Robert Hannaford - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Robert Hannaford
Theology, 2003
The fact of human suffering is perhaps the most widely given reason for the rejection of traditio... more The fact of human suffering is perhaps the most widely given reason for the rejection of traditional religion in modem western culture. Many people find it impossible to reconcile suffering with belief in a good and loving God. Framing a response to this challenge is far from straightforward. The issue is complex in a number of ways. It is far from clear that any response can satisfy the sceptic. Suffering does not lend itself to intellectual enquiry. Theoretical approaches are unlikely to match the existential challenge of suffering. Furthermore, while believers recognize the nature and extent of human suffering, faith for them is neither an escape nor merely a response to suffering. When confronted by the sceptic's question one is tempted to say that no discussion of faith should begin here. Discussing religion from the point of view of suffering, makes suffering itself the point of religion. As this collection recognizes, the relation of religion to suffering is in itself complex and multifaceted. Some religions regard suffering as an illusion; others treat it as a precondition for the experience of salvation. This volume of essays, some of which were first delivered at a meeting of the American Academy of Religion, does not attempt a systematic or integrated approach to the problem of suffering. The editors draw on contributions from scholars working in a number of fields within the study of religion, and the overall approach is multidisciplinary in character. The authors of this book approach the problem of suffering from a number of different methodological perspectives and no attempt is made to draw common conclusions. Overall the approach is decidedly 'academic', with a focus on scholarly questions of method and interpretation. Anyone looking for a systematic theodicy will be disappointed. However, as we have suggested, traditional responses to the problem of suffering are looking increasingly sterile. Instead of an apologia for religion what we have here is a series of essays on the struggle to comprehend the mystery of evil and suffering from a religious perspective. Steven Kepnes offers a discussion of Martin Buber's interpretation of the book of Job. Cleo McNelly explores Kristeva's psychoanalytic
Theology, 2000
In 1995the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England produced an impressive report entitled Th... more In 1995the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England produced an impressive report entitled The Mystery of Salvation: The Story of God's Gift.! In the Foreword Bishop Alec Graham, the Commission's then Chairman, set out the principles underlying its compilation: 'Our aim has been to express the Church's faith as received by us from Scripture and from the Church's subsequent understanding of its inheritance, in such a way that we are true to the tradition received and give fresh expression to it." Rather surprisingly, given its contents, the report was largely dismissed in the popular press as an example of theological reductionism. Attention fastened on the brief discussion of hell, and the implied rejection of the idea of eternal punishment; few seemed to notice the accompanying argument about human freedom and divine omnipotence. While one might lament it, many in the Church took their lead from the press, dismissing the report as another example of doctrinal confusion in the Church of England. It seems that many of the faithful no longer trust the Church's theologians to reflect the faith that they celebrate in worship. Part of the reason for this state of affairs lies, I believe, in the legacy bequeathed to us by the radical scepticism of 1960s and 1970s Anglican theology, and it is the impact of this broad movement of thought that I want to examine in this paper. Twenty years ago the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England produced a report entitled Christian Believing which, in the words of the subtitle, explored 'The Nature of the Christian Faith and its Expression in Holy Scripture and Creeds'." The report caused enormous embarrassment, signalling as it did the failure of a group of leading Anglican theologians to reach agreement about the nature of belief. Of the report's 114 pages the agreed statement runs to only 42 pages, and many of these are descriptions of divergent positions. The main bulk of the report consists of appendices and position papers by Commission members. The impression created is of a divided and confused Church whose theologians cannot even agree about the Christian attitude towards faith and belief, let alone the content of doctrine itself. The Commission's Chairman, Professor Maurice Wiles, admitted that the report had not been easy to write.' In the concluding section of the agreed statement the compilers analyse various approaches to the place of creeds in Christian life and comment:
Theological Studies, 2001
Ecclesiology, 2005
The article analyses the rather promiscuous use of ‘ministry’ in recent theology and attempts to ... more The article analyses the rather promiscuous use of ‘ministry’ in recent theology and attempts to re-found ministry on a more critical ecclesiological basis. It considers recent research on the meaning of diakonia and proceeds to state a high doctrine of representative ministry as an ecclesial sign of the Kingdom inaugurated by Jesus Christ.
New Blackfriars, 1989
The contemporary debate about the place and role of women in the Church is proving to be a painfu... more The contemporary debate about the place and role of women in the Church is proving to be a painful and difficult business. Language itself contributes to the problems in the sense that certain tacit assumptions-overwhelmingly negative about women-are embedded deep in our talk about human persons. The answer is not to be found simply in tinkering with non-sexist language. The practical difficulties facing women are compounded by the fact that the language in which the discussion is conducted depends for its meaning on gender images that are implicitly discriminatory. The clue to this problem is to be found in certain key assumptions about the nature of human persons.
Theology, 2003
The fact of human suffering is perhaps the most widely given reason for the rejection of traditio... more The fact of human suffering is perhaps the most widely given reason for the rejection of traditional religion in modem western culture. Many people find it impossible to reconcile suffering with belief in a good and loving God. Framing a response to this challenge is far from straightforward. The issue is complex in a number of ways. It is far from clear that any response can satisfy the sceptic. Suffering does not lend itself to intellectual enquiry. Theoretical approaches are unlikely to match the existential challenge of suffering. Furthermore, while believers recognize the nature and extent of human suffering, faith for them is neither an escape nor merely a response to suffering. When confronted by the sceptic's question one is tempted to say that no discussion of faith should begin here. Discussing religion from the point of view of suffering, makes suffering itself the point of religion. As this collection recognizes, the relation of religion to suffering is in itself complex and multifaceted. Some religions regard suffering as an illusion; others treat it as a precondition for the experience of salvation. This volume of essays, some of which were first delivered at a meeting of the American Academy of Religion, does not attempt a systematic or integrated approach to the problem of suffering. The editors draw on contributions from scholars working in a number of fields within the study of religion, and the overall approach is multidisciplinary in character. The authors of this book approach the problem of suffering from a number of different methodological perspectives and no attempt is made to draw common conclusions. Overall the approach is decidedly 'academic', with a focus on scholarly questions of method and interpretation. Anyone looking for a systematic theodicy will be disappointed. However, as we have suggested, traditional responses to the problem of suffering are looking increasingly sterile. Instead of an apologia for religion what we have here is a series of essays on the struggle to comprehend the mystery of evil and suffering from a religious perspective. Steven Kepnes offers a discussion of Martin Buber's interpretation of the book of Job. Cleo McNelly explores Kristeva's psychoanalytic
Theology, 2000
In 1995the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England produced an impressive report entitled Th... more In 1995the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England produced an impressive report entitled The Mystery of Salvation: The Story of God's Gift.! In the Foreword Bishop Alec Graham, the Commission's then Chairman, set out the principles underlying its compilation: 'Our aim has been to express the Church's faith as received by us from Scripture and from the Church's subsequent understanding of its inheritance, in such a way that we are true to the tradition received and give fresh expression to it." Rather surprisingly, given its contents, the report was largely dismissed in the popular press as an example of theological reductionism. Attention fastened on the brief discussion of hell, and the implied rejection of the idea of eternal punishment; few seemed to notice the accompanying argument about human freedom and divine omnipotence. While one might lament it, many in the Church took their lead from the press, dismissing the report as another example of doctrinal confusion in the Church of England. It seems that many of the faithful no longer trust the Church's theologians to reflect the faith that they celebrate in worship. Part of the reason for this state of affairs lies, I believe, in the legacy bequeathed to us by the radical scepticism of 1960s and 1970s Anglican theology, and it is the impact of this broad movement of thought that I want to examine in this paper. Twenty years ago the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England produced a report entitled Christian Believing which, in the words of the subtitle, explored 'The Nature of the Christian Faith and its Expression in Holy Scripture and Creeds'." The report caused enormous embarrassment, signalling as it did the failure of a group of leading Anglican theologians to reach agreement about the nature of belief. Of the report's 114 pages the agreed statement runs to only 42 pages, and many of these are descriptions of divergent positions. The main bulk of the report consists of appendices and position papers by Commission members. The impression created is of a divided and confused Church whose theologians cannot even agree about the Christian attitude towards faith and belief, let alone the content of doctrine itself. The Commission's Chairman, Professor Maurice Wiles, admitted that the report had not been easy to write.' In the concluding section of the agreed statement the compilers analyse various approaches to the place of creeds in Christian life and comment:
Theological Studies, 2001
Ecclesiology, 2005
The article analyses the rather promiscuous use of ‘ministry’ in recent theology and attempts to ... more The article analyses the rather promiscuous use of ‘ministry’ in recent theology and attempts to re-found ministry on a more critical ecclesiological basis. It considers recent research on the meaning of diakonia and proceeds to state a high doctrine of representative ministry as an ecclesial sign of the Kingdom inaugurated by Jesus Christ.
New Blackfriars, 1989
The contemporary debate about the place and role of women in the Church is proving to be a painfu... more The contemporary debate about the place and role of women in the Church is proving to be a painful and difficult business. Language itself contributes to the problems in the sense that certain tacit assumptions-overwhelmingly negative about women-are embedded deep in our talk about human persons. The answer is not to be found simply in tinkering with non-sexist language. The practical difficulties facing women are compounded by the fact that the language in which the discussion is conducted depends for its meaning on gender images that are implicitly discriminatory. The clue to this problem is to be found in certain key assumptions about the nature of human persons.