Category: Publications

Special issue in Patristik.

Edited by Emil Hilton Saggau

Denne samling af artikler behandler forholdet mellem kirke og im- perium i oldkirken. De tre artikler tager alle udgangspunkt i genfor- handlingen af forholdet mellem kirke og imperium efter Kejser Kon- stantins regeringsperiode i begyndelsen af det 4. århundrede. Kon- stantins regeringsperiode skabte en grundlæggende ny situation for de kristne, der ikke blot blev tolereret, men ligefrem inviteret ind i magtens rum. Denne adgang til magt og til at påvirke kejseren blev teologisk fortolket og praktiseret på meget forskellig vis, som de tre artikler viser.

Den første artikel af Annette Hjort Knudsen ser nærmere på for- tolkningen af relationen mellem kejser og kirke hos henholdsvis Eu- seb og Athanasius. Knudsens artikel følges af Emil Hilton Saggaus, der udfolder relationen, som den formuleres i kejser Justinians lov fra 535, og forsøger at vise denne formulering om en symfonisk rela- tions historiske rødder og efterfølgende effekt. Justinians praktiske tilgang til relationen mellem kejsermagten og kirken diskuteres i yderligere detaljer i den sidste artikel af Amalie Grøndal Henriksen, der analyserer en begivenhed, som udkrystalliserer dette. Henriksen ser nærmere på, hvordan biskoppen af Rom blev behandlet af kejse- ren og særligt, om kejseren anvendte vold og tvang for at få biskop- pen til at acceptere kejserens kirkepolitik.

New book on Eksistensen.

K.E. Løgstrup opholdt sig i begyndelsen af 1930’erne i Tyskland og fulgte Martin Heideggers pronazistiske forelæsninger om sandhedens væsen i det skæbnesvangre år 1933. Da Løgstrup vendte hjem til Danmark, skrev han i 1936 tre kronikker i Dagens Nyheder om udviklingen i Tyskland. I den første kronik undersøger Løgstrup forholdet mellem Heideggers filosofi og nazismen: Er Heidegger nazismens filosof, eller er det snarere Hitler? I de øvrige to kronikker analyserer han fænomenet førerskab i forhold til dels det nazistiske diktatur, dels det danske folkestyre: Udgør det politiske førerskab et ønskeligt alternativ til demokratiet med dets ”Partikævl”?

I denne bog belyser 12 bidrag den historiske, filosofiske, teologiske og biografiske baggrund for kronikkerne, der for nyligt var genstand for en ophedet debat. De undersøger Løgstrups stillingtagen til det nazistiske førerskab: Tilsluttede han sig det, sådan som Heidegger gjorde i en periode, fremstillede han det blot, eller lagde han afstand til det? Dermed kaster bidragene lys over den unge Løgstrups tænkning og giver et nuanceret indblik i mellemkrigstidens åndshistoriske og politiske situation, hvor Europas unge demokratier blev udfordret af forskellige former for autoritær førerdyrkelse.  Løgstrup drøftede alternativet mellem førerskab og folkestyre. Kronikkerne kan derfor også i dag minde os om, at demokratiets legitimitet til stadighed må forsvares over for truslen fra autoritære styreformer og magtbegærlige demagoger.

Med bidrag af: Carsten Bach-Nielsen, Tine Reeh, Svein Aage Christoffersen, Svend Andersen, Bjørn Rabjerg, Kees van Kooten Nierkerk, Pia Rose Böwadt, Hans Hauge, Sasja Emilie Mathiasen Stopa, Martin Ravn, Jens Buchwald Andersen og Ole Jensen.

Book by Niels Henrik Gregersen.

Man kan ikke tale om livet efter døden uden at tale om livet før døden. Hvis det evige liv overhovedet findes, må det allerede være til stede midt i tidens flow og stedets bevægelser. Allerede nu kender vi til tidsoverskridende erfaringer. Hører vi en stump af en melodi, klinger også de forudgående toner med, ligesom vi forventer, at nye toner dukker frem. Vi lever rytmisk, på én gang i nuet, i fortiden og i fremtiden. På samme måde lever vi i resonans, i spændingsfeltet mellem os selv og andre.

Jesus af Nazareth strøede om sig med eksempler på gudsriget fra dagliglivet. Det kan vi også gøre i dag. Guds riget er resonansernes rige: en intensivering af de erfaringer af imødekommelse og accept, der forbinder mennesker med hinanden og med naturen. Kødets opstandelse betyder livshistoriens opstandelse ind i Guds evighed, der giver plads til både individualitet og fæl-lesskab.

Gennem inspiration fra resonansteorien og K.E. Løg-strups skabelsesteologi giver Niels Henrik Gregersen et sammenhængende bud på, hvordan man kan tænke om gudsriget og det evige liv i dag.

Special journal issue on trust and protestantism in the Journal of Historical Sociology.

Article by Tron Fagermoen in Diaconia.

The political and public dimensions of diaconia are increasingly being acknowledged. This in turn necessitates a discussion of the language agents of diaconia should use when expressing their views in the public sphere. Should they articulate their concerns in a so-called secular language, accessible also to those who do not share the Christian faith? Or should they use the distinctive language of their specific religious tradition? The article proposes that the political ethics of the Swedish theologian Gustaf Wingren (1910–2000) provides a rewarding starting point for addressing this issue. With his dialectical approach to the distinction between law and Gospel, universality and particularity, Wingren contributes to an understanding of the public voice of diaconia, which not only moves beyond the alternatives of distinctiveness and accessibility but which also challenges the concept of bilingualism, a concept that has become central to contemporary public theology. Thus, it is argued, Wingren paves the way for conceptualizing the public voice of diaconia and provide it with the rhetorical flexibility, dialogical reciprocity, and polyphonic diversity needed to constructively engage a postsecular public sphere characterized by religious complexity.

Article by Elisabeth Gerle in Dialog.

Desire for life and protecting lives has come to the fore during the pandemic. Borders have been closed to stop the spread of Covid‐19. The virus does not respect borders, yet physical distance is crucial. Three things have become clear. One is the level of uncertainty about which measures are most efficient. The other is that the neo‐liberal philosophy with “just in time” deliveries on a global market has made everyone vulnerable and invited national protectionism rather than collaboration. A third insight is that the lack of borders between wild and tame animals and human beings is connected to the emergence of the virus itself, where rain forests are exploited for short sighted profit. In the midst of this, a cry for Being, for Life, and Human Flourishing, can be heard as an underlying drumbeat. In relation to this I ponder Being in relation to Belonging and to Borders. I first describe a political landscape where neo‐nationalist, and neo‐atheist, claims for belonging, have emerged all over the world, and hence emphasized strong borders between different people, but not for capital. Secondly, I draw on resources from Scandinavian Creation Theology, especially Grundtvig, Aulén, and Wingren to paint a planetary vision with porous borders, beyond patriarchy, populism, and protectionism. In the long run there is no opting out of the planetary vulnerability. I launch the term eschatological creation theology for a creation theology that allows creation to be inspired by the Kin‐dom to come with righteousness and life in abundance.

Article by Joel Halldorf in Theofilos.

Rightwing populism is characterized by critique of immigration, but populist parties also address existential anxieties of late or liquid modernity. I argue that regular churchgoers reject the Sweden Democrats not only because they hold different opinions on immigration, but also due to their strong social capital. The latter helps them cope with modern anxieties, and this makes them less inclined to accept the message of the populists.

Article by Kjetil Fretheim in Practical theology.

When migration is high on the political agenda, religious communities are challenged in terms of their identity, formation and public witness. In this article I draw on official documents and public statements from the Church of Norway as well as examples of preaching practices in the context of increased numbers of refugees and asylum seekers and populist/far-right politics. The aim is to discuss the implicit and explicit ecclesiological and political positioning of the church in its various responses. I identify four discursive strategies: Political participation, Religious identification, Biblical witness and Self-critical assessment.

Article by Jeppe Bach Nikolajsen in Studia Theologica.

The Lutheran tradition places a pronounced emphasis on the universal aspects of theological ethics. The present article draws attention to particular aspects of the theological ethics of Martin Luther, which support the existence of a Christian ethics in several meanings of this concept. It argues that a Christian ethics exists in the sense that it presupposes Christian faith, is only for Christians, is realized as a consequence of receiving the Christian faith, is shaped by the Christian faith, and leads to a distinct way of life. Moreover, it concludes that there exists a remarkable convergence between natural law and what is identified as a Christian ethics in the theology of Luther. But it is still possible to argue that, according to Luther, something special is demanded of Christians: They must be willing to endure suffering and persecution because of their Christian faith.

Article by Karl Inge Tangen in SJLT.

This article identifies resources and problems in the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition concerning environmental action and engagement. The purpose is to motivate Pentecostal and Charismatic churches to reflect on how they should respond as the world faces the prospect of an ecological crisis. The study begins by identifying a core narrative in the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition. This core narrative is used as a hermeneutical key to interpret eco-theological elements in the biblical story of creation, fall, redemption, and final consummation. The study also discusses common objections towards eco-theology among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians. These objections include the fear of an alternative or eco-centric spirituality, the implications of different forms of eschatology, and how Pentecostal and charismatic Christians understand their being in the world with regard to both evangelism and politics. The article argues that Pentecostal and Charismatic churches have spiritual resources that may empower them to transcend an anthropocentric worldview and develop a visionary virtue-ethic that may guide and enable a sustainable lifestyle and constructive environmental engagement. The article concludes by identifying seven themes that may encourage constructive action-reflection and stimulate further research.