RT Article
T1 Beyond mere repetition: On tradition, creativity and theological speech
JF HTS teologiese studies
VO 79
IS 2
A1 Vosloo, Robert 1966-
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1946147656
AB This article argues for understanding Christian theological speech, including a Reformed engagement with confessions, as ‘traditioned creativity’. The argument is introduced by highlighting a theological hermeneutic that underlies the Belhar confession’s accompanying letter. This discussion points towards an account of Christian discourse that is ‘traditioned’ by the past but also moves beyond the mere repetition of the tradition’s authoritative statements. The article, therefore, affirms the need to distinguish between a living tradition and a narrow traditionalism. In addition, the article also interrogates some forms of theological rhetoric in which ‘tradition’ functions to insert control over spaces and people, often exhibiting totalising discourses and over-triumphant claims.Contribution: The conclusion links a hermeneutic of tradition (that sees Christian speech, doctrine and action as ‘traditioned creativity’) to some metaphors that can further illuminate what it means for a tradition to be open to the future in a way that displays vulnerability and vitality.
K1 Tradition
K1 Fragments
K1 Confessing the Faith
K1 Willie Jennings
K1 Hans Urs Von Balthassar
K1 The Belhar Confession
K1 Creativity
DO 10.4102/hts.v79i2.9051