Christology

This is the first book to offer a comprehensive summary of the criticisms of Christological orthodoxy, and as such is the first to provide a full defense of the orthodox position. Sturch presents a complete overview of the current objections and of the reasons that have led many theologians to believe that traditional Christology needs drastic revision. He analyzes orthodox doctrine and the requirements of an accurate Christology and concludes that the objections raised are either unfounded or misdirected.

Maurice Wiles was Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford from 1970-1991. To celebrate his seventieth birthday, a group of distinguished friends and colleagues have written this important series of original and perceptive essays on the twin themes of making and remaking Christian doctrine. The topics covered in this thought-provoking collection range from the notion of divine action in Hebrew Wisdom literature to reflections on the nature of the ministry, from the concept of God and the doctrines of Christology and of the Trinity to the character of theological reflection, and from revelation and tradition to the "lex orandi," the nature of interpretation in religion and the historical basis of theological understanding.

"Donald Gelpi's Christological trilogy is an important contribution to the discipline combining as it does both foundational and constructive Christology. Gelpi carefully establishes his methodological choices and situates them amid other theological options on the present scene. He then builds his case by moving through the foundational issues and explicating them in regard to their import for a systematic Christology. Connections are made with his earlier work and here Gelpi continues his theological project of establishing a new foundationalism (with its Peircean pragmatic logic of consequences, the turn to community, and a fallibilistic metaphysics of experience) and exploits it for doctrinal theology. Gelpi's proposals will certainly not be without its critics but his attempt to inculturate the philosophical issues in a North American idiom should be on the table "The strength of Gelpi's volumes is the care with which he examines the issues on the agenda of any contemporary Christology. These include in addition to methodological issues (not always consciously attended to and seldom with the philosophical attention which Gelpi gives them), the quest for the historical Jesus, and the diversity of New Testament Christologies. Gelpi's contribution is to take these issues seriously and weave them into a constructive narrative of contemporary Christological development, at each point highlighting how they address the pertinent issues in theological foundations. Hence the bulk of his efforts is working through New Testament material in order to establish the constructive sequence: Jesus of history, kerygmatic Christology (Pauline corpus), apocalyptic Christology (book of Revelation), narrative Christology (synoptic gospels), doctrinal Christology (picking up from the particular narrative Christology of the Gospel of John, Chalcedon and post-Chalcedonian developments), and practical Christology (working with liberationist themes but consistent with his foundational pragmatism). All are related to a foundational theology of conversion and are rendered pastoral by addressing their implications for Roman Catholic RCIA practice.

What is the relationship between feminist theology and classical Christian theology? Is feminist theology "Christian," and if so, in what respect and to what extent? This study seeks to analyze and evaluate the relation of feminist "reconstructions" to traditional Christian teaching. Greene-McCreight uses the extent to which the biblical depiction of God is allowed to guide theological hermeneutics as a test of orthodoxy. She looks at the writings of a wide range of contemporary feminist theologians, discusses their doctrinal patterns, and demonstrates how the Bible is used in undergirding their theological reconstructions.