The Gospels in the Muslim Discourse of the Ninth to the Fourteenth Centuries: An exegetical inventorial table (part I)

Whereas it is generally accepted that Muslim polemicists against Christianity habitually condemned the Gospels as corrupt, a surprising number in fact quoted from all four Gospels, and employed them in arguments that were both directed against Christian beliefs and constructed to defend Islam. This article brings together in tabular form more than 1270 Gospel references from 23 works by 20 Muslim authors, from the early third/ninth century to the early eighth/fourteenth century, and by means of a system of keys shows how they were deployed in support of a range of doctrinal points. The article is divided into four sections that appear in the four issues of ICMR vol. 14 through 2003.     

Editorial

Addressing the issues of intersubjectivity and hermenutics and their relevance for psychoanalysis, the author presents a model for interpreting inspired by the existential hermeneutics of Martin Heidegger. This analysis is then applied to the clinical reality of the psychoanalytical situation. The author discusses the matrix of transference, the analytical dialogue as a form of reflection, the functions of hope and faith, and lastly, truth as faithfulness in the hermeneutic context.     

Religion and Organ Donation: The Views of UK Faith Leaders

This article reports the findings from the one-to-one interviews with the main UK faith and belief leaders which were commissioned by the Organ Donation Taskforce as part of its evidence gathering. Interviews were arranged with the main faith and belief organisations within the UK. Interviews covered a range of issues related to organ donation. Although some faith groups had some reservations regarding organ donation, interviews with these leaders demonstrated that none of these faith groups have reached a consensus against organ donation. The interviewees stated that the majority opinion in their faith or belief group is to permit organ donation, with some actively supporting it. Interviewees were keen to stress that there is a broad spectrum of opinion on organ transplantation within each faith and belief group and that consequently it is difficult to speak on behalf of an entire group. One complication mentioned by interviewees is that as organ transplantation is a relatively new medical procedure, there is no explicit reference to it in many original religious texts. Consequently, positions on the receipt and donation of organs are based on interpretation. It was felt that a much greater level of engagement is needed, as organ donation is currently not a priority for many faith and belief groups.     

A diptych reading of Christ’s transfiguration: trans and intersex aesthetics reveal baptismal identity

ABSTRACT

The synoptic Gospels describe Jesus Christ’s transfiguration not as a mode of ontological change, but rather as a means of revelation – that he is the second person of the Trinity. Through a diptych reading of Christ’s transfiguration and crucifixion, I argue that those who experience hate crimes share in Christ’s misrecognition in the midst of revealing truth, which can result in violence and death. Additionally, I offer a constructive, biblical theology of trans and intersex aesthetics that runs counter to neoliberal identity politics by illuminating how the bodily presentation of trans and intersex persons of faith reveal a baptismal truth – that through Christ humanity is adopted as co-heirs with him.     

A Constructivist Pedagogue's Personal Narrative of Integrating Faith with Learning: Epistemological and Pedagogical Challenges

This article offers a personal narrative about integrating the Christian faith into the process of teaching and learning. The author begins by describing his understanding of pedagogy that framed his beliefs about teaching in higher-education environments. Understanding the author's beliefs provides a context for his experiences in integrating faith with learning. Specifically, the author offers three tensions of faith integration and describes how pedagogy helped him overcome these tensions.     

"I came so that they may have life": amative space and faith as vital concern

This article describes four attributes of faith as vital concern--relational spontaneity, responsiveness, receptiveness, and vulnerability--which are key ingredients to subjective and intersubjective experiences of being alive and real. The metaphor, amative space, refers to the processes and dynamics that make faith as vital concern a viable possibility between and among people. The author depicts these processes as four, interrelated dialectical pairs--recognition-negation, surrender-generation, trust-distrust, and disruption-repair. The four attributes of faith as vital concern combined with the processes and dynamics of amative space can be used as a relational model to understand faith experience and interactions of individuals and groups.     

Renunciation of the self in psychotherapy

Self-renunciation or self-denial, although often misunderstood, is a foundational concept in several major religions and is frequently associated with spiritual maturity. In spite of this, the action of self-renunciation has been viewed with suspicion by the psychological community and criticized as repressive. This article argues that the concept of self-denial found in the Sufi tradition of rebirth and the salvation paradox found in the synoptic Gospels can bring a valuable perspective to psychotherapy. First, a brief summary of the history of psychotherapy and its contributions to the understanding of the self are provided. Next, a cursory overview of the Sufi tradition of rebirth is given. Third, the salvation paradox found in the synoptic Gospels is reviewed. It is argued that these two traditions offer valuable insight into ideas surrounding the self. Finally, the clinical implications of self-denial are discussed, and conclusions are drawn related to how psychotherapy can benefit self-renunciation.     

The Gospel according to civic engagement

The author of this passage suggests that hospitality is at the heart of both Christianity and politics. They draw on the writing of Martin Luther, who argues that Christians do not live in themselves but in Christ and their neighbor. This paper invites us to consider that Christian relationships should not be individualistic, as this removes them from the community and movement that Jesus established. Rather, Christians must act collectively to combat societal issues and oppression. By choosing to get involved civically, whether through elections, community organizing, or advocacy, individuals can choose to side with either self-interest or radical hospitality. The author suggests that choosing radical hospitality is the way to live in Christ and our neighbor, and to truly demonstrate authentic love for those around us. The author is reflecting on their decision to engage in local politics after witnessing civil unrest and racial injustices in their community. They highlight the importance of public witness as a prophetic act, grounded in faith and a desire for justice. The author draws on the teachings of Martin Luther and the tradition of the Black church as inspiration for their political engagement, which they see as a way to serve their neighbors and demonstrate their love and teachings. They also acknowledge the challenges and complexities of political leadership, especially in the face of corruption and unethical practices. Overall, the author's message is one of hope and a commitment to working towards a more equitable and hospitable community for all.     

In the Shadows of the Twin Towers: Muslim Immigrant Women's Voices Emerge

The senseless attacks of September 11 left marks of sadness on us all. In a focus group, seven young women immigrants of the Muslim faith shared incidents and reflections on the special effects the attacks left on them. Their discussions shed light on important issues and dynamics in their lives, counteracting stereotypes of them as passive or uneducated. In addition, sources of stress, primarily from discrimination and media stereotyping, were discussed. From their insights, the authors offer recommendations to help feminists raise awareness about, and acculturate to, these women in their quest to achieve without losing their culture.     

Aligning with lives of faith

The philosophical and theological discussion regarding religious faith has primarily concerned itself with the abstract issues of what faith is, whether it can be rationally held, and how an agent can acquire, sustain, or deepen faith. The issue of how we should orient ourselves to the faith of others and the role such orientation might play in the religious life hasn’t been much discussed. It is this topic that I propose to address in this essay. I do so by considering a little-known nineteenth-century saint of the Eastern Orthodox church, St. Jacob of Alaska, exploring the ways in which the liturgy calls for its participants to engage with St. Jacob’s life of faith. I develop and defend the claim that it calls for the religiously committed to align their lives with the lives of exemplars such as St. Jacob.     

Faith as a Cultural Variable: Implications for Counselor Training

Counselors are faced with a unique challenge when faith is a prominent clinical variable. Although faith is deemed relevant, counselors may not feel comfortable approaching the subject of faith with clients. Participants in this study were practicing counselors licensed in their respective states; each was also a current doctoral candidate in counselor education and supervision. A scenario involving a complex interaction of faith; family systems; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in clinical practice was provided. Participants were found to be more likely to value the importance of addressing faith in sessions than they were to actually use faith as an intervention.     

Entwicklung religiöser Glaubensfähigkeit

Faith in a broad sense is viewed as trustingly turning to a (personal) object located in the immanent as well as in the (relativ or absolute) transcendental field. The author describes on grounds of the object relational theory how the ability for faith is developing already in early childhood. In case of a beneficial development a firstly archaic faith is replaced later on by a faithful certainty (basic confidence) and, finally, by personal faith. Other forms of faith (faithful longing, magic or irrational faith culminating in fanatism) is viewed by the author as a consequence of unresolved archaic anxiety from the absolute evil. The development of the ability for religious faith is explained on the basis of the model of intersubjective narcissism.     

Considerations of the religious dimensions of emotional disorder

This author seeks to investigate some of the possible forms of relationship between religion and emotional disorder-instances in which a person's religious life appears to have been one of the sources of an emotional disorder, the influence of faith as an organizing center for one's life even in the midst of emotional disorder, and delusional systems and hallucinatory experiences in which traditional religious material in some form is an obvious component. The conclusion is drawn that while religious factors may be interwoven with the etiology of disorder they are neither predisposing nor precipitating causes per se, that the religious material exhibited in a pathological form is basically unrelated to earlier religious life, and that religious faith and its practice may in fact be ego-supportive. Implications of these findings for individual psychotherapy, for pastoral consultation, and for worship are discussed.     

How Françoise Dolto links Lacanian psychoanalysis with the Christian Gospels

This article introduces to an English-speaking audience of pastoral therapists, the writings of the French Lacanian psychoanalyst, Fran?oise Dolto (1908-1988) on the links she discovered between the most profound question raised by Lacanian psychoanalysis in its dynamics effects and the questions raised by the Christian Gospels. The author summarizes the main points of Dolto's Lacanian thought and where she departed from Lacan in her interpretation of the unconscious ethic of desire. Using Dolto's three writings on Lacanian psychoanalysis and the Bible, as well as material from her published clinical studies, the author illustrates Dolto's approach to the Bible, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and her application of the dialectical principles of desire in three case studies.     

The aesthetic as mirror of faith in Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling

One of the most intractable issues in Kierkegaard scholarship continues to be the question of what one is to make of the relation between infinite resignation and faith in Fear and Trembling. Most commentators follow Kierkegaard's pseudonymous author in claiming that progression to faith is a “linear” process that requires infinite resignation as a first step. The problem with such a reading is that it leads to paradox: It seems to require attributing to the “knight of faith” two inconsistent belief‐attitudes simultaneously—on the one hand, the willingness to resign one's heart's desires (infinite resignation) and, on the other, the conviction that one will somehow receive back what one has resigned. But this is a confused way of thinking about faith. I will show that faith's alleged paradoxicality is only apparent and that the element of resignation that constitutes an aspect of it actually bears some striking similarities to what the aesthete has in mind when he speaks, in Either/Or, of throwing hope overboard in order to make possible a truly artistic way of life. Hence, on my interpretation, the knight of faith does not need to adopt two contradictory attitudes at the same time (or constantly to “annul” one of them), but must rather practice a form of spiritual discipline in many ways analogous to the aesthete's endeavour to become a “poet of possibility.”     

Under the Spell of the Ring

Among orthodox reformed Christians in the Netherlands fierce debates have occurred on moral aspects of Christian life. This essay discusses three major controversial moral issues that are related to conceptions of sex, gender, and sexuality: divorce/remarriage, women’s ordination, and homosexuality. By analysing several contributions to debates on these issues, it proposes and explores a hypothesis that concerns the role of a particular understanding of marriage as characterized by a hermeneutical construct: a communal, deeply rooted and subconscious normative principle that drives our interpretations of texts and practices. This essay illustrates the problems of both the dominance of marriage within Christian communities and lived faith, as well as the modern, romantic aspects of this particular understanding of marriage.     

Five Dimensions of Faith and Spiritually of Older African American Women Transitioning Out of Homelessness

Background Homelessness among older African American women is emerging as a serious social problem. The increasing cost of living, diminishing community resources, and shrinking retirement benefits, as well as reduced social services are resulting in greater numbers of older minority women becoming homeless. Aims This investigation explores the relevance of faith and spirituality to an advocacy assessment designed to help participants resolve issues that operate as barriers to their leaving and staying out of homelessness. Methods A substudy of a larger research and development project was undertaken, in which qualitative interview methods were used to illuminate the role of faith and spirituality resources in the lives of 84 older homeless African American women. Comparative thematic analysis of illustrative cases was undertaken to better understand the role of faith and spirituality in the women’s lives and in how they used faith and spirituality in coping with homelessness. Findings Five dimensions of faith and spirituality, (a) identity and beliefs; (b) affiliation and membership; (c) involvement; (d) practices; and (e) benefits, served as promising resources in understanding life spaces of homeless minority women and identified promising advocacy strategies. Two cases describe the realities of homelessness for older minority women endeavoring to transition out of homelessness and illustrate how faith and spirituality can buffer stress, facilitate coping, and sustain motivation. Conclusions How older homeless African American women use their faith and spiritual resources to cope with demands of homelessness, challenges of transition, and recovery from the multiple traumas resulting from being homeless makes the assessment of faith and spirituality an important part of the advocacy process.     

THE VARIETY OF PANENTHEISMS

Abstract. In this article I review the efforts of eighteen scientists and theologians, recorded in this book, to describe the relation of God to the universe during a conference sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation at Windsor Castle in 2001. Theologians from several branches of Christian faith articulate their understanding of panentheism, revealing a considerable diversity. I deal with each author in relation to six issues: the way God acts, how God's intimate relation to the world is to be described, the relation of God to spacetime, whether God is dependent upon the world, what type of language is used, and the problem of dipolar panentheism. I identify significant differences between these authors, suggest where fruitful dialogue is possible, and distinguish between intelligibility and plausibility in comparing dipolar panentheism with other types.     

Bereavement and Meaning Reconstruction among Japanese Immigrant Widows: Living with Grief in a Place of Marginality and Liminality in the United States

Using an ethnographic study of nine senior Japanese immigrant widows of international marriages in the San Francisco Bay Area, the author investigated how these women affirmed or reconstructed the meaning of their loss and life and how their worldview, rituals, and faith communities provided a significant source of support after loss. As Asian immigrant widows, the women in this study lived in a marginalized place with multiple losses. The significant key themes that emerged from their narratives, grounded in their intercultural and interfaith experiences, were 1) re-learning to live new lives as immigrant widows; 2) acceptance of human finitude, solitude, and a sense of fulfilment; 3) continuing to have bonds with the deceased; and 4) potential creativity through establishing communitas.