1 Immutability, Impassibility and Divine-Temporal Relations Joseph
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Emotions, Divine Suffering, and Biblical Interpretation by Kevin Vanhoozer Senior Teaching Fellow, C.S
KNOWING . OING &DC S L EWI S I N S TITUTE A Teaching Quarterly for Discipleship of Heart and Mind From the Spring 2017 issue of Knowing & Doing: Does a Red-Faced God Sing the Blues? Emotions, Divine Suffering, and Biblical Interpretation by Kevin Vanhoozer Senior Teaching Fellow, C.S. Lewis Institute Speaking (not so) well of God he God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homo- phobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously T 1 malevolent bully.” So says Richard Dawkins, for whom God is a “moral monster.” Christopher Hitchens echoes the claim, entitling his own book God is Not Great. One expects such bluster from over-confident atheists. More troubling are Christian biblical scholars and theologians who similarly stumble over biblical passages that speak of God’s jealousy, anger, grief and other emotions, and who speak of God not as a moral monster but as an emotional wreck. How can pastors and others speak well of God in the light of biblical texts that depict God as having emo- tions, especially “negative” emotions? May we depart from the classical tradition’s affirmation of God’s divine impassibility (i.e., his imperviousness to suffering), as many today are inclined to do, and say instead that God suffers change? Or does this move confuse the God of the Old and New Testament with the gods of pagan myths, or worse, ourselves? For various reasons, the doctrine of God is once again center Evangelical stage. -
God's Omniscience and Wisdom
God’s Omniscience and Wisdom This is part of a series on God’s attributes. Feel free to use this as a devotional or lesson. Definition of Omniscience Omniscience comes from the Latin words omni, meaning “all,” and scire, meaning “to know.” So omniscient means, “all-knowing.” God knows everything—even things in the past, present, and future. He’s aware of every detail of every being. He’s never surprised or disappointed, nor does He wonder about things. God’s wisdom relates to His omniscience. Wisdom means “applied knowledge.” Not only does God know everything, but He also knows the best way to use that knowledge. Bible Passages Teaching God’s Omniscience Psalm 147:5—God’s knowledge can’t be measured. Isaiah 40:13—God never received counsel or teaching from anyone. Psalm 139:1–6; Jeremiah 29:11—God knows everything about us. Matthew 10:29–30—God even knows the details about things we consider insignificant. God’s Title of Omniscience Read Genesis 16. When Hagar—badly mistreated by Abraham and Sarah—ran to the wilderness, God appeared and made a promise to her. In return, she called God El Roi, the God Who Sees. Even in a deserted, out-of-the-way place, God still knew Hagar’s actions and what would happen to her in the future. God’s Works of Omniscience Jesus knew people’s thoughts (Matt. 9:4; Luke 5:22; 9:47; Mark 2:8) Jesus knew what would happen to Him (Luke 22:37; John 6:70; 13:3; 19:28 God made prophecies and fulfilled them (Deut. -
“Grounding and Omniscience” (PDF)
Grounding and Omniscience Abstract I’m going to argue that omniscience is impossible and therefore that there is no God.1 The argument turns on the notion of grounding. After illustrating and clarifying that notion, I’ll start the argument in earnest. The first step will be to lay out five claims, one of which is the claim that there is an omniscient being, and the other four of which are claims about grounding. I’ll prove that these five claims are inconsistent. Then I’ll argue for the truth of each of them except the claim that there is an omniscient being. From these arguments it follows that there are no omniscient beings and thus that there is no God. §1. Stage Setting The best way to get a grip on the notion of grounding – or more exactly, for our purposes, the notion of partial grounding - is by considering examples. (By “partial grounding” I mean “at-least-partial grounding”, just as mereologists mean “at-least-part of” by “part of”.) The first example hearkens back to Plato’s Euthyphro. Suppose that a theorist claims that as a matter of metaphysical necessity, a given act is morally right if and only if it is approved of by God. At first blush at least, it is plausible that this theorist owes us an answer to following question: when acts are right, are they right because God approves of them, or does he approve of them because they are right? We all understand this question right away, right when we first hear it. -
Top 4000 Is Marco De Best Vertegenwoordigde Nederlandse Artiest in De Grootste Hitlijst Aller Tijden!
Vanaf 1 december t/m 24 december luister je van 07.00 tot 21.00 uur naar de Top 4OOO op Radio 1O! NR Artiest Titel Jaar 4000 THE O’JAYS I LOVE MUSIC 1976 3999 KANE GANG CLOSEST THING TO HEAVEN 1984 3998 WILL DOWNING A LOVE SUPREME 1988 3997 THE BEATLES DAY TRIPPER 1965 3996 THE J. GEILS BAND CENTERFOLD 1982 3995 THE JUDDS WHY NOT ME 1989 3994 ROBBIE WILLIAMS SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL 2002 3993 DAVID DUNDAS JEANS ON 1977 3992 SHANIA TWAIN I’M GONNA GETCHA GOOD 2002 3991 MICHAEL JACKSON GONE TOO SOON 1993 3990 STEVE WINWOOD WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE 1981 3989 LOS DEL RIO MACARENA 1996 In 1993 kwam ´Macarena´ van het Spaanse zangduo Los Del Río voor het eerst uit. Het nummer brak echter pas echt door toen de Bayside Boys er in 1996 een remix van maakten en het een wereldwijde zomerhit werd. Helaas is het daar ook bij gebleven. 3988 TIME BANDITS I’M SPECIALIZED IN YOU 1983 3987 ROD STEWART I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT 1977 3986 A-HA THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS 1987 3985 TAMMY WYNETTE STAND BY YOUR MAN 1975 3984 KOOL & THE GANG TOO HOT 1980 3983 WENDY & LISA ARE YOU MY BABY 1989 3982 QUEEN HEAVEN FOR EVERYONE 1995 3981 KIM WILDE NEVER TRUST A STRANGER 1988 3980 ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD-COLEY I’D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT 1976 3979 EURYTHMICS IT’S ALRIGHT 1986 3978 THE REAL THING CAN YOU FEEL THE FORCE 1979 3977 UB40 HOMELY GIRL 1989 3976 JAKI GRAHAM BREAKING AWAY 1986 3975 THE BEACH BOYS DARLIN’ 1968 3974 THE CORRS BREATHLESS 2000 3973 JULIAN LENNON TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES 1984 3972 MARVIN GAYE LET’S GET IT ON 1973 3971 I.O.S. -
The Christological Function of Divine Impassibility: Cyril of Alexandria and Contemporary Debate
The Christological Function of Divine Impassibility: Cyril of Alexandria and Contemporary Debate by David Andrew Graham A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Wycliffe College and the Theological Department of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Theology awarded by the University of St. Michael's College © Copyright by David Andrew Graham 2013 The Christological Function of Divine Impassibility: Cyril of Alexandria and Contemporary Debate David Andrew Graham Master of Arts in Theology University of St. Michael’s College 2013 Abstract This thesis contributes to the debate over the meaning and function of the doctrine of divine impassibility in theological and especially christological discourse. Seeking to establish the coherence and utility of the paradoxical language characteristic of the received christological tradition (e.g. the impassible Word became passible flesh and suffered impassibly), it argues that the doctrine of divine apatheia illuminates the apocalyptic and soteriological dimension of the incarnate Son’s passible life more effectively than recent reactions against it. The first chapter explores the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria and the meaning and place of apatheia within it. In light of the christological tradition which Cyril epitomized, the second chapter engages contemporary critiques and re-appropriations of impassibility, focusing on the particular contributions of Jürgen Moltmann, Robert W. Jenson, Bruce L. McCormack and David Bentley Hart. ii Acknowledgments If this thesis communicates any truth, beauty and goodness, credit belongs to all those who have shaped my life up to this point. In particular, I would like to thank the Toronto School of Theology and Wycliffe College for providing space to do theology from within the catholic church. -
Abstract This Dissertation Addresses a Lacuna in the Study of the Literary
Abstract This dissertation addresses a lacuna in the study of the literary portrayals of divine retribution in the Old Testament. Focusing on narrative texts, this work posits the presence of the divine messenger opposition type-scene, conventional scenes in which an antagonist opposes a divine messenger on whom God inflicts extreme fates that often seem disproportionate to the offense and occur in the absence of any divine proscription. Opposition to the messenger seems to be the offense grave enough to merit the peculiar fates these characters experience. The introduction discusses how the historical analysis of divine retribution has been limited to theological treatments. Recent studies have slightly expanded the analysis to sociological and anthropological approaches, but literary approaches to the topic have been scant. Addressing the intersection of convention and historiography provides a foundation for moving the discussion forward. Employing a literary-critical treatment—supplemented by form-, source-, historical-, and redaction-critical approaches where beneficial—to multiple narrative passages reveals the presence of the proposed type-scene. Chapter 2 explores Moses as the prototypical prophet validated through the bizarre fates experienced by his opponents. Korah’s destruction, Miriam’s leprosy, and the biting serpents all represent divine responses to opposition to Moses. Korah’s rebellion represents a paradigmatic template of the type-scene, one in which God validates Moses. Chapter 3 examines the type-scene in narratives involving the classical prophets. The stories of Jeroboam’s deformity, Ahab’s death, the fiery death of Ahaziah’s military squads, the mauling by bears of Bethel youths, Gehazi’s leprosy, and the trampling of a court official during the siege of Samaria all utilize the type-scene in a manner that validates the legitimacy of a prophet. -
ATTRIBUTES of GOD IMMUTABLE-Omniscience-Omnipr Esence-Omnipotence
THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD IMMUTABLE-Omniscience-Omnipr esence-Omnipotence Attributes: is a quality, character, characteristic or property, originating, produced or residing in or belonging to a person, place or thing THE ACTORS GUILD A one-line description of it He studied his walk, talk, character, & attributes in order to give the best rendition of Ali he could ➔ so we must study to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 2:15) because as believers to whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48) ➔ Studying God’s attributes allows us to have a limited understanding of his person ➔ Just as Will Smith has to be true to the characters’ he portrays, we are to strive to be as true to the character of Christ as we can (2 Peter 1:10) ● THE STAGE IS SET (in the Earth/World) ● THE ManuSCRIPT has been handed to us (BIBLE) The Mental & Moral attributes of God That HE shares with us... As HE is so are we in this world - 1 John 14:17 ○ Mental ■ Knowledge (Psalm 27:8; 2 Peter 3:18) ■ Wisdom (Prov. 9:10; James 1:5; James 3:17) ■ Truthfulness (John 14:6,21; John 16:13) ○ Moral ■ Holiness (1 Peter 1:15-17) ■ Righteousness & Justice (Matt. 5:48; 2 Cor 5:21) ■ Love (1 John 4:19) ■ Grace & Mercy (Eph. 4:2) The NATURAL attributes of God That HE does NOT share with us... ■ SOVEREIGNTY (in control, subject to no one) ● God all of the Universe in and of Himself ● One Being, One Purpose ● In control, all-consuming ■ ETERNALITY (no beginning, and no end) ● Infinite -Absolute-Independent ● EverBeing in Essence, Attributes & Perfection The NATURAL attributes of God (CON’T) That HE does NOT share with us.. -
The Truth of Divine Impassibility: a New Look at an Old Argument Jeffrey G Silcock
198 Jeffrey G Silcock The truth of divine impassibility: a new look at an old argument Jeffrey G Silcock Jeff is head of the History and Systematic Theology Department at ALC and serves as chair of the LCA’s Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations. Introduction From his Nazi prison cell in 1944, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote to his friend Eberhard Bethge that ‘only the suffering God can help’.1 Just after the war, the Japanese Lutheran theologian Kazoh Kitamori published his ground-breaking book, Theology of the pain of God,2 based around Jeremiah 31:20, where he developed a similar theology of the cross: the pain of God heals our pain. In the suffering of Christ, God himself suffers. In 1973 Jürgen Moltmann came out with his classic, The crucified God, where he takes this further and develops a critical theology of the cross. He holds that a ‘theology after Auschwitz’ has to revise completely the traditional doctrine of God that teaches divine impassibility. Moltmann at the outset reflects on his own experience: ‘Shattered and broken, the survivors of my generation were then returning from camps and hospitals to the lecture room. A theology which did not speak of God in the sight of the one who was abandoned and crucified would have had nothing to say to us then’.3 The old teaching of classical theism that God is beyond suffering died in the death camps of WWII and was no longer tenable. Moltmann wrote his book, which had an enormous impact in its day, with the conviction that only if God is not detached from human suffering, but willingly enters into it with compassion, is there any hope for the future. -
Richard E. Creel, DIVINE IMPASSIBILITY: an ESSAY in PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGY
Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers Volume 5 Issue 4 Article 8 10-1-1988 Richard E. Creel, DIVINE IMPASSIBILITY: AN ESSAY IN PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGY Ronald J. Feenstra Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy Recommended Citation Feenstra, Ronald J. (1988) "Richard E. Creel, DIVINE IMPASSIBILITY: AN ESSAY IN PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGY," Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 5 : Iss. 4 , Article 8. DOI: 10.5840/faithphil19885443 Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy/vol5/iss4/8 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. BOOK REVIEWS Divine Impassibility: An Essay in Philosophical Theology, by Richard E. Creel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986. Pp. xi and 238. $39.50. RONALD 1. FEENSTRA, Marquette University. The recent revival of interest in philosophical theology has led to renewed attention to a number of features of traditional theism, including such assertions as that God is simple, eternal, immutable, and impassible. Theologians, process thinkers, and analytic philosophers of religion have devoted much effort to determining whether these claims about God are coherent and, if so, whether they are compatible with statements that God is loving, active in history, and responsive to prayer. Richard E. Creel's Divine Impassibility addresses these issues in an impressive and impor tant defense of the doctrine of divine impassibility. -
GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING and IS WISE PSALM 147:5, Et Al
1 GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING AND IS WISE PSALM 147:5, et al Thomas Aquinas, a medieval theologian, created one of the greatest intellectual achievements of Western civilization in his book, “Summa Theologica.” It’s a massive work: 38 treatises, 3,000 articles, 10,000 objections answered. Aquinas tried to gather all that’s true into one coherent collection. Talk about a phenomenal task. He addressed anthropology, science, ethics, psychology, political theory, and theology from a godly perspective. But on December 6, 1273, Aquinas abruptly stopped his work. While participating in a worship service, he apparently had a spiritual experience in which he caught a glimpse of eternity. Suddenly, he knew all his efforts to describe God fell so far short that he decided never to write again. When his secretary tried to encourage Aquinas to do more writing, he said, “I can do no more. Such things have been revealed to me that all I have written seems as so much straw.” Thomas Aquinas didn’t write another word and he died a year later. What is God really like? And what difference does it make to your life or mine? Those are two questions we’re addressing in our current message series: What’s Most Important About You? What You Think About God. Who you believe God to be – or not to be – affects your life profoundly. Today I want you to think with me about the fact God knows everything and, also, that He is wise. If you want to look up for yourself all the Scripture passages I mention, go to our website, click on Stay At Home Resources, click on the Worship tab, and then click on Message Notes. -
Paul Gavrilyuk, the SUFFERING of the IMPASSIBLE GOD: the DIALECTICS of PATRISTIC THOUGHT
Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers Volume 23 Issue 4 Article 7 10-1-2006 Paul Gavrilyuk, THE SUFFERING OF THE IMPASSIBLE GOD: THE DIALECTICS OF PATRISTIC THOUGHT Ken Casey Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy Recommended Citation Casey, Ken (2006) "Paul Gavrilyuk, THE SUFFERING OF THE IMPASSIBLE GOD: THE DIALECTICS OF PATRISTIC THOUGHT," Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 23 : Iss. 4 , Article 7. DOI: 10.5840/faithphil200623441 Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy/vol23/iss4/7 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. BOOK REVIEWS The Suffering of the Impassible God: The Dialectics of Patristic Thought, by Paul Gavrilyuk. Oxford University Press, 2004. Pp. 222. $99 (hardback). KEN CASEY, Hopkinsville Community College Jurgen Moltmann in The Crucified God makes a powerful case for the belief that God suffers. At least since then in modern theology and philosophy of religion the predominant current flows in the direction of divine pas sibility. A handful of thoughtful theologians, however, are attempting to reverse or qualify that trend. Richard Creel's Divine Impassibility argues for a qualified impassibility as does Thomas Weinandy's Does God Suffer? In addition the latest among this group is Paul Gavrilyuk's The Suffering of the Irnpassible God. Creel's work is primarily an analytic effort in philosophical theology and Weinandy's work is structured by the concerns of systematic theology. -
Does Classical Theism Deny God's Immanence?
Scholars Crossing LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations 2003 Does Classical Theism Deny God's Immanence? C. Fred Smith Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs Recommended Citation Smith, C. Fred, "Does Classical Theism Deny God's Immanence?" (2003). LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations. 147. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs/147 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BiBLiOTHECA SACRA 160 (January-March 2003): 23-33 DOES CLASSICAL THEISM DENY GOD'S IMMANENCE? C. Fred Smith HE CONCEPT OF THE OPENNESS OF GOD has recently gained a foothold among some evangelical thinkers. Others who have T sought to refute this view have done so by emphasizing God's transcendent qualities. This article examines the criticism of clas sical theism by advocates of open theism and seeks to demonstrate that they portray classical theism inaccurately and that they have accepted a false understanding of God. OVERVIEW OF OPEN THEISM The movement's foundational text is The Openness of God, pub lished in 1994.l Most of what open theists have said since then amounts to a reiteration of arguments made in that book. Basic to open theism is the idea that God's being is analogous to that of humans, and so God experiences reality in ways similar to the ex periences of human beings. As evidence of this point Rice cites the fact that humankind is created in the image of God.2 In addition C.