Identities of Christian Traditions: An Alternative for Essentialism - Couverture souple

De Jong, Wybren

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 3631365578 ISBN 13 : 9783631365571

Editeur : Peter Lang AG, 2000

Synopsis

Essentialism is a powerful theory about Christian identity, because it reduces various complex questions to one issue : the determination of an invariable essence. What distinguishes Christianity from other religions ? What is authentic Christian faith and what is contrary to it ? What is the unity of Christianity beneath all the different forms of expression ? What is its identity through time ? Which aspects of faith are indispensable ? All these questions are answered at once by essentialism. However, the price to be paid for this simplification is high. It implies that differences among Christians themselves cannot be essential ; that Christian history should contain some kind of homogeneous development of the essential content of faith ; and finally, that church unity can only come about when all agree about the essence. Should we not rather look for an alternative way to think about Christian identity ? In this book, modern philosophical analyses of the identity of objects and persons are used to develop an alternative which can do more justice to the differences and changes within Christianity.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

The Author : Wybren de Jong was born in 1971. He is a research associate at the Faculty of Theology of Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Peter Lang AG
• Date d'édition: 2000
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 3631365578
• ISBN 13: 9783631365571
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 350
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible