Not Every Spirit A Dogmatics of Christian Disbelief, 2nd Edition

by Morse, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780567027436
• ISBN10: 0567027430
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-01
• Publisher: Bloomsbury T&T Clark

Summary

Since its initial release over a decade ago, Not Every Spirit has continued to serve as an important and unique contribution to the understanding of Christian dogmatics-not in terms of what the Christian faith does believe, but, in fact, what it does not believe. Updated for today's audience, Morse again reminds us that to believe in God is not to believe everything, but rather it is to test what truly is of God and what is not. To trust everything without awareness of what is untrustworthy is not genuine faith in God. The presence of faithful disbelief in the Church gives the Church's teaching and practice its timeliness in every cultural situation. In the contemporary climate, this message is as true as it was upon this volume's first publication. Students and scholars alike will find this volume to be a welcome, instructive, and challenging resource, useful for the careful consideration and discernment of what the Christian faith is not. Only then can we begin to understand that God's grace is truly God's being for us. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Christopher Morse holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair in Theology and Ethics at Union Seminary, New York, and is the author of The Logic of Promise in Moltmann's Theology.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	p. xiii
Preface to the First Edition	p. xxi
Christian Faith as Disbelief
The Call to Faithful Disbelief	p. 3
"Do Not Believe Every Spirit"	p. 3
Rachel's Refusal	p. 9
The Truth that Harbors a Lie	p. 12
Theology as the Task of Faithful Disbelief	p. 14
The Suspicion of Theology	p. 14
Theology's Academic and Ecclesial Referents: Three Views of Their Relationship	p. 20
The Disputed Legitimacy of Dogmatic Theology Following the Enlightenment	p. 23
Conclusions	p. 30
Testing the Spirits Today	p. 32
Tolerance and the Intolerable	p. 32
The German Church Struggle Following 1933	p. 34
1 John 4:2	p. 38
The Anathema	p. 40
Not Peddlers but Stewards: The Pauline Images	p. 42
Academic Limits	p. 44
Tests of Doctrinal Faithfulness	p. 45
Continuity with Apostolic Tradition	p. 46
Congruence with Scripture	p. 49
Consistency with Worship	p. 52
Catholicity	p. 54
Consonance with Experience	p. 57
Conformity with Conscience	p. 61
Consequence	p. 63
Cruciality	p. 65
Coherence	p. 66
Comprehensiveness	p. 68
Conclusion	p. 69
Disbeliefs of The Christian Faith
Exploring Doctrines: Preamble to Part 2	p. 73
The Tracing of Doctrines	p. 74
Begin by identifying what is essential: Friedrich Schleiermacher	p. 74
Begin with the objections: Thomas Aquinas	p. 79
Conclusions	p. 82
The Word of God	p. 86
Introduction	p. 86
Initial Objections	p. 87
Interpretation	p. 91
God Says Something; God Speaks	p. 91
God Speaks through Scripture	p. 92
God's Word Acts to Accomplish Something	p. 94
God's Word Shines in the Heart	p. 96
God's Word Provides Knowledge of God	p. 97
Revelation through Scripture	p. 98
Knowledge of God apart from Scripture	p. 103
God's Word Provides Knowledge of God in the Face of Christ	p. 105
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 109
The Being of God	p. 113
Introduction	p. 113
Initial Objections	p. 115
Interpretation	p. 119
The Divine Attributes	p. 119
The Triunity of God	p. 127
God's Proper Name	p. 132
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 135
Jesus Christ	p. 139
Introduction	p. 139
Initial Objections	p. 142
Interpretation	p. 148
The Incarnation	p. 150
The Resurrection	p. 155
The Parousia	p. 161
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 166
The Holy Spirit	p. 171
Introduction	p. 171
Initial Objections	p. 173
Interpretation	p. 177
The Holy Spirit as Gift	p. 178
The Holy Spirit as Giver	p. 181
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit	p. 191
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 194
Creation	p. 198
Introduction	p. 198
Initial Objections	p. 200
Interpretation	p. 205
"Let There Be": From Exodus to Genesis	p. 205
"It Is Not Good": Knowing Evil	p. 212
"The Lord Will Provide": Creation's Continuance	p. 216
"See, I Am Making All Things New": Creation's Expectancy	p. 220
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 222
Salvation	p. 225
Introduction	p. 225
Initial Objections	p. 227
Interpretation	p. 230
Saved by Grace	p. 231
Saved from Sin	p. 237
Saved for Righteousness	p. 243
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 250
Humanity	p. 256
Introduction	p. 256
Initial Objections	p. 257
Interpretation	p. 263
Foreknown and Predestined	p. 263
Called	p. 265
Justified	p. 269
Glorified	p. 271
Being Human Sexually	p. 273
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 283
The Church	p. 288
Introduction	p. 288
Initial Objections	p. 290
Interpretation	p. 295
Discerning the Body	p. 296
The Marks of the Church as Disbeliefs	p. 301
Signs, Wonders, and Sacrament	p. 308
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 314
The Life to Come	p. 318
Introduction	p. 318
Initial Objections	p. 320
Interpretation	p. 324
On Trial for Hope	p. 325
The Coming Cloud	p. 329
Hellfire and Damnation	p. 335
Looking Forward: The Resurrection of Body and World	p. 341
Proposed Disbeliefs	p. 343
Notes	p. 347
Guidelines for Utrum Papers	p. 387
Creeds	p. 389
Index of Scriptural References	p. 391
Index of Names	p. 401
Index of Subjects	p. 407
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