Theology of Participation: A Conversation of Traditions

by Daniel G. Oprean

Overview

Baptists in Romania have developed a practice of suspicion when it comes to religious dialogue, especially with the Romanian Orthodox tradition, due to a history that is characterized by oppression. In this detailed study Dr Daniel Oprean paves the way for positive dialogue between the two traditions, highlighting that much can be gained and learned by acknowledging similarities and differences in key aspects of theology. Dr Oprean explores how existing theological resources can be used to enhance theological discourse between Baptist and Orthodox traditions in Romania through in-depth analysis of the thought of British Baptist theologian, Professor Paul Fiddes, and Romanian Orthodox theologian, Father Dumitru Stăniloae. Oprean in particular looks at their understanding of trinitarian and human participation through perichoresis, the Eucharist, Christian spirituality, and baptism and chrismation. Presented as a conversation between the two traditions this study is a model for how theological and religious dialogue can facilitate reconciliation, not just in the church but also in wider society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783686391
Publisher:	Langham Creative Projects
Publication date:	05/31/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	978 KB

About the Author

DANIEL G. OPREAN received his PhD from the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK, in 2014 and is currently a senior lecturer at Evangelical Theological Seminary, Osijek, Croatia. He serves as the Movement Coordinator for Langham Preaching in Romania, as well as a pastor with the Baptist Union in Romania. He is the author of Communion and Participation: Theological Reflections on the Spiritual Dimension of Existence (Excelsior Art, 2011) and editor of The Dialogue between Exegesis and Theology in Bible Preaching (Editura de Vest, 2018).

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 – Introduction

Part 1: The Dynamic of Spiritual Journey in Stăniloae’s Theology

Chapter 2 – Stăniloae’s Spiritual Journey

Chapter 3 – Trinitarian Theology of Participation in Stăniloae’s Thought about Baptism

Chapter 4 – Stăniloae’s Theology of the Eucharist as a Reflection of Perichoresis

Chapter 5 – Stăniloae’s Theology of Spirituality as Actualization of the Trinitarian Christological-Pneumatological Convergence

Part 2: The Dynamic of Spiritual Journey in Paul Fiddes’s Theology

Chapter 6 – Paul Fiddes’s Spiritual Journey

Chapter 7 – Fiddes’s Theology of Participation in His Thought about Baptism

Chapter 8 – Fiddes’s Perichoretical Theology in His Thought about the Eucharist

Chapter 9 – Fiddes’s Covenantal Theology in His Thought about Spirituality

Part 3: Conclusions

Chapter 10 – The Dialogical Dimension of the Spiritual Journey: Results of the Conversation

Chapter 11 – The Transformative Dimension of the Spiritual Journey: Lessons from the Conversation

Chapter 12 – General Conclusion

Appendix A: Bibliography of Paul S. Fiddes

Appendix B: Select Works of Dumitru Stăniloae

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

This book is a welcome and important contribution to the field of religious dialogue between the Orthodox and the Baptist communities. Dr Oprean works on the basis that dialogical theology enriches Christian understanding, and he develops his themes by means of an interdisciplinary conversation between the Romanian Orthodox theologian Dumitru Stăniloae, and the Baptist theologian Paul Fiddes. Areas of common agreement between the two are explored, as well as significant differences. The author affirms the uniting centrality of Trinitarian theology. This is a book that will serve to enhance the conversation between Orthodox and Baptist communities in Romania, and deepen the mutual understanding of each other’s religious traditions.

Ian J. Shaw, PhD

Provost, Union School of Theology,

Bridgend, South Wales, UK

In his book, Theology of Participation: A Conversation of Traditions, Daniel Oprean explores the way in which the theological perspectives of two important theologians can contribute to a deeper understanding of the respective traditions through a theological dialogue. The author engages with the writings of Paul Fiddes, a British Baptist theologian, and of Dumitru Stăniloae, a Romanian Orthodox theologian, introducing the readers to some of the positions they share in common, while at the same time acknowledging their differences. Oprean contributes in this way in a significant manner to the effort to bring the two theologians in conversation. He recognizes that Fiddes and Stăniloae ground their language and concepts in an understanding of the Trinity which opens up the possibility of man’s participation. The book is a welcome and important step towards more engagement between the two Christian traditions. This can lead to a discovery of new and surprising avenues of theological discussion which can lead to a more adequate understanding of each other.

Otniel Ioan Bunaciu, PhD

Dean, Faculty of Baptist Theology,

University of Bucharest, Romania

Daniel Oprean’s proposal for meaningful dialogue between Christian communities that have been, many a time, on opposite sides of the fence makes Theology of Participation: A Conversation of Traditions, a book that is both contextually relevant and globally necessary. Contextually relevant because the author, himself a Baptist addressing a majority Eastern-Orthodox environment, provides an excellent example of theological engagement with one’s religious milieu from a minority position. And globally necessary because Oprean’s method of “conversation” is easily transposable and therefore may provide for engaging alternative theological traditions in other multi-faith environments.

Marcel V Măcelaru, PhD

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,

Aurel Vlaicu University, Arad, Romania

From the Publisher