El papa S. Juan Pablo II, en Veritatis splendor, situaba la bondad y gravedad del acto en el lado objetivo de la acción, sin subestimar el papel de la conciencia y de las circunstancias. El papa Francisco, en Amoris laetitia, sin olvidar la justificación del acto, inaugura un modo nuevo de afrontar pastoralmente los problemas morales, integrando el discernimiento de las circunstancias atenuantes que inciden en la responsabilidad del agente. Este artículo muestra que la doctrina moral de los atenuantes, que había sido olvidada, cobra relevancia con el papa Francisco. Observa como la polarización del objeto, ha llevado a un reduccionismo en la valoración moral. Destaca la aportación de Amoris Laetitia, que integra de forma plena los atenuantes en el discernimiento moral e impulsa en situaciones donde la ley resulta insuficiente, la búsqueda de caminos nuevos que posibilitan, en medio de los límites, el crecimiento en la gracia y en la caridad.
Abstract: Abstract: Pope S. John Paul II, in Veritatis splendor, placed the goodness and seriousness of the act on the objective side of the action, without underestimating the role of conscience and circumstances. Pope Francis, in Amoris laetitia, without forgetting the justification of the act, inaugurates a new way of facing moral problems pastorally, integrating the discernment of extenuating circumstances that affect the responsibility of the agent. This article shows that the moral doctrine of mitigations, which had been forgotten, becomes relevant with Pope Francis. He observes how the polarization of the object has led to reductionism in moral assessment. The contribution of Amoris Laetitia stands out, which fully integrates the extenuating factors in moral discernment and promotes in situations where the law is insufficient, the search for new paths that allow, in the midst of limits, growth in grace and in charity.
Studies on youth theology, although a relatively new research field, offer various theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches concerning young people’s theological thought structures. These studies not only illuminate the process of religious identity formation among youth but also provide an opportunity to reassess the pedagogical and practical dimensions of religious education. In particular, analyses of the intersections of youth theology with family, educational, and religious contexts offer practitioners of this field new perspectives and horizons not only at the theoretical but also at the practical level, contributing to a more inclusive and effective structuring of religious education. The main purpose of this study is to present the contributions of youth theology to the theoretical and practical dimensions of religious education in an analytical framework. In this context, the focus of this study is to examine how the perspectives offered by youth theology on the religious identity construction, spiritual development, and social roles of young individuals can shape the content, methods, and practices of religious education. In this regard, examining the relationship between the pedagogical dynamics of youth theology and religious education aims to provide a theoretical enrichment to the literature and innovative approaches to practical applications. This study was designed with the case study method, which is one of the qualitative research designs, and the document analysis technique was used as a data collection tool. The research data were analyzed using the descriptive evaluation method. This approach enabled the research to be handled in an in-depth and systematic manner and to present the relevant data in a meaningful way. This study, which deals with the phenomena of youth and theology in relation to each other, aims to examine the interactions between these phenomena in depth. In the concluding section, various educational models for religious education targeting young individuals are proposed, offering practical recommendations derived from a theoretical framework. These recommendations aim to highlight the potential contributions of youth theology to religious education, serving as a guiding resource for future research and applications.
This article explores Mark’s use of Psalm 22:1 in the crucifixion narrative (Mk 15:34) as a postcolonial theological act and pedagogical resource within the South African context. It argues that Mark’s appropriation of the Psalm is not a mere citation but a dynamic reinterpretation that reconfigures the traditional understanding of divine abandonment, reframing it as a site of eschatological hope, resistance and theological transformation. Drawing on the Jewish liturgical practice of invoking the whole Psalm through its opening verse, the article contends that Mark’s readers would have perceived Jesus’ cry not solely as despair, but as a deliberate evocation of the Psalm’s trajectory from lament to restoration. This re-reading disrupts conventional atonement paradigms by locating divine presence within the experience of forsakenness, thereby offering theological solidarity with communities that continue to suffer under postcolonial conditions. The article also demonstrates how this reading of Mark 15:34 functions pedagogically in South African theological education. Teaching methods that integrate lament traditions, postcolonial hermeneutics and indigenous African grief practices open interpretive space for students to confront themes of abandonment, injustice and resilience. While students initially resist the shift from doctrinal to contextual readings, the engagement with postcolonial biblical scholars facilitates a critical consciousness that reimagines the cross as a narrative of resistance and identity reconstruction. The article concludes that Mark’s intertextual engagement with Psalm 22 invites a pedagogy of hope and theological agency, enabling marginalised communities to articulate their suffering and faith within a framework of redemptive lament.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article contributes to postcolonial biblical scholarship by offering a reconfiguration of Mark 15:34 as a theological and pedagogical resource that centres lament as a form of resistance. It advances a postcolonial hermeneutic that situates divine presence within the experience of abandonment, resonating with the historical traumas of marginalised South African communities. Additionally, it proposes a praxis-oriented pedagogy that bridges academic exegesis with indigenous forms of grief and theological agency.
Luiz Alexandre Rossi, Sue’Hellen Monteiro de Matos
textos mitológicos e religiosos encontrados em Ugarit revelam mais do que eles mesmos desejam contar. Crença e realidade emergem dos textos, apresentando, não somente a substância de fé dessa região da Síria no segundo milênio a. e C, mas, também, o mito como função social que desvela a realidade. Nessa perspectiva, o artigo tomou como objeto de estudo os textos do Ciclo de Baal, senhor da terra, uma das mais relevantes divindades da região. A relevância de Baal e sua influência na cultura e no pensamento religioso de toda a região siro-cananeia é impressionante. Além de Baal ser a divindade que representava a ordem e a vida (fertilidade) e aquele que vence as batalhas, e mesmo que não seja apresentado como o “amado de El” - diferentemente de Yam e Mot – ele faz um caminho que o torna maior do que eles. Nos textos mitológicos ugaríticos de Baal percebe-se uma divindade que, a partir de fronteiras fluidas como a da religião, se propagou por toda aquela região e foi capaz de influenciar a mentalidade religiosa de outros povos.
La teología ha reflexionado desde sus inicios sobre el misterio de la fe, que ha considerado siempre como una virtud teológica, es decir infundida por la gracia divina. Sin embargo, en fechas recientes, surgen otros intentos en ambiente científico que tratan de comprender mejor cómo se forman las creencias y el papel que juegan en varias áreas del conocimiento y la acción. También estamos comprendiendo mejor su carácter imprescindible en la configuración de sistemas sociales, de las relaciones personales y en la percepción de la propia identidad y del sentido de la vida. Esta claro que estos estudios tienen una gran relevancia para la teología de la fe, y también para otros campos relacionados, como el de la relación entre fe y razón. El artículo explora las posibilidades abiertas de interacción y lo que la teología puede aportar en ese diálogo enriquecedor.
Abstract: Theology has always reflected on the mystery of faith, which it has considered as a theological virtue, that is, infused by divine grace. However, recently, other attempts have emerged in the scientific environment that try to better understand how beliefs are formed and the role they play in distinct areas of knowledge and action. We are also better understanding their essential character in the configuration of social systems, of personal relationships and in the perception of one’s own identity and the meaning of life. These studies have great relevance for theology of faith, and also for other related fields, such as the relationship between faith and reason. The article explores the open possibilities of interaction and how theology can contribute to this enriching dialogue.
In Christian theological history, reflecting on the relationship between intellect and the will is an ongoing process. Roughly speaking, in Medieval Christianity, two concepts were employed to clarify the relationship between intellect and the will: intellectualism defended the primary role of the intellect, and voluntarism promoted the human will as decisive. These were represented respectively by Aquinas and Duns Scotus. After presenting these concepts as interpretive frameworks, the author examines Calvin. It appears that Calvin’s metaphysical structure of the human being can be characterised as intellectualistic. Richard Muller agrees with this, but he suggests that Calvin’s soteriology was influenced by voluntarism. From the fiducial character of faith, he argues the importance of the will in the fall from grace and suggests that Calvin placed himself in the voluntaristic tradition of Scotus. In this article, Muller’s arguments are investigated and evaluated, and the conclusion is drawn that there is no ground for soteriological voluntarism in Calvin. This conclusion led the author to question whether intellectualism can be spoken of in Calvin’s soteriology. His research into this question is answered affirmatively, leading to the conclusion that Calvin is best understood from an intellectualistic point of view in both his metaphysics and his soteriology.
Contribution: Firstly, this article contributes to a historical-theological discussion of the relationship of will and reason in Calvin. Secondly, this discussion is important for a reformed anthropology. Thirdly, this historical insight is important for contemporary anthropological reflection, for example in relation to neuroscience.
Practical Theology, Practical religion. The Christian life
Hasnah Nasution, Muhammad S.A. Nasution, Wulan Dayu
et al.
The resistance of Muslims to shamanism began when lies of the shamans were exposed on social media. Many shamans practise fraud under the guise of religion. Magical objects such as luminous daggers or stones that emit smoke, used by shamans as occult actors are also known to be objects of magic tricks that are sold freely and can be used by anyone. Scholars also continuously preach that Muslims’ belief in shamans is forbidden. Therefore, Muslims in Indonesia fear that believing in shamans degrades human dignity and makes worship unacceptable. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors that cause the resistance of Muslim youth to shamanism. This study used a cross-sectional design which was conducted by interviewing 3025 Muslim youths who had the desire to highlight shamanism phenomena in North Sumatra. The analysis in this study used a logistic regression test with Jeffreys’s Amazing Statistics Program (JAPS 16 software). The results of this study indicate that Muslim youths have a high resistance to shamanism. The resistance of young Muslims to shamanism is influenced by emancipative Islamic theology (p 0.001; Exp [β] = 2.504) and hifz al-din [maintaining religion] (p = 0.001; Exp [β] = 2.293). Muslim youths have high resistance to shamanism due to the fear that this culture will reduce the dignity of the human caliphate if it is subject to anyone other than Allah. Muslim youth also have high resistance to shamanism because they are of the view that shamanism makes worship unacceptable to Allah SWT.
Contribution: This article explains the resistance of Muslim youth to shamanism. It also demonstrates how Muslims live in a multicultural society.
In a country burdened by violence and intolerance where many citizens claim to be Christians, a call to respond to a Christian ethics of peacemaking is appropriate. This article explores the instruction of the Matthean Jesus that his followers should be peacemakers amidst their exposure to violence. The point of departure is taken from the seventh beatitude ‘blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God’ (Mt 5:9). The motif of peacemaking is followed through in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount and then contextualised within the broader Matthean narrative. In the article the strenuous environment is considered in which the Gospel was written and the frequent occurrence of resistance, antagonism, violence and strife in the narrative. Instead of the endless and escalating chain of violence spawning yet more violence, Jesus breaks this chain. He instructs his disciples to be peacemakers. Peace starts with peace with God but ripples out to peace in families and among neighbours, until it comes to the most difficult part, peace with enemies.
Contribution: Based on this investigation, the article offers pastoral guidelines for Christians on how they ought to deal with a violent and intolerant environment.
Practical Theology, Practical religion. The Christian life
Representatives of contemporary Christian apologia evaluate enlighten-ment in different ways. Three basic trends developed among them. One of them, the trend of negation, rejects the age of reason as such, emphasizing, above all, the disastrous consequences of the ideologies that derive from it. Another trend of acceptance emphasizes the Enlightenment sources of the idea of human rights and the democratic system. Finally, the trend of balance combines both approaches, developing a reflection on the errors of the age of reason, yet not avoiding the need for dialogue. The aim of the work is to present these three concepts, indicating the last one as adopted by the new apologia whose renaissance we are currently observing.
Disability has remained on the fringes of research in Africa in general and Southern Africa in particular, especially in the field of theology. Its glaring absence constitutes an indictment against both church and society, revealing in the process both the church’s and society’s penchant for a dependence paradigm which has been the paradigm with respect to issues of disabilities and people with disabilities. Using the participatory method with its proclivity for bringing to the fore the voice of the ‘other’ and the marginalised, both the dependence and independence paradigms within the context of disability are put under scrutiny. In the process and through the voice of people with disabilities, the practical theological paradigm of interdependence emerges as the most appropriate and friendliest one, as it resonates with both the New Testament notion of koinonia through love and the African notion of botho through interconnection. The practical theology of holding each other in arms resonates with the theology of embrace that has been popularised by Volf within the context of much hatred and alienation. All these different dimensions of the theology of interdependence become the bedrock for inclusive and respectful treatment of each other irrespective of race, gender,
Empirical research is understood as the search for knowledge-based empirical data. The best-known data-based research strategy is survey research. In practical theology, survey research is probably one of the most used research strategies. In the exploration of congregational life, a broader (quantitative) lens is required in order to investigate congregations. The aim is to explore the use of survey research in practical theology and congregational studies. First, we shall describe survey research as a methodology, in order to explain its relevance as an empirical method for doing practical theology. Secondly, we shall explain the relevance of survey research for congregational life. Surveys make a valuable contribution to congregational studies, as they provide a quantitative perspective on congregational life and its context. National and local demographics are an important part of the positioning and ecology of a congregation. Thirdly, we shall evaluate the relevance and contribution of the survey research methodology for congregational studies.