Theologyhttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/2062024-03-29T06:52:18Z2024-03-29T06:52:18ZAlone and Naked: Reading the Torture of Jesus alongside the Torture of Miriam LeitãoTombs, Davidhttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/165732024-03-28T15:33:08Z2024-02-12T19:33:18ZAlone and Naked: Reading the Torture of Jesus alongside the Torture of Miriam Leitão
2023-12
Tombs, David
Recent biblical scholarship has called for more careful and detailed attention to the experiences of torture victims to better understand the crucifixion of Jesus (Menéndez- Antuña 2022). To this end, this article examines the torture of Miriam Leitão, one of Brazil’s most prominent journalists. Leitão’s torture in 1972 is attested in the report Brasil: Nunca Mais (1985), compiled by the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, which records that she was left in a dark room with a boa constrictor. In 2014 Leitão disclosed in an interview that during her time with the snake she was naked. I argue Leitão’s account of being ‘alone and naked’ offers insights into the repeated stripping of Jesus in the praetorium in Matthew 27:26–31, and his forced nudity on the cross. Recognising crucifixion as torture helps towards understanding and naming the mocking of Jesus as sexual abuse.
2024-02-12T19:33:18Z‘If people in the church knew’: Purity, Stigma and Victim-BlamingFigueroa, RocíoHungyo, AtonTombs, Davidhttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/165722024-03-28T15:33:29Z2024-02-12T06:27:00Z‘If people in the church knew’: Purity, Stigma and Victim-Blaming
2023
Figueroa, Rocío; Hungyo, Aton; Tombs, David
This article examines the allegations of rape brought against Bishop Franco Mulakkal (Jalandhar diocese, India) by a Mother Superior of a convent in Kerala in 2018. It discusses the court case that ensued (September 2020-January 2022) and gives particular attention to the impact of stigma and the influence of purity culture on perceptions of the case.
2024-02-12T06:27:00ZStar Gazing and Worship: How does observing the annual appearance of Matariki relate to and inform Christian worship?McRae, Brendon Russellhttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/165282024-03-18T14:41:01Z2024-01-28T22:55:38ZStar Gazing and Worship: How does observing the annual appearance of Matariki relate to and inform Christian worship?
2023
McRae, Brendon Russell
This research project considers the themes of the Māori commemoration of the rising of the constellation Matariki and its implications for shaping Christian liturgical resources distinctive to Aotearoa New Zealand. Friday 24th June, 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand marked the seasonal change celebrating its first Matariki public holiday. The Christian community was largely unprepared for this recent phenomenon. The interest in this research stems from the vacuum of theological engagement and liturgical resources within the Christian community.
This research aims to present theological reflections on the themes associated with Matariki offering suggestions for liturgical resources for Christian worship. A mixed method approach was used including Action Research on a church congregation’s unfolding exploration of Matariki in worship and communal life and a sampling of an innovative Matarki liturgy.
It was shown that with the resurgence of interest in Māori astronomy and spirituality that the Christian community has an opportunity to engage with a truly indigenous narrative. Current research supports the notion that a contextualised liturgy is needed if a predominately euro-centric expression of Christianity in Aotearoa is to have any relevance to everyday New Zealanders and their experiences of Matariki.
Overall, the study will propose that a Matariki liturgy unique to Aotearoa New Zealand is both a theological and missiological necessity. For the Christian community it will reveal the strong synergies between Matariki and Christian faith, eliminating ambiguity and encourage participation in Matariki commemorations within the worship space.
A research project, MINS590, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Ministry
2024-01-28T22:55:38ZTowards an understanding of the effect of revival evidenced in the writings of George Whitefield and Jonathan EdwardsJull, David Burrellhttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/165172024-03-28T15:32:35Z2024-01-21T22:54:38ZTowards an understanding of the effect of revival evidenced in the writings of George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards
2006-05-20
Jull, David Burrell
This thesis examines the revivalist writings of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) and George Whitefield (1714-1770) for evidence that the Great Awakening altered their perspective on revival. It is principally based on primary sources written between 1736 and 1743. Six separate chapters explore their background, their understanding of revival, their efforts at propagating it, their techniques in managing the revival, their defense of revival, and their institutionalization of revival.
Both their understandings of revival came from their own observations of the revivals that accompanied their evangelistic efforts. Their theological background, heavily influenced by Calvin, insisted that God was responsible for both conversions and revival.
The thesis notes that Whitefield's and Edwards' use of four primary techniques to propagate revival evolved as they experienced revival. Their preaching, their organization of small, religious education groups, their publishing of sermons, and their written narratives of revival all show signs of adaptation to changing circumstances.
Both managed revival by using small groups and publications to guide people way from inappropriate spiritual expressions. These groups and documents also provided opportunities to educate new converts about their spiritual experiences. Edwards and Whitefield had the opportunity to clarify their understanding of revival as they defended the revival against those critics who questioned their claims about God's role in the religious events of 1735-1743.
Both institutionalized revival by interacting with the next generation of evangelical ministers and by making available their doctrines and their own experiences in their published narratives. This propensity to publish their reflections on revival allowed future generations access to their revival principles.
The overriding hypothesis of this study is that Whitefield's and Edwards' understanding of revival grew out of their involvement in revival in the eighteenth century religious revivals of colonial North America and that their revival writings and preaching were attempts to codify and transfer the lessons they had learned about revival to future generations of Christians who might, they hoped, themselves experience a God-ordained time of revival.
The key conclusions of this study are that 1) Whitefield's and Edwards' positions on revival issues developed through repeated exposures to revival, 2) Whitefield and Edwards used similar means to propagate, manage, defend, and institutionalize revival, 3) Whitefield's sermons and journals themselves express a clear and concise theology, 4) a comparison of Whitefield's and Edwards' theology refutes the suggestion that the lack of a uniform theology throughout the colonies negates the reality of the Great A wakening, 5) a careful study of Whitefield's and Edwards' revival writings produces a heightened awareness of the nature of their narrative works, 6) Edwards' revival writings show a concern for worship that is too often missed in studies of his work, 7) Edwards and Whitefield were actively involved in developing, recording, and teaching the principles of authentic revival.
2024-01-21T22:54:38ZToe Matimati le Ūpega: A practical and theological reflection on the significance of expository preaching for the faith and spiritual life of young Samoan ChristiansMaulolo, Reupenahttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/162002023-10-10T20:10:06Z2023-10-10T20:09:05ZToe Matimati le Ūpega: A practical and theological reflection on the significance of expository preaching for the faith and spiritual life of young Samoan Christians
2023
Maulolo, Reupena
Abstract
This thesis is an investigation of the significance and relevance of expository preaching to the faith
and spiritual growth of young Samoan Christians within the Congregational Christian Church
Samoa (CCCS). The importance of expository preaching to contemporary Christians is central to
the spiritual growth and mission of the CCCS. In contemplation of the significance of expository
preaching, a Samoan proverbial expression; ‘Toe Matimati/Timata le Ūpega,’ translated as repairing
and re-mending the fishing net, will be employed as a phenomenological hermeneutic in this thesis.
Biblical and theological views on ‘expository preaching’ will be evaluated and examined
thoroughly to make meaningful connections with the cultural, psychological, and social life of
Samoan youth. Contemporary Christians and youth members of the CCCS sometimes criticise their
ministers’ preaching style as boring and irrelevant to their faith and spiritual development. Such an
aggressive challenge to the church’s preaching ministry needs to be carefully addressed.
In order to analyse the essentiality of ‘expository preaching’ to the worship life of contemporary
Christians, the following aspects of preaching will be the central emphasis of this research project.
First, biblical, and theological understandings of expository preaching to the faith and spiritual
development of youth are considered; second, this thesis examines the reasons why the youth argue
that expository preaching is boring; third, the research data from interviews with three cohorts;
ministers, youth, and parents is evaluated and interpreted. The data analysis from the interviews is
analysed in light of the biblical and theological perspectives. The purpose is to offer new
perspectives and methods to assist ministers in their preaching ministry. These new perspectives
towards preaching may assist the church ministers in making expository preaching interesting and
relevant to young Christians’ worship life in their cultural, social, and spiritual contexts.
The thesis explores the ways that expository preaching may be appreciated by youth and be relevant
to current issues and the uncertainties that youth encounter in their life contexts. For instance, the
disruptions caused by the covid-19 pandemic and many other life challenges commonly create fear
and a lack of purpose among young Christians. Such circumstances have often caused these young
Christians to feel vulnerable and prompts the question of this thesis: Is ‘expository preaching’ an
appropriate style of preaching for the younger generations in challenging times? My goal is not
entirely focused on providing an absolute solution or solutions to the issue, but to suggest changes
and new ideas to assist ministers in their preaching ministry. Further, my goal is not to challenge
the biblical foundation and the theological aspects of expository preaching, but to identify new
methods in presenting motivating and relevant sermons for the greater good of contemporary
worshippers
2023-10-10T20:09:05Z"[A] mirror of infinit beauty": Contemplating Love in the Natural World with Thomas TraherneMarcar, G. P.http://hdl.handle.net/10523/161652023-09-29T13:02:06Z2023-09-28T19:57:00Z"[A] mirror of infinit beauty": Contemplating Love in the Natural World with Thomas Traherne
2022
Marcar, G. P.
Fiddes, Paul
Christianity’s attitude towards the natural world must attend to the theological affirmation of its creation ex nihilo by God. In the prologue to St. John’s Gospel, the Evangelist declares that “all things” were made through the Word of God, in whom is “life.” Love, according to this vision, permeates the natural world; indeed, it is within this love—which is the Word of God—that all other things subsist and have their being. In part by drawing upon the prior theological mystical tradition represented by the Pseudo-Dionysius, John Scotus Eriugena, and Nicholas of Cusa, this Chapter seeks to explicate the perspective of Christian poet and mystic Thomas Traherne (1636-74). Writing in the seventeenth century, Traherne gives an account of how and why the natural world should be loved which is striking for its eloquent and unambiguous affirmation of the world’s essential goodness. Traherne’s context is one in which new technological lenses, such as the microscope and telescope, had resulted in the rapid expansion of humanity’s epistemological horizons at both atomic and astronomical levels. This Chapter draws on Traherne’s invocation of another, older visual technology in his Meditations—the mirror—in order to illustrate a Christocentric theology which affirms the prerogative of human beings, qua bearers of the imago Dei, to attend to the world as, in Traherne’s words, “a mirror of infinit beauty.”
The book Loving the Planet: Interfaith Essays on Ecology, Love, and Theology (2022) is also available in Library holdings. Please see
https://otago.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/64OTAGO_INST/qef3lj/alma9926302278701891 for more information.
2023-09-28T19:57:00ZRealised and future eschatology, and dualism in the Johannine EpistlesLuo, Weihttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/161572023-09-25T13:02:04Z2023-09-25T00:13:07ZRealised and future eschatology, and dualism in the Johannine Epistles
2023
Luo, Wei
Eschatology, the study of “end times” or the last things, is a significant component of Johannine theology as presented in both the Gospel and the Epistles of John. However, in the study of Johannine eschatology, the focus is usually on the Gospel, and the Epistles are often viewed as complementary material and of secondary importance. Some scholars argue that eschatology does not play a prominent role in the theology presented in the Epistles because they argue that there are only a few passages in these letters that have eschatological connotations. There is also a lack of agreement among scholars about the eschatology of the Epistles, with some researchers maintaining that futuristic eschatology is the dominant feature while others suggest that realised or present eschatology is more prevalent.
This thesis aims to argue that the eschatology of the Johannine Epistles is more prominent than commonly acknowledged and has particular features. First, the dominant eschatology of the Epistles is realised eschatology, just as in the Gospel of John, rather than futuristic eschatology. Second, as in other aspects of Johannine theology, the eschatology of the Epistles is characterised by dualistic features, as indicated by the use of antithetical expressions such as light and darkness. Third, the significance of certain eschatological concepts in the Epistles has been underestimated. For example, the image of the Antichrist, which has a profound impact on the development of Christian theology in later centuries, has not received adequate attention in academic studies of the eschatology of the Epistles.
To support this argument, this thesis is structured into nine chapters. Following the Introduction, which provides an overview of eschatology and its presentation in the Old Testament, intertestamental literature, and in the New Testament including the Johannine literature, there is a chapter on the background of the Johannine Epistles, including their authorship, structure, theology, and relationship with the Gospel of John. The topic of dualism, which is significant in the study of eschatology, is also discussed in this chapter. These introductory chapters provide the foundation for this thesis.
The main body of research comprises four chapters of study of the key eschatological passages of the Epistles. In Chapter Four, the motifs of light and darkness in 1 John 1:5-7 and 2:7-11 are discussed. Also used in the Gospel, light and darkness symbolise righteousness and evil respectively, and the present victory of light over darkness represents the realisation of God’s eschatological promise in this age. In Chapter Five, the motif of “the last hour” and the appearance of “the Antichrist” in 1 John 2:18-23 and 2 John 7 are examined. These passages suggest the approach of the eschatological age in the present era. “The last hour” is the eschatological time expected since the Old Testament era. Its arrival, as announced in 1 John, marks the realisation of the eschatological time. The appearance of the Antichrist, an unprecedented image, also marks a characteristic of the eschatological age. In Chapter Six, the motifs of “passing” and “remaining” in conjunction with various subjects in 1 John 2:8-11, 2:15-17, and 3:14-15 are discussed. The expressions such as “remaining in light,” “darkness is passing,” and “passing from death to life” suggest that eschatological blessings have been given to believers in the present age. In Chapter Seven, the images of laying down and picking up life in 1 John 3:16 are discussed. These images also appear in the Gospel of John. Through the language of laying down and picking up life and the alternative use of physical life and eternal life, the author affirms to his readers that they have received the blessing of eternal life and exhorts them to follow Jesus’ sacrificial example. Chapter Eight discusses futuristic eschatology in the Epistles. Though futuristic eschatology is also a significant part of the eschatology in the Epistles, the author does not emphasise it because what will happen in the future is determined by what people possess in the present.
Chapter Nine is the conclusion of the thesis. It reviews the contribution of all the chapters, and confirms that the eschatology presented in the Johannine Epistles is primarily realised rather than futuristic and also has dualistic features. Additionally, the possibilities for further studies and the application of this thesis for the Church today are explored.
2023-09-25T00:13:07ZThe Community of St. Julian: Explorations into a Sacramentally Anglican Online Church in AotearoaWillett, Hilaryhttp://hdl.handle.net/10523/159792024-03-08T14:18:19Z2023-08-31T01:58:37ZThe Community of St. Julian: Explorations into a Sacramentally Anglican Online Church in Aotearoa
2023
Willett, Hilary
This thesis explores the question of whether there is space in the Anglican Church of New Zealand, Aotearoa, and Polynesia (ANZAP) for online church from a tikanga Pākehā perspective. It practical theological action research which explores the perspectives of Anglicans regarding online worship. To undertake this research, I recruited eight volunteers to participate in ten weeks of online worship. This group was called “The Community of St. Julian (CSJ).” Participants engaged with a sacramentally designed website and regular gatherings once a week. The technologies used and experiments undertaken were designed to engage with Anglican understandings of sacramentality online. The website was created to sacramentally communicate theological meaning, and the gatherings engaged with sacramental practices. At the end of CSJ, I gathered information from the participants about their experiences of worshipping together online. Then I examined whether there were ecclesial, pastoral, and pragmatic justifications for online church. Based on participant reflections, experiences, and research into the issues presented, this thesis maintains there are convincing justifications for online church. Consequently, this thesis argues that there is space in ANZAP for online church long-term.
2023-08-31T01:58:37Z