stephen plant - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by stephen plant
Theology, May 1, 2023
This article explores the role of biography in Christian theology. For the greater part of Christ... more This article explores the role of biography in Christian theology. For the greater part of Christian history, biography has played a key devotional and apologetic role by providing models of how the one life of Christ is at work in the saints. Following the Reformation, biographies of Protestant martyrs removed the miraculous element of hagiography, but the exemplary and apologetic functions of biography remained centrally important. From the twentieth century, I argue, there has been a loss of confidence in the role of biography in Christian devotional life and in theology. In conclusion, I suggest ways in which the role of biography might continue to be of value for contemporary theology.
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2017
to create and live in a 'civilization of love' which is naturally embodied in the domestic church... more to create and live in a 'civilization of love' which is naturally embodied in the domestic church of the family. The third and final part of the book is Ouellet's attempt to further a 'Eucharistic theo-drama of the nuptial mystery'. In two sectionsa reflection on the Trinity and one on the Eucharist-Ouellet extends his 'analogia sponsalis' reading of von Balthasar to support his own nuptial Trinitarian anthropology. The final end of human life is service of the beatitude of the Trinity. This position, in Ouellet's analysis, offers 'an alternative both to medieval cosmo-centrism and modern anthropocentrism' through a third way of Trinitarian love (p. 303). The defining characteristics of this theological lens are that it is doxological, theo-dramatic, Eucharistic, and nuptial. In this way, Ouellet presents his spousal analogy of the Trinity as a broadening measuredeliberately designed to include but move beyond what he understands to be outmoded hylomorphism and limitedly subjectivist approaches. Ouellet further understands his work as hopeful for ecumenical relations (p. 293). He admits that this book is just a beginning; further systematic thinking remains to be done. Yet, at its best, his nuptial hermeneutics has challenged the contemporary sacramental theologian to understand his or her task as one which must fully engage scripture, the tradition of its interpretation, and the best of modern theologies, in order that sacramental theology might manifest divine fruitfulness as both its ground and its end.
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2021
that gave rise to Modernity, the Christian can be pressed to answer the problem 'how do you know ... more that gave rise to Modernity, the Christian can be pressed to answer the problem 'how do you know God is real' without a circular argument. Did we solve the original problem? Well, no. But we did see that the problem is worse than we thought. There is a lack of knowledge of God rooted in not seeking and not understanding what is available in general revelation. Times that we assumed were better than the present were just as fraught with this problem. The solution is not simply to turn to revealed religion but instead to show that revealed religion assumes general revelation. The solution is in sound arguments where they are in analytic form or narrative form.
This first volume of the new series International Bonhoeffer Interpretations (IBI) contains sever... more This first volume of the new series International Bonhoeffer Interpretations (IBI) contains several impulses for translating Bonhoeffer's key ideas on Religion, Religionlessness and the Church into current contexts. These impulses vary from prospects for a Christian university looking at Bonhoeffer's distinction between the 'ultimate and the penultimate things' to an ethical understanding of Bonhoeffer's 'as-if-theology' in the light of Luther's distinction between law and gospel; from a fresh perspective on Bonhoeffer's religionless Christianity in the light of his thought on 'oikumene' to a Christological re-interpretation of repentance as the contribution of religionless Christianity to the task of the Church in the United States of America. The impulses are framed by programmatic contributions suggesting a framework for reading Bonhoeffer in the 21st century in his hermeneutic exploration of Bonhoeffer's theology and the crises of ...
The Expository Times, 2021
Theology, 2021
and Lucian’s Demonax, when we then read Q, we don’t get the sense that we have the same type of .... more and Lucian’s Demonax, when we then read Q, we don’t get the sense that we have the same type of . . . collection before us’ (p. 156). She frequently warns against confusing similar phenomena with causally related events. Her detailed account of Ancient Cynicism (pp. 4–107), the foundation for her subsequent assessments of the influences on Christianity that have been proposed, can be questioned in only one area, its alleged atheism. Christian authors such as Gregory of Nazianzus might have plausibly called the Cynics atheists without providing a true representation, since the imputed Cynic god, Zeus, was no god in their eyes. If imperialperiod authors such as Epictetus, Dio Chrysostom and Julian represent the Cynic as a scout from God merely through an ‘idealized image’ (p. 91), it must be acknowledged that this image is quite widespread (as sketched on pp. 90–1), and the histrionic Cynic surely had some altruistic mission beyond his own selfcultivation through asceticism. It must be granted that Cynic theism, whatever it was, lacked the definite core of the Judeo-Christian tradition and surely had no relevance to Christian theology. Yet the missions of the individual Cynic and Christian might have been more compatible than Goulet-Caz e concludes for the attested cases of Peregrinus Proteus and Maximus Hero, whose ‘simultaneous allegiance’ is said to ‘only accommodate a superficial Cynicism’ (p. 238).
The Expository Times, 2020
The Expository Times, 2018
The Expository Times, 2016
The Expository Times, 2015
The Expository Times, 2016
Political Theology, 2016
Contents: Preface. Part I Historical Context: Bonhoeffer and Moltke: politics and faith in a time... more Contents: Preface. Part I Historical Context: Bonhoeffer and Moltke: politics and faith in a time of crisis An article marking the centenary of Bonhoeffera (TM)s birth: faith, political duty and one mana (TM)s costly grace. Part II Bonhoeffer and the Bible: How theologians decide: German theologians on the eve of Nazi rule a "In the Bible it is God who speaksa (TM): Peake and Bonhoeffer on reading Scripture Guilt and promise in Bonhoeffera (TM)s a "Jonaha (TM) The evangelisation of rulers: Bonhoeffera (TM)s political theology. Part III Bonhoeffer and Ethics: Ethics and materialist hermeneutics The sacrament of ethical reality: Dietrich Bonhoeffer on ethics for Christian citizens Bonhoeffera (TM)s interfaith encounters a "In the sphere of the familiara (TM): Heidegger and Bonhoeffer. Part IV Taking Stock: Reading Bonhoeffer in Britain. Index.
The History of Western Philosophy of Religion
Studies in Christian Ethics, 2002
Studies in Christian Ethics, 2005
The paper explicates Bonhoeffer's dense statement, made in a 1932 lecture, that `Reality is t... more The paper explicates Bonhoeffer's dense statement, made in a 1932 lecture, that `Reality is the sacrament of [the ethical] command'. It begins with a summary of William T. Cavanaugh's rich description of the Eucharist as that act which makes the Church Christ's body, thereby constituting the true res publica. A comparison is drawn with Bonhoeffer's account of the sacramental foundation of the Church's public proclamation of God's ethical command. Bonhoeffer differs from Cavanaugh, I suggest, not only in his conviction that the Church speaks God's command penultimately and with humility, but in regarding the state as one of the means by which God acts within the penultimate to preserve creation.
Journal of International Development, 2009
Though interest in religious faith is growing in development studies, more needs to be done to sh... more Though interest in religious faith is growing in development studies, more needs to be done to show how faith commitments shape approaches to development. This paper models for non‐specialists ways in which the content of one particular faith tradition, the Christian tradition, might be brought to bear on development theory and practice. The particular issue explored is the belief in progress implicit in development. The paper argues that belief in the capacity of human beings to effect their own progress sits uneasily with the Christian tradition. It concludes that an authentically Christian account of hope may lead to a richer Christian understanding of the good of development. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Theology, May 1, 2023
This article explores the role of biography in Christian theology. For the greater part of Christ... more This article explores the role of biography in Christian theology. For the greater part of Christian history, biography has played a key devotional and apologetic role by providing models of how the one life of Christ is at work in the saints. Following the Reformation, biographies of Protestant martyrs removed the miraculous element of hagiography, but the exemplary and apologetic functions of biography remained centrally important. From the twentieth century, I argue, there has been a loss of confidence in the role of biography in Christian devotional life and in theology. In conclusion, I suggest ways in which the role of biography might continue to be of value for contemporary theology.
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2017
to create and live in a 'civilization of love' which is naturally embodied in the domestic church... more to create and live in a 'civilization of love' which is naturally embodied in the domestic church of the family. The third and final part of the book is Ouellet's attempt to further a 'Eucharistic theo-drama of the nuptial mystery'. In two sectionsa reflection on the Trinity and one on the Eucharist-Ouellet extends his 'analogia sponsalis' reading of von Balthasar to support his own nuptial Trinitarian anthropology. The final end of human life is service of the beatitude of the Trinity. This position, in Ouellet's analysis, offers 'an alternative both to medieval cosmo-centrism and modern anthropocentrism' through a third way of Trinitarian love (p. 303). The defining characteristics of this theological lens are that it is doxological, theo-dramatic, Eucharistic, and nuptial. In this way, Ouellet presents his spousal analogy of the Trinity as a broadening measuredeliberately designed to include but move beyond what he understands to be outmoded hylomorphism and limitedly subjectivist approaches. Ouellet further understands his work as hopeful for ecumenical relations (p. 293). He admits that this book is just a beginning; further systematic thinking remains to be done. Yet, at its best, his nuptial hermeneutics has challenged the contemporary sacramental theologian to understand his or her task as one which must fully engage scripture, the tradition of its interpretation, and the best of modern theologies, in order that sacramental theology might manifest divine fruitfulness as both its ground and its end.
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2021
that gave rise to Modernity, the Christian can be pressed to answer the problem 'how do you know ... more that gave rise to Modernity, the Christian can be pressed to answer the problem 'how do you know God is real' without a circular argument. Did we solve the original problem? Well, no. But we did see that the problem is worse than we thought. There is a lack of knowledge of God rooted in not seeking and not understanding what is available in general revelation. Times that we assumed were better than the present were just as fraught with this problem. The solution is not simply to turn to revealed religion but instead to show that revealed religion assumes general revelation. The solution is in sound arguments where they are in analytic form or narrative form.
This first volume of the new series International Bonhoeffer Interpretations (IBI) contains sever... more This first volume of the new series International Bonhoeffer Interpretations (IBI) contains several impulses for translating Bonhoeffer's key ideas on Religion, Religionlessness and the Church into current contexts. These impulses vary from prospects for a Christian university looking at Bonhoeffer's distinction between the 'ultimate and the penultimate things' to an ethical understanding of Bonhoeffer's 'as-if-theology' in the light of Luther's distinction between law and gospel; from a fresh perspective on Bonhoeffer's religionless Christianity in the light of his thought on 'oikumene' to a Christological re-interpretation of repentance as the contribution of religionless Christianity to the task of the Church in the United States of America. The impulses are framed by programmatic contributions suggesting a framework for reading Bonhoeffer in the 21st century in his hermeneutic exploration of Bonhoeffer's theology and the crises of ...
The Expository Times, 2021
Theology, 2021
and Lucian’s Demonax, when we then read Q, we don’t get the sense that we have the same type of .... more and Lucian’s Demonax, when we then read Q, we don’t get the sense that we have the same type of . . . collection before us’ (p. 156). She frequently warns against confusing similar phenomena with causally related events. Her detailed account of Ancient Cynicism (pp. 4–107), the foundation for her subsequent assessments of the influences on Christianity that have been proposed, can be questioned in only one area, its alleged atheism. Christian authors such as Gregory of Nazianzus might have plausibly called the Cynics atheists without providing a true representation, since the imputed Cynic god, Zeus, was no god in their eyes. If imperialperiod authors such as Epictetus, Dio Chrysostom and Julian represent the Cynic as a scout from God merely through an ‘idealized image’ (p. 91), it must be acknowledged that this image is quite widespread (as sketched on pp. 90–1), and the histrionic Cynic surely had some altruistic mission beyond his own selfcultivation through asceticism. It must be granted that Cynic theism, whatever it was, lacked the definite core of the Judeo-Christian tradition and surely had no relevance to Christian theology. Yet the missions of the individual Cynic and Christian might have been more compatible than Goulet-Caz e concludes for the attested cases of Peregrinus Proteus and Maximus Hero, whose ‘simultaneous allegiance’ is said to ‘only accommodate a superficial Cynicism’ (p. 238).
The Expository Times, 2020
The Expository Times, 2018
The Expository Times, 2016
The Expository Times, 2015
The Expository Times, 2016
Political Theology, 2016
Contents: Preface. Part I Historical Context: Bonhoeffer and Moltke: politics and faith in a time... more Contents: Preface. Part I Historical Context: Bonhoeffer and Moltke: politics and faith in a time of crisis An article marking the centenary of Bonhoeffera (TM)s birth: faith, political duty and one mana (TM)s costly grace. Part II Bonhoeffer and the Bible: How theologians decide: German theologians on the eve of Nazi rule a "In the Bible it is God who speaksa (TM): Peake and Bonhoeffer on reading Scripture Guilt and promise in Bonhoeffera (TM)s a "Jonaha (TM) The evangelisation of rulers: Bonhoeffera (TM)s political theology. Part III Bonhoeffer and Ethics: Ethics and materialist hermeneutics The sacrament of ethical reality: Dietrich Bonhoeffer on ethics for Christian citizens Bonhoeffera (TM)s interfaith encounters a "In the sphere of the familiara (TM): Heidegger and Bonhoeffer. Part IV Taking Stock: Reading Bonhoeffer in Britain. Index.
The History of Western Philosophy of Religion
Studies in Christian Ethics, 2002
Studies in Christian Ethics, 2005
The paper explicates Bonhoeffer's dense statement, made in a 1932 lecture, that `Reality is t... more The paper explicates Bonhoeffer's dense statement, made in a 1932 lecture, that `Reality is the sacrament of [the ethical] command'. It begins with a summary of William T. Cavanaugh's rich description of the Eucharist as that act which makes the Church Christ's body, thereby constituting the true res publica. A comparison is drawn with Bonhoeffer's account of the sacramental foundation of the Church's public proclamation of God's ethical command. Bonhoeffer differs from Cavanaugh, I suggest, not only in his conviction that the Church speaks God's command penultimately and with humility, but in regarding the state as one of the means by which God acts within the penultimate to preserve creation.
Journal of International Development, 2009
Though interest in religious faith is growing in development studies, more needs to be done to sh... more Though interest in religious faith is growing in development studies, more needs to be done to show how faith commitments shape approaches to development. This paper models for non‐specialists ways in which the content of one particular faith tradition, the Christian tradition, might be brought to bear on development theory and practice. The particular issue explored is the belief in progress implicit in development. The paper argues that belief in the capacity of human beings to effect their own progress sits uneasily with the Christian tradition. It concludes that an authentically Christian account of hope may lead to a richer Christian understanding of the good of development. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.