Wendy Johnsen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Wendy Johnsen
While Darwin elaborated the details of his evolutionary theory in terms of mutation and natural s... more While Darwin elaborated the details of his evolutionary theory in terms of mutation and natural selection, he left unanswered the question of the significance to his theory of the cooperation that he had observed. Secular scientists, such as Richard Dawkins, perpetuated the perspective of selfish competitiveness in order to expunge any notion of teleology from evolution but recent work in the area of game theory by scientists such as Martin A. Nowak has highlighted evolutionary cooperation as equally important in the development of biological complexity. This is corroborated in the animal world by the observations of primatologist Frans De Waal. Timothy Jackson resists a depiction of altruism that is defined by mathematical models, preferring a christological embodiment of agape that transcends them. Sarah Coakley's vision of the role that evolutionary cooperation plays in the arena of theological ethics and altruism calls for a reframing of natural theology. This discussion culminates in the question as to the significance evolutionary cooperation has for the Christian believer as steward of God's cosmos in both its biological and social forms.
This essay will argue that Jesus, as the last Adam and the firstborn of the new Creation, is grea... more This essay will argue that Jesus, as the last Adam and the firstborn of the new Creation, is greater than the first Adam and is the true image of God which the first Adam failed to be, and that he is the true image of God versus the Imperial cult by which Caesar was worshipped as the son of god in a world pervaded by idolatry.
Genealogies are an integral part of the structure of Genesis and, in order to understand the auth... more Genealogies are an integral part of the structure of Genesis and, in order to understand the author’s intent in creating this genealogical document, one should not interpret the genealogies anachronistically but understand their function and purpose in the ancient Near Eastern (ANE) and biblical contexts.
This essay will explore the injunctions of God in Genesis 9:4-6 concerning the shedding of the bl... more This essay will explore the injunctions of God in Genesis 9:4-6 concerning the shedding of the blood of humans and animals. The traditional views of the total abstinence from consuming the blood of animals and of the sanctity of human life per se are understood from God’s commands in these verses. However, I suggest that a command against an attitude of brutality in the treatment of both animals and humans is the more comprehensive theme here. God who in his justice has a valid reason to take the lives of human beings and who chooses rather to extend mercy, will hold accountable those who act according to their innate violent tendencies.
An overview of the roles of various churches in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa
This essay will examine some of the areas of controversy in the history of the pre-Reformation ch... more This essay will examine some of the areas of controversy in the history of the pre-Reformation church, and argue that, contrary to Col 3:16 in which Paul intimates that music is God’s gift to all Christians and is to be used as a medium for teaching, edifying and praising, the Church constrained and misused that gift and increasingly dictated the parameters of its use such that the ordinary Christian was silenced in worship.
Daniel's apocalyptic prophecy1 of the 'beastly' kingdoms of men in chapter 7 graphically portrays... more Daniel's apocalyptic prophecy1 of the 'beastly' kingdoms of men in chapter 7 graphically portrays the sweep of history as it impacts the Jews, from their exile to the kingdom of God, and exemplifies his overall theme that God is in control and will deliver his people. While acknowledging the mystery of the symbology and without being dogmatic, I will argue that the four beasts of chapter 7 represent the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, and the two creatures of chapter 8 correspond to the second and third beasts. Chapter 7 thus gives the scope of history from Babylon as the first beast, to Rome as the fourth beast transitioning into the kingdom of God ruled by one 'like a son of man.'
The thesis of this paper is that the early Christians incorporated Greek secular medicine into th... more The thesis of this paper is that the early Christians incorporated Greek secular medicine into their agape worldview, into a medical philanthropy which was diametrically opposed to the pagan Greco-Roman worldview, which it came to supersede. Christian medical philanthropy revolutionized society, and especially benefited the poor and the marginalised.
My thesis is that Psalm 2 was written in the context and manner of the Ancient Near Eastern cultu... more My thesis is that Psalm 2 was written in the context and manner of the Ancient Near Eastern culture, for use at the enthronement of a Davidic King, to reinforce the message of the supreme power of Yahweh, Israel’s god, and therefore of his designated king, over the nations. After the exile when there was no longer a king on David’s throne and a Royal Psalm no longer had any functional purpose, Psalm 2 took on a messianic significance in the minds and hearts of Israel.
In our postmodern age spiritual matters have been relegated to the individual domain and discoura... more In our postmodern age spiritual matters have been relegated to the individual domain and discouraged in the scientific arena of medicine. With the introduction of the formal medical discipline of Palliative Care by Dame Cicely Saunders, the concept of treating the whole person came to the fore as she emphasised the importance of spiritual care. This paper discusses spirituality and spiritual pain at the end of life as well as some spiritual practices which may be meaningful and helpful to the dying person.
Augustine's Confessions is a passionate and intensely intimate baring of his soul as he shares hi... more Augustine's Confessions is a passionate and intensely intimate baring of his soul as he shares his struggles with sin and exults in his grace-filled relationship with God. It is not a carefully crafted narrative presenting Augustine in the best light but rather in the rawness of his struggles, and the reader feels as though she is intruding into his private conversation with God. He opens a window into the worldview of that time when secular ambition to be a great orator and teacher was greatly prized and the religious arena was one of debate about concepts which competed with, and incorporated, the ideas of the Greek philosophers. Life for the individual held the same delights and temptations that we encounter today, although in different guises. As he shares his road to Christianity with us, Augustine discusses various issues which become themes of his work. This essay explores his complex thinking on women and sexuality, which create inner conflict and tension between his desire for the physical while wanting to attain to the spiritual, as they control him and obstruct his path to spiritual union with God.
The authority of the Scriptures is vested in the God whom they reveal, rather than in either an o... more The authority of the Scriptures is vested in the God whom they reveal, rather than in either an oral or a written text. The post-Gutenberg print-based cognitive worldview has an anachronistic understanding of how the Scriptures came into being in the context of an oral culture and fails to see that written text was subordinate to orality in the ancient world.
While Darwin elaborated the details of his evolutionary theory in terms of mutation and natural s... more While Darwin elaborated the details of his evolutionary theory in terms of mutation and natural selection, he left unanswered the question of the significance to his theory of the cooperation that he had observed. Secular scientists, such as Richard Dawkins, perpetuated the perspective of selfish competitiveness in order to expunge any notion of teleology from evolution but recent work in the area of game theory by scientists such as Martin A. Nowak has highlighted evolutionary cooperation as equally important in the development of biological complexity. This is corroborated in the animal world by the observations of primatologist Frans De Waal. Timothy Jackson resists a depiction of altruism that is defined by mathematical models, preferring a christological embodiment of agape that transcends them. Sarah Coakley's vision of the role that evolutionary cooperation plays in the arena of theological ethics and altruism calls for a reframing of natural theology. This discussion culminates in the question as to the significance evolutionary cooperation has for the Christian believer as steward of God's cosmos in both its biological and social forms.
This essay will argue that Jesus, as the last Adam and the firstborn of the new Creation, is grea... more This essay will argue that Jesus, as the last Adam and the firstborn of the new Creation, is greater than the first Adam and is the true image of God which the first Adam failed to be, and that he is the true image of God versus the Imperial cult by which Caesar was worshipped as the son of god in a world pervaded by idolatry.
Genealogies are an integral part of the structure of Genesis and, in order to understand the auth... more Genealogies are an integral part of the structure of Genesis and, in order to understand the author’s intent in creating this genealogical document, one should not interpret the genealogies anachronistically but understand their function and purpose in the ancient Near Eastern (ANE) and biblical contexts.
This essay will explore the injunctions of God in Genesis 9:4-6 concerning the shedding of the bl... more This essay will explore the injunctions of God in Genesis 9:4-6 concerning the shedding of the blood of humans and animals. The traditional views of the total abstinence from consuming the blood of animals and of the sanctity of human life per se are understood from God’s commands in these verses. However, I suggest that a command against an attitude of brutality in the treatment of both animals and humans is the more comprehensive theme here. God who in his justice has a valid reason to take the lives of human beings and who chooses rather to extend mercy, will hold accountable those who act according to their innate violent tendencies.
An overview of the roles of various churches in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa
This essay will examine some of the areas of controversy in the history of the pre-Reformation ch... more This essay will examine some of the areas of controversy in the history of the pre-Reformation church, and argue that, contrary to Col 3:16 in which Paul intimates that music is God’s gift to all Christians and is to be used as a medium for teaching, edifying and praising, the Church constrained and misused that gift and increasingly dictated the parameters of its use such that the ordinary Christian was silenced in worship.
Daniel's apocalyptic prophecy1 of the 'beastly' kingdoms of men in chapter 7 graphically portrays... more Daniel's apocalyptic prophecy1 of the 'beastly' kingdoms of men in chapter 7 graphically portrays the sweep of history as it impacts the Jews, from their exile to the kingdom of God, and exemplifies his overall theme that God is in control and will deliver his people. While acknowledging the mystery of the symbology and without being dogmatic, I will argue that the four beasts of chapter 7 represent the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, and the two creatures of chapter 8 correspond to the second and third beasts. Chapter 7 thus gives the scope of history from Babylon as the first beast, to Rome as the fourth beast transitioning into the kingdom of God ruled by one 'like a son of man.'
The thesis of this paper is that the early Christians incorporated Greek secular medicine into th... more The thesis of this paper is that the early Christians incorporated Greek secular medicine into their agape worldview, into a medical philanthropy which was diametrically opposed to the pagan Greco-Roman worldview, which it came to supersede. Christian medical philanthropy revolutionized society, and especially benefited the poor and the marginalised.
My thesis is that Psalm 2 was written in the context and manner of the Ancient Near Eastern cultu... more My thesis is that Psalm 2 was written in the context and manner of the Ancient Near Eastern culture, for use at the enthronement of a Davidic King, to reinforce the message of the supreme power of Yahweh, Israel’s god, and therefore of his designated king, over the nations. After the exile when there was no longer a king on David’s throne and a Royal Psalm no longer had any functional purpose, Psalm 2 took on a messianic significance in the minds and hearts of Israel.
In our postmodern age spiritual matters have been relegated to the individual domain and discoura... more In our postmodern age spiritual matters have been relegated to the individual domain and discouraged in the scientific arena of medicine. With the introduction of the formal medical discipline of Palliative Care by Dame Cicely Saunders, the concept of treating the whole person came to the fore as she emphasised the importance of spiritual care. This paper discusses spirituality and spiritual pain at the end of life as well as some spiritual practices which may be meaningful and helpful to the dying person.
Augustine's Confessions is a passionate and intensely intimate baring of his soul as he shares hi... more Augustine's Confessions is a passionate and intensely intimate baring of his soul as he shares his struggles with sin and exults in his grace-filled relationship with God. It is not a carefully crafted narrative presenting Augustine in the best light but rather in the rawness of his struggles, and the reader feels as though she is intruding into his private conversation with God. He opens a window into the worldview of that time when secular ambition to be a great orator and teacher was greatly prized and the religious arena was one of debate about concepts which competed with, and incorporated, the ideas of the Greek philosophers. Life for the individual held the same delights and temptations that we encounter today, although in different guises. As he shares his road to Christianity with us, Augustine discusses various issues which become themes of his work. This essay explores his complex thinking on women and sexuality, which create inner conflict and tension between his desire for the physical while wanting to attain to the spiritual, as they control him and obstruct his path to spiritual union with God.
The authority of the Scriptures is vested in the God whom they reveal, rather than in either an o... more The authority of the Scriptures is vested in the God whom they reveal, rather than in either an oral or a written text. The post-Gutenberg print-based cognitive worldview has an anachronistic understanding of how the Scriptures came into being in the context of an oral culture and fails to see that written text was subordinate to orality in the ancient world.