Author: Douglas John Hall Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers ISBN: 1592445802 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 257
Book Description
The deterioration of our natural environment under the impact of a rampant technological society is one of the major crises of our time. For many analysts, a primary cause of this crisis is the influence on Western culture of the Judaeo-Christian concept of the human being as having dominion over the rest of creation. In this book, Douglas John Hall does not attempt to exonerate historical Christianity from that charge. But, he argues, confession alone is not enough. The crisis of nature forces us to rethink our whole understanding of the relation between humanity and nature - an understanding that is based on the concept that human beings are created in the image of God ('imago Dei'). Hall carefully examines the biblical, historical, and theological meanings of this term, which, more than any other biblical expression, became Christianity's symbolic way of designating the essence of the human. Hall argues that the image of God is not an endowment - it is not something that human beings have; rather, it is a quality that pertains to our relationship with God. We should think of 'imago' as a verb, not a noun, he says. The human vocation within the created order is to image the Creator. When this is applied in a consistent and serious way, the idea of human dominion over all of nature must be radically reinterpreted. Taking the Lordship of Jesus as an authentic model for understanding our human relation to the natural order means that dominion is expressed not as mastery but as service - sacrificial service of the others with and for whom one is responsible. Thus the concept of dominion as stewardship eschews any idea of ownership or superiority in relation to nature, yet assumes a special accountability for its welfare. A provocative and original work, Hall's book retains the biblical centrality of 'homo sapiens' while at the same time raising both nature and God to a new kind of prominence in the dialogue that is life.
Author: Sharon M. Leon Publisher: University of Chicago Press ISBN: 022603903X Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 237
Book Description
During the first half of the twentieth century, supporters of the eugenics movement offered an image of a racially transformed America by curtailing the reproduction of “unfit” members of society. Through institutionalization, compulsory sterilization, the restriction of immigration and marriages, and other methods, eugenicists promised to improve the population—a policy agenda that was embraced by many leading intellectuals and public figures. But Catholic activists and thinkers across the United States opposed many of these measures, asserting that “every man, even a lunatic, is an image of God, not a mere animal." In An Image of God, Sharon Leon examines the efforts of American Catholics to thwart eugenic policies, illuminating the ways in which Catholic thought transformed the public conversation about individual rights, the role of the state, and the intersections of race, community, and family. Through an examination of the broader questions raised in this debate, Leon casts new light on major issues that remain central in American political life today: the institution of marriage, the role of government, and the separation of church and state. This is essential reading in the history of religion, science, politics, and human rights.
Author: John Barstow Paterson Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN: 9780395707340 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 146
Book Description
Explores some of the images which biblical writers use to teach about God; images include light, rock, and wind as well as a gardener, father, and architect.
Author: Anthony A. Hoekema Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing ISBN: 9780802808509 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 282
Book Description
ccording to Scripture, humankind was created in the image of God. Hoekema discusses the implications of this theme, devoting several chapters to the biblical teaching on God's image, the teaching of philosophers and theologians through the ages, and his own theological analysis. Suitable for seminary-level anthropology courses, yet accessible to educated laypeople. Extensive bibliography, fully indexed.
Author: Dan McKanan Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780198033226 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 312
Book Description
Between 1820 and 1860, American social reformers invited all people to identify God's image in the victims of war, slavery, and addiction. Identifying the Image of God traces the theme of identification--and its liberal Christian roots--through the literature of social reform, focusing on sentimental novels, temperance tales, and slave narratives, and invites contemporary activists to revive the "politics of identification."
Author: Jacob Shatzer Publisher: InterVarsity Press ISBN: 0830865780 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 198
Book Description
Examining the transhumanist movement, biblical ethicist Jacob Shatzer grapples with the potential for technology to transform the way we think about what it means to be human. Exploring the doctrine of incarnation and topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics, medical technology, and communications tools, he guides us into careful consideration of the future of Christian discipleship in a disruptive technological environment.
Author: Cyprian Davis Publisher: ISBN: Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 184
Book Description
Documents included here demonstrate that African Americans have long been an integral part of Catholic history in America. From the Spanish and French periods of the pre-Revolutionary South, continuing through the Civil War and the 20th century struggles against racism, offers hope for all Catholics as they search to realize a communion that embraces members of all races and cultures as equals.
Author: John F. Kilner Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing ISBN: 0802867642 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 414
Book Description
Misunderstandings about what it means for humans to be created in God's image have wreaked devastation throughout history -- for example, slavery in the U. S., genocide in Nazi Germany, and the demeaning of women everywhere. In Dignity and Destiny John Kilner explores what the Bible itself teaches about humanity being in God's image. He discusses in detail all of the biblical references to the image of God, interacts extensively with other work on the topic, and documents how misunderstandings of it have been so problematic. People made according to God's image, Kilner says, have a special connection with God and are intended to be a meaningful reflection of him. Because of sin, they don't actually reflect him very well, but Kilner shows why the popular idea that sin has damaged the image of God is mistaken. He also clarifies the biblical difference between being God's image (which Christ is) and being in God's image (which humans are). He explains how humanity's creation and renewal in God's image are central, respectively, to human dignity and destiny. Locating Christ at the center of what God's image means, Kilner charts a constructive way forward and reflects on the tremendously liberating impact that a sound understanding of the image of God can have in the world today.
Author: Douglas John Hall
Author: Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
Author: Sharon M. Leon
Author: John Barstow Paterson
Author: Anthony A. Hoekema
Author: Dale Ryan
Author: Dan McKanan
Author: Jacob Shatzer
Author: Cyprian Davis
Author: John F. Kilner