Latest Submissions

• Loading...

  Item type:Item,

  The Third look theology of Carlos H. Abesamis, SJ : application from Seventh-day Adventist perspective

  (Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, 1991-03) Mwamakamba, Witson M.

  Show more

  Problem This study clarifies and reemphasizes integral salvation. It is applied to Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) doctrines. Two major doctrines are addressed. First, the holy Sabbath rest; second, the Parousia. Both are examined through the eyeglasses of Abesamis Third Look Theology. Abesamis Third Look Theology This study involves the basic elements of the Third Look Theology as presented by Carlos H. Abesamis. Third Look Theology emphasizes integral salvation. It attempts to do away with the old dualism that still linger on in classical theology which views body and soul as separate entities. The Third Look Theology uses world-view as a hermeneutical key. One of the key concepts in Abesamis Third Look Theology is the Reign-Kingdom of God. Abesamis emphasizes the basic principles of the Reign-Kingdom of God as life instead of death, food instead of hunger, health of disease, and justice instead of injustice. So the Reign-Kingdom of God includes all dimensions of life. The Reign-Kingdom of God addresses the whole man, for Jesus Christ came down in the flesh. His incarnation made total salvation possible. His saving power penetrated all areas of life. Therefore the Reign-Kingdom of God includes all the physical and spiritual blessings spoken of in the Sermon on the Mount. Third Look Theology rediscovers the most ancient core of the New Testament faith with the help of many tools. The first tool is practice. The second tool is being close to the people at the grassroots. No serious theological reflection can be done in a complete detachment from the poor and their situation. The third tool is the use of scientific instrements, such as historic, critical, structural, and socilogical methods. World-view has been neglected in the past as na effective instrument in rediscovering the core message of the gospel. Application in the SDA Church The principle of integral salvation has been emphasized by the SDA Church and expressed in the medical and educational work of SDA institutions. However, SDA integral salvation developed in a Western setting. After the second world war, European national states took over many social responsibilities that had been carried by the different churches. As a result, the work of the church became more private and less concerned with material, social, and physical needs. More money was available for evangelism in the sense of word proclamation. Gradually, the concept of integral salvation in the SDA Church became more and more spiritualized. A study of Abesamis theology may give new insights on how to serve the needs fo the majority of its members living in third world countries. Abesamis' reflection on the concept of an integral salvation, from a third world perspective, may help SDAs to develop a new awareness about the old dualism which still lingers on and to infuse the concept of integral salvation, with a new meaning. Integral Salvation and the Sabbath Integral salvation applied to the holy Sabbath rest requires a total view on the Sabbath concept in the Old Testament. The Sabbath teaches equality of all human beings. The Sabbath is holy (Lev 19:2). To keep the Sabbath holy is to forget one's ego, and develop an awareness of the need of others. Regulations related to the Sabbath year and the year of jubilee, found in Ex 23 and Lev 25, were made so that the land and its inhabitants were protected, slaves released, land returned to the original owners, and debts remitted. The holy Sabbath rest is embedded in a structure of thought that includes the totality of human existence. Integral Salvation and the Parousia SDAs are pre-millennialists. The new world can only be established by God's intervention. The prophecies in the book of Daniel explain the great controversy between God and Satan. Since 1844, the investigative judgement has been going on in heaven, starting with the dead and ending with the living prior to the Parousia. The development of world history is from gold to clay (Dan 2) and ends with a violent break. This line of thought is clearly represented in the Bible, but there is another line emphasizing continuity instead of discontinuity. Especially, the gospel of John emphasizes life here and now in the conversion experience of a Christian. Experiencing life eternal here and now means participating in the rich life-giving blessings of the Reign-Kingdom of God, in anticipation of the complete fulfillment at the Parousia. A healthy tension between both lines of thought is necessary as a protection against futurism and escapism as efforts to spiritualize away the rich life-giving blessings of the Reign-Kingdom of God.

  Show more
• Loading...

  Item type:Item,

  Personal judgment in the Psalms

  (Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, 1991-03) Livingstone, Eric M. (Eric Murray)

  Show more

  It was seen that the psalmist viewed Yahweh's judicial scrutiny upon themselves, as individuals, in a positive manner. This apprehension is considered anomalous to the thought of many today. Consequently, it was suggested that the Psalter may inform believers today of a forgotten but profitable experiential dimension. While no studies were found which directly addressed personal judgement in the Psalms, there have been a number of alliedd themes developed. Particularly helpful were the insights of Brueggemann and Westermann, highlighthing relational dynamics and the three-dimensional nature of man. The psalmists were members of a covenant community. This community was a creation of Yaweh which he led and regulated through Torah. Therefore the life-world of the psalmists promised order, peace, security, and meaningful socialization. This positive perspective of meaning, order, and harmonious fellowship was often challenged in the real life of Israel, however. The Psalter particularly names false accusation as the threatening element. False accusation functions as a separating agent. The "enemy" or accuser effectively stands between the victim and significant others, cutting offf most of all human support. Actively, slander breed suspicion and alienates. While such malicious accusation was essentially a social phenomenon, reflecting upon the faithful's societal standing, it had repercussions upon the psalmist's whole being. His relation to God was questioned, his community relations were largely poisoned and his respect was jeopardized. These relations--to God, others, and self-- were reciprocal because of their interrelatedness within an integrated three-dimensional person. Therefore there was a compounding effect as the total relational anture of the psalmist's holistic being was confronted through false accusation. The reaction of the psalmists was not to deny the existence of the unjust situation or to merely seek refuge in the knowledge of a God-person relationship. The psalmist sought relational restoration through another social event, the occasion of judgement. He pled for Yaweh to "examine," to investigate his case. This searching, judicial scrutiny by an omniscent being would lead to the vindication of the innocent. Significant others would see the "honor" of the faithful and the "shame" of the false accuser. Judgement would lead to a re-ordering of the covenant community with a restoration of relationships. The Protestants of Innocence (e.g., Ps 7, 17, 26, 35), with their judicial language and pleas, particularly reflect the psalmists' desire of a hering. It was suggested that the "sacred trial" was a literal reality in Israel. However, the reference to it by the psalmist could have been either literal or figurative. Nonetheless, behind either literal or figurative notions there was eschatological anticipation, for the sacral trial prefigured the final judgement. There are many instances in the Psalter where the thought of the psalmist shows an easy transition between individual and universal judgements. This correlation between the personal and the universal judgements suggests, therefore, that what is found on one level may be found on the other level. The psalmist's quest for personal judicial investigation before Yahweh at least illustrates the assurance modern believers shoud have about personal judgement. More pertinently, it shows the positive effects for the believer in the face of this or her judgement by God. It is an occasion to clear one's name before significant but misled others. Judgement is an event to restore relationships, and a time to have the great God of the universe declare valid one's personal relation to him.

  Show more