Faith, hope, and love, traditionally called theological virtues, are central to Christianity. This book renews faith, hope, and love in the context of the many contemporary challenges in many unique ways. It is an ecumenical collection of papers, equally divided between Catholic and Protestant positions, that seek to radically renew the classical doctrine of faith, hope, and love, and argues for their essential connection to the praxis of justice. It contains eight different approaches, each represented by a distinguished theologian and addressing different aspects of the issues and followed by insightful and critical responses. It does not merely seek to renew the theological virtues but to also reconstruct them in the demanding context of justice and the contemporary world, nor is it simply a treatise on justice but a theoretical and practical reflection on justice as vital expressions of faith in God, hope in God, and love of God. A non-dogmatic and non-ideological approach, it accommodates both conservative and liberal positions, and avoids the separation of the theological virtues from the demands of the contemporary world as well as the separation of justice talk from the theological context of faith, hope, and love. It seeks above all to renew, not merely repeat, the classical doctrine of faith, hope, and love in the contemporary context of the urgency of justice, and to do so ecumenically, comprehensively, and from a variety of perspectives and aspects.
Introduction Challenges and Opportunities for Faith, Hope, and Love Today Anselm K. Min 1 Faith, Hope, and Love in the Thought of Pope Benedict XVI Thomas P. Rausch, S.J. On the Role of Christian Particularity in Political Theology Shane Akerman 2 Protest against Death: Faith, Hope, and Love: A Theological Meditation Ingolf U. Dalferth Beer and Skittles as (Divinely Initiated) Protest? Rhys Kuzmic 3 The Theological Virtues: "And the Greatest of These Is Love" Stephen T. Davis The Trouble with Hope and Compensatory Logic in a Kantian Form Jonathan Russell 4 Faith, Hope, and Love and the Challenges of Justice Francis Schussler Fiorenza Love and Justice in Non-Dualistic Perspective Joseph Prabhu 5 Faith, Hope and Love: The Challenge of Colorblindness Mary McClintock Fulkerson What about Other Marginalized Communities and Beings? Grace Y. Kao 6 Incarnating Faith, Hope, and Love: Theo-Political Virtues and the Common Good M. Shawn Copeland Hoping against Hope Kirsten Gerdes 7 Faith, Hope, and Love in an Age of Terror Elaine A. Robinson Cruciform Atonement Paul Pistone 8 Transcendence and Solidarity: Conditions of Faith, Hope, and Love Today Anselm K. Min What If Christians Are Responsible for Their Own Decline? Paul E. Capetz
