"Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics

The Syrian and refugee crises, the violent radicalisation in Europe, and global xenophobia stir up anew the link between the human quest for meaning and hope within the realm of human misery and destructive acts of severe evil. The article focuses on the problem of theodicy and its link to God imag...

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Main Author: D. J. Louw
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2016-06-01
Series:Acta Theologica
Online Access:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2737
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author D. J. Louw
author_facet D. J. Louw
author_sort D. J. Louw
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description The Syrian and refugee crises, the violent radicalisation in Europe, and global xenophobia stir up anew the link between the human quest for meaning and hope within the realm of human misery and destructive acts of severe evil. The article focuses on the problem of theodicy and its link to God images. It discusses both inclusive and exclusive approaches to the theodicy issue, and proposes a paradigm shift from threat power to intimate, vulnerable power. A diagram is designed in order to identify different metaphors for God in pastoral caregiving. With reference to a pastoral approach, lamentation is viewed as an appropriate variant for theodicy. In the attempt to return to ‘God after God’ (anatheism), lamentation could help reinterpret the ?esed of God in terms of our human predicament of ‘undeserved suffering’.
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spelling doaj-art-cdff8dbc09c3412c81c411ac41aaa1ff2025-02-11T09:52:53ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892016-06-0136110.38140/at.v36i1.2737"Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneuticsD. J. Louw0Stellenbosch University, South Africa The Syrian and refugee crises, the violent radicalisation in Europe, and global xenophobia stir up anew the link between the human quest for meaning and hope within the realm of human misery and destructive acts of severe evil. The article focuses on the problem of theodicy and its link to God images. It discusses both inclusive and exclusive approaches to the theodicy issue, and proposes a paradigm shift from threat power to intimate, vulnerable power. A diagram is designed in order to identify different metaphors for God in pastoral caregiving. With reference to a pastoral approach, lamentation is viewed as an appropriate variant for theodicy. In the attempt to return to ‘God after God’ (anatheism), lamentation could help reinterpret the ?esed of God in terms of our human predicament of ‘undeserved suffering’. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2737
spellingShingle D. J. Louw
"Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
Acta Theologica
title "Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
title_full "Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
title_fullStr "Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
title_full_unstemmed "Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
title_short "Anatheism" within the framework of theodicy: from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
title_sort anatheism within the framework of theodicy from theistic thinking to thepaschitic thinking in a pastoral hermeneutics
url https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2737
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