Entering the House of Celebration: The Missing Fifth Act of Volf's Concept of Embrace

The theological concept of embrace, developed by Volf in Exclusion and Embrace (1996), draws heavily on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Yet Volf's use of the parable leaves the son at the threshold of his father's house, with no mention of the significance or relevance of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McNeish, David G. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group [2016]
In: Practical theology
Year: 2016, Volume: 9, Issue: 4, Pages: 331-338
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
NCB Personal ethics
NCD Political ethics
Further subjects:B Forgiveness
B Prodigal Son
B Embrace
B Reconciliation
B Celebration
B Miroslav Volf
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:The theological concept of embrace, developed by Volf in Exclusion and Embrace (1996), draws heavily on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Yet Volf's use of the parable leaves the son at the threshold of his father's house, with no mention of the significance or relevance of the celebration that takes place within the house when the son returns. This article considers the development of Volf's concept of embrace and the four elements he considers essential to the concept. It then proposes that Volf's appeal for reconciliation does not reach as far as either the Parable or our presently unreconciled world requires. A fifth element, that of celebration, is therefore proposed as a necessary, if provocative final act to the drama of embrace.
ISSN:1756-0748
Contains:Enthalten in: Practical theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1756073X.2015.1116240