This talk explores how early modern Protestant communities, particularly the Unity of Brethren, approached the metaphorical language of the Bible. Drawing on texts by Alstedt and Comenius, it examines how preachers and scholars dealt with the ambiguities of biblical metaphors, which were seen both as a challenge and a key to spiritual insight.
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Johannes Amos Comenius, trained in theology at Herborn and Heidelberg, was not primarily a biblical scholar. His key biblical work is the Manualník, an abridged Bible he edited twice—first in 1623 as a Bohemian manuscript, then in 1658 in Amsterdam for exiles after Leszno's burning. This abridgment raises theological questions: how to justify and approach shortening Scripture without distorting it? Comenius tackled this by modifying the Kralice Bible, especially Genesis and Exodus, later reverting to the canonical text in print. This paper explores these theological implications.
What shapes our theological and prophetic voice? A sort of unidentified "common sense," or do we still insist on our Scriptures? In my paper, I am focusing on the history of interpretation of the challenging story of Lot and his daughters (Gen 19:30-38). The biblical narrative depicts an abandoned family, a father with his two desperate daughters in a remote cave. A baffling story followed by diverse interpretations; however, the paper goes beyond the supposed manners of ancient people. I will try to show the limits of a context dependent interpretation of the biblical text.
The author of the Book of Wisdom wants to demonstrate that the spiritual heritage of the Israelites should be rediscovered. He emphasizes that this heritage is at many points compatible with the philosophy that shapes the way of thinking, and in certain aspects it definitely surpasses any philosophical thinking. The purpose of this study is to show how the author seeks to dialogue with Stoic philosophy, which proposed a lifestyle in accordance with the logos, encouraged control of emotions and self-improvement.
God presented humankind with his revelation to be a torch in the darkness, a lighthouse at the shore of a stormy and gloomy sea; an orientation point in the fog of this messed up world. The help is welcomed, but sometimes the divine compass in our shaky hands is difficult to read. The original sin blurs our clear vision, and the human desires do not really help the orientation. In addition, we do not have yet mentioned the human will, which has its own course during a lifetime.
This paper examines the theological challenges arising from the tension between the church’s proclaimed "immortality "(Matt 16:18) and the experience of declining congregations in Western European countries. As a case study, I will analyze the pastoral letters by Hans Gerny, bishop of the Swiss Old Catholic Church from 1986 to 2002. Gerny was faced with declining membership numbers, dwindling funds and an increasing exhaustion of volunteers and clergy. How do these challenges shape the way Gerny conceptualizes church?
In many ways, network thinking can help the church respond more effectively to the challenges of the world, just as it has helped in many other academic and practical areas. I will highlight three possible outcomes of network thinking in the church - the importance of modularisation, the potential for reducing redundancy, and the potential of diversity. I will argue that network thinking fosters a more open, flexible, fault-tolerant and inclusive church, while leaving the foundations of faith intact.
It is time to re-evaluate the stigma attached by missionaries to animistic forms of African rooted religion such as Winti in Suriname. For hundreds of years enslaved people, robbed of their identity, found strength to survive in their ancestral beliefs. Perhaps the revival of this religion has more in common with the Christian faith than often estimated. In any case the interpretation of Christ the colonial imperialism cherished should be unmasked. Is there a special value in Winti as far as the future of the former Dutch colony of Suriname is concerned?
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