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"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" How should a Christian interpret this passage? What implications does the cross have for the trinitarian theology? Did the Father kill the Son? Theologian Thomas McCall presents a trinitarian reading of Christ's darkest moment--the moment of his prayer to his heavenly Father from the cross. McCall revisits the biblical texts and surveys the various interpretations of Jesus cry, ranging from early church theologians to the Reformation to contemporary theologians. Along the way, he explains the terms of the scholarly debate and clearly marks out what he believes to be the historically orthodox point of view. By approaching the Son's cry to the Father as an event in the life of the Triune God, Forsaken seeks to recover the true poignancy of the orthodox perspective on the cross.
Analytic theology is a new and stimulating movement that uses the tools and methods of philosophy to help us understand and articulate Christian doctrine. Thomas McCall introduces us to analytic theology, explaining its connections to Scripture, Christian tradition and culture, and calling the discipline to deeper engagement with the traditional resources of the theological task.
This study draws upon the resources of both contemporary analytic theology and the theological interpretation of the New Testament in order to investigate a set of important issues in Christology. It is the first work in analytic Christology to draw upon both recent scholarship in biblical studies and recent contributions to analytic philosophy and theology. Thomas H. McCall explores the themes of union with Christ and the faith of Christ as these are developed by the "apocalyptic" and "New Perspective" interpreters of Pauline theology. The volume offers a careful analysis of recent dogmatic proposals about the identity of Christ and the doctrine of election, and provides an examination of debates over the subordination of the Son in Hebrews. It also probes the relationship of the incarnate Son to his Father in Johannine theology. McCall presents an exegetically-grounded theological engagement with recent work on the place of logic in the doctrine of the incarnation.
The last few decades have witnessed a renaissance of Trinitarian theology. Theologians have worked to recover this doctrine for a proper understanding of the God and for the life of the church. At the same time, analytic philosophers of religion have become keenly interested in the Trinity, engaging in vigorous debates related to it. To this point, however, the work of the two groups has taken place in almost complete isolation from one another. Which Trinity? Whose Monotheism? Seeks to bridge that divide. / Thomas H. McCall compares the work of significant philosophers of religion Richard Swinburne, Brian Leftow, and others with that of influential theologians such as Jrgen Moltmann, Robert Jenson, and John Zizioulas. He then evaluates several important proposals and offers suggestion for the future of Trinitarian theology. / There are many books on the doctrine of the Trinity, but no other book brings the concerns of analytic philosophers of religion into direct conversation with those of mainstream theologians.
Without a proper understanding of sin, there can never be a proper understanding of the gospel. Sin is opposed both to God's will and to nature, leaving us in need of God's grace and redemption. This comprehensive exploration of the doctrine of sin looks at what the Bible teaches about sin's origin, nature, and consequences, engaging with historical and contemporary movements. Dealing with difficult issues such as original sin, angelic sin, corporate sin, greater and lesser sins, and more, this book ends with a discussion on divine grace, which is the only hope for the problem of sin.
Richard A. Muller, P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary --
It is hard to think of an area of Christian theology that provides more scope for interdisciplinary conversation than the doctrine of creation. This doctrine not only invites reflection on an intellectual concept: it calls for contemplation of the endlessly complex, dynamic, and fascinating world that human being inhabit. But the possibilities for wide-ranging discussion are such that scholars sometimes end up talking past one another. Productive conversation requires mutual understanding of insights across disciplinary boundaries. Knowing Creation offers an essential resource for helping scholars from a range of fields to appreciate one another's concerns and perspectives. In so doing, it o...
According to the Christian faith, Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation not only of the nature of God the Creator but also of how God the Creator relates to the created order. The New Testament explicitly relates the act of creation to the person of Jesus Christ - who is also a participant within creation, and who is said, by his acts of participation, to have secured creation's ultimate redemption from the problems which presently afflict it. Christian theology proposes that Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word and Wisdom of God, the agent in whom the Spirit of God is supremely present among us, is the rationale and the telos of all things - time-space as we experience and explore it; nature ...
The legacies of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth remain influential for contemporary theologians, who have increasingly put them into conversation on debated questions over analogy and the knowledge of God. However, little explicit dialogue has occurred between their theologies of God. This book offers one of the first extended analyzes of this fundamental issue, asking how each theologian seeks to confess in fact and in thought God's qualitative distinctiveness in relation to creation. Wittman first examines how they understand the correspondence and distinction between God's being and external acts within an overarching concern to avoid idolatry. Second, he analyzes the kind of relation God bears to creation that follows from these respective understandings. Despite many common goals, Aquinas and Barth ultimately differ on the subject matter of theological reason with consequences for their ability to uphold God's distinctiveness consistently. These mutually informative issues offer some important lessons for contemporary theology.
In 40 Questions About Calvinism , church historian Shawn Wright tackles many issues about the theological system known as Calvinism. Taking an irenic approach, Wright explains the key doctrines while also contrasting them with Arminianism. The accessible format allows readers to easily look up topics in which they’re most interested, including: • What is the difference between Calvinism and the Reformed tradition? • Does God love all people? • Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world? • Can people resist the Holy Spirit? • Do Calvinists practice evangelism and missions? “Here is a book to put into the hands of such inquirers whose understanding of Calvinism may have been f...