Paradox and Contradiction in Theology PDF Download

Author: Jonathan C. Rutledge
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781032333427
Category : RELIGION
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This book explores and expounds upon questions of paradox and contradiction in theology with an emphasis on recent contributions from analytic philosophical theology. It addresses questions such as: What is the place of paradox in theology? Where might different systems of logic (e.g., paraconsistent ones) find a place in theological discourse (e.g., Christology)? What are proper responses to the presence of contradiction(s) in one's theological theories? Are appeals to analogical language enough to make sense of paradox? Bringing together an impressive line-up of theologians and philosophers, the volume offers a range of fresh perspectives on a central topic. It is valuable reading for scholars of theology and philosophy of religion.

Author: Jonathan C. Rutledge
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781003319221
Category : RELIGION
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This book explores and expounds upon questions of paradox and contradiction in theology with an emphasis on recent contributions from analytic philosophical theology. It addresses questions such as: What is the place of paradox in theology? Where might different systems of logic (e.g., paraconsistent ones) find a place in theological discourse (e.g., Christology)? What are proper responses to the presence of contradiction(s) in one's theological theories? Are appeals to analogical language enough to make sense of paradox? Bringing together an impressive line-up of theologians and philosophers, the volume offers a range of fresh perspectives on a central topic. It is valuable reading for scholars of theology and philosophy of religion.

Author: James Anderson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1556352719
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
Does traditional Christianity involve paradoxical doctrines, that is, doctrines that present the appearance (at least) of logical inconsistency? If so, what is the nature of these paradoxes and why do they arise? What is the relationship between paradox and mystery in theological theorizing? And what are the implications for the rationality, or otherwise, of orthodox Christian beliefs? In 'Paradox in Christian Theology', James Anderson argues that the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation, as derived from Scripture and formulated in the ecumenical creeds, are indeed paradoxical. But this conclusion, he contends, need not imply that Christians who believe these doctrines are irrational in doing so. In support of this claim, Anderson develops and defends a model of understanding paradoxical Christian doctrines according to which the presence of such doctrines is unsurprising and adherence to paradoxical doctrines cannot be considered as a serious intellectual obstacle to belief in Christianity. The case presented in this book has significant implications for the practice of systematic theology, biblical exegesis, and Christian apologetics.

Author: Brayton Polka
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 179363761X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 303

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Book Description
The principal thesis that the author advances in this book is that paradox and contradiction constitute the two ways of the world. Paradox represents the way of the people of the Bible, and contradiction represents the way of all peoples who, having lived without knowledge of the Bible, have traditionally been known as gentiles or pagans. The two ideas that are central to the biblical way of life (as known historically by Jews, Christians, and Muslims) are creation and covenant, while the contradictory way of paganism has precisely been marked by the absence of these two concepts. In his book the author distinguishes the paradoxical way of the world from the contradictory way of the world through the examination of principal texts of four of the most significant early modern, European thinkers from the later sixteenth century to the earlier eighteenth century: Montaigne, Descartes, Spinoza, and Vico. He shows that each of these four authors, in distinctive yet fundamentally interrelated fashion, provides us with profound insight into how absolutely different the paradoxical way of the world as biblical is from the contradictory way of the world as found, primarily and specifically, in Greek and Roman antiquity.

Author: Jonathan C. Rutledge
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100096325X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
This book explores and expounds upon questions of paradox and contradiction in theology with an emphasis on recent contributions from analytic philosophical theology. It addresses questions such as: What is the place of paradox in theology? Where might different systems of logic (e.g. paraconsistent ones) find a place in theological discourse (e.g. Christology)? What are proper responses to the presence of contradiction(s) in one’s theological theories? Are appeals to analogical language enough to make sense of paradox? Bringing together an impressive line-up of theologians and philosophers, the volume offers a range of fresh perspectives on a central topic. It is valuable reading for scholars of theology and philosophy of religion.

Author: Johannes Grössl
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000376656
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
In Christian theology, the teaching that Christ possessed both a human and divine will is central to the doctrine of two natures, but it also represents a logical paradox, raising questions about how a person can be both impeccable and subject to temptation. This volume explores these questions through an analytic theology approach, bringing together 15 original papers that explore the implications of a strong libertarian concept of free will for Christology. With perspectives from systematic theologians, philosophers, and biblical scholars, several chapters also offer a comparative theology approach, examining the concept of impeccability in the Muslim tradition. Therefore, this volume will be of interest to scholars and graduate students working in analytic theology, biblical scholarship, systematic theology, and Christian-Islamic dialogue.

Author: Slavoj Zizek
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262265818
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
A militant Marxist atheist and a “Radical Orthodox” Christian theologian square off on everything from the meaning of theology and Christ to the war machine of corporate mafia. “What matters is not so much that Žižek is endorsing a demythologized, disenchanted Christianity without transcendence, as that he is offering in the end (despite what he sometimes claims) a heterodox version of Christian belief.”—John Milbank “To put it even more bluntly, my claim is that it is Milbank who is effectively guilty of heterodoxy, ultimately of a regression to paganism: in my atheism, I am more Christian than Milbank.”—Slavoj Žižek In this corner, philosopher Slavoj Žižek, a militant atheist who represents the critical-materialist stance against religion's illusions; in the other corner, “Radical Orthodox” theologian John Milbank, an influential and provocative thinker who argues that theology is the only foundation upon which knowledge, politics, and ethics can stand. In The Monstrosity of Christ, Žižek and Milbank go head to head for three rounds, employing an impressive arsenal of moves to advance their positions and press their respective advantages. By the closing bell, they have not only proven themselves worthy adversaries, they have shown that faith and reason are not simply and intractably opposed. Žižek has long been interested in the emancipatory potential offered by Christian theology. And Milbank, seeing global capitalism as the new century's greatest ethical challenge, has pushed his own ontology in more political and materialist directions. Their debate in The Monstrosity of Christ concerns the future of religion, secularity, and political hope in light of a monsterful event—God becoming human. For the first time since Žižek's turn toward theology, we have a true debate between an atheist and a theologian about the very meaning of theology, Christ, the Church, the Holy Ghost, Universality, and the foundations of logic. The result goes far beyond the popularized atheist/theist point/counterpoint of recent books by Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and others. Žižek begins, and Milbank answers, countering dialectics with “paradox.” The debate centers on the nature of and relation between paradox and parallax, between analogy and dialectics, between transcendent glory and liberation. Slavoj Žižek is a philosopher and cultural critic. He has published over thirty books, including Looking Awry, The Puppet and the Dwarf, and The Parallax View (these three published by the MIT Press). John Milbank is an influential Christian theologian and the author of Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason and other books. Creston Davis, who conceived of this encounter, studied under both Žižek and Milbank.

Author: Robert S. Rayburn
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666725366
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
A phenomenon of biblical revelation that has provoked unending confusion and controversy is the penchant of the biblical writers to make assertions, clear and intelligible in themselves, that seem inconsistent with, if not the virtual contradiction of, assertions made elsewhere in the same Bible. What is more, the Bible essentially never acknowledges the paradoxes and never seeks to explain or resolve them. Readers of the Bible encounter such "contradictions" at every turn: in its theology, its description of Christian experience, and its ethical teaching. These unreconciled emphases lie beneath the theological disagreements that have long separated Christians from one another. Therefore, coming to terms with this feature of biblical communication is of great importance. While the existence of these many paradoxes in the Bible has long been recognized, rarely have Christians been taught to expect them or what to do when confronted with them. This brilliant feature of the biblical pedagogy is an accommodation to the limitations of the human intellect, serves to grant us access to the truth so far as we can comprehend it, forces us to face facts we would otherwise prefer to ignore, and makes of Christians themselves a unique complex of opposites.

Author: BA Bosserman
Publisher: James Clarke & Company
ISBN: 0227903935
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
'The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox' grapples with the question of how one may hold together the ideals of systematic theology, apologetic proof, and theological paradox by building on the insights of Cornelius Van Til. Van Til developed an apologetic where one presupposes that the Triune God exists, and then proves this Christian presupposition by demonstrating that philosophies that deny it are self-defeating in the specific sense that they rely on principles that only the Trinity, asthe ultimate harmony of unity and diversity, can furnish. A question raised by Van Til's trademark procedure is how he can evade the charge that the apparent contradictions of the christian faith render it equally self-defeating as non-Christian alternatives. This text argues that for Van Til, Christian paradoxes can be differentiated from genuine contradictions by the way that their apparently opposing elements discernibly require one another, even as they present our minds with an irresolvable conflict. And yet, Van Til failed to sufficiently vindicate the central Christian paradox-the doctrine of the Trinity-along the lines required by his system. Hence, the present text offers a unique proof that God can only exist as the pinnacle of unity-in-diversity, and as the ground of a coherent Christian system, if He exists as three, and only three, divine persons.

Author: Ross Cunningham
Publisher: Christian Focus
ISBN: 9781527106376
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
A visually engaging exploration of apparent contradictions within the Christian faith. One of the significant challenges in the Christian faith is the number of apparent contradictions the Bible presents. These paradoxes and mysteries can be difficult to understand. In Both-And Ross Cunningham takes 23 pairs of seemingly contradictory truths and concisely and clearly explains how they can co-exist. The book is divided into three main sections - apparent contradictions in the divine nature; apparent contradictions in the experience of salvation; and apparent contradiction in the characteristics of being in Christ. Ross Cunningham, who has a background in creative design, has introduced each chapter with an attractive graphic representation of the paradox in question.