Principles of Christian Theology

Author: (English) John Macquarrie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: This book consists of three parts. The "philosophical theology" section plays a role similar to that of the traditional concept of "natural theology"; the second part, "symbolic theology," discusses content equivalent to the traditional concept of "dogmatic theology"; and the third part, "applied theology," encompasses the main topics that can be included in the current concepts of "practical theology" or "pastoral theology." In "philosophical theology," Macquarrie shifts the starting point of theology from God to humans, beginning with an analysis of human life and advancing through a theory of "revelation" in epistemology to a theory of "existence" in ontology, expressing the meaning of "God" as "divine existence" to answer the question of "Does God exist?" and establishing the philosophical foundation of faith. He also proposes a theory of theological language to address the challenges of analytic philosophy, advocating a tolerant religious theory to accommodate the pluralism of thought and consciousness. In "symbolic theology," Macquarrie applies the "existentialist-existential" method established in the first part to interpret all the fundamental doctrines of traditional theology—such as the Trinity, creation, Christology, redemption, and eschatology—both in line with modern intellectual trends and in line with the spirit of traditional doctrines. This involves issues of the nature of God, the relationship between God and the world, the salvation of humanity through Christ, the destiny of individuals and the universe, and even topics of great interest to outsiders. In "applied theology," Macquarrie proposes a theory of the church adapted to modern society and reconciled with Catholicism, along with related theories on ordination, sacraments, preaching, worship, and prayer. He also reformulates the outdated concept of missionary work, advocating dialogue with other religions and ideologies, clarifying the ethical and moral perspectives, views on marriage and family, and social and political perspectives of Christianity, and offering Christian solutions to major issues facing the contemporary world.