The Crux Of Theology

"The Crux of Theology puts Luther's teachings concerning the cross in dialogue with the preamble of the United Declaration's Declaration of Human Rights, which advances a vision of the common good wherein freedom, justice and peace are enjoyed by all. Using diverse voices, it re-frames theological loci and raises critical contextual questions"--

How can Christian theology confess God as both other than the world and also related to it in a way that compromises neither of these? Most modern thought has offered a simple reply: it cannot. Christ at the Crux analyzes one element of the roots of this denial and charts a route toward rapprochement. The Christologies of eight theologians offer various attempts to relate the Creator and the creature in Christ: Irenaeus of Lyon, Cyril of Alexandria, John Philoponus, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Zizioulas, Robert Jenson, and Colin Gunton. Within the patristic era the question is grounded in theology about the incarnation; with the Reformers the focus is on the mediation between creation and Creator; and with the three modern theologians the breadth of the issue is completed with theology proper. Together, these eight offer a grand-scale perspective on much of the christological possibilities for conceiving the relation between God and everything else. In the end Paul Cumin shows how the doctrine of the Trinity appears to open new possibilities for Christology and in particular for the way theology about the Spirit enables a reimagining of those items of Christian thought most likely at the roots of our modern rejection of God-as-other.

Many preachers and teachers of preaching talk about the gospel; few name it. Theologies of the Gospel in Context assembles a gifted group of homileticians who think that preachers need to be able to articulate the gospel not "in general," but in a certain time and place, in context. They consider what gospel sounds like for people under oppression, in capitalist economies, in neocolonial contexts, for survivors of trauma, and for disestablished mainline churches marred by racism. Preachers will appreciate these preacher/scholars' desire to articulate the gospel with clarity, especially since the term is so often left unexplained. Homileticians will see a new genre of doing their work as teachers and researchers in preaching: a vision that helps preaching see itself not just as an adjunct to exegesis or communication, but a place of doing theology. In these pages homiletics is more than technique, it is a truly theological discipline.

We at Regent College are proud to present the best of CRUX for the years 1979-89 in this volume. With Heart, Mind & Strength exemplifies what we are trying to do at Regent College -- to give our best, our all, to God. We have selected essays from the pages of the College journal, written by faculty, alumni and friends, on relevant issues, where the Bible meets today's world. The collection reflects the viewpoints and the wide range of interests we have -- biblical studies, theology, history, spirituality and interdisciplinary matters. The authors include Klaus Bockmuehl, J.I. Packer, James Houston, Carl E. Armerding, Gordon Fee and W. Ward Gasque -- all well known through their own books, all appreciated by the students at Regent College. For over twenty years, Regent has been concerned with the equipping of the laity, developing a new generation of thinking and acting Christians. We believe that we will be better able to interact with the modern world for having studied in an open atmosphere of inquiry and reverence. And for eleven years, the College has published CRUX as its voice, a place where ideas may be put forward for illumination, discussion and correction. We hope you find these essays to be a help in your own pilgrimage.

Written in 1951 (with a second edition in 1961), this book takes its place within an impressive array of attempts to wrestle with Karl Barth's theology from a Catholic point of view. The book adopts the twofold strategy of presenting an exposition of "the whole of Barth's thought," while doing so for the purpose of a confessional dialogue among theologians. Not to be construed as an "Introduction to the Theology of Karl Barth," Balthasar's effort is to provide a Catholic response which, though not "official", nonetheless seeks to express a common direction and movement within Catholicism. The Theology of Karl Barth shows how a rethinking of basic issues in fundamental theology-concerning the relation of nature and grace, philosophy and theology, the "analogy of being" and the "analogy of faith"-might lead to a rapprochement between the two great rivers of Christianity, without compromising the center of gravity of either. In the process the book makes a major contribution to renewed understanding of Christianity in a secularized modern world. Co-published with Communio Books. "This reflection by one of the century's great Catholic theologians on the theology of one of the century's great Protestant theologians is an example of ecumenical dialogue at its best. One finds here a sympathetic and at the same time faithfully Catholic discussion of the major issues surrounding Barth's christocentricity. The appearance of an unabridged English translation of this book could hardly be more timely for the current religious situation in North America." - David L. Schindler, Gagnon Professor of Fundamental Theology, John Paul II Institute "No one should think he can quickly dispose of questions posed here offhandedly. It was precisely because writers were in the habit during the time of the Reformation of theologizing with a hammer that the split in the Church became irreparable. And to work at overcoming this split means much effort. Only the patient need apply." - Hans Urs von Balthasar

Where was Christ's soul between his death and resurrection? Was it in heaven? Did it descend to the dead? This book answers that question, in two parts. The first half of the book is dedicated to exegesis, looking at what the Scriptures tell us about this important issue. The second half of the book is dedicated to historical sources relating to the doctrine of the descent in Protestant Churches in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.