Theological reflection, assurance and the doctrine of God

This article focuses on the anxiety about whether God loves one or not. In the author’s nearly 30-year ministry, this pastoral difficulty continues to perplex and afflict. While the presenting problem is what in theological parlance is ‘a lack of assurance’, a side difficulty is the poor and incorre...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs: Masango, Maake J. (Auteur) ; White, John D. (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publié: 2019
Dans: HTS teologiese studies
Année: 2019, Volume: 75, Numéro: 4
Sujets non-standardisés:B Assurance
B Theological Reflection
B Parrhésie
B Recadrage
B Frame of Reference
B Election
B God
Accès en ligne: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Résumé:This article focuses on the anxiety about whether God loves one or not. In the author’s nearly 30-year ministry, this pastoral difficulty continues to perplex and afflict. While the presenting problem is what in theological parlance is ‘a lack of assurance’, a side difficulty is the poor and incorrect doctrine of God often associated with this. A Baylor University Study in 2006 characterises the kind of God that different groups of Americans believe in. While the phrase ‘a lack of assurance’ is a part of dogmatic parlance, and has fallen out of use, the feeling of not belonging to God can be overwhelming for people. This feeling may be overwhelming. This makes it a pastoral issue. This article suggests a pastoral response to this issue and a proposal for a clarification in the nature and character of God using the therapeutic theology of 19th-century Scottish minister-theologian John McLeod Campbell.
ISSN:2072-8050
Contient:Enthalten in: HTS teologiese studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.4102/hts.v75i4.5360