Reconciling Theology

In "Reconciling Theology", leading thinker on Anglicanism and ecumenism Paul Avis focuses on the perennial Christian issues of argument, debate, polemic and conflict, on the one hand, and dialogue, search for common ground, working for agreement and harmony, on the other. Exploring the tension and interaction between them in a range of contexts in modern theology and the Church, Avis offers a rigorous but accessible vision of church which moves beyond the usual dichotomy of liberal or orthodox.

Projecting a global interdisciplinary vision, this insightful book develops a peer-to-peer learning methodology to facilitate reconciling religion and human rights, both in multilateral contexts and at the national level. Written by leading human rights practitioners, the book illuminates the tension zones between religion and rights, exploring how the ‘faith’ elements in both disciplines can create synergies for protecting equal human dignity.

Although much has been written about the vigorous debates over science and religion in the Victorian era, little attention has been paid to their continuing importance in early twentieth-century Britain. Reconciling Science and Religion provides a comprehensive survey of the interplay between British science and religion from the late nineteenth century to World War II. Peter J. Bowler argues that unlike the United States, where a strong fundamentalist opposition to evolutionism developed in the 1920s (most famously expressed in the Scopes "monkey trial" of 1925), in Britain there was a concerted effort to reconcile science and religion. Intellectually conservative scientists championed the reconciliation and were supported by liberal theologians in the Free Churches and the Church of England, especially the Anglican "Modernists." Popular writers such as Julian Huxley and George Bernard Shaw sought to create a non-Christian religion similar in some respects to the Modernist position. Younger scientists and secularists—including Rationalists such as H. G. Wells and the Marxists—tended to oppose these efforts, as did conservative Christians, who saw the liberal position as a betrayal of the true spirit of their religion. With the increased social tensions of the 1930s, as the churches moved toward a neo-orthodoxy unfriendly to natural theology and biologists adopted the "Modern Synthesis" of genetics and evolutionary theory, the proposed reconciliation fell apart. Because the tensions between science and religion—and efforts at reconciling the two—are still very much with us today, Bowler's book will be important for everyone interested in these issues.

The Reconciliation of Theology and Social Work seeks to add to the discussion between Christian theology and social work. William C. White's goal is to offer a practical approach and theoretical framework for service grounded in the spiritual wisdom of God's word. As he writes, "There is an extremely rich background that exists between theology and social work." In a time when the winds of change have impacted the faith community, White thinks it is best to utilize the resources within the healing community to inform his theory of social work practice. White suggests, "The lack of cultural competence by social workers and Christians can impact vulnerable populations negatively and increase disparities in providing services." Such a bold integration of faith and social work practice will find critics among those who wish to keep the two emerging disciplines apart. However, for those who desire to restore the friendly relations between the faith community and social services, The Reconciliation of Theology and Social Work will prove both challenging and yet possible.

This collection of essays edited by Colin Gunton provides a broad treatment of the theological doctrine of reconciliation. The latest addition to the King's College Systematic Theology Series. The papers are designed to constitute a broad treatment of the subject, including contributions on scripture, ethics and the church, as well as a bearing of other theological topics - Trinity, Christology - on the central question. There is an introduction by the editor, who also contributes a closing piece in which the central questions arising in the book are addressed. The contributors to this volume include leading theologians from Europe and America: Colin Gunton, Christoph Schwöbel, Douglas A. Campbell, Douglas Farrow, Murray Rae, John Webster, Sue Patterson, and Robert W. Jensen.

Theologians and scholars of religion draw on rich resources to address the complex issues raised by political reconciliation in the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, South Africa, Northern Ireland and elsewhere. The questions addressed include: Can truth set a person, or a society, free? How is political forgiveness possible? Are political, personal, and spiritual reconciliation essentially related? Explorations in Reconciliation brings Catholic, Protestant, Mennonite, Jewish and Islamic perspectives together within a single volume to present some of the most relevant theological work today. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/ISBN, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. The support of the Irish School of Ecumenics Trust in making this OA version possible is gratefully acknowledged.

This is an assessment of the social dimension to reconciliation as displayed in Paul's Letter to the Romans. Traditional exegetical scholarship has treated Paul's presentation of reconciliation as referring to reconciliation between people and God, and has primarily focused use of the word katallage - traditionally translated as 'atonement'. Constantineanu challenges this view and argues that Paul's understanding of the concept is more complex, employing rich symbolism to describe reconciliation with God and between human beings forming together an inseparable reality. The discussion is placed within Paul's overall religious, social and political contexts, showing that an analysis of the social dimension of reconciliation in his thought is both plausible and necessary. Constantineanu offers an analysis of two major sections of Romans, chapters 5-8 and 12-15. Special emphasis is placed on Paul's use of the story of Jesus for community formation, for the shaping of identity, values and community practices. It is thus demonstrated that for Paul God's reconciling initiative, shown in the crucifixion, is not only the pronouncement of God's reconciling the world, but also the ground and model for reconciliation among human beings. It was formerly the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement , a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches.

This work brings the fields of Christian theologies of atonement and reconciliation and Liberal Quaker theology into dialogue, and lays the foundation for developing an original Liberal Quaker reconciliation theology. This dialogue focuses specifically on the metaphorical language employed to describe the relationship of interdependence between humans and God, which both traditions hold as integral to their conceptions of human and divine existence. It focuses on these areas: the sin of human division and exclusion; atonement and reunification of humans and God as a response to sin; and the metaphors Liberal Quaker use to describe this interdependent relationship, specifically the metaphor of Light. This unique approach develops an original model of reconciliatory interdependence between humans and God that is rooted in both Christological and Universalist Liberal Quaker metaphorical and theological categories and utilizes the Liberal Quaker language of God as interdependent Light towards a new theology.