Books by Benjamin Burkholder
Princeton Theological Monograph Series, 219, 2017
Papers by Benjamin Burkholder
Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care
In contemporary discourse, different conceptions of the conscience abound. Aquinas and Calvin had... more In contemporary discourse, different conceptions of the conscience abound. Aquinas and Calvin had similar yet distinct accounts of the conscience and its role in Christian ethical formation. Upon close inspection, both struggle to account fully and consistently for the effects of the fall and its impact on human reason. In response to some of the weaknesses observed in these accounts, Bonhoeffer’s reflections on the conscience offer a more helpful way forward that accounts for the Fall’s effects on human rationality. In addition, his work also offers guidelines for navigating the internal voices and concerns of fallen humanity, ultimately pointing the Christian to the Word of Christ as the final judge and justifier. Finally, his formulations can provide a fuller set of instructions for people doing the spiritual disciplines and navigating their internal world in prayer.
Religious Studies Review, 2016
Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture, 2021
Does maintaining that the Kingdom was central to Jesus’ ministry put one at odds with atonement t... more Does maintaining that the Kingdom was central to Jesus’ ministry put one at odds with atonement theology? Some contemporary theologians have argued that these are mutually exclusive options, requiring one to choose between atonement theology and the Kingdom's centrality in Jesus’ ministry. Lending credence to this claim is the fact that some advocates of atonement theology have provided accounts that suggest such a dichotomy might in fact be the case. This essay investigates one such example. As a hopeful contribution to this discussion, this essay first explores how the Kingdom and atonement appear in Mark's presentation of Jesus. In addition to investigating some of the relevant Markan passages, this essay draws from the work of Schweitzer and Hengel to contend that it is indeed possible to affirm the centrality of the Kingdom in Jesus’ proclamation and still believe his death on the cross has an atoning function that serves the Kingdom's arrival.
Studies in Christian Ethics, 2019
Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, 2016
Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, 2012
Eden is in the east and it is from the east that we await Christ in his second coming. Peters' ta... more Eden is in the east and it is from the east that we await Christ in his second coming. Peters' take on this is rather different: "We should sit facing east, like someone mourning for the dead, moving our heads backward and forward with pain in our souls and with a grieving heart" (97). The earliest evidence suggests that Christians not only prayed facing east, but also standing. Here they are sitting: this and the emphasis on grieving seems to foreshadow the ethos of the Jesus Prayer we find in fourteenth-century hesychasm. One striking feature of Peter's works, not characteristic of the other works included in the Philokalia, is his frequent citations of earlier writers: in this he reminds one of the somewhat earlier ascetical theologian, Paul Evergetinos, and Peter's work could be regarded as a kind of "Philokalia within the Philokalia." Peters addresses this aspect of our Damascene in his final chapter on "intertextuality"; I cannot help thinking that it would have been much more enlightening had this perception been woven more tightly into his exposition throughout, rather than discussed as a separate issue at the end, almost as an afterthought. An appendix gives the verses that precede each chapter in the "Spiritual Alphabet," omitted in the English translation of the Philokalia as probably secondary. This is valuable, and brings out much more clearly than the English translation the alphabetical structure of the work. However, in his discussion each chapter is called after its letter with´added. The diacritical instructs us to read the letter as a number, so "Logos O´" should mean "Chapter 70"; it is however chapter 15: the diacritical should have been omitted. Another argument of Peters' is that Peter envisages an audience not wholly monastic, but that is true of many Byzantine spiritual writers, and is not peculiar to Peter Damascene. Nevertheless, if this book serves to draw attention to Peter Damascene, it will have achieved a worthy end.
Religious Studies Review, 2017
Who and what is the human in (the study of) African American religion? Positing an alternative to... more Who and what is the human in (the study of) African American religion? Positing an alternative to theistic models White seeks to answer this question by reading James Baldwin, Anna Julia Cooper, and W. E. B. Du Bois through the lens of a newly conceived African American religious naturalism. White asserts an African American humanism that centers on the concept of "sacred humanity." Human beings share a desire for goodness and beauty and are thoroughly interdependent and entangled-with each other and with other forms of life. With sacred humanity, White troubles the dichotomies between self and other, nature and culture, spirit and matter, and white and black that have undergirded many Enlightenment and liberal discourses about the human. White affirms Cooper, Du Bois, and Baldwin as having foreshadowed her notion of "sacred humanity." Cooper, in her desire and struggle to assert black people's full humanity in the face of dehumanization, oppression, and racism emphasized the deep connections between human beings. Du Bois, in turn, is a precursor of sacred humanity because of his effort to portray black people as complex human beings imbued with a sense of self-determination, self-identification, and moral agency. In turning to the writings of Du Bois, Cooper, and Baldwin White broadens the landscape of black religiosity beyond the pulpits of black churches, mosques, and synagogues, and the study of black religion beyond doctrine, ritual, and institutions. More important, though, she recovers the "claim to life" as one of the central driving forces behind and themes of black religion. Black Lives and Sacred Humanity is a timely text that is recommended for students and scholars interested in methodological and theoretical questions in religious studies, critical theory, humanism, and African American religion and culture.
Modern Theology, 2017
Recent soteriological discourse has worried that atonement theologies like satisfaction and penal... more Recent soteriological discourse has worried that atonement theologies like satisfaction and penal substitution have potentially damaging effects like inoculating us to our violence, further buttressing retributive justice, and inducing passive acquiescence in the face of abuse. Though legitimate concerns in their own right, this essay investigates whether certain views on the atonement do in fact produce the issues of concern. By investigating the thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who believed that God had to punish sin, this article will seek to identify the complex nuances in Bonhoeffer's work that would potentially safeguard against some of the concerns being raised about atonement theologies like his.
Religious Studies Review, 2015
Religious Studies Review, 2015
book is that it does not engage more liberal strands of Christianity. This volume is recommended ... more book is that it does not engage more liberal strands of Christianity. This volume is recommended for use in liberal arts colleges with an affiliation with a Christian denomination.
Religious Studies Review, 2014
Religious Studies Review, 2015
Religious Studies Review, 2014
Social engagement, social action, and social justice are buzzwords spurring a new wave of scholar... more Social engagement, social action, and social justice are buzzwords spurring a new wave of scholarship. This newest addition to the conversation investigates the place, contributions, and future of social engagement among Evangelicals. Given the stigma of quietism or narrow focus on a few issues often applied to Evangelicals, the essays describe a "new" Evangelicalism that is broader, more diverse, global, and not so easily pigeonholed. The collection begins by describing recent movements and developments including social engagement among college students, Catholic Evangelicals, women, and political trends. A second set of essays identifies
Scottish Journal of Theology, 2013
In an age where the church needs to foster moral concern for the environment, some are suggesting... more In an age where the church needs to foster moral concern for the environment, some are suggesting that Christian theology itself must be changed to produce this result. This article argues that such emendations are unnecessary because Dietrich Bonhoeffer, working a couple of decades before ecological concern was even seen as necessary, manages to craft a theological and ethical approach which is sensitive to ecological concern while retaining large portions of the Christian tradition. Bonhoeffer's anthropology robustly affirms humanity's connection with the natural environment and does not separate humans from the natural order. In fact, his novel approach to the image of God emphasises the necessity of human physicality and the ethical responsibility for the other, which seems to be extendable to the natural order as well. In addition, Bonhoeffer's interpretation of the command to have dominion sees the injunction as a call to be ‘bound’ to nature as a servant, not as a...
Religious Studies Review, 2013
most important and unifying poetic image. Chapter 2 argues that fama is the glue holding together... more most important and unifying poetic image. Chapter 2 argues that fama is the glue holding together Lucan's disjointed text, and that the fame of the poet, in particular, is the epic's overriding concern. Chapter 3 proposes that Lucan's sententiae can be excerpted and read in isolation as a guide to the epic's central themes and paradoxes. Dinter is at his best when invoking folklore theory to explain the mechanics of Lucan's "antiproverbs." Chapter 4 argues that verbal and thematic repetition help convey the broader leitmotif of civil war's limitlessness and perpetuity. Arguments are well signposted, but often dense, and many seem to beg for more in-depth analysis than they receive. Typographical errors are few. Although some will question Dinter's decision to analyze sententiae out of context, his book remains an impressive and learned study that largely succeeds in its attempt to explore and explain the most striking features of Lucan's poetic artistry.
Irish Theological Quarterly, 2014
and for the way he is able to disentangle the doctrine of the virgin birth from a belief in the i... more and for the way he is able to disentangle the doctrine of the virgin birth from a belief in the incarnation. Minor criticisms of the book can, of course, be made: it is perhaps overlong, as the key points are repeated numerous times, and a rather less full discussion of Schleiermacher’s writings might have served Lincoln’s purpose equally well. His particular theological perspective can also make him cautious in his conclusions, and too sensitive to the agenda of evangelical Christianity. Nevertheless, many readers outside his faith circle will also find in this study much of value and interest, and will doubtless be relieved to encounter a discussion of this important subject which moves beyond the familiar and often polarized debates between liberals and conservatives on historicity and whether miracles are possible.
Dissertation supervised by William M. Wright IV. This study assesses René Girard's claims regardi... more Dissertation supervised by William M. Wright IV. This study assesses René Girard's claims regarding the Gospels' understanding of Jesus' death. Though Girard contends that the Gospels never depict Jesus' death as an atonement for sin, there are significant passages that Girard avoids discussing like the Last Supper sayings in the Synoptic Gospels. This dissertation investigates whether these central passages, along with other supporting texts in the Synoptics, jeopardize the viability of Girard's assertions, especially when they are read in light of restoration theology. The core components of Girard's thought, his reading of salvation history, and the ways in which Girard's followers have adapted his thought are adumbrated in the opening chapters. Once the Girardian approach to soteriology has been depicted with its various permutations, the research turns towards Israel's hopes for restoration after the exile, including the reconstitution of its covenantal relationship with YHWH, as they are articulated in the Old Testament and viii
Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche, 2012
Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2022
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Books by Benjamin Burkholder
Papers by Benjamin Burkholder