Living grace : an outline United Methodist theology /
Living Grace offers readers a clear exposition of Methodism's theology, founded as it is upon the biblical witness and enriched by the traditions of the apostolic fathers, the Protestant Revival, and the Wesleyan revival. It will be helpful both to the Methodist constituency and to its partners...
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Format: | Book |
Language: | English German |
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Nashville :
Abingdon Press,
[2001], ©2001
Nashville : c2001 Nashville : ©2001 Nashville : [2001] |
Subjects: |
Table of Contents:
- 1 Responsible Proclamation, or Fundamentals for a Theology of the United Methodist Church
- 1.1. God's Self-Revelation as an Expression of God's Love
- 1.2. The Holy Scripture as the Foundation for Theology
- 1.3. Methodist Doctrine as a Theology for Praxis
- 2. Universal Salvation, or God's Love for God's World
- 2.1. God's Loving Care in God's Creative Activity
- 2.2. God's Loving Care in God's Reconciling Acts
- 2.3. God's Loving Care in God's Renewing Actions. Excursus: Receiving and Being Baptized in the Spirit
- 3. Personal Faith, or the Personal Experience of Salvation
- 3.1. Liberation for Hearing and Conversion
- 3.2. The Renewal to Life in God
- 4. Christian Existence in its Wholeness, or the Reality of Love
- 4.1. God's Renewing Presence in the World
- 4.2. The Community as the Creation of the Love of God
- 4.3. The Church as the Mission of God
- 4.4. The Church in the World. App. Foundations for the Doctrine and the Theological Task of The United Methodist Church.
- 1 Responsible Proclamation, or Fundamentals for a Theology of the United Methodist Church 17
- 1.1 God's Self-Revelation as an Expression of God's Love 23
- 1.1.1 God's Revelation in Jesus Christ 27
- 1.1.2 God's Revelation in the Word 30
- 1.1.3 God's Revelation in God's Creation 36
- 1.1.3.2 The Knowledge of God in Different Religions 40
- 1.1.3.3 The Knowledge of God from the Standpoint of Thought 44
- 1.1.3.4 The Content of Truth and Its Meaning for the Natural Knowledge of God 48
- 1.1.4 The Triune God and the Missionary Dimension of Revelation 55
- 1.2 The Holy Scripture as the Foundation for Theology 57
- 1.2.1 The Origin of the Bible 58
- 1.2.1.1 The Formation of the Old Testament 58
- 1.2.1.2 The Development of the New Testament 60
- 1.2.2 The Significance of the Biblical Canon 62
- 1.2.2.1 Who Created the Canon of the Bible? 62
- 1.2.2.2 The Standards Concerning the Definition of the Canon 63
- 1.2.2.3 The Adherence to the Old Testament 64
- 1.2.3 The Meaning of the Bible in the History of the Church 64
- 1.2.3.1 To the Time of the Reformation 65
- 1.2.3.2 The Reformation Understanding of Scripture 65
- 1.2.3.3 The Development of the Post-Reformation Era 66
- 1.2.3.4 The Bible in the Hands of Wesley and the Early Methodists 67
- 1.2.3.5 The Challenge of the Historical-Critical Exegesis of the Bible 69
- 1.2.3.6 Models of the Contemporary Understanding of the Bible 71
- 1.2.4 The Bible--God's Word in Human Words 76
- 1.2.4.1 The Transparency of the Biblical Message 76
- 1.2.4.2 God's Voice in the Words of the Bible 77
- 1.2.4.3 The Human Side of the Biblical Message 79
- 1.3 Methodist Doctrine as a Theology for Praxis 80
- 1.3.1 Principles of the United Methodist Exposition of the Bible 81
- 1.3.2 The Steps to a Vital Development of Doctrine 83
- 1.3.3 The Landmark Documents 85
- 1.3.4 The Basic Contours of a United Methodist Theology 88
- 2. Universal Salvation, or God's Love for God's World 93
- 2.1 God's Loving Care in God's Creative Activity 94
- 2.1.1 God's Loving Care in the Creation of the World 95
- 2.1.2 God's Loving Care in the Creation of God's Image 103
- 2.1.2.1 The Human Being as Question 103
- 2.1.2.2 The Human Being as the Image of God 106
- 2.1.2.3 The Human Being as a Person 111
- 2.1.3 God's Loving Care in the Providential Oversight of Creation 115
- 2.1.3.1 God's Creative Power 115
- 2.1.3.2 God's Providence 117
- 2.1.3.3 God's Goodness and the Experience of Suffering 120
- 2.2 God's Loving Care in God's Reconciling Acts 126
- 2.2.1 Sin and Its Consequences 126
- 2.2.1.1 The Universality of Sin from the Beginning 127
- 2.2.1.2 Sin as a Deed 134
- 2.2.1.3 Sin and the Law 138
- 2.2.1.4 Sin and Suffering 143
- 2.2.1.5 Sin and Death 147
- 2.2.1.6 Sin and the Power of Evil 149
- 2.2.1.7 Sin and Grace 153
- 2.2.2 God's Covenant Faithfulness 154
- 2.2.2.1 God's Faithfulness to Creation and to Humanity 154
- 2.2.2.2 God's Faithfulness to Israel 156
- 2.2.2.3 The Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace 158
- 2.2.2.4 Covenant and Covenant Ratification in the United Methodist Tradition 163
- 2.2.3 The Reconciliation of the World in Christ 168
- 2.2.3.1 Living Out of God's Will 169
- 2.2.3.2 Dying for One's Enemies 175
- 2.2.3.3 Risen, That God's Peace Might Lead to Victory 181
- 2.2.4 The Messenger of Reconciliation 185
- 2.3 God's Loving Care in God's Renewing Actions 189
- 2.3.1 The Work of the Spirit in the World 190
- 2.3.2 The Renewal of Human Beings Through the Spirit of God 194
- Excursus: Receiving and Being Baptized in the Spirit 196
- 2.3.2.1 The Fundamental Renewal Through God 199
- 2.3.2.2 The Renewal of the Relationship with God 200
- 2.3.2.3 The Renewal of the Manner and the Mode of Living 202
- 2.3.2.4 Renewal for True Fellowship 203
- 2.3.2.5 Renewal for Mission and the Competency for Witnessing 205
- 2.3.2.6 The Renewal of Insight and Reflection 208
- 2.3.2.7 Renewal for Hope 209
- 2.3.3 The Consummation of the World 210
- 2.3.3.1 Personal Hope 210
- 2.3.3.2 The Hope of the Congregation of Jesus Christ 212
- 2.3.3.3 The Hope for a New Heaven and a New Earth 215
- 2.3.3.4 Judgment and Consummation 215
- 3. Personal Faith, or the Personal Experience of Salvation 221
- 3.1 Liberation for Hearing and Conversion 223
- 3.1.1 The Abiding Love of God--Prevenient Grace 223
- 3.1.2 The Awareness of Human Distance from God--Awakening 228
- 3.1.3 Turning to God--Conversion 232
- 3.1.3.1 The Biblical Witness Concerning Conversion 233
- 3.1.3.2 Repentance as a Step on the Way to Salvation 235
- 3.1.3.3 The Concrete Form of Conversion Today 239
- 3.1.4 Coming Home to God--Faith 241
- 3.1.4.1 The Biblical Understanding of Faith 242
- 3.1.4.2 The Reformation Rediscovery of "By Faith Alone" 245
- 3.1.4.3 Faith in the Thought of John Wesley 246
- 3.1.4.4 Basic Guidelines for Proclaiming the Faith in Our Day 250
- 3.1.4.5 Freed for Response--An Attempt to Summarize 255
- 3.2 The Renewal to Life in God 256
- 3.2.1 The New Relationship to God--Justification 258
- 3.2.1.1 The Biblical Foundations 259
- 3.2.1.2 The Understanding of Justification Among the Protestant Reformers 263
- 3.2.1.3 Justification in the Thought of Wesley 268
- 3.2.1.4 The Message of Justification Today 272
- 3.2.2 The New Life from God--Regeneration 275
- 3.2.2.1 Regeneration in the New Testament 275
- 3.2.2.2 Wesley's Doctrine of Regeneration 276
- 3.2.2.3 Baptism, the New Birth, and Conversion 279
- 3.2.2.4 Adoption by God, Assurance of Faith, and Prayer 281
- 3.2.2.5 Identity and Change 284
- 3.2.3 Liberation for Love--Sanctification 285
- 3.2.3.1 Holiness and Sanctification in the Bible 287
- 3.2.3.2 Sanctification in Wesley 290
- 3.2.3.3 Sanctification in the Contemporary World 294
- 3.2.4 Excursus: The Perfection of Love--Christian Reflection 302
- 4. Christian Existence in its Wholeness, or the Reality of Love 311
- 4.1 God's Renewing Presence in the World 312
- 4.1.1 Love as the Operation and Sign of God's Presence 313
- 4.1.2 Love as the Fruit of the Spirit 314
- 4.1.3 Love as the Basic Norm for the Conduct of Life 315
- 4.2 The Community as the Creation of the Love of God 319
- 4.2.1 The Community as the Body of Christ 320
- 4.2.1.1 The Fellowship of Seekers and Believers 322
- 4.2.1.2 The Obligatory Life of a Christian 325
- 4.2.1.3 Baptism and Acceptance into Church Membership 328
- 4.2.2 The Congregation as a Fellowship of Life and Service 334
- 4.2.2.1 The Gathering of the Congregation: Worship 336
- 4.2.2.2 The Significance of the Means of Grace 337
- 4.2.2.3 The Congregation and Ministry Groups 340
- 4.2.2.4 Connexio: The United Methodist Church as a "Connectional" Church 343
- 4.3 The Church as the Mission of God 348
- 4.3.1 The Witness of Individual Christians 351
- 4.3.1.1 Faith and Lifestyle 352
- 4.3.1.2 The Personal Witness of Faith 355
- 4.3.1.3 The Call to the Ministry of Proclamation 356
- 4.3.2 The Congregation as the Social Form of the Gospel 359
- 4.3.2.1 The Congregation as the Realm of the Love of God 361
- 4.3.2.2 The Congregation as a Witness to God's Love 363
- 4.3.3 The Mission of the Church 364
- 4.3.3.1 Evangelization 365
- 4.3.3.2 The Outer Mission 367
- 4.4 The Church in the World 369
- 4.4.1 The World as the Place of God's Reign 372
- 4.4.2 The Diaconal Task of the Church 376
- 4.4.2.1 The Diaconal Existence of Christians 378
- 4.4.2.2 The Ministry to the Weak 380
- 4.4.2.3 Ministry in Society 382
- 4.4.3 The Ethical Task of the Church 385
- 4.4.3.1 The United Methodist Church as a "Free Church" 389
- 4.4.3.2 Church and State 393
- 4.4.3.3 A Church for the People 399
- 4.4.3.4 The Global Community and the Whole of Creation 400
- 4.4.4 Penultimate Actions and the Hope of Fulfillment 409
- 4.4.4.1 Provisional Acts of Significance 410
- 4.4.4.2 The Overcoming of Evil 413
- 4.4.4.3 The Consummation of Creation 413
- Foundations for the Doctrine and the Theological Task of The United Methodist Church 419.