Theological word of the day

[Kelp]

There seems to be no word today so I'll post an old one.


Creatio Ex Nihilo
[kray-aw’-tsee-o eks nee’-uh-lo]

(Latin, “creation out of nothing”)

Describes the shared theistic worldview which believes all of creation was created by God out of non-existent matter. This belief is extremely important and foundational to the Christian belief in a transcendent God. God’s nature transcends time, space, and matter. Therefore, all that exists outside of God is dependent upon Him for its existence. This belief is contrasted with the worldviews of Mormons and other polytheists who believe that matter is eternal and God created the present universe from this pre-existing matter (creatio ex materia). It is also to be contrasted with the worldview of pantheists and panentheists who believe that creation came from God’s essence (creatio ex deo).

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3)

[Kelp]

For the 22nd.


Immaculate Conception
The belief among Roman Catholics that Mary was conceived without original sin. Though not taught in the Scripture, Roman Catholics believe that this doctrine is a theological necessity in order for Christ to be born without the stain of sin. Protestants reject this doctrine citing insufficient biblical support. As well, Protestants would argue that the theological reasoning is problematic sense Mary’s mother would have to be born without sin to protect Mary, and this would continue all the way back to the first woman. This doctrine was dogmatized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1854 in the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus by Pius IX.

Added by me:

Wikipedia

[Kelp]

Perpetual Virginity
The belief among Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox that Mary remained a virgin her entire life, never having sexual relations with Joseph after the birth of Christ. Most Protestants object to this doctrine believing that the Bible teaches that Mary had other children and that this doctrine arose out of a philosophical disdain for the act of sex adopted by the early church. Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli both accepted the doctrine believing it to be non-essential, while John Calvin rejected it. Despite its lack of biblical support, it does find substantial support throughout church history.

Added by me:

I'd personally never heard of a Protestant who thought that,

this doctrine arose out of a philosophical disdain for the act of sex adopted by the early church.

Huh.

[Kelp]

Mariology
The study of the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Christian faith. This discipline has traditionally been seen more in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions as the veneration of Mary is more pronounced and creedal. While Protestants have traditionally rejected the Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, most would believe that she was blessed of God and is worthy of great honor and respect as the mother of Christ.

[Kelp]

Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
Latin, “outside the church, no salvation”

This phrase has a long theological history, being coined by Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, in third century, but its meaning today is debated among scholars. While it expressed the belief that the church is necessary for salvation, this does not speak to the issues raised by the multiple divisions within the church that followed through the middle ages and into the Reformation and what is mean, in light of such, by the word “church.” All traditions of Christianity, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox, can claim this phrase as substantially correct, but all three traditions would define it with a particular nuance which is rejected by the other. Protestants would define “church” as the universal or invisible body of Christ that is not necessarily represented by one visible expression, tradition, or denomination. Both Catholics and Orthodox, today, will claim that their tradition is the true representation of the “church,” outside of which there is no salvation. However, one might find themselves within this “church” without knowledge of his or her membership.

[Kelp]

There isn't one today, I guess. I'm gonna post this really neat one I found. Ever heard of a....

Hapax Legomenon
[hap’-aks luh-gawm‘-uh-nawn’]

(Greek hapax, “once” + Greek legein, “to count” or ”to say” = ”once said”)

This is a word that only occurs once in a particular body of literature. With regards to the Scriptures, exegetes will often find a word that only appears one time. In the New Testament alone, there are 1,932 words that occur only once (USB). When this happens, it is often difficult to determine the exact meaning of the word because there are no other usages with which one can compare it.

[Bill the Cat]

Pericope
[puh-rik’-uh-pee]

(Greek peri, “around” + Greek koptein “a cutting out”)

A single unit of thought in the Scripture. This could comprise a sentence or verse (as in the Proverbs), a paragraph, or a series of paragraphs which makes up one argument or narrative. For example, the story of Abraham’s encounter with the angels and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is one pericope and the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is one pericope. When teaching or preaching the Scriptures, it is considered best to teach one pericope at a time, not necessarily one verse or chapter at a time.

[Bill the Cat]

Personification
A literary device that gives human characteristics to non-personal objects. A good example of personification is in Proverbs 4 as wisdom is portrayed with a feminine pronoun as one who will honor those who embrace “her.”

[Bill the Cat]

Reasoned Eclecticism
A method of textual criticism (reconstructing the original text of Scripture) which believes that the most accurate reading of the Scripture comes from an approach that takes into account all the evidence. It deals with each variant (differences in the manuscripts) by examining them on a case-by-case basis, believing that the variant that best accounts for all the others represents the best or the preferred reading. This method is to be distinguished from those which one look to one text-type as the standard. Also known as genuine or moderate eclecticism.

[Bill the Cat]

Sitz im leben
(German, “setting in life”)

In biblical hermeneutics (methods of interpretation) or biblical criticism, this refers to the “situation in life” that gave rise to the various genres or literary forms used to communicate the message of Scripture in a particular sociological context

[Bill the Cat]

Illegitimate Totality Transfer
In biblical interpretation, this refers to the illegitimate transfer of a word’s total possible meaning, with all its variations and nuances, and forcing them all into a particular context. For example, if one were to do a word study on the Greek word phile, one would find that it could mean “affection, friendship, love, or kiss.” The context must decide. The illegitimate totality transfer occurs when one forces all of these meanings into one passage, without consideration of which nuance best fits the context. This is a common interpretive fallacy.

[Bill the Cat]

Nihilism
[nye‘-uh-liz’-um or nee‘-uh-liz’-um]

(Latin nihil, “nothing”)

Nihilism is the philosophy that believes all of existence is without purpose, meaning, or hope. It is often called the philosophy of despair since there is no foundation upon which one can build motives for living. Many believe that nihilism is the necessary outcome of atheism since the atheist finds no reason to believe in any form of transcendence which provides foundational reason and hope. Postmodernism is sometimes labeled as a nihilistic philosophy that resulted from the conclusions of a modernistic worldview which denied God a place in reality. Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is often called the Father of Nihilism.

[Bill the Cat]

Post-Evangelicalism
A modern movement among evangelicals who are dissatisfied with the current trends in Evangelicalism toward compromise in practice, thinking, and methodology. The evangelical church, according to Post-evangelicals, has become a circus which integrates its method of “doing church” with the cooperate world of business and marketing. Voices of post-evangelicalism call for a reform, pleading with the church to re-establish its traditions in the roots laid by two-thousand years of church history, not a reinventing of church based upon current cultural trends. Post-evangelicals are “post” because they believe the name “evangelical” is beyond recovery.

Read Michael Spencer (the Internet Monk) on Post-Evangelicalism

[Bill the Cat]

Emerging Church
Date August 7, 2008

The “emerging church” is a representative designation for a growing ethos or way of thinking among many dissatisfied Christians (primarily those in Protestantism). While there is no primary leader or credal unity among those in the emerging church, there are certain characteristics that stand out among “emergers,” as they are called. These characteristics are not necessarily found in all emergers, but are representative of the emerging ethos.

1. Epistemologically, they are less optimistic about our ability to come to know “the” truth, but find value in many perspectives.

2. Theologically, they are prone to questioning traditional theological dogma.

3. Politically, they call for change and social activism and often a disassociation with the Republican party.

4. Sociologically, they call on the church to reach out to those in need with love and compassion.

5. Missionally, they focus on “mission” as the everyday role of Christians that should permeate every aspect of their life.

Emerging leaders are varied and diverse. Among some of the most prominent are Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, Scot McKnight, Doug Pagitt, and Tony Jones.

Read more about the emerging church here.

Note added by Kelp(p):

There may be a distinction between Emergent Church and Emerging Church.

Also, while McLaren is most definitely a heretic, I do not know enough about the others to comment.

[Bill the Cat]

Ordo Salutis
(Latin, “order of salvation”)

Refers to the successive order of events in the process or event of salvation. This order includes necessities such as predestination, regeneration, faith, justification, repentance, atonement, and glorification. Depending on ones particular stance on theological issues having to do with salvation, he or she will see these events in differing successions. For example, the Calvinist would normally place regeneration before faith in their ordo, while the Arminian would see regeneration as a result of faith. The Roman Catholic would see justification as an event and a process that takes place throughout the Christian’s life, while Protestants would see justification as a definite event resulting from faith. Therefore, the Roman Catholic and Protestant ordo would differ respectively