Generøsitetens teologi

„A Theology of Generosity“, aims to reinterpret the doctrine of grace in the light of postmodern discussions on gift and giving. It is argued that the idea of a divine-human reciprocity is already entailed in the Old Testament term berakah (blessing/thanking) as well as in the New Testament concepts of eulogéo (blessing/praising) and cháris (grace). The concept of reciprocity, however, is in need of a phenomenological clarification. Three conditions for a suitable concept of divine generosity and giving are identified: (1) God must be able to carry the risk of being the first donor without receiving returns; the almighty God is not in need of returns. (2) Grace should not be seen as mere object; rather the self-giving God is present in the gift of grace. (3) The God-human relation should not be conceived of as merely a bilateral relation (with immediate or postponed counter-gifts); rather the grace of God facilitates a wider circulation of gifts. With the gift of grace, human beings receive an impulse to pass on the gifts of grace to other creatures within a multilateral network of giving and receiving. Never, however, should the human ability to do so be seen as a condition for divine generosity.