Table Of ContentEVER EXPANDING EDGES: TRINITY, CRISIS, AND CARE —
PASTORAL THEOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
A Dissertation
presented to
the Faculty of the
Claremont School of Theology
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
by
John Clement Libert
May 2000
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Copyright 2000
John Clement Libert
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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This dissertation, written by
John Clement Libert
under the direction of his Faculty Committee, and
approved by its members, has been presented to and
accepted by the Faculty of the School of Theology at
Claremont in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Faculty Committee
____________
I 1 Chairpenon
M(hj / 2 , ^°°°
Date
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ABSTRACT
Ever Expanding Edges: Trinity, Crisis, and Care —
Pastoral Theology and Scientific Methodology
by
John Clement Libert
The predicament that gives rise to this dissertation is the inadequacy of current models
of Christian pastoral theology for enabling the distinguishing of the presence of the divine
in the spiritual directive work which clergy perform with individual parishioners. While
there are numerous and diverse models of pastoral theology, with specific notions and
interventions of caring available to the parish clergy, these models have no criteria for
distinguishing between authentic elements of the divine-human encounter and inauthentic
elements of that occasion, which is a definitive moment in the life of a Christian. Models
of pastoral theology and care currently available have few parameters for assisting in the
work of differentiating true elements of the divine from false.
Thus, one of the most pressing needs for pastoral theology is the creation of a model
which will enable the distinguishing of data having a bearing upon the nature and human
experience of God in distinction from those other psychic events which have a bearing
only upon psychology or the psychology of religion. Since this is the age of scientific
reasoning this model of pastoral theology and care will attempt a construction according
to a soft scientific design.
The thesis of this dissertation is that a pastoral theology of caring which focuses upon
spiritual discernment can be constructed from New Testament texts and other Christian
discernment programs and practices for utilization by the parish minister working on
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issues of spiritual development and guidance with the laity not using psychological data,
but rather theological data.
Chapter I the dissertation begins with a review of several important, viable
paradigms in pastoral theology. It will then critique these paradigms by highlighting
potential strengths and weaknesses as well as looking for elements which can be featured
in our proposed model. In the second chapter we will propose our own methodology and
explicate its five essential theses. Chapter 3 provides our theological and
anthropological assumptions and deals with the issue of religious pluralism. Chapter 4
explicates an understanding of the divine nature and the human possibility of the
experience of that nature. Chapter 5 contributes a theory of the human self in light of
our proposed theological conjectures. Chapter 6 supplies a New Testament hermeneutic
which sheds fight on our interpretation of religious language and religious experience and
serves as our theological data base. Chapter 7 explicates the nature of peak human
religious experience and Chapter 8 explores their opposite, negating, human religious
experience. Both chapters suggest the manner in which self is created and transformed
through these experiences. Chapter 9 suggests supplemental criteria for diagnosing and
assessment which clergy might utilize with local churches and parishioners. Chapter
10 illustrates the way in which the proposed model might be used with lay persons by
showing three cases studies.
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Table of Contents
Page
Prologue....................................................................................................................................1
Chapter
1. A Proposal for a Pastoral Theology.....................................................................11
Theology ...........................................................................................................11
Theology as Pastoral Theology........................................................................15
Prevailing Models of Pastoral Theology..........................................................20
Orthodox Pastoral Theology.............................................................................21
Liberal Pastoral Theology................................................................................22
Neo-Orthodox Pastoral Theology...................................................................26
Liberation Pastoral Theology...........................................................................28
Pastoral Theology as Contextual Moral Theology.........................................29
Pastoral Theology as Spiritual Formation.......................................................32
A Pastoral Theology of the Ever Expanding Edge........................................35
2. A Model for a Scientific Pastoral Theology.......................................................37
Basic Design......................................................................................................37
The Prospect of an Experiential Model of Pastoral Theology......................39
Proposition One: The Fundamental Grounds for this Pastoral Theology
are New Testament Scriptures and Human Edge Experiences..................41
Proposition Two: The Predominate Procedure of Examination of the
New Testament Source is a Multidimensional Interpretation
of Selected Subject Matter.............................................................................44
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Proposition Three: The Examination of the Edge Experience Source
can be Understood as an Inquiry into the Sacred Nature of the
Divine-Human Encounter...............................................................................53
Proposition Four: This Pastoral Theology will translate the Connection
and Interplay of these Twin Foundations which does Justice to Our
Definition of Religious Experience...............................................................60
Proposition Five: This Pastoral Theology will also feature an Empirical
Method informed by the Scientific Model for Theology
of Nancey Murphy.........................................................................................62
3 The Concept, Truth, and Knowledge of God....................................................66
Theology and the Idea of God..........................................................................66
Christian Theology as Pastoral Theology.......................................................70
The Experience of God as the Subject of Pastoral Theology........................74
The Knowability of God: Self-Disclosure and Self-Demonstration
of the Divine.....................................................................................................76
The Community of the Divine Self-Disclosure ...............................................83
Diversity Within the Christian Experience of God’s
Self-Demonstrations..........................................................................................88
The Justification for a Christian Discernment Formula..................................95
4. The Trinitarian God................................................................................................97
The Essence and Urge of the Divine Persons.................................................97
The Trinity as the Personal Character of God: Jesus and the Father..........100
The Character of the Personhood of the Triune God....................................107
The Person of Jesus and the Destiny of Persons............................................Ill
The Person of the Holy Spirit: An All-Embracing Field of Force................118
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Basic Nature and Capabilities of the Trinitarian God...................................120
The Divine Field of Force as Holy Spirit......................................................122
The Holy Love of God and the Trinity..........................................................125
5 A Theological Understanding of the Human Self: Appropriation of
Divine Likeness................................................................................................130
A Christian Self-Understanding....................................................................130
The Dignity and Destiny of Persons: Divine Congruity..............................134
Self-Postures and Authentic Selfhood...........................................................138
Pneumatology and the Self: The Field of the Spirit and the
Creation of Persons and Community..........................................................150
6. Transformative Religious Experience................................................................155
Nuances and Dynamics...................................................................................155
Discernment Practices in the Earliest Christian Communities.....................167
The New Testament Texts: The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit ...................168
Discerning the Qualities of God in the Early Church..................................169
7. The Affirming Edge Experience..........................................................................185
A Heuristic of the Edge.................................................................................185
The Edge Dimension of Human Experience................................................187
The Affirming Edge in the New Testament.................................................190
Ecstasy and Mysticism...................................................................................195
Aesthetics and Theology of Beauty.............................................................200
The Spirit, the Contours, and Lure of Love...............................................204
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Fecund Outgrowth of the Spirit....................................................................212
Faith and Hope...............................................................................................215
8 The Opposing Edge Experience............................................................................220
Novel Horizons Through Negation..............................................................220
Sin as the Trial and Anguish of Non-identitv...............................................226
Overthrow and Passing of Former Self.......................................................237
Non-Self and Negative Identity in Dehumanization and
Oppression...................................................................................................240
Self-Fracture: Grief, Loss, and Death..........................................................248
Illness and the Breaking of the Body...........................................................250
9. A Proposal for Diagnostic Discernment Criteria..............................................254
Establishment of Adequate Criteria for Assessment
in this Pastoral Theology............................................................................254
Pastoral Assessment as an Exposition of Religious Affections..................259
Jon Sobrino: Discerning God by Way of the Poor of the Earth.................260
Jonathan Edwards: Discerning God’s Beauty in Human Beauty...............263
John Wesley: The Grace of Perfection and Warm Love.............................275
10. Suggestions for Pastoral Practice.......................................................................280
The Pastor as Theological Edge Interpreter..................................................280
Case Study 1. Martha: Self-Transcending Lover of the Poor......................283
The Negative Edge.........................................................................................287
Case Study 2. Naomi: Alone and Self-Transcending on Her Own..............288
Case Study 3. Christianne: Self-Transcending Feminist..............................289
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Self-Transcending Sermons, Theological Studies, Meetings,
and Bake Sales...............................................................................................291
Bibliography.......................................................................................................................293
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