Jeff B. Pool

Toward Spirituality of Post-Christian Disciples of Jesus

Pavel Hejzlar

Christian Truth-claims in Contemporary Epistemological Setting

Jaroslav Vokoun

Um eine tschechoslowakische orthodoxe Kirche: der Kampf von Bischof Gorazd im Spiegel der Zeitschrift 'Za Pravdou' (Der Wahrheit folgen) 1921-1926

Pavel Hošek

Liberal Judaism and Jewish Christian Relations

Gerard van Zanden

How to Speak about God Properly?: A Controversy in the Netherlands about the Existence of God

Pavol Bargár

Book review: Volker Küster, Mission Revisited: Between Mission History and Intercultural Theology

Author:

Jeff B. Pool

Abstract:

This essay examines a contemporary religious phenomenon that has emerged from Christian traditions and communities: the spirituality of post-Christian disciples of Jesus. The itinerary of the study includes three stages. First, the essay develops a working anthropological definition of the term “spirituality,” since this term designates the primary object of study. This essay, however, proceeds on the basis of a concept of spirituality in dialectical relationship with the phenomenon of religion, not sharply distinguishing the two phenomena from one another. The second stage of this study examines historical and contextual features that specify more precisely several major factors from which the spirituality of post-Christian disciples of Jesus has emerged: rejection of Christian dogmatism, orthodoxies, and fundamentalisms; rejection of dogmatic and fundamentalist forms of science and atheism; as well as experiences of betrayal, on the one hand, by Christian communities and traditions and, on the other hand, by secular humanism and scientific culture as well. Finally, in the third stage, this essay offers a brief constructive characterization or vision of the spirituality of post-Christian disciples of Jesus, those who reject the dogmatism of the various Christian orthodoxies and fundamentalisms, but continue to find meaning and direction in the rich traditions of and about Jesus of Nazareth. This essay identifies specific epistemological, axiological, moral, and ontological features in the larger vision of post-Christian disciples of Jesus.

Keywords:

Agapé – agnosticism – anti-realism – atheism – axiology – betrayal – bricolage – Christendom – Christianities – confession – disciple – epistemology – eros – essentialism – experience – fundamentalism – God – humility – institution – interiority – intra-religious dialogue – Jesus – love – ontology – orthodoxy – philía – pluralism – post-Christian – post-colonial – pragmatism – realism – religion – spirituality – transformation – truth.

Cite As:

Pool, Jeff B. “Toward Spirituality of Post-Christian Disciples of Jesus.” Communio Viatorum 53, no. 1 (December 31, 2011): 3–46.

Author:

Pavel Hejzlar

Abstract:

The author makes a case for the plausibility of the Christian faith vis-à-vis the challenges posed by postmodern relativism. He draws on Charles Taylor’s and Alasdair MacIntyre’s critique of the neo-Nietzschean position; and Harold Netland’s critique of John Hick’s version of religious pluralism. In addition, he proposes that experience can play a positive role in confirming or disconfirming religious truth – meaning both subjective religious experience and one’s experience with the features of the world to which religious claims either correspond or fail to correspond.

Keywords:

Postmodern relativism – plausibility of Christian faith – religious experience – religious pluralism.

Cite As:

Hejzlar, Pavel. “Christian Truth-Claims in Contemporary Epistemological Setting.” Communio Viatorum 53, no. 1 (December 31, 2011): 47–69.

Author:

Jaroslav Vokoun

Abstract:

The survey follows the internal and external struggle of Bishop Gorazd in the third decade of 20th century as reflected in the journal Za pravdou (Following the Truth), Gorazd himself edited. The struggle made him eventually to leave the Czechoslovak Church and to found the Eastern-Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia. The author interprets this struggle as a conflict between the idea of truth on the one hand and the idea of freedom on the other, resulting in two churches. However, neither the more dogmatic Orthodox church nor the liberal Czechoslovak Church were able to carry out fully the original complex vision of a new formulation of the faith and a modernization of the church.

Keywords:

Orthodox Church in Czechoslowakia – Gorazd (Pavlik), bishop – catholic Reformism – Ecumenism of the 1920’s – the crisis of faith after the WW1 – Dynamics between freedom and truth.

Cite As:

Vokoun, Jaroslav. “Um Eine Tschechoslowakische Orthodoxe Kirche: Der Kampf von Bischof Gorazd Im Spiegel Der Zeitschrift ‘Za Pravdou’ (Der Wahrheit Folgen) 1921-1926.” Communio Viatorum 53, no. 1 (December 31, 2011): 70–98.

Author:

Pavel Hošek

Abstract:

In this article the author focuses on the main reasons why the progressive Jewish movement in Great Britain called Liberal Judaism has played a very important role in developing and cultivating Jewish Christian dialogue and cooperation. Besides the obvious fact that several key leaders of the movement had a strong interest in Christianity, the core values of the movement, such as universalism, humanistic optimism, social activism and historical and progressive view of revelation contributed significantly to the fact that Liberal Judaism has always been a pioneering movement in the area of Jewish Christian dialogue.

Keywords:

Liberal Judaism – Jewish Christian dialogue – interfaith relations.

Cite As:

Hošek, Pavel. “Liberal Judaism and Jewish Christian Relations.” Communio Viatorum 53, no. 1 (December 31, 2011): 99–108.

Author:

Gerard van Zanden

Cite As:

Zanden, Gerard van. “How to Speak about God Properly?: A Controversy in the Netherlands about the Existence of God.” Communio Viatorum 53, no. 1 (December 31, 2011): 109–16. 

Author:

Pavol Bargár

Abstract:

Review of the book: KÜSTER, Volker. Mission Revisited: Between Mission History and Intercultural Theology. Berlin ; Münster : LIT, 2010. ISBN: 9783643900388.

Cite As:

Bargár, Pavol. Book review: Volker Küster, “Mission Revisited: Between Mission History and Intercultural Theology.” Communio Viatorum 53, no. 1 (December 31, 2011): 117–28.