By the renewing of your minds: the pastoral function of Christian doctrine

Abstract

By Renewing of Your Minds: The Pastoral Function of Christian Doctrine. By Ellen T Charry. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. xiii + 264 pp. $16.95 (paper). This book corrects two distortions in Western Christian theology@ The first is modem constriction of what is reasonable in theology what can be empirically and rationally proven. The second is premodern preoccupation with and anxiety over sin and whether one is pleasing In response both, Charry calls for return patristic emphasis on that is, engaged knowledge of knowing and loving As form of sapience, Christian doctrine functions as pastoral pedagogy that engages reader and listener in life of dignity and Charry locates her argument in relation contemporary interest in literature as source for moral guidance. She notes that this turn fiction should encourage theologians reclaim not only emotions in their reflection but such neglected sources as inference, experience, prayer, and worship. in addition, Charry draws an analogy between theology and practical art of medicine. Like medicine, theology also requires not only inferential knowledge based on accumulated cases but experimentation and high level of trust among its practitioners. Its purpose is enable live more excellent lives. To support this point, Charry coins word aretegenic, meaning conducive virtue (from Greek arete, virtue, and gennao, to beget). Christian doctrines are be 11 aretegenic. They exist not solely provide correct information nor even certainty about afterlife but to change how we think and act-to remake us (p. vii), And their effect on is Only first and last chapters of this book make formal defense of its thesis; main portion develops material argument by way of close reading of classic texts. In this reading, Charry highlights how classical theologians were concerned with moral formation. She reads St. Paul in relation his depiction of God's work of transforming believers, work that is primarily public and social, and deeply ontological. Her reading of Sermon on Mount stresses how it calls Christians purity and perfection patterned after of God. She even reads early doctrinal development in this light. Athanasius's stress on honwousios is only intelligible when set within context of how Incarnation restores our true nature and provides with standard of excellence. In turn, Basil of Caesarea makes point that Trinity is precise model of what we are become even as it is also the means for its achievement (p. 118). And Augustine's trinitarian theology is yet another pedagogy that establishes seeker's identityin God's being, reassuring her that a new and better self is both called for and possible (p. 147). Charry is critical of theology that comes after patristic period for being overly preoccupied with sin and certainty of one's salvation. Nonetheless, she is able find even in medieval and Reformation theology indications of Christian doctrine's salutary value. Anselm's stress on satisfaction (and honor and debt) is simply yet another strategy leading God's standard for us--the rescue of others for sake of justice and mercy working in tandem (p. …

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