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This book raises in a new way a formerly central but recently neglected question in systematic theology: what is the divine motive for the incarnation? Throughout Christian history theologians have agreed that God's decision to become incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ was made necessary by humanity's fall from grace. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, the incarnation would not have happened. This position is known as "infralapsarian." In the 19th and 20thcenturies, however, some major theological figures championed a "supralapsarian" Christology, arguing that God had always intended the incarnation, independent of "the Fall." Edwin van Driel offers the first scholarly monograph to map and analyze the full range of supralapsarian arguments. He gives a thick description of each argument and its theological consequences, and evaluates the theological gains and losses inherent in each approach. Van Driel shows that each of the three ways in which God is thought to relate to all that is not God - in creation, in redemption, and in eschatological consummation - can serve as the basis for a supralapsarianargument. He illustrates this thesis with detailed case studies of the Christologies of Schleiermacher, Dorner, and Barth. He concludes that the most fruitful supralapsarian strategy is rooted in the notion of eschatological consummation, taking interpersonal interaction with God to be the goal of the incarnation.He goes on to develop his own argument along these lines, concluding in an eschatological vision in which God is visually, audibly, and tangibly present in the midst of God's people.

In this book, Groppe argues that Yves Congar significantly advanced contemporary pneumatology through his elaboration of a theology of the Holy Spirit that is at once a theology of the church and a theological anthropology.

This book offers a clear and thorough overview of Thomas F. Torrance's insights into the theology/science dialogue. At the same time it presents a critical study of Torrance's Christological model, evaluating its significance for the relationship between theology and science.

Evan Kuehn argues that historiographical assumptions about twentieth-century religious thought have obscured the coherence and relevance of the Protestant theologian Ernst Troeltsch's understanding of God, history, and eschatology. Kuehn argues that an eschatological understanding of the Absolute stands at the heart of Troeltsch's theology and the problem of historicism with which it is faced. Troeltsch's theory of the Absolute is shown to be central to his views onreligion and religious ethics and provides practitioners of constructive studies in religion with important resources for engaging with sociological and historical studies.

Offers a model of empathic communication to benefit both patients and physicians. Drawing from concepts in the domains of psychology and theology, this book constructs a model of empathy that is ethical and reciprocal. An integrated model of empathy recognizes the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social nature of human beings.

This volume examines the contributions of three contemporary theologians -- Rosemary Radford Ruether, Joseph Sittler, and Jurgen Moltmann -- to the development of Christian ecological theology. Against the charge that the Christian tradition is ecologically bankrupt, the author demonstrates the intellectual and spiritual resources available within Christianity for addressing ecological issues. Of particular interest are Ruether's doctrine of God and her emphasis on ecojustice, Sittler's cosmic Christology and reconception of the relation between nature and grace, and Motlmann's doctrine of the Holy Spirit and argument for social trinitarianism. Beyond evaluating the issues raised by Ruether, Sittler, and Moltmann, the author presents sixteen theses or desiderata for any adequate Christian ecological theology.

In this study, the author proposes a new feminist theological ethic. She presents feminist Christian realism as an alternative that can reclaim a positive interpretation of divine and human transcendence, while maintaining emphases on human boundedness and divine immanence.

Christology is especially problematic for feminists. Because Jesus was undeniably male and because the Christian church claims him as the unique God-bearer, feminist christology confronts the dual tasks of explaining the significance of a male God-bearer for women and creating a christological model adequate to feminist experience. Jacquelyn Grant rehearses the development and challenges of feminist christology and argues that, because it has reflected the experience of White women predominantly, it fails to speak to the concerns of non-white and non-western women. In response to this failure, Grant proposes a womanist theology and christology that emerge from and are adequate to the reality of contemporary Black women.

The ethical treatment of animals has become an issue of serious moral concern. What is the relationship between human and animals? Do animals have moral standing? The use of animals for experimentation raises these and other questions. This work presents an argument, grounded in Christian theology, for restricted animal experimentation.