"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...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
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
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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’.
ISSN:1015-8758
2309-9089