Why does Kant reject atheism in such strong terms despite his denial of the traditional proofs for the existence of God? I take the position that the question of atheism and the problem it entails are not a side issue but the recurring portrait of a figure that haunts Kant not just in the Religion, but throughout his critical philosophy. I seek to expand what Kant criticizes in atheism or, more accurately, to identify atheism as part of a collection of positions that Kant rejects on grounds of what John Hare calls “rational instability,” which is ultimately a moral-rational instability. This includes also certain forms of theism and theological beliefs. I claim that Kant's agenda is to construct a world view in which genuine moral behaviour is possible by preserving the world as a moral space in which individuals are free to be moral, and that the target of his metaphysical criticism is those who over-explain the world so as to deny the possibility of a meaningful self-consciousness of agency.
{"title":"Kant and the Moral Need to Limit Theoretical Reason: An Expansion of Hare's Concept of Rational Instability","authors":"Paul Kim","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2023-0046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2023-0046","url":null,"abstract":"Why does Kant reject atheism in such strong terms despite his denial of the traditional proofs for the existence of God? I take the position that the question of atheism and the problem it entails are not a side issue but the recurring portrait of a figure that haunts Kant not just in the Religion, but throughout his critical philosophy. I seek to expand what Kant criticizes in atheism or, more accurately, to identify atheism as part of a collection of positions that Kant rejects on grounds of what John Hare calls “rational instability,” which is ultimately a moral-rational instability. This includes also certain forms of theism and theological beliefs. I claim that Kant's agenda is to construct a world view in which genuine moral behaviour is possible by preserving the world as a moral space in which individuals are free to be moral, and that the target of his metaphysical criticism is those who over-explain the world so as to deny the possibility of a meaningful self-consciousness of agency.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141142641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Igor Tavilla. The Reader, the Lover, the Prophet: Views on Kierkegaard","authors":"Eric Ziolkowski","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2024-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2024-0007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141134449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chloë Starr, ed., trans., A Reader in Chinese Theology","authors":"John Sampson","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2023-0049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2023-0049","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141140244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
After highlighting Søren Kierkegaard's emphasis on the absolute difference between God and humans, this article presents his explanation of why we can readily embrace our inferior position to God, which appeals to his understanding of love as involving the desire to be the guilty party. But this argument can be turned around to make a case that God would desire to be the guilty party in relation to us. This fits well with the story of God's love in Kierkegaard's pseudonymous writing Philosophical Fragments, in which divine incarnation is interpreted as God's descent in history to establish equality with humans. After arguing that such a kenotic Christology is not incompatible with the absolute God-human difference because it accentuates the fact that only God can cross the divide, the author points out its similarity with Marilyn Adams’ view that God became the curse in Jesus to cancel out the power of the curse of sin. He finishes by dealing with the worry that, despite divine descent, some humans may be unable to stand boldly confident before God because of their memory of what their sinfulness has caused. One way to alleviate this worry is to adopt the Irenaean affirmation of God's ultimate responsibility, and the author claims that this would complete Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments by adding an interpretation of the crucifixion in line with its story of divine descent.
{"title":"God as both Hierarchical and Egalitarian: A Kierkegaardian Proposal Based on Philosophical Fragments","authors":"Jaeha Woo","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2024-0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2024-0013","url":null,"abstract":"After highlighting Søren Kierkegaard's emphasis on the absolute difference between God and humans, this article presents his explanation of why we can readily embrace our inferior position to God, which appeals to his understanding of love as involving the desire to be the guilty party. But this argument can be turned around to make a case that God would desire to be the guilty party in relation to us. This fits well with the story of God's love in Kierkegaard's pseudonymous writing Philosophical Fragments, in which divine incarnation is interpreted as God's descent in history to establish equality with humans. After arguing that such a kenotic Christology is not incompatible with the absolute God-human difference because it accentuates the fact that only God can cross the divide, the author points out its similarity with Marilyn Adams’ view that God became the curse in Jesus to cancel out the power of the curse of sin. He finishes by dealing with the worry that, despite divine descent, some humans may be unable to stand boldly confident before God because of their memory of what their sinfulness has caused. One way to alleviate this worry is to adopt the Irenaean affirmation of God's ultimate responsibility, and the author claims that this would complete Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments by adding an interpretation of the crucifixion in line with its story of divine descent.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141136423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ludwig Wittgenstein's work has appealed to audiences that feared that traditional Christian language was being bandied about with no real significance attached to the ostensibly pious words. Wittgenstein became increasingly attractive to many theologians because his attention to modern philosophical confusions about the nature of language shed light on the linguistic confusion in the churches. Wittgenstein's writings, particularly his later posthumously published notes, promised to be an antidote to the perceived vacuity and superficiality of much Christian discourse. However, Wittgenstein's influence on theology has not been uniform. The elusive and often aphoristic nature of his later reflections has guaranteed that his work has been appropriated in divergent ways. At least two different theological appropriations of his enigmatic remarks have emerged. One set has developed a rather formalistic interpretation of Wittgenstein's remarks about “grammar” and used them to construe Christian doctrines as general rules governing thinking, feeling, and acting. A different variety, while also acknowledging the theme of the grammar of the faith, has emphasized his reflections on the “use” of concepts in the variegated “practices” of specific Christian communities. The first trajectory may best be represented by the Yale theologian George Lindbeck (1923–2018), and the second by another Yale theologian, Paul L. Holmer (1916–2004). In modified and sometimes surreptitious forms, both legacies continue to be influential, often intermingling in complex ways.
{"title":"Wittgenstein and Theology: An Interplay of Appropriations","authors":"Lee C. Barrett","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2024-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2024-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Ludwig Wittgenstein's work has appealed to audiences that feared that traditional Christian language was being bandied about with no real significance attached to the ostensibly pious words. Wittgenstein became increasingly attractive to many theologians because his attention to modern philosophical confusions about the nature of language shed light on the linguistic confusion in the churches. Wittgenstein's writings, particularly his later posthumously published notes, promised to be an antidote to the perceived vacuity and superficiality of much Christian discourse. However, Wittgenstein's influence on theology has not been uniform. The elusive and often aphoristic nature of his later reflections has guaranteed that his work has been appropriated in divergent ways. At least two different theological appropriations of his enigmatic remarks have emerged. One set has developed a rather formalistic interpretation of Wittgenstein's remarks about “grammar” and used them to construe Christian doctrines as general rules governing thinking, feeling, and acting. A different variety, while also acknowledging the theme of the grammar of the faith, has emphasized his reflections on the “use” of concepts in the variegated “practices” of specific Christian communities. The first trajectory may best be represented by the Yale theologian George Lindbeck (1923–2018), and the second by another Yale theologian, Paul L. Holmer (1916–2004). In modified and sometimes surreptitious forms, both legacies continue to be influential, often intermingling in complex ways.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141145050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper reconstructs Tillichian grace, analyzing its existential and ethical dimensions beyond traditional supernatural interpretations. It explores the historical lineage of Tillich's work, drawing parallels between ancient and medieval discourses on grace and Tillich's existential theology, with a particular emphasis on the theme of existential estrangement and its implications for moral development. In section one, I analyze Augustine's critique of Greek and Roman ethics, noting how his interpretations of sin and grace sought to address ethical, and not merely narrowly Christian theological, concerns. The paper then examines Martin Luther's shift towards a more personal apprehension of grace, setting the stage for Tillich's complex and nuanced understanding of justification. The strengths and ambiguities of Tillich's approach, along with its practical implications, are then critically evaluated. In conclusion, I advocate for the relevance of Tillich's conception of grace in modern secular ethical discourse, arguing that its emphasis on ethical intersubjectivity and the courage to embrace existential uncertainties provides a compassionate framework for addressing moral questions in our own time.
{"title":"Reconstructing Paul Tillich's Ethics of Grace","authors":"Taylor Thomas","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2023-0042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2023-0042","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reconstructs Tillichian grace, analyzing its existential and ethical dimensions beyond traditional supernatural interpretations. It explores the historical lineage of Tillich's work, drawing parallels between ancient and medieval discourses on grace and Tillich's existential theology, with a particular emphasis on the theme of existential estrangement and its implications for moral development. In section one, I analyze Augustine's critique of Greek and Roman ethics, noting how his interpretations of sin and grace sought to address ethical, and not merely narrowly Christian theological, concerns. The paper then examines Martin Luther's shift towards a more personal apprehension of grace, setting the stage for Tillich's complex and nuanced understanding of justification. The strengths and ambiguities of Tillich's approach, along with its practical implications, are then critically evaluated. In conclusion, I advocate for the relevance of Tillich's conception of grace in modern secular ethical discourse, arguing that its emphasis on ethical intersubjectivity and the courage to embrace existential uncertainties provides a compassionate framework for addressing moral questions in our own time.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141139881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article argues that if the Canadian state forced “civilization” on Indigenous Peoples, Churches involved in the colonial policy of the state offered “salvation” through various strategies. Through the use of an important cultural artefact and narratives of residential school survivors, this article explores some of these strategies. The result of this exploration reveals the deep entanglements between modernity and Christianity, and the nature of Christian theological claims.
{"title":"Colonizing Salvation","authors":"Darren Dias","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2024-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2024-0011","url":null,"abstract":"This article argues that if the Canadian state forced “civilization” on Indigenous Peoples, Churches involved in the colonial policy of the state offered “salvation” through various strategies. Through the use of an important cultural artefact and narratives of residential school survivors, this article explores some of these strategies. The result of this exploration reveals the deep entanglements between modernity and Christianity, and the nature of Christian theological claims.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141134253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract:This article is the last in a series that discuss the importance of the notion of "home" in comparative theology. It discusses the ambiguity of identifying a religious tradition as home and focuses on the notion's epistemological, ontological, and experiential aspects.
{"title":"Comparative Theology as a Pilgrimage","authors":"P. Valkenberg","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2023-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2023-0006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:This article is the last in a series that discuss the importance of the notion of \"home\" in comparative theology. It discusses the ambiguity of identifying a religious tradition as home and focuses on the notion's epistemological, ontological, and experiential aspects.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43745046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract:This essay addresses the question of the home of the comparative theologian, arguing that it is not inappropriate for a theologian to have a home, whence the comparative theological work is undertaken, and to which one returns after deep inter-religious learning. Inter-religious learning impresses upon us the value of having a home; certain poetic traditions make it almost impossible to imagine writing from nowhere, without a strong sense of personal place and of the place one visits in study. "Having a home" is also a matter of being willing to be accountable, explaining oneself to the community to which one belongs. The essay speaks of the author's many visits to India, showing how they have accentuated the dynamics of home, going abroad, and returning home.
{"title":"The Comparative Theologian at Home and Abroad","authors":"Francis X. Clooney","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2023-0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2023-0008","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:This essay addresses the question of the home of the comparative theologian, arguing that it is not inappropriate for a theologian to have a home, whence the comparative theological work is undertaken, and to which one returns after deep inter-religious learning. Inter-religious learning impresses upon us the value of having a home; certain poetic traditions make it almost impossible to imagine writing from nowhere, without a strong sense of personal place and of the place one visits in study. \"Having a home\" is also a matter of being willing to be accountable, explaining oneself to the community to which one belongs. The essay speaks of the author's many visits to India, showing how they have accentuated the dynamics of home, going abroad, and returning home.","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44170749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thomas P. Power, ed. A Flight of Parsons: The Divinity Diaspora of Trinity College Dublin","authors":"Mark S. Sweetnam","doi":"10.3138/tjt-2022-0045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2022-0045","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41209,"journal":{"name":"Toronto Journal of Theology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42695202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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