experience and the role of a prayerful community in monastic theology. The article suggests that catechesis should involve prayer and reflection, and highlights the significance of encounters with the divine. It also emphasizes the importance of a supportive community and trusted adults in the faith development of young people. The article concludes by advocating for a holistic approach to catechesis that incorporates elements of monastic theology. [Extracted from the article]

This paper takes its cue from an unpublished manuscript by the Victorian polymath William Stanley Jevons (1835–1882). I elucidate how he attempted to integrate science and religion through natural theology. I argue that Jevons's manuscript shows that he took the theory of probability to be the most appropriate tool for finding evidence of divine design in natural phenomena. Jevons thus took part in the nineteenth-century natural theology debate, specifically between William Whewell and Charles Babbage. This debate was about both how to interpret the analogy between natural and human contrivances, and about the tools which should be used in natural theology. After introducing the manuscript, I present Jevons's religious ideas about Unitarianism and the relationship between chance and design in his writings. I show Jevons's commitment to natural theology and his idea that humans, due to their finite intellect, should use the theory of probability to investigate divine providence. I then compare Jevons's position to Whewell's and Babbage's Bridgewater Treatises. I show how they had different conceptions of natural theology compared to Jevons, and different ideas about the tools that should be used to investigate natural laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book of Revelation is resoundingly theocentric and intensively monotheistic from first to last. The presence and person of God the Father permeates and punctuates the vision at every turn as the central character orchestrating all things according to his purposes. This theocentric character of the Apocalypse, however, is often overshadowed by its extremely pronounced Christology. One possible reason is because John does not consign Christology to a separate category of theology. But from the very outset God is unambiguously identified as the ultimate sovereign ruler of the universe. Revelation attributes a functional distinction between Father and Son, but they equally receive worship and are ascribed as worthy of worship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses a significant Peace Declaration which was recently released by the Reformed Church in Japan (RCJ). Through this declaration the RCJ affirms her calling and responsibility - as a missional church which is part of a 1% Christian population - to proclaim and embody peace in Japan and beyond. The article uses an integrative literature review and in-depth theological reflection as its main research techniques. The systematic review addresses the question: What is the significance and meaning of the RCJ Peace Declaration within the wider field of Peace Studies and in connection with the notion of pacifism in Japan and globally? It is argued that theological understandings of peacebuilding can indeed constructively promote peace and justice in worldwide conflicts. The article further explains how a vast corpus of knowledge and practice includes the body of Christ in Japan which, through the RCJ Peace Declaration, represents a pro-active vision of God's shalom. Public witness is not an add-on to the church's mission. Instead, the Church realizes its missional calling when it publicly engages in testifying to true Christian peace by rejecting imperial claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to address the ways and extent to which participation in digital worship might be seen as fostering or inhibiting social inclusion and social cohesion, and to assess the current state of research on this important topic from both a sociological and theological perspective. It aims to broaden digital theological understanding beyond sacramental and ecclesiological concerns towards more wholistic concerns of participation and belonging, intersecting with the digital divide and theology of disability. Drawing on the work of Martha Nussbaum and the capabilities approach, this paper proposes consideration of digital participations with respect to their significance for cultivating participation in community by conducting a literature review of various studies. Further, it addresses ambivalences which arise out of these studies, as digital access seems to enhance certain forms of connectedness while rendering other forms less stable. Observation of these ambivalences is framed into research desiderata for future study on the interrelationship of digital participation in religious community and the facilitation of community and social resilience. With the intention of building upon this recent research to address the more specific question of what kinds of digital participation foster social inclusion with a focus on religious communities, it identifies concrete pathways for further academic inquiry, and suggests a framework for new practical theological questions centring justice and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article further probes three of the findings of the author's DMin project thesis, which explored God's call of racial justice in a predominantly white, affluent Episcopal church. The research revealed theological and missional challenges that inhibit the church from joining in God's mission of justice, namely participants viewing the church as the host of missional engagement, white privilege hindering the practice of listening and the reluctance of members to articulate the presence and activity of God as it relates to justice. In consideration of these obstacles, this article recommends the indiscriminate generosity of God for funding the imagination of the missional community for faithful innovation related to racial justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we examine the two crises of the Church: crisis 1, which is the decline of the Church, and crisis 2, which is the Church forgetting its calling. Crisis 1 draws the most attention from churches, but it is crisis 2 that churches should attend first. We argue that the order matters: a church paying attention to its calling will not solve its decline, but will help break free from tiresome attempts at repair. It will also help churches to practise an attitude of receiving, being directed at the kingdom of God. The distinction between crisis 1 and 2 will help churches and theologians name the challenges that the Church faces and will help prioritize them. It requires that discernment as a communal practice with others becomes an important part of the theological method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying variables that impact students' grades is a constant concern but also a challenge for teachers in the field of educational sciences. The study investigates the association between selfefficacy, positive affect, anxiety, and students' expected grades before the final exam of bachelor university studies. The study is based on Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory, and it aims to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy, anxiety, positive affect, and students' expected grades. Specifically, the study seeks to understand how anxiety mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and expected grades and how positive affect mediates the positive relationship between self-efficacy and anxiety levels. The study was conducted on 170 students from Primary and Preschool Education Pedagogy and Orthodox Pastoral Theology studying at a state university in Romania. The students completed the assessment tools that assess the research variables: general self-efficacy, positive affect, anxiety - as a self-regulated learning strategy - and the student's expected grade in the bachelor exam. The results of the structural equation modeling indicate that the level of self-efficacy has an impact on student anxiety levels. This anxiety, in turn, negatively influences the expected grades that students predict before taking the assessment tests required to complete their bachelor's studies. Therefore, anxiety acts as a mediator between self-efficacy and expected grades. Additionally, the results show that the relationship between selfefficacy and anxiety is mediated by positive affect. These findings emphasize the importance of effective teaching and learning methods that promote academic success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on how the Lutheran practice of interpreting texts within the context of worship shapes one's understanding of divine grace and vocation. Topics include the exploration of faith through a Lutheran lens, the influence of feminist theology, and the impact of academic and personal experiences on the author's evolving understanding of Lutheran theology and practice.

The article focuses on the Lutheran practice of interpreting texts within the context of worship and how this practice shapes one's understanding of divine grace and vocation. Topics include the exploration of faith through a Lutheran lens, the influence of feminist theology, and the impact of academic and personal experiences on the author's evolving understanding of Lutheran theology and practice.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Landgrave Moritz of Hesse-Kassel (1572–1632) introduced Calvinism into his territory under the heading "Points of Improvement." The points of improvement concerned 1) the prohibition of discussion of the person of Christ, 2) "supplementing" the Ten Commandments with the explicit mention of the prohibition of images, 3) the abolition of images in church buildings, 4) the breaking of the bread in the Lord's Supper. This was followed by a long-lasting dispute by means of publication between the theologians at the universities in Marburg and Giessen. In these publications, the now common terminology of denominations, "Lutheran," "Calvinist," and "Reformed," were used in polemical distinction as controversial terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bakhtin's view of the history of the novel, through the lens of Dostoevsky's writing in his famous study on Dostoevsky's poetics (1963), has had a significant impact on the way we read Dostoevsky today. On the other hand, Shestov's original explorations of the human soul, which were drawn on his reading of Dostoevsky and made a lasting impression on his contemporaries, are still relatively unknown to the English-speaking reader. Having traced the history of the regenerations of Dostoevsky's convictions in his earlier works, in his mature writings Shestov proposed that at a time of deep crisis the human mind may acquire a new dimension, which lies beyond the limits of the comprehensible and the explicable. Building on his analysis of Dostoevsky's life and work, a transformative shift in Shestov's own worldview, led to significant alterations in his reading of Dostoevsky in the final years of his life. In this essay, as I draw the two thinkers into a dialogue, I try to look beyond the obvious differences in the two philosophers' views (though I acknowledge them) and, with respect to both thinkers' outstanding contributions to twentieth-century European culture, I attempt to discover a number of key developing points in their views derived from their shared love of Dostoevsky's art. Contrasting Shestov's interpretation of Dostoevsky to that of Bakhtin's, I argue that despite their different methods, standpoints, and philosophical views, and despite the seemingly antagonizing nature of their observations, Bakhtin and Shestov arrived at a number of conclusions, which contributed to our present understanding of Dostoevsky's worldview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the concept of receptive ecumenism, which is a strategy for reform and revitalization within the Christian community. Receptive ecumenism involves self-critical learning and recognizing the shortcomings of one's own church. It emphasizes vulnerability and a willingness to learn from others. The article also explores the tension between strategic thinking and self-criticism in receptive ecumenism and the role of feminist theology in understanding power dynamics. Receptive ecumenism aims to bring about change and unity within the church, but it also carries risks and requires trust and love. [Extracted from the article]

This document presents a compilation of doctoral dissertations in theology from Nordic universities between 2022 and 2023. The dissertations explore a diverse range of subjects, such as the impact of humanlike robots on human existence, the interpretation of biblical stories, the theology of Martin Luther, the study of religious practices in different cultures, and the examination of various religious texts. These dissertations offer valuable insights into different aspects of theology and can serve as a valuable resource for researchers interested in these specific topics. Additionally, the document includes research papers and dissertations from Scandinavian universities, covering topics such as women's leadership in Ghanaian churches, translations of passages in the Qur'an, hijabi identity in Oslo, the Second Vatican Council, Danish law in the early modern period, and various theological and religious studies subjects. The summaries provided are concise, factual, and impartial, offering an overview of the research areas without expressing personal judgments or opinions. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the church's duty to scrutinize and interpret the signs of the times in light of the Gospel, as stated in Gaudium et Spes. Topics include Pope Francis' call for the Pontifical Academy of Theology to engage in transdisciplinary dialogue, the book review section's plan to feature experts from various fields to provide perspectives on pressing issues, and the role of religion in American politics during a polarized election year.

Contemporary interpreters of the mystical body movement in the early twentieth century often refer to works therein as mystical body "ecclesiologies" and tend to identify distinctions among them according to the author's language or nationality. In this article, I argue that the differences among mystical body theologies in that era are better understood according to theological locus—of "mystical body" as either an ecclesiological or a christological-soteriological concept. This framework best explains the paradoxical evaluations of the mystical body movement more broadly, and the encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi in particular, as simultaneously too vague and too juridical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-theology makes claims about the structure of theological claims: it identifies a single, fundamental claim about God, and shows how other theological claims are derivable from the fundamental claim. In his book Depicting Deity and other articles, Jon Kvanvig has identified three distinct meta-theologies: Creator Theology, Perfect Being Theology, and Worship-worthiness Theology. In this article, we argue that the medieval Islamic philosopher Avicenna's views about God have the structure of a meta-theology, and that it is distinct from the three projects Kvanvig identifies. This view is Necessary Existent Theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although both books discussed in this review essay address problems with relevance to our present day and its dilemmas, they have different chronological scopes and employ different methods of interpretation. Robertson focuses exclusively on the era of the "Enlightenment" (c. 1680-1790), eschewing overt "presentism" to treat a wide range of authors and works as they addressed one another in the context of the events and developments of the period, mainly in Britain, France, and Germany. Friedman's aim, emphasizing the role of "religious" thought, is to explore the roots of present-day "thinking" about economics as a "science" and debates about economic policy. His book, beginning its coverage in Western Europe in the later 17th century and, following a "history of ideas" approach, gives pride of place to Adam Smith's ideas in the formulation of a "coherent" economic theory, and then in a linear account, centered on America, describes the key steps that he argues led from Smith to the present. This review essay, concentrating on what each book has to say about the Enlightenment, juxtaposes their accounts of the era and offers critical judgment of their differing treatments of its character and accomplishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians often compare the relationship between humanists and scholastics in the early sixteenth century to a battle. In such accounts, the Parisian Faculty of Theology plays the role of a major combatant keeping humanists away from religious studies. This article paints a different and more harmonious picture of humanists and scholastics in the decade before the Reformation. It draws on hitherto little explored evidence from manuscripts authored by official orators at the University of Paris: their speeches to graduating students at the Faculty of Theology in 1510 and 1512. It will be argued that the speakers celebrated both humanist and scholastic competences and the speeches themselves demonstrate that eloquence had a role to play within the institution. In this way, the article adds nuance to our understanding of how the Faculty of Theology viewed humanists and introduces important new sources to the history of universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia has exposed social fault-lines and inequities not often recognised in such an affluent country. This study explores the relevance of Bible stories about plagues and disasters for the work of preachers, teachers, and pastoral practitioners who were independent voluntary contributors to this study. Each of them was serving with the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) in settings where worship and learning take place. From within the activities of a particular Christian tradition, this article offers examples of practice and interpretive processes used in approaching the questions raised as an unfolding narrative. How did the use of Christian and Jewish Scriptures by these practitioners during the pandemic inform their worship, teaching, learning and social interactions? Examples were brought into dialogue with the work of biblical commentators on texts such as Exodus, Psalms, Prophets, and Gospels. The narrative hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur and the biblical scholarship of Walter Brueggemann provided helpful conceptual anchorage for the task and assisted in broadening the perception of how local perspectives may or may not connect with global concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article centres on the cultural politics behind the feverish construction of new houses of worship in West Germany, as well as the restoration of damaged cathedrals and churches, in the first two decades after 1945. At issue is how and why ecclesiastical architecture took on heightened cultural significance at the time, attracting a star-studded group of international architects. After the war, church-building resumed its leading historical role from before the Industrial Revolution as the avant-garde of innovative international architecture, although its comeback has been largely overlooked by architectural and cultural historians alike. While these changes reflected broader international trends, the German situation took on special significance in light of the Nazi legacy of defeat, destruction and dislocation, as well as the pressing need to fabricate new churches for survivors and the millions of expellees arriving in western Germany. Discussions of ecclesiastical architecture therefore touched on broader issues of German history, identity and Christian renewal, and the very form of these houses of worship reflected a unique blend of avant-garde architecture and Christian theology in the aftermath of war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Learning style theories suggest that individual learners may have different ways of learning and will probably learn better with their preferred learning methods. Educators in almost all fields are increasingly aware of the importance of adopting learning style approaches, which requires instructors to understand the diverse learning styles of students and adapt their teaching strategies to accommodate various learning styles. Given the existence of diverse learning styles, it is impossible to have any single correct way to learn or to teach. However, instructors can provide students with a beneficial and rewarding learning experience by accommodating various learning styles. As the research in the field of learning styles testifies, students will benefit from learning style approaches that are properly adopted. In various areas of Christian education, Christian instructors are also able to make use of learning style approaches to facilitate the learning process of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a close analysis of the language of the doxologies in the book of Daniel. Three types of observations raise the question whether the Danielic doxologies might be redactional: 1) the language of the doxologies differs from the language of the stories in Dan 2–6; 2) the doxologies exhibit some formulaic expressions that also occur in other texts (Ps 145, 11QSefer ha-Milhamah, 4QApocryphon of Daniel AR, and 4QSongs of the Sageb); 3) the doxologies express the notion that God’s sovereignty surpasses that of human kings, which underscores the theological conviction found in Dan 2–6 and Dan 7 and forms a literary link between them; but only some of them thereby also express that God’s sovereignty is eternal. Based on such observations, this article attempts to reconstruct some of the redactional activities in Dan 2–6 and argues that the doxologies were added (and expanded) at different stages in the growth of Daniel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article reflects on an instructor's experience of incorporating an optional assignment in a theology class wherein students are invited to learn a new athletic skill, journal while doing so, and then theologically reflect on their experience. It begins with the instructor making a case for the need to bring the body back into the classroom. This is followed by the theological reflections of three of the instructor's students. Finally, the instructor reflects on the themes of balance and muscle memory, stretching, and flow developed in the student reflections. These are used to outline how a balanced classroom revives theological wonder, affirms change in a cruciform fashion, and understands failure as part of God's modus operandi and so intrinsic to theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper introduces the concept of political intertheology as a post-secular counterpart to Carl Schmitt's notion of political theology. It elaborates this concept by examining two interpretations of the New Testament narrative regarding the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. Both interpretations revolve around the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. The first, anti-antisemitic reading, emphasizes the identity between Jesus and Barabbas. The second, anti-anti-Christian interpretation, intensifies the political-theological antagonism. This article proposes a third, guilt-political interpretation. This perspective enables us to acknowledge both the inevitability of the distinction between Christians and what they perceived as Jews, and the fact that a politico-intertheological intensification (the accusation against the Jews of demanding the crucifixion of Jesus) was not inevitable. Understanding how it unfolded facilitates overcoming this fateful accusation at its core, without succumbing to a new accusation (against early Christians) and thereby replacing anti-Judaism with potential anti-Christian sentiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Petrus van Mastricht’s critique of the Cartesian doctrine of the Trinity in his Novitatum cartesianarum gangraena (1677). Mastricht opposed two types of Cartesian approaches to the Trinity. One was by Nicolaus Smiterus, who claimed that the Trinity could be proven rationally. The other was by Christoph Wittich, who argued that the doctrine could not be discussed rationally. Mastricht rejected both positions as benefiting anti-Trinitarian heretics such as the Socinians. Instead, Mastricht took a middle course between Smiterus and Wittich, arguing that while the Trinity could not be proven rationally, its credibility could be enhanced by rational argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general body of literature on the theology of liberation tends to focus either on ecclesiastical debate, theological intricacies, or discussion within the church. Not much attention is paid to the empirical investigation of how civil society members might be influencing the rhetoric of the local church. This article takes a different approach and explores how liberation movements in Ukraine and Hong Kong inform and inspire elements of the theology of social justice within local Catholic communities through bringing to life their social dreams and engaging the churches in action. Looking at how churches and activists interact in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Umbrella Movement, we explore how grassroots activists approach religious hierarchies and how, in these circumstances, the clergy of the churches might be pressured into maneuvering between the social dreams of civil society and the Vatican. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andrew Root's recently completed "Ministry in a Secular Age" series offers a significant new contribution into the contemporary conversation about parish ministry after Christendom. Across these six volumes, Root uses the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor to construct an ecclesiological frame that re-centers divine action in the life of the church, exploring in turn various themes across Christian life and practice for a secular age. This paper examines his six-book series with the goal of offering the first in-depth critical engagement of his overall project, alongside a reflection on this series' import for Anglican audiences. I do so by exploring his theological method and surveying his creative use of genre across the series, drawing out themes from across the six volumes, and assessing the ways in which his works do and do not scaffold as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Enoch, a pseudepigraphical work from the Second Temple period, contains visions of the natural and supernatural world that cause the visionary, Enoch, to understand anew the beyond-human world. Written during a time of environmental devastation, 1 Enoch can be a resource for helping today's readers rewild our religious imaginations, our understanding of worship, and our relationship with nonhuman creation. This essay offers a reflection on how the Book of the Watchers in 1 Enoch and the author's failed attempts to reach a mountain peak helped the author better understand the unseating of humanity as the center of creation as an experience of grace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demographics of the Anglican Communion have shifted to the Global South, it has to adopt a postcolonial and polycentric model of mutual relationships. Postcolonial theory helps us examine Anglican history and theology through the lenses of colonialism and empire. This essay offers several examples of postcolonial critique of Anglican theology and elucidates the concept of hybridity in theology. It analyzes the revisions of the Book of Common Prayer in New Zealand/Aotearoa and Brazil as attempts to contextualize liturgy and proposes visions for theology in the Anglican Communion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of theology education, there is a strong desire to understand theology in-depth. Understanding what theology is becomes a primary need, in addition to other knowledge that supports it. Many theologians have produced theological books to answer the need for understanding theology, such as liberal theology. This article aims to discuss the question of liberal theology in relation to Christian Religious Education (CRE) for Christian students. The question is, what motivates the emergence of liberal theology, which emphasizes reason and logic over the Bible as the primary source of Christian theology. Is there any support for liberal theology, and how is it related to Christian Religious Education, especially for teachers and students? This question will be analyzed through the traditional church doctrine, as evidenced in the Bible, connected with contemporary theology. The method used to solve this problem is qualitative research, which collects data from books or journals. Through research and discussion, the author aims to offer a new perspective for the teaching of Christian Religious Education (CRE), providing a strong foundation based on the Bible, which is the primary source of Christian education. The article emphasizes that the Bible is the commandment of God and not based on reason. At the end of the article, there is a conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Apocalyptic Life of a Mephistophelian Zelig" is a book review of "Professor of Apocalypse: The Many Lives of Jacob Taubes" by Jerry Z. Muller. The review explores Taubes's impact on the field of theo-politics and his connections with influential thinkers. It emphasizes Taubes's Jewish background, his apocalyptic beliefs, and his involvement in the German student movement. The review commends Muller's biography for providing a comprehensive account of the intellectuals and ideas that have shaped the modern era, particularly the network of German émigrés in the United States. The article concludes by contemplating the limitations of intellectuals in addressing societal issues, despite their intellectual prowess. [Extracted from the article]

This paper provides a conceptual framework for explaining how someone can know of God's love factually but fail to receive God's love experientially. After developing a theological epistemology of knowledge of God's love, I turn to the psychodynamic concept of internalization to further explain resistance and receptivity to God's loving presence. The paper concludes with implications for Christian spiritual formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is meant by spirituality and spiritual development in the context of theological formation, and why is it important to incorporate spirituality in theological formation? This article addresses these questions by reviewing scholarly literature and applying the results to the context of Christian academic faculties of theology. The author argues the interdependence of theological and spiritual formation. Also presented are examples of unsound argumentation as to why spirituality would be important in the context of academic theology. The article concludes with the presentation of seven critical considerations for incorporating spirituality in theology in practices within academic faculties of theology. The article argues that paying attention to spirituality in the context of theological formation is an intrinsic part of striving toward both academic and professional excellence. Theology, including academic theology, gains in expressiveness and relevance when it contributes to the development of personal and communal spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study relates theology to popular culture. As a platform for expressing the experiences of present‐day life, popular culture is theologically challenging. Scientific discourses on popular culture have revealed the significance of popular culture in society and its characteristics as a "translocal" cultural pattern. Using the approach of public theology, this study explores meeting points of theology and popular culture in the context of the Indonesian public sphere. The findings suggest that contextual encounters between theology and popular culture should take the form of negotiations rather than adaptations or confrontations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the literature on interreligious engagement in prison from the perspective of Christian religious educational and missional ministry. It uses a case study conducted in the Class IIA Women's Correctional Institution in Semarang, Indonesia. In Indonesia, educational and missional ministry in prisons plays a vital role in supporting prison services. This ministry is understood as part of the Christian mandate to serve those in prison, regardless of their religion. Though spiritual development for Christian inmates is also essential, it is important to consider a comprehensive interreligious engagement programme that includes art, creativity, and imagination, including batik‐making. Using a postcolonial feminist perspective, this article proposes practices relevant to prison ministry, especially for female inmates. The practices are both educational and missional. We call the interconnection between the educational and missional a liberating third space – a space of interreligious engagement that is relevant for female inmates in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]