bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New Apologists in America's Conservative Catholic Subculture
Authors: Huff Peter A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractTraditional Catholic apologetics is currently experiencing a revival in U.S. Catholic thought. Modeled in part on the apologetics of the preconciliar Catholic Literary Revival, the new Catholic apologetics draws strategically from the intellectual world of the pre-Vatican II church. Responsive to the conditions of postconciliar Catholicism and later-twentieth-century U.S. culture, the new apologists also exploit the resources of contemporary popular culture to advance a critique of secular society and the status quo in American Catholic life. While defending traditional Catholic doctrine, the new generation of apologists has contributed to the creation of a novel form of American Catholicism—technologically sophisticated, uniquely ecumenical, and aggressively separatist. Utilizing the lecture circuit, the print media, audio and video recordings, cable television, and the internet, the new apologists have made apologetics a vibrant industry of the conservative Catholic subculture in America.
A Very Explicit Te Deum: A Spiritual Exercise, to Help Overcome Trinitarian Timidity
Authors: van Beeck Frans Jozef 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThere is a tendency in the Catholic theological tradition to attribute to apophaticism a status superior to the via affirmationis. There are good reasons to offer a critique of this tendency, if only to raise once again the issue of theological rhetoric, especially as it makes use of metaphor and paradox. To make the point, the present essay then proceeds to exemplify the affirmation-negation dynamic of the Profession of Faith in an expansive, poetical version of the Creed of the Great Tradition. Ambrose's classical hymn Te Deum has functioned as a model for the piece. And who knows if this attempt might help restore the theology of the Blessed Trinity to the classrooms of Catholic colleges, from which it has virtually disappeared, often under cover of apophaticism or (worse) ethics?
Human Rights and the Poor in the World Religions
Authors: Soko Keith 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe experience of the many poor and of the many religions in today's world are two issues which this study addresses, from the perspective of human rights. Its thesis is that concern for the poor is not unique to Judaism and Christianity, but that all religions examined here contain an affirmation of the value of the individual person, as well as a compassion for the poor, which can lead to a universal concern for the rights of the poor and marginalized. Viewing human rights as a concept which expresses the aspirations of many religions, it examines their perceptions of human rights language and their concerns for the poor. In doing so, it rejects the postmodernist claim that all religions are incommensurable and cannot be compared on issues such as justice, human rights and concern for the poor, and argues for continuing efforts toward a global ethic.
Camus' Meditation on the Christian Faith
Authors: Monasterio Xavier O. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractAlbert Camus' initial visceral hostility to the Christian faith was submitted to the test by his personal acquaintance with Christians in the underground Resistance to the Nazis. As a result, though never tempted to become a Christian himself, Camus' appraisal of Christianity underwent a profound transformation. As the re-evaluation of his Christian faith, though exceptionally detailed and perceptive, found only novelistic form, it has not been the object of the careful critical analysis it richly deserves. The present article explores what may justly be called Camus' meditation on the Christian faith in The Plague.
Revelation as Liberation from Oppression: Black Theology's Challenge for American Catholic Theology
Authors: Connolly John R. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBased on a reading of James Cone's and Avery Dulles' analyses of revelation, this article raises questions about the adequacy of the American Catholic theology of revelation. In A Black Theology of Liberation, Cone criticizes contemporary American theology's understanding of revelation for not including the category of liberation from oppression in its definition of revelation. Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives defines revelation as symbolic communication, but does not include the category of liberation from oppression. Dulles' omission, in light of Cone's criticism, suggests the possibility of and the need for revising the American Catholic theology of revelation. In pursuing this question, the article begins with an examination of Cone's notion of revelation and the challenge which it presents to American Catholic theology. This is followed by an investigation of some of Dulles' other writings to consider if such a revision would be compatible with his thought. In the final section, drawing upon the works of Dulles, Mark Kline Taylor, Cone, and other black theologians, suggestions for a revision are made.
Women in Modern Judaism
Authors: Carmody Denise Lardner 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis article attempts a brief sketch of the modern Jewish views of women. To explain modernity, however, it must first survey the major biblical and talmudic themes. Although both the Bible and talmudic materials are densely layered, one quickly sees that the dominant, official texts gave modern Jewish women an ambitious heritage. Only with the Breslav Conference of Reform Judaism in 1846 did a clear call for Jewish women's equality with men in institutional religion sound forth. Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati became an American rallying point among the Reformed, but the Conservative and Orthodox hung back. In recent times sympathetic religious lawyers have attempted halakahic reforms, but Jewish feminists feel that much remains to be done in such realms as divorce, religious ritual, and Israeli civil law.
Simul Justus et Peccator: Ecclesiological and Ecumenical Perspectives
Authors: Kress Robert 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe Lutheran formula “simul Justus et peccator” originally applied to the individual Christian believer. However, it can also apply to the ecclesial community of believers and it can also have ecumenical dimensions and consequences. This article investigates these dimensions and consequences in view of the discussions which were occasioned by Vatican II.
Authentic Subjectivity and Genuine Objectivity
Authors: Bracken Joseph A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractGenuine objectivity, says Bernard Lonergan, is the fruit of authentic subjectivity. Certainly, the two are closely linked. In this essay, I propose that authentic subjectivity consists, not in overcoming the particularities of one's subjective standpoint in order to embrace a hypothetical universal viewpoint shared in common with other individuals, but in getting more deeply in touch with the unique particularity of one's own perspective in order better to appreciate both the similarities with and the differences from the standpoints of other individuals. Genuine objectivity, then, consists in recognizing that there neither is nor ever will be a universal standpoint. All standpoints by definition are particular. This is not to deny, of course, that at any given moment there is an objective state of affairs, quite apart from any one's subjective perception of it, but only to affirm that no one (not even God) has a totally objective grasp of that same state of affairs.
The Life of the Self in Christian Spirituality and Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Authors: McDargh John 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis article explores modern psychoanalytic object relations theory as a potential resource for Christian spirituality in the development of an integrated theological and psychological model of the self. The necessity for such a model is first suggested by considering some potential dangers within the current revival of modes of “imageless” prayer. A suggestive effort that has already been made to construct a “spectrum” model of self development that combines psychoanalytic insight with the psychology of Theravada Buddhism is then examined. The final section assesses the interpretive power of a similar model worked out for the distinctive religious vision of Christian spirituality.
Being a Christian in the Business World: The Challenge and the Promise
Authors: Williams Oliver F. 
Published: August 2016

What does it mean to be a Christian in today's business world? It is this question which provides the focus for a course I teach called “Modern Decision Making in the Christian Tradition.” The course is designed for college juniors and seniors who are interested in exploring the implications of Christian faith for a professional life. Students are exposed to the flaws in Adam Smith's famous apology for the capitalist economy and offered an approach to working in the system and reforming it from a Christian standpoint.It has been my experience that most students in the course are serious about their Christian faith, that is, they go to church on Sunday and they strive to live the sort of life that they understand to be Christian. They are largely from good homes and have learned the value of friendship and love from dedicated parents. Most of them, however, have not been challenged to think through the implications of their Christian faith for their life in the business world or in the wider social order.While they may be models of compassion and generosity to those in their immediate circles, many students today have a blindspot for responsibilities in the socio-political order. In the traditional vocabulary, they are strong on charity but weak in justice. Justice in our time is often equated with “law and order,” the quid pro quo's that insure that we each get what we deserve. One of the objectives of the course is to widen the horizons of the students so that they come to see more adequately what is entailed in calling oneself “Christian.” To begin, I have them reflect on sections of “Justice in the World,” the document issued by the Roman Synod of Bishops in 1971.
Paradox as Vision: Recovering Transcendence Within the World
Authors: Sabatino Charles J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe stories which Jesus told, as well as the manner of his life and death, bear witness to his fundamental vision that the last are first in the Kingdom of God. With this paradox, Jesus offers a clue as to how the divine mystery is present in human experience. When this vision of Jesus is related to certain parallel images in Buddhist thought, it can help us understand transcendence as an ultimate meaning present within the human world itself. With this perspective, we may then be able to apply the paradox toward understanding the meaning of Jesus' resurrection.
Relativism, Objectivism, and Theology
Authors: Ommen Thomas B. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractRelativism is a central issue in anthropology, philosophy of science, and a number of other disciplines. It is usually contrasted with objectivism or foundationalism, the quest for universal and absolute norms. Richard Bernstein has recently written an illuminating overview of the relativist-objectivist tension and has sketched out a notion of rationality “beyond objectivism and relativism.” This paper is an effort to follow Bernstein's lead and consider the theological implications of objectivism and relativism and the attempt to move beyond them. The first two parts of the paper take up objectivism and relativism in their philosophical and theological forms. The third section briefly explores some aspects of a non-relativist and non-objectivist model of rationality.
The Death of Everyone: Robert Lifton, Christian Theology and Apocalyptic Imagery
Authors: Bregman Lucy 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis paper explores an issue raised by psychologist Robert Lifton in The Broken Connection. Lifton believes the present threat of total extinction through nuclear war has drastically affected humanity's ability to reconnect life and death, and to make individual death meaningful. The death of everyone—as an imaginable possibility—defeats all expressions of “symbolic immortality,” affirmations of continuity and hope.How has Christian theology met this predicament? Twentieth-century history has been so menacing and overwhelming that some theologians have found in apocalyptic-eschatological imagery the most appropriate framework to encounter that history and discern its spiritual meaning. Yet this imagery, even when de-literalized, provides at best ambiguous answers. Early twentieth-century theology—Schweitzer, Case—recognized the importance of apocalyptic thought for the New Testament, but easily repudiated this for contemporary life. In contrast, later thinkers such as Cullman, Brunner, and Moltmann make extensive use of eschatological imagery. However, they face the problem raised by Lifton: how to make “hope” vivid to readers already gripped by a future of possible universal catastrophe.
Christology in the Works of Flannery O'Connor
Authors: Bowen Rose 
Published: August 2016

AbstractChristology and ecclesiology, both vital to Flannery O'Connor's thought, are reflected principally in her book reviews, letters, and essays. The reviews in particular (69 of the 143 titles reviewed pertain to subject matter that is religious or theological) attest to the range, depth, and vitality of her own theological investigation. By 1961, O'Connor's theology had been substantially influenced by that of Karl Adam, Romano Guardini, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Francis Durrwell. Through the influence of these theologians, one can trace in O'Connor's nonfiction the development of her Christology and its impact on her fiction.
Moral Theology and the Magisterium
Authors: Rigali Norbert J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe moral theologian's work is related to moral magisterial teaching as science to pastoral address. Speaking from a juridical perspective regarding faith and morals, the two Vatican Councils can be misinterpreted to mean that the relation of the magisterium to faith is the same as its relation to morals. These relations, however, are only analogically the same. The relation of the magisterium to moral theology, accordingly, is different from its relation to systematic theology. Nor can its relation to contemporary moral theology be identical with its relation to the preconciliar version. For its part, moral theology does not include “theological dissent,” since dissent is a personal and social but—apart from a single possible exception—not a scientific act. The tension between moral theology and the magisterium can be removed only on the basis of mutual understanding of their respective responsibilities and limitations.
Can Belief in God be Basic?
Authors: Matteo Anthony M. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractAt least since the Enlightenment, religious thinkers in the West have sought to meet the “evidentialist” challenge, that is, to demonstrate that there is sufficient evidence to warrant a rational affirmation of the existence of God. Alvin Plantinga holds that this challenge is rooted in a foundationalist approach to epistemology which is now intellectually bankrupt. He argues that the current critique of foundationalism clears the way for a fruitful reappropriation of the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition's assertion of the “basic” nature of belief in God and its concomitant relegation of the arguments of natural theology to marginal status. After critically assessing Plantinga's proposal—especially its dependence on a nonfoundationalist theory of knowledge—this essay shifts to an analysis of the transcendental Thomist understanding of the rational underpinnings of the theist's affirmation of God's existence, with particular emphasis on the thought of Joseph Maréchal. It is argued that the latter position is better equipped to fend off possible nontheistic counterarguments—even in our current nonfoundationalist atmosphere—and, in fact, can serve as a necessary complement to Calvin's claim of a natural tendency in human beings to believe in God.
Maternal Affection for a Divine Son: A Spirituality of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa
Authors: Sheridan Daniel P. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractLove for God as an actual concrete activity of a human being is sometimes obscured in contemporary American Christian culture. This essay studies the role of maternal affection for the divine child Kṛṣṇa, humanly embodied as a male child, in order to serve as a cross-cultural catalyst for the traditions of Christian love for Christ. The focus is the tenth-century Hindu Vaiṣṇava text, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Vaiṣṇavas promote the experience of loving God through imaginative participation in narratives of Kṛṣṇa's loves and by identification with human women who loved him, particularly his mothers. They are the exemplars of a maternal love for a divine child. This imaginative participation and identification is open to both men and women. This study illustrates the roles of gender, narrative, and imagination in the experience of loving God with one's whole heart, soul, and might.
Irreducible Pluralism: The Transcendental and Hermeneutical as Theological Options
Authors: Bonsor Jack A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe transcendental and hermeneutical are two significant approaches to theology within contemporary Catholic thought. Peter Drilling suggests a complementary relationship between these theological perspectives in his proposed dialogue between Bernard Lonergan and Francis Schüssler Fiorenza. Fiorenza's reconstructive hermeneutic, with its emphasis on the outer dimensions of foundational theology, ought to be balanced with Lonergan's emphasis on the inner, the transcendental. In contrast, this essay argues that the transcendental and hermeneutical are alternative rather than complementary theological approaches. They are rooted in contradictory anthropological starting points and cannot be united in an inclusive hybrid. The essay concludes with some comments on the consequent pluralism of contemporary theology.
1. A Reexamination of the Erlitou Culture
Authors: Weizhang Yin 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTScholarly opinion is divided on the question of whether the cultural remains of Erlitou Periods III and IV belong to the early Shang. This paper carries the analysis of the remains from these two periods one step further, emphasizing a group of new cultural elements, including li-cauldrons, wide-mouthed zun-beakers, curled lip round-bottom pen-basins, and narrow-mouthed long-necked weng-jars and jia-tripods. These artifacts are compared to similar remains from Zhengzhou Erligang and the obvious similarities between the two are pointed out. The Erlitou III and IV group of cultural elements exhibits a tendency to replace and assimilate that group of cultural elements originally presented in Erlitou Periods I and II, thus making clear that the differences and changes between the remains of II and III have epoch-making significance. A similar phenomenon can be observed to take place in the cultural features of the Central Plains with the change in dynasties between the Shang and Zhou and between the Zhou and Qin periods. It is proposed that the changes appearing between the Period II and Period III remains reflect a contemporary social change. Since the foundations of a large palace were discovered among the Period III cultural remains from the Yanshi Erlitou site, and since this site agrees with the location of Tang's capital Xi Bo, as recorded in surviving literature, Erlitou Periods III and IV may already belong to the Shang dynasty. On the basis of this analysis we have reason to believe that during the time of Cheng Tang the development of the culture of the Shang tribe reached a major turning point. At the time of its establishment the Shang kingdom appears on the Central Plains as an early slave state possessing a certain level of civilization. The discovery and identification of the cultural remains of the early Shang will be significant in the exploration of pre-Shang or Xia culture.
13. The “Question” Question
Authors: Nivison David S. 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTThis paper takes issue with the widely prevailing assumption that the “charge” (ming ci) in a Shang oracle inscription must always be understood as a question. I hold that we must distinguish between what the diviner is saying in the charge, and what he is doing in the whole divination rite. What he is doing is not always seeking information; and even when he is doing this, what he says is usually not a question. I present various arguments and examples to show this, e.g.:(1) Li Hsüeh-ch'in's research proves that the oracle language possessed grammatical forms, such as final particles and final negatives, for marking a sentence as a question. Therefore, I hold, our first assumption should be that when a diviner does not use these forms, he does not intend his sentence to be understood as a question.(2) When two sentences in the same inscription -- e.g., charge and prognostication -- are alike in form (both of them being without final negatives or particles), it is a mistake to construe one of them as a question and the other as a statement. But a prognostication must be a statement.
14. The Yi-Kua in the Shang Dynasty and Various Problems Pertaining to Divination
Authors: Tsung-Yi Jao 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTThe method of divining by yarrow stalk in accordance with the scheme of 64 hexagrams did exist in the Yin Dynasty. Numerical strings of three and six lines on oracle bones recently unearthed provide the new evidence for the above statement and many scholars have discussed it. My paper contributes the following new points:(1) Comparing the 64 hexagram names in the Ma-wang-tui manuscript with those appearing in the so called Kuei-tsang () recorded by later scholars, we find some similarity on both sides. This indicates that the Kuei-tsang is not a legendary matter.(2) Some Hsin-tien period wares found in Kansu also show the numerical marks such as . This also suggests that such trigram images had been used by still earlier people.(3) The graph for nine “” was found on one oracle bone from Ch'i-chia . It shows that the Western Chou people had advanced the way of divining and thus the emphasis on Yin of the Yin people had been developed into the emphasis on Yang .(4) I try to interpret, with reference to the sentences of Chou-yi, the divining hexagrams which appear on the bamboo strips found in T'ien-hsing-kuan , Chiang-ling . As the symbol of was still employed by the Ch'u people, it seems that they were following the way of the Yin people in the emphasis on Yin.
16. An Interpretation of the Oracle-Bone Inscription Phrase: “The Sun and Moon Eclipsed”
Authors: Houxuan Hu 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTThis paper assembles three oracle-bone inscriptions divined at the same time from the Wu Yi-Wen Ding period. Two are identical, being a paired divination inquiring into whether the event ri yue you shi was or was not auspicious. The third asks whether, in light of this ri yue you shi, it would be auspicious to sacrifice to Shang Jia.Since 1925, when Wang Xiang , first proposed th at the character yue should be read as xi, his position has been accepted by Liu Chaoyang De Xiaoqian , Chen Mengijia , Zhang Peiyü , Xu Zhentao , the Zhongguo Tianwenxue jianshi bianxiezu , and the Zhongguo Tianwenxueshi zhengli yenjiu xiaozu Yue was first interpreted as yue in 1933 by Shang Chengzuo . Those subscribing to this reading include Dong Zuobin , Chen Zungui , Yü Xingwu Liu Chaoyang, Chen Mengiia, Joseph Needham, Zhao Quemin and Chen Banghuai .Among these scholars Liu Chaoyang holds that “there is no distinction between xi and yue,” while Chen Mengjia believes that the phrase “ri yue you shi” can also be read “ri xi you shi,” hence they accept both interpretations.