Theology
What Is It and What Is It Good For?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66100/pjct.v1i1.74Keywords:
the nature of doctrine, knowledge of God, theology of the cross, the word of the cross, Elohim, YHWH, Shema, theological grammar, titles and names, the mind of Christ, doctrine of the word of God, confessing faithAbstract
This premier editorial of the journal Promissio sets the agenda going forward by sketching the shape and intention of contemporary confession of faith in the tradition of theology that stems from Luther and extends through Bonhoeffer. It argues that the theology of the cross specifies "true" theology as "knowledge" of God and it exposits this cognitive task in terms of the Hebrew Bible's distinction between the title Elohim and the personal name YHWH as found in the Shema of Israel and reiterated in the apostle Paul's Corinthian correspondence. It distinguishes three orders of theological discourse: the foundational doctrine of the word of God in the resurrection of the crucified Jesus, the contemporary task of confessing Jesus as Lord as normed by the creeds and confessions, and missiological explorations in doctrinal formulation with respect to the gospel's articulation in new languages, cultures and situations.
