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Heaven
- Beyond its basic meaning as the divine dwelling place, the idea in Christian theology of heaven as the ultimate (or penultimate) destiny of human beings is where most reflection has focused, and where most problems arise. The first part of this entry explores conceptual issues, the second ima...
- Author
- David Brown
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Being and existence
Dispensationalism
- The theological approach to the Bible called dispensationalism has had a long and controversial history in the Christian church, and its impact on the global church over the last century and a half can hardly be denied (69–100; 9–56; ; ). The movement emerged in the nineteenth century and h...
- Author
- Darrell L. Bock
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Theological movements
Justification
- Within Christian theology, justification refers to the act whereby human beings are established as righteous before God. The doctrine of justification is distinct within the history of theology both for the importance ascribed to it – Martin Luther, as one prominent example, asserts that the ...
- Author
- Matthew J. Thomas
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Being and existence
Jesus as the Pattern of Love in Atonement
- This article discusses the interpretation of the Christian doctrine of atonement which is usually called the ‘moral influence’ theory. A close analysis will suggest that this theory is better called ‘persuasive love’, since the revelation of God’s love in the death of Christ is central to t...
- Author
- Paul Fiddes
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Being and existence
The Last Judgment
- The last judgment is widely understood in Christianity as something which will take place in the eschata or eschaton (sometimes called ‘the end times’), with only marginal significance for everyday life. A closer look reveals this notion to be misguided. Understanding the last judgment as a...
- Author
- Markus Mühling
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Being and existence, Law
Witness and Evangelism
- Witness and evangelism are concepts related to how Christians participate in the mission of the triune God (missio Dei). As stated in Together Toward Life, a document published by the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), God’s mission is to share th...
- Author
- Mark R. Teasdale
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Jesus’ Descent into Hell
- The Apostles’ Creed affirms that, between his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ descendit ad inferna, ‘descended to the realm of the dead’ or, more traditionally, ‘descended into hell’. Christians across time and history have expressed particular interpretations of this clause in liturgy...
- Author
- Preston McDaniel Hill and Catherine Ella Laufer
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Being and existence
Purgatory in Historical Perspective
- Purgatory is a place, state, or stage in the Christian afterlife where, after death, the soul is purged of minor, unexpiated sin so that it can be fit for heaven. ‘Purgatory’ derives from the Latin purgare (to purge) and hence as the noun purgatorium it is a place of purgation and purificat...
- Author
- Isabel Moreira
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Being and existence
Christian Theology of Religions
- This entry examines the way Christian theology has responded to the challenge of non-Christian religions in the last century. Key topics central to this response have been ecclesiology, the use of scripture, Christology and trinitarian theology, revelation, mission, and dialogue. It is the ...
- Author
- Gavin D’Costa
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Theology of religions
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