Gateways to Dogmatics : Reasoning Theologically for the Life of the Church

by SAUTER GERHARD

• ISBN13: 9780802847003
• ISBN10: 0802847005
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-01
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

The work of theology, or "dogmatics, " is widely thought to be of little practical importance for ordinary Christians. This challenging introduction to the tradition and practice of Christian dogmatics shows why reasoning theologically is still decisive for the life of the church.

Gerhard Sauter introduces readers to the various approaches to dogmatics, discusses the role of dogmatics in church life, explores the relation of theology and Scripture, looks at several dogmatic aberrations and heresies, argues for dogmatics as a "vocation, " and points out what is essential to a meaningful Christian theology today.

Complete, coherent, and ecumenically oriented, Gateways to Dogmatics is ideally suited for textbook use in theology courses.

Author Biography

Gerhard Sauter is professor of systematic and ecumenical theology and director of the Ecumenical Institute at the Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Bonn, Germany.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	xii
Introduction	xiv
An Invitation	xiv
The Origin of the Book	xvi
Dogmatics as a Phenomenon	1	(94)
Why Dogmatics?	1	(27)
Dogmatics from an Outside Perspective: The Church Steering Itself	1	(4)
``What Christians Believe'': A Shift of Perspective	5	(5)
The Language of Faith and Hope	10	(5)
Dogmatics as the Sibling of the Canon	15	(6)
No Fear of Dogmas!	21	(7)
Linguistic Elements of Dogmatics	28	(15)
Speech of Consent	28	(8)
Statements Definitive in Dialogue	36	(5)
Coherence and Complexity	41	(2)
Dogmatics as Building Theological Judgments	43	(17)
Making Distinctions Necessary for Faith	44	(6)
Following Rules That Mark Out the Way	50	(7)
Perceiving Relationships	57	(3)
Reaching Consensus	60	(14)
Development of Doctrine	62	(2)
Dogmatic Dynamics of Doctrine	64	(3)
The Compelling Nature of Doctrine	67	(7)
Spirituality and Faith	74	(21)
Theological Speech in Asserting Statements	74	(9)
Practicing the Language of Faith	83	(4)
Dogmatics as a Reminder	87	(8)
Dogmatics in the Church	95	(86)
Dogmatic Statements, the Inner Grounding of Church Life	95	(9)
Recognition of Guilt in Prayers for Forgiveness	104	(7)
Confessed Sin	104	(2)
In the Presence of God	106	(2)
A New Experience of Time	108	(3)
Forms of Prayer	111	(8)
``Lex Orandi--Lex Credendi''	111	(4)
Talking of God in Lament, Petition, and Praise	115	(4)
Proclamation	119	(12)
Listening as a Self-Test	119	(6)
An Unrequested Message	125	(3)
The Presence of the Spirit	128	(3)
Worship as the Blessing and Upbuilding of the Congregation	131	(6)
Pastoral Care	137	(11)
Pastoral Care as a Stimulus for Dogmatics	137	(2)
The Relation of ``Nature'' and ``Grace'' as Configurations of Self-Recognition	139	(3)
Broken Self-Knowledge: Perceiving the Self as God Judges	142	(2)
Surprises in Pastoral Care	144	(4)
Christian Education	148	(10)
Learning to Believe?	148	(6)
Learning to Respond	154	(4)
Church Leadership	158	(10)
Church Leadership as Theology	158	(5)
Building Consensus	163	(4)
Freedom for the Free Grace of God	167	(1)
Mission	168	(13)
Mission or the Expansion of Christendom?	168	(7)
The Scope and the Sphere of Validity of Theological Statements	175	(3)
Encountering Others	178	(3)
Dogmatics Put in Motion	181	(48)
The Range and Scope of Theological Knowledge	181	(15)
Growing into the Theological Context of Justification	181	(4)
The Church Year as a Plan of Dogmatics	185	(3)
Thinking Further! The Outline of Dogmatics	188	(8)
The Character of Theology	196	(15)
Characteristics	197	(4)
Axioms	201	(9)
Subject Matter? A Question with Traps in It	210	(1)
Faithfulness to Scripture -- Not a Scripture Principle	211	(18)
What Does It Mean to Begin with the Bible?	212	(3)
Biblical Grounding Also Means Dispute	215	(7)
Dogmatic Rules for Reading the Bible	222	(7)
Dogmatics in Crisis: False Trails and Dead Ends	229	(42)
Dogmatics Suspected of Dogmatism	229	(22)
Endangered Integrity	229	(11)
The ``Doctrine of Principles,'' ``Fundamental Theology,'' and Encyclopedia as Signs of Crisis	240	(7)
Self-Correction and Growth in Knowledge	247	(4)
Contextual Theology as a Countermovement to Dogmatics	251	(8)
Context as a Catchword	251	(2)
Context as the Root of Dogmatics?	253	(4)
The Context of Discovery and the Context of Justification	257	(2)
Ethics as a Catalyst for Dogmatics?	259	(12)
The Intersection of Dogmatics and Ethics	260	(4)
The Formation of Moral Judgment in Theology	264	(4)
Active Hope	268	(3)
Dogmatics as Vocation	271	(23)
Vocational Skills and Occupational Diseases	271	(4)
Dogmatics as Diagnosis and Advocacy	275	(3)
Dogmatics as the Form and Forum of the Dialogue of Faith	278	(3)
Appendixes
I: Theses	281	(8)
II: Preparatory and Supplementary Works by the Author	289	(5)
Bibliography	294	(12)
Indexes
Biblical References	300	(2)
Names	302	(4)
Subjects	306