Journal articles on the topic 'Theology of agape'

AbstractThe critique of ontotheology undertaken by Heidegger and expended by Derrida calls into question not only the meaning but the possibility of God-language. In response, thinkers such as Kevin Hart have attempted to map out an area of non-metaphysical theology that draws on the resources of negative theology. Hart's work, The Trepass of the Sign, however, contains three significant ambiguities. First, he defines negative theology as a denial that God can be described using predicates, but in his text negative theology has a quasi-positive (rather than merely negative) role. Second, Hart contends that negative theology precedes positive theology, but in fact it seems to depend upon a prior affirmation of God. Third, Hart offers no rationale for negative theologians' use of the word “God.” Derrida writes that the only way out of negative theology's referential vacuity is prayer: which, he continues, mires that theology in metaphysics. However, if prayer is understood as agape rather than knowledge or supplication, a way through Hart's ambiguities might be found.

ABSTRACT: Sister Simone Roach, a noted philosopher of caring in nursing, left behind a significant body of theoretical and practical work highlighting the areas of nursing ethics, care/caring, and compassion. This article explores the integration of the moral foundation of agape love in Pauline theology and Roach's human caring in nursing (1992) as the action of agape love. A narrative literature review explores the relationship between the scriptural ethics of St. Paul (Pauline ethics) and Roach's caring in nursing.

C. S. Lewis read Anders Nygren's Agape and Eros in his mid-thirties, probably during the Christmas holiday of 1934. His first recorded thoughts, including the statement above, are from a letter dated “Jan 8th 1935” to his Oxford colleague Janet Spens. Despite his decisive criticism of what he calls Nygren's “central contrast”—that agape is selfless and eros self-regarding—Lewis ends this letter with a declaration of uncertainty: “However, I must tackle him again. He has shaken me up extremely.” It is remarkable, then, that Nygren is not mentioned by name in Lewis's The Four Loves (1960). Lewis's opening remarks on his theology of love, which do not directly refer to Nygren, “are critical of Nygren's main thesis in Agape and Eros.”

Having established how 1 Cor. 13 takes place and meaning in a larger section dedicated to spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12-14), E. Cuvillier shows that agape is conceived, at the same time, as a protest against the Corinthian spirituality, as a new understanding of existence and as the eschatological horizon of life in Christ. The pauline conception of agape echoes the theology of the cross developped in 1 Cor. 1/18-25. The study concludes with some reflections about the specific contribution of 1 Cor. 13 to the elaboration of pauline ethics.

El presente artículo pretende mostrar cómo la fenomenología de Jean-Luc Marion está suponiendo una gran provocación para la teología contemporánea. Partiendo del pensamiento de Martin Heidegger, el filósofo francés está imponiendo repensar el propio discurso teológico a partir de la distinción que establecen ambos autores entre teología y teiología. Concluiremos, junto con Marion, que la teología nos obliga a pensar a Dios fuera de la metafísica y, por lo mismo, fuera del ser del ente. Dios solamente puede darse a pensar sin caer en idolatría si es pensado como don, como el Agapè que se dona al hombre. Abstract: This paper intends to show how the phenomenology of Jean-Luc Marion is causing a significant reaction on contemporary theology. Based on Martin Heidegger’s thought, the French philosopher is forcing the reconsideration of the very theological discourse on the premise of the distinction established by both authors between theology and theiology. We conclude, along with Marion, that theology forces us to think of God outside of metaphysics and, because of that, outside of the being of beings. God can only be thought—without falling into idolatry—by being thought of as a gift, as the Agape who is given to men.

Love is a keystone in Franz Rosenzweig’s philosophy, which reaffirmed Judaism’s emphasis on vital, relational love. What “love” exactly means, however, is controversial. In the Christian context, love is often denoted by Agape—which implies (1) that “God is Love”, (2) that love is universal, impartial, and rather endorses the sinner; and (3) that humans should practice and emulate such love. The ultimate expression of Agape is the commandment to love one’s enemy, which is rooted in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:44). This essay considers Rosenzweig’s understanding of Agape, at the implicit level (since the coining by Anders Nygren of Christian love as “Agape” became widespread only after Rosenzweig’s death). This essay opens by contextualizing Rosenzweig within political theology, in particular vis-à-vis Schmitt. Secondly, it considers Rosenzweig’s approach to Agape in the sense of divine love, and in the sense of the love of enemy. Concerning divine love, Rosenzweig criticized theological Agapism (‘God is love’) which equates God with love, and hence makes love into a dogma or noun, rather than an action or verb, thus depriving divinity’s personal loving agency. Concerning the agapic love of enemy, Rosenzweig discredits its Christian version (for being imperialistic), and advocates its Jewish version of accepting divine judgement. His surprising advocacy of the love of enemies may result from Rosenzweig’s opposition to Gnosticism, which excludes the ‘good God’ from involvement in the physical world. The essay’s conclusion reflects on the role of Agape and its pragmatist versions in the post-secular world of the 21st century and conveys Rosenzweig’s pragmatist contribution in this regard, of recognizing the significance of worldliness and togetherness.

[In this segment of the Notes on Moral Theology, the author argues that overcoming one's suspicion of eros in Christian ethics would lead to a more integrated vision of the human person, moving beyond the dichotomies between rational knowledge and emotional cognition, spirituality and sexuality, agape and self-love. At the same time, positive recognition of eros would help oust the eroticization of power.]

What is divinity if it can comeOnly in silent shadows and in dreams?—Wallace Stevens Let me tell an absurdly brief story about part of the history of theology and law. In this story, I take Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Rawls, and us as signposts. The tale is overly simple, but it can help situate and challenge us. We are at the end of the long decline into legal positivism; a new era of “political agape” beckons.

In the 1970s and 80s, Korean Minjung theology and theology of religions(Inculturation theology) were in a tense relationship due to differences in their theological priorities. However, there was also a complementary relationship between the two theological movements in the Korean situation where the theological domination of the Western church and the political oppression of the military dictatorship were inseparably combined. Especially, Minjung theology, which included the minjung religious traditions of Korea as a theological paradigm, attempted a comparison and dialogue between religions from the beginning. Ahn Byung-mu, one of the founders of Minjung theology, was born and raised in a Confucian culture, and while studying abroad in Germany, he received a doctorate degree with a dissertation that compared the ren of Confucius with agape of Jesus. Also, he was interested in Buddhism and often wrote articles comparing Buddhism with Christianity. Throughout his theological journey, Ahn tried to overcome the subject-object dualism and personified understanding of God in Western theology through theological dialogue with Easter thought. More importantly, in his later years, Ahn applied the Eastern qi philosophy to understand the Holy Spirit. Though Ahn did not systematically theorize a theology of religions, he freely utilized the ideas of other faiths in constructing his theology in general and Minjung theology in particular. In addition, Ahn’s interreligious dialogue was conducted not only externally in his relationship with the religious other but also internally within his faith and theology. Therefore, in this article, I would like to explore the possibility of a Minjung theology of religions which is necessary for today’s religious pluralistic society by examining Ahn’s open, existential, and liberative understandings of other faiths.

The paper examines the historical context of ethics of care in early Christian discourse. The historical context of the ethics of care enables us to comprehend the ways in which ethics of care was employed and disseminated as part of political ideology and public discourse, significantly influencing the social relations of the rapidly changing Roman world between the fourth and seventh centuries. The Byzantine Empire is a prime example of a political entity in which philanthropy was the driving force behind imperial politics and social relations. Emperor Justinian?s laws, which proclaimed social justice and protection for those in need, serve as a case study for an ethics of care. Also, the ethics of care is reconfigured within the context of Byzantine theology as a theology of care, in which the primary virtue of a true Christian is his fervent love for the community (agape). The ethics of care is then examined from the perspective of gender and the newly established cult of the Theotokos, which degendered the concept of maternal thinking and maternal care by making it a universal experience and the new moral code for all Christians.

This study is aimed at analyzing Philia as friendship in Nicholas Sparks’ novel, The Longest Ride, published in 2013. The analysis is focused on the categories of Philia as friendship covering utility, happiness, and moral done by the major characters of the novel, namely Ira Levinson, Ruth, Luke Collins, Sophian Danko. The method used to analyze this study is a descriptive qualitative method. In this study, the researchers apply the theory of philia as friendship proposed by Aristotle. Philia is one type feeling of love in the Christian and Greek traditions based on friendly relations. Other types of love that are also in Christian theology are eros, agape and storage. The results show that the categories of Philia as friendship: utility, happiness and moral are reflected and done by the major characters. Utility is seen from Ira and Ruth with strong and healthy love relationship. Happiness is seen through Ira and Ruth who always feels happy when they see each other. Moral can be seen through the trust of Ira and Ruth who always share each and everything together.

The article analyzes the key issues of the theology of the modern Greek theologian Chrysostomos Stumulis. Emphasizing the need for the development of Orthodox thought and a clear definition of its place and role in the modern world, the theologian raises issues that are a definite taboo not only for Orthodoxy, but for Christianity as a whole. The problem of the correlation of Eros love and Agape love acquires a new interpretation from theologian, which reveals new horizons for the creation of the latest Christian anthropology. In this context, the view of the theologian is revealed on the relationship between the key anthropological categories of Christianity - faith, love and freedom. Violation of their interaction generates a distorted embodiment of these qualities, which necessitates degradation both of society and of man. The theologian emphasizes that the inability of the Church for millennia to boldly raise the question of the nature of Eros and give him a worthy place in the nature of incarnation limits both the Church and the understanding of Christ. Modern theological thought must respond to problems that are too acute in society, despite the fact that they can be a challenging task for Orthodoxy. The ability of theology to respond to them, generates a "high risk" theology, which has the determination to speak and show the morbidity of an idealized past, dare to point out that some aspects of universally accepted truths are obsolete. The formation of a culture of embodiment is the basis upon which the theologian develops the Theology of the Word of the Flesh. Spirituality, which denies incarnation, in the opinion of the author, appears as pastoral idolatry and leads to dehumanization of society. Understanding the culture of theology as a manifestation of the culture of the flesh, as an expression of all aspects of human life in the perspective of their transformations through the Person of the Incarnate, appears as a continuation and expansion of creation. Love requires the adoption of matter and the human body. Only in this sense disclosure of a human as a Person, in the full extent of his creative spirit. Holistic understanding and a fair assessment of love - eros describes it as an opportunity for revelation and knowledge of both human personality and divine. Violating questions of love, sexuality, desire and satisfaction, the theologian indicates that they have not only anthropological nature, but are a holistic manifestation of the essence of the church body. Consequently, the accusation of Eros by Orthodox theologians points to an inhuman society, full of objections and accusations in human existential self-consciousness. The theologian draws attention to the need for theological discourse in the 21st century in the context of the formation of modern anthropology, in the aspect of disclosure of its completeness, which was lost in the abolition of theology.

Abstract The following study of Epiphanius, Panarion 26 is divided into three parts. The first part argues that Epiphanius used a macro heresiological category, “Gnostics,” to combine what were in fact several different social formations in different areas with recognizably different practices. If we pay attention to practices, we can plausibly identify at least two groups in Egypt: the “Stratiotics” (with their distinctive agape ritual) and the “Phibionites” (with their distinctive ascent-descent ritual of 730 sex acts). The second part contends that, since Epiphanius shed light on several different social formations, we cannot assume they were all in one place, namely Alexandria. The third part, finally, offers an “annotated bibliography” of the texts used by “Stratiotics” and “Phibionites,” among others. It argues that the “Stratiotics” in particular used the Greater and Lesser Questions of Mary, which they may have in fact composed. In turn, “Phibionites” used the Birth of Mary and their own Gospel of Philip, though these works probably had a pre-“Phibionite” history. “Stratiotics” may also have modified received works such as Noria. Not all of these books said the same things, supported the same rites, and upheld the same ideology. The literature was diverse, making it difficult to fit “Stratiotic” and “Phibionite” theology neatly into any modern scholarly category (e.g., Sethian, Valentinian, or Ophite).

The article presents the subject of God’s love in J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s interpretation. The theme of God’s love, according to Ratzinger, is not to be reduced to one of the many theological issues to be discussed. Pope puts the love of God at the center of the Christian life as a principle and interpretative key. It is no coincidence that the first encyclical Deus caritas est, inaugurating his pontificate, begins with the words which are the profession of faith in the name of God who is Love. This agapetological feature of the Papal reflection sets the frame of his theology and points at the sphere where it reaches its essence and consummation. The subject of God’s love is discussed in two parts of the article: the first one consists of the analysis of the three terms: eros, agape and caritas, which are the three aspects of love. The philosophical and biblical analysis of these expressions made by Benedict XVI allows him to extract the essence of divine love. In the second part of the present article, the three moments reflecting the whole dynamics of love in the teaching of the Pope will be discussed: the source of love in the Triune God (1), the concretization and the fullest revelation of love in the person and work of Jesus Christ (2), and the relationship between the love of God and the love of man (3). The latter ultimately becomes a human response based on the primacy of God’s love, and turns into a divine-human love.

We have been accepted as sons by the redemption of Jesus Christ, so that we may call God the Father. Therefore, let us live truly as children of God; live well and truly. For we want to touch his heart, call him by the name he loves. Call him Abba, Call Him Father. Of all his names, Abba The Father is Jesus ' call to God. We know that Jesus loved this name because it is the name that is most often used. When Jesus was on earth, he called God” Father " several times. In the prayer of victory on the cross, Jesus cried out with a loud voice; "Father, into your hands I commit my life” (Luke 23:46). God loves to be called Father. Jesus taught us to begin prayer with the words “Our Father”. Perfect love speaks of God's love. Since Jesus called God Abba, the love that can eliminate fear is the love of the Father. Agape love is perfect love, and that is the love of the father. He cares about us, he cares about us. Jesus cried Abba, O Father, so that we Christians who are given strength and salvation by-yes, can cry Abba, Father. We call him Abba, the Father because he is our Father, he cares for us, and He understands us. Perfect love exists only in the father and is able to eliminate all worries. If the Father loves Jesus as his son, the Father in heaven also loves us as his children as Christians who believe in the truth and the way of eternal salvation. For this reason, the author chose the title: "Abba Father", Jesus ‘call to God in the perspective of Biblical Theology from the book of Psalms 89:26, he will also cry out to me: 'My Father You Are God and my rock my salvation.’

AbstractThis article will investigate the context – in terms of both sources (by means of influence, transformation, or contrast) and ancient reception – of the concept of the ‘dynamic unity’ of the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father (expressed in John 10:38, 14:10, and 17:21) in both ‘pagan’ and Christian Middle-Platonic and Neoplatonic thinkers. The Christians include Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa, as well as Evagrius Ponticus and John Scottus Eriugena. The article will outline, in so-called ‘Middle Platonism,’ the hierarchical theology of a first and second God (and sometimes a third), and in Neoplatonism Plotinus’ three hypostases arranged in hierarchical order, which will be contrasted with Origen’s and the Cappadocians’ three divine hypostases that are equal – like those of Augustine. Thus, for Origen not only is the Son in the Father, as in a ‘pagan’ Middle and Neoplatonic scheme, but also the Father is in the Son, in a perfect reciprocity of dynamic unity. Origen subscribes to this reciprocity because, as I argue, he is no real ‘subordinationist’, but the precursor of the Nicene and Constantinopolitan line (the Cappadocians, especially Nyssen, developed and emphasized the notion of equality, bringing the three Hypostases of the Trinity to the level of Plotinus’ One, but the premises were all in Origen’s theology and his concept of the coeternity of the three Hypostases and their common divinity: Nyssen, like Athanasius, even uses Origen’s arguments in his own anti-Arian polemic, as we shall see). Origen interpreted Philo’s theology, also close to so-called Middle Platonism, in a non-subordinationistic sense, attributing to the Hypostasis of Logos/Sophia the various dynameis, such as Logos and Sophia, that Philo used most probably in a non-hypostatic sense.I shall also demonstrate how Gregory of Nyssa, significantly following Origen, in his work Against Eunomius used John 14:10a to refute the philosophical argument of Eunomius, who had a profoundly subordinationistic view of Christ with respect to the Father. Gregory’s solution is that neither the Father nor the Son are in an absolute sense, but both are in a reciprocal relation or σχέσις, what I shall present as Gregory’s own version of the ‘dynamic unity’ (in turn grounded in Origen). I shall also concentrate on the use that Gregory makes of John 17:21-23 to argue that the unity of the Father and the Son, and of all believers – and eventually all humans – in them, is substantiated by the Holy Spirit, who is seen as a bond of unity.I shall study how the notion of the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father relates to the parallel statements in John 14:10, that Christ is in the disciples (and all believers) and these are in Christ – what I will call an ‘expansive’ notion of dynamic unity – and John 17:21, that just as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, so the disciples and all believers too should become ‘one’ in the Father and the Son. Here, as I shall argue, Middle and Neoplatonic henology (or doctrine of the One) comes to the fore as a possible background and interpretive lens at the same time. I shall show how Origen joined it to the unifying force of charity-love (agape), in turn a central theme in John, and how Evagrius, performing his exegesis of these verses, interpreted henosis or unification. A coda will explore the corollary of the Divinity ‘all in all’, which is not only a central tenet of Origen’s theology, but also of that of Proclus. It will be pointed out how this concept relates to the issue of the dynamic unity within the divine.

Joseph Fletcher offers a Christian Situation Ethics when he affirms that belief in God and belief in God’s agape’ as the central value of ethics cannot be proven by natural reasoning but can only be held by a free action, chosen by the believer. He interprets 1 John, chapter 4: 16, especially v. 19: “We love because he first loved us,” as establishing that humans only know agapeic love because they have first known and believed in God’s agapeic love as revealed in the greatest love in the actions and teachings of Jesus. However, Bernard Haring a Catholic, 20th century German moral theologian, disagrees with that interpretation, noting that both Augustine and Aquinas hold that although God’s creative love is first in the order of being, it is not first in the order of learning. They hold that humans first experience generous human love amongst humans before they even accept that God’s creative love is first in the order of being. Also, even Karl Barth, the great Swiss Calvinist theologian, has a remarkably positive affirmation of human eros. Barth invents a new term ‘humanity’ in order to recognize the being of humans as “free, radically open, willing, spontaneous, joyful, cheerful and gregarious.” This paper will build upon the positive analysis by Augustine and Aquinas of generous human love as first in the order of learning and upon the positive evaluation of human ‘eros’ and ‘humanity’ as suggested by Barth by developing three main divisions: (1) The paper will draw upon C.S. Lewis’s distinction between need-love and gift-love and evaluate both Fletcher and Lewis himself as offering an inadequate conceptualization of human love as always tainted by need-love. (2) The paper will draw upon the moral philosophies of Aristotle and John Dewey who offer us a most positive evaluation of human love as transcending selfishness in their focus upon a person’s self-actualization in something greater than the self. (3) Finally, the paper will draw upon the reflections of the theologian Gregory Baum who was influenced by the French thinker Maurice Blondel. Blondel and Baum, then, offer a different grasp of humanity and God than the extrinsicist theology offered by Joseph Fletcher and C. S. Lewis in which God swoops in upon human nature to save humans from their sins with the Gift-love from above. Following the lead of Blondel, Baum develops an “intrincisist” grasp of human striving, not as: that of the intellect seeking deeper truth; it is, according to Blondel, the dynamics of the will seeking ever greater self-realization through continued action. It is there, in their willing, that God is present to human beings, and it is in their actions that they say Yes to the divine presence.

Rather than abstracting Augustine’s exploration of time from the whole of the Confessions, as philosophers have been tempted to do, I take up his exploration in terms of what I call a ‘companioning relation’ between philosophy and theology. There is a porosity between religion/theology and philosophy in Augustine that need not be taken as a philosophical or theological deficiency. This reflection speaks of Augustine’s intentions and intuitions in terms of the theme: Wording Time. How might one word this wording, and how might Augustine’s approach to time be thus illuminated? I approach the question in different stages, dealing first with theological, ontological, and psychological considerations. Then I follow the breadth of Augustine’s concerns to a sense of sacred heterogeneities that yet are deeply intimate, and to a sense of time that is in communication with what is above time. In keeping with the musical motif that runs through this reflection, I offer some thoughts on agapē as not only an agapē sonans but an agapē personans. I will sometimes be transcribing Augustine’s themes, sometimes offering variations on them, and sometimes composing improvisations in tune with Augustinian themes.

ECOTHEOLOGY: A Christian Conversation by Kiara A. Jorgenson and Alan G. Padgett, eds. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2020. xx + 228 pages. Paperback; $24.99. ISBN: 9780802874412. *Have you ever wondered how theologians develop responses to new and emerging issues at the interface between faith and science? Ecotheology: A Christian Conversation gives readers a front-row seat to that process, recording interactions among four contemporary theologians on the question of how human beings ought to relate to the nonhuman creation. The question is timely, contentious, and exceedingly important. At one time, human domination (dominion) over the nonhuman creation was the most widespread paradigm for that relationship. In the 1980s, Christian environmental stewardship emerged as a corrective to dominion/domination. In recent years, attempts to move beyond stewardship have taken shape. Like many theological questions, a singular and definitive answer is elusive. But the importance of the question is not in doubt. Human exploitation of the nonhuman creation has eroded ecosystems, decimated species, and changed the climate in ways that should cause remorse, bring about repentance, and cause dramatic change. We need to find a new way forward. *Unsurprisingly, the authors in Ecotheology don't provide a single answer. Rather, their goal is to "assist individuals and communities to develop their own ecotheology and to explore the spiritual and theological dimensions of cultivating a greater love of the world" (p. 13). In this review, we summarize and assess each theologian's contribution, and we provide some overall thoughts about the Ecotheology project. The structure of our review echoes the structure of the book. *Chapters 1 and 2 (reviewed by Matt Heun) *Ecotheology begins with Richard Bauckham's essay "Being Human in the Community of Creation," which contains one of the strongest and most effective takedowns yet of the "dominion as domination" narrative. Short and concise, he argues (a) that God's predominant characteristic is love (goodness, compassion, justice, kindness) and (b) that "human dominion over other living creatures will reflect God's rule by showing these same qualities" (p. 30). Continuing, Bauckham argues convincingly that although stewardship has been a valuable paradigm, it ill-advisedly places humans above the nonhuman creation in a vertical power relationship. Instead, he favors the "community of creation" in which human beings live in "conscious mutuality with other creatures" (p. 21). These moves by Bauckham are both helpful and important. Rightly understanding our relationship to the nonhuman creation is essential if we are to honor its inherent value rather than focus on its value to us. *My quibbles with chapter 1 are few. First, Bauckham's focus on other "creatures" leaves one wondering about the nonhuman, noncreatures that also inhabit our planet. Does the community of creation extend to air and water? to coal deposits and lakeshore pebbles? Second, Bauckham occasionally slips into stewardship language, despite wanting to move beyond it. Indeed, his re-reading of Genesis includes "God ... entrusting to our care ... something of priceless value" (p. 25). Bauckham struggles, as we all do, to match our diction to our (eco)theology. *Ecotheology continues with Cynthia Moe-Lobeda's "Love Incarnate: Hope and Moral-Spiritual Power for Climate Justice." She exposes the "paradox of the [high-consuming] human," in which the good things of everyday life depend upon fossil fuels and the globalized economy in ways that cause "death and destruction due to climate change and the exploitation of people and their lands" (p. 69). She rightly identifies our consumptive patterns of life to be an externalization of Paul's lament, "I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do" (Romans 7:15b). Moe-Lobeda claims that agape love is the antidote to our moral inertia, and she offers eight helpful guideposts for ways to live in agape love. *My only critique is that she could have done more to highlight the challenges to living according to her guideposts. It will be much harder than "calling down ... the [climate justice] music that already exists" (p. 94). *Response from Dave Warners *Matt's praise for Bauckham's dismissal of the stewardship-as-domination paradigm is spot on. I also agree with his point that Bauckham's "Community of Creation" is a helpful alternative concept with the caveat that "community" should be understood more as "ecosystem," including nonliving elements of creation. I thought Matt would comment on Bauckham's emphasis on order in creation; evolutionarily and ecologically, creation can be a messy place, and too much emphasis on order conjures up unhelpful perceptions from the days of Natural Theology. In reviewing "Love Incarnate: Hope and Moral-Spiritual Power for Climate Justice," Matt rightly commends Moe-Lobeda's emphasis on love. Love sacrifices for the sake of the other, and a human-creation relationship marked by love is a worthy aspiration. A regret I had with this chapter is its nearly single-minded focus on climate change. While climate change is the pressing issue of our time, it is certainly not our exclusive ecological/ecotheological challenge. *Chapters 3 and 4 (reviewed by Dave Warners) *Steven Bouma-Prediger's "The Character of Earth-Keeping" does two important things. He starts by deftly detailing the limitations of the stewardship paradigm, offering "earthkeeping" as an improvement. He then pivots to a discussion on virtue ethics and their applicability to the practice of earthkeeping. I especially appreciated Steve's focus on two of the virtues: wonder and humility. His ideas for how these virtues can be used to embody a more appropriate posture and practice of creation care are refreshing. Extending virtues into the realm of creation care is an important contribution by Bouma-Prediger both here and in his other writings. But in light of the strong encouragement for readers to cultivate these virtues, it would have been helpful to offer suggestions for how such cultivation can be achieved. Additionally, the author emphasizes that human beings are unique among all God's creatures, which may be important for avoiding biocentrist accusations. But given the many problems our species has introduced and continues to promulgate, a sobering reality check of our creatureliness, limitations, and finitude might be needed more. *In "The Unfinished Sacrament of Creation: Christian Faith and the Promise of Nature," John Haught takes a long view of planetary well-being. He contends that an eschatological awareness should infiltrate and inform ecotheology. Haught advocates for recognizing that the world we are caring for is an emerging creation, moving from its inception toward a God-ordained end point. His emphasis that creation is in the process of coming into being is a strength of this chapter. And yet, besides encouraging Christians to become aware of the unfolding character of creation, the reader is left wondering what should be done differently in light of this new awareness. Haught points out that our species is a remarkably recent newcomer to this ongoing creational unfolding. Given our evolutionarily recent arrival, combined with the dramatic impact we are imposing, more direction for how and why human influence ought to be exerted would have been helpful. For example, when we recognize that God has been in relationship with nonhuman creation all along, we must admit our relationship with God is of much shorter duration. This realization ought to evoke a deep respect for those other relationships, and deep regret when our selfish actions compromise or terminate them. Although practical implications of the perspectival shift Haught advocates are not provided, he lays ample groundwork for rich dialogue on the creation care actions such an awareness ought to inspire. *Response from Matt Heun *Dave is right to appreciate both pieces of Bouma-Prediger's chapter, earthkeeping and eco-virtues. But the author could have done more to link the concept of earthkeeping to eco-virtues. I was left wondering how earthkeeping (vs. stewardship) leads to better (or different) eco-virtue formation. As Dave says, Haught's long view of creation is a helpful reminder that newcomer status should affect our relationship with the nonhuman creation. But should Haught have been the first chapter instead of the last? He opens a space to discuss how the relationship between human beings and the nonhuman creation should evolve, space that could have been filled by the ideas of Bauckham (the community of creation), Moe-Lobeda (working within and against systems for their reform), and Bouma-Prediger (earthkeeping and personal ethics). *If you enjoy the structure and tone of this review, you will also enjoy the format of Ecotheology. On the positive side, it is economical; readers experience four voices in one book and read responses to each chapter from the other co-authors. *However, if you wish that we reviewers had better coordinated our thoughts before writing this review, you will wish the same of the book. Ecotheology is less the conversation promised by its subtitle and more a conference session with presenters and respondents, appropriate for an audience of theologians. An alternative project would have assembled the same theologians in a collaborative writing process, allowing authors to incorporate coauthor feedback into revised chapters before publication. The result would have been a more polished and more insightful collection of ecotheological contributions. *That said, the Ecotheology project is largely successful in meeting its stated goal of assisting individuals and communities to develop their own ecotheology. The chapters were great conversation starters for us. Although the book could have been sharpened by deeper dialogue and collaboration among the authors and editors, the essays and responses in Ecotheology will stimulate good conversations among other readers, too! *Reviewed by David Paul Warners, Biology Department, and Matthew Kuperus Heun, Engineering Department, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

Focussing on Mr Fortune’s Maggot and ‘The Salutation’, the essay argues that dialogues with Platonic philosophy and Pauline theology are finely threaded through Warner’s fictions. It suggests that Warner strips the ideas of agape and eros of their divine pretensions, confines them to the earth, and sees them in a profane light.

A harmonious state of things is often perceived idyllic. It is devoid of cacophony, hostility, and dissension. It denotes peace, accord, and a relationship characterized by a lack of conflict. True harmony goes much deeper than absence of conflict or condemnation for the lack of peace. This paper presents the challenges to harmony using the theory of care ethics. It will unveil the possibilities of care, even if it was initially lodged at home and family. Using an expansive view, this paper claims that harmony is not farfetched if nations bring to the table the ethics of care. Hinged on care ethics are the principles of collective praxis, peace, and solidarity which enrich human potentials and makes interconnections, and solidarity possible. Thus, the paper will employ philosophical and theological analysis that addresses the following: 1) Care ethics as an ethical concept with myriad variants, yet praxis-driven; 2) Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ as an appeal to foster care for all; 3) A theological reinterpretation of “rada”, and 4) Care ethics as an injunction to revalue care as a social good. Incorporating Pope Francis’ message in Laudato Si’, this paper hopes to underscore promoting a culture of caring through collective dialogue. References Anderlik, Mary R. The Ethics of Managed Care: A Pragmatic Approach. Bloomingdale: Indiana University Press. 2001. Blair-Loy, Mary. Competing Devotions: Career and Family among Women Executives. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 2003. Frank Parsons, Susan, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge: Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, 2002. Frank Parsons, Susan. Feminism and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Gardner, E. Clinton. Justice and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Gensler, Harry J., Earl W.Spurgin, and James C.Swindal, eds. Ethics: Contemporary Readings. New York: Routledge, 2004. Greene-Mccreight, Kathryn. Feminist Reconstructions of Christian Doctrine: Narrative Analysis and Appraisal. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Grimshaw, Jean. Philosophy and Feminist Thinking. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1986. Groenhout, Ruth E. “I Can’t Say No: Self-Sacrifice and an Ethics of Care,” in Ruth E. Groenhout and Marya Bower, eds. Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith, pp. 152-174. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Groenhout, Ruth E. and Marya Bower, eds. Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Hampton, Jean. “Feminist Contractarianism,” in in Louise Antony and Charlotte Witt, eds. A Mind of One’s Own, pp. 227–255. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993. Held, Virginia. ‘The Ethics of Care’ in David Copp, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Held, Virginia. The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, and Global. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Hilkert Andolsen, Barbara. “Agape in Feminist Ethics,” The Journal of Religious Ethics 9 (1981): 69–83. Hoagland, Sarah Lucia. “Some Thoughts on ‘Caring,’” in Claudia Card, ed. Feminist Ethics, pp. 246–63. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1991. Hoffman, Martin L. Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for Caring and Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000 Homiak, Marcia. “Feminism and Aristotle’s Rational Ideal,” in Louise Antony and Charlotte Witt, eds. A Mind of One’s Own, pp.1–18. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993. Hoose, Bernard. Christian Ethics: An Introduction. London: Continuum, 1998. Isherwood, Lisa and Kathleen McPhillips, eds. Post-Christian Feminisms: A Critical Approach. Hampshire. England: Ashgate, 2008. Jardine, Alice and Paul Smith, eds. Men in Feminism. New York: Routledge, 1987. Kieran Cronin. Rights and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Macrae, Janet A. Nursing as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemporary Application of Florence Nightingale's Views. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 2001. Michael Slote, Morals from Motives. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Murphy, Peter F. Feminism and Masculinities: Oxford Readings in Feminism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Murray, Mary. The Law of the Father? Patriarchy in the Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism London: Routledge, 1995. Outka, Gene. “Universal Love and Impartiality.” In Edmund Santurri and William Werpehowski, eds. The Love Commandments: Essays in Christian Ethics and Moral Philosophy. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1992. Parks, Jennifer A. No Place Like Home? Feminist Ethics and Home Health Care. Bloomingdale: Indiana University Press. 2003. Post, Stephen. A Theory of Agape: On the Meaning of Christian Love. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, 1990. Ramsey, Paul. Basic Christian Ethics. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.

The issue of gospel and culture has been in contention since the inception of Christianity and its expansion into other environs outside the Jewish nation Israel. As Christianity left its comfort zone in Jerusalem, it needed to engage with different cultures and give relevance of the good news to people that were alien to the Jewish culture which was a national religious culture. Using the comparative and dialogical approaches, this study thus, discussed some religious and cultural practices of the people of Agave in Ghana and how these help in demonstrating the true revelation of God in the person of Jesus. The study found that all the religious and cultural practices have prepared the hearts of Agaveawo for the gospel of Jesus. All the practices were towards the aspirations of forgiveness of sin, well-being, productivity, peace, victory over death and dark powers and agricultural productivity. The individual responses strengthen the argument that what the traditionalists sought in Dzawuwu, amawuwu and Trᴐkosi systems, one can find in Christ. The study contributes to the agenda of developing and articulating Christology in African theology and Christianity. Keywords: The Gospel, Christian Engagement, African theology, Culture