Self-Emptying of Christ and the Christian: Three Essays on Kenosis - Softcover

Lounibos, John B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1610971892 ISBN 13: 9781610971898

Publisher: Wipf & Stock, 2011

Synopsis

This collection wrestles with a profusion of questions about kenosis. What is the original meaning and purpose of the self-emptying of Jesus? How can today's Christians emulate it, replacing our own selfish designs with the mind of Christ? How is the current interest in "servant leadership" as a model in the modern church, related to the self-sacrificing servant of Philippians 2? Does this practice have any meaning in our present secular age? Does it imply deconstructing the content of Christian faith and morals in contemporary culture? Is it a possible bridge between Eastern and Western spiritual traditions? Using the key theme of Jesus' emptying of himself in the Philippians hymn, John Lounibos explores the mysteries of kenosis in three strikingly different essays. The first, using extensive exegesis of the text, opens up the poetic, theological, and spiritual depths of this Christian mystery. The second essay establishes a philosophical grounding for kenosis in the work of Paul Tillich on the estrangements of finite human freedom. The third enters into dialogue with the Buddhist tradition and its intriguing notions of "nothingness" and "no-self" The attentive reader will be rewarded with a wealth of information and insights for further reflection and personal application.

About this title

About the Author:

John B. Lounibos is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Ethics at Dominican College in Orangeburg, New York, where he taught for thirty-seven years. Besides teaching, research, and writing for fifty years, he has been Jesuit, Trustee, Consultant, Spouse, Parent, Grandparent, Church Lector, Coach, Bus Driver, and Farm Worker. He has previously co-edited four books, including Pagan and Christian Anxiety (1984).

Review:

"There is no text more critical for the church's self-understanding than Paul's hymn of Christ's kenosis in Philippians 2:5-11. In his Self-Emptying of Christ and the Christian, John Lounibos guides readers into the riches of this passage, repurposing and augmenting three previously written essays. What makes his work especially helpful and distinctive are its multiple interpretive horizons, including exegesis, theology, and interreligious reflection."
-Richard B. Gardner
Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Bethany Theological Seminary

"After a long career of distinguished scholarship and teaching, John Lounibos has brought together three of his essays, all related to the scriptural notion of kenosis, and each of them an embodiment of a different initiative associated with Vatican II. The first, focused on the famous hymn from Philippians, reflects the renewed interest in scriptural studies that preceded the Council and found expression in so many of its decrees. The second explores the existential meaning of the concept in the writings of the great Paul Tillich, and reflects the renewed ecumenism fostered by the Council. The third discusses similarities and differences between Christian 'emptying' and Buddist detachment and is an authentic step toward mutual understanding with a non-Christian tradition, also a Conciliar priority."
-Edward L. Burke
Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Langley Porter Institute, UC San Francisco

"In today's fractured world, theology must address the likenesses and contrasts existing among the great religions. John Lounibos, who has spent a lifetime exploring Scripture, enlightens today's believer through his grasp of the significance of the hymn in Philippians 2, which sheds a beacon of light on the mystery of Jesus. Lounibos builds bridges between the hymn's Christian humility and the Buddhist tradition of nothingness, laying common ground for mutual understanding while recognizing real differences."
-L. Patrick Carroll
author of A Crooked Finger Beckons --Wipf and Stock Publishers

"John Lounibos has written a scholarly work of the first order. His extensive research into the topic of 'kenosis' has resulted in a work of profound importance. It deserves to be studied by those involved in biblical study and in the related work of renewing communities of faith, as well as by those who focus on spiritual and philosophical renewal, either within the Eastern or the Western traditions, including those engaged by various disciplines sometimes grouped under the heading of depth psychology."
-William J. Hurst
Faculty member at the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies

"Christian dialogue with Buddhism is today both interesting and necessary. In this clear, compelling, and most opportune study, theologian John Lounibos explores how the stirring Pauline hymn in Philippians 2 on the 'self-emptying' of Christ Jesus, a theme developed in the 'kenotic spirituality' of Paul Tillich, mirrors the 'non-self' teaching of Buddhism, and provides us an invaluable contact point for mutual dialogue and understanding."
-G. Donald Maloney
Collegiate Professor, Psychology and Philosophy, University of Maryland

"This collection represents over forty years of research, inter-religious dialogue, and personal spiritual practice. Lounibos asks us to consider what the self-emptying of Christ implies for inter-religious dialogue, as well as our own inner spiritual life. The essay on Paul Tillich is inspired by his genius in converting biblical symbols into existential language that strikes at the heart of our human, anxious, experiences. Christ is the New Being, who overcomes estrangement and empowers our weakened, finite freedom. Dialogue with Zen Buddhist scholar Masao Abe compares the Philippians hymn with the teaching of sunyata or 'nothingness'(no mental concept or self-focused desire) in the 'Heart Sutra.'"
-Michael R. Saso
Professor of Buddhist, Daoist, Spirituality Studies, Beijing and Los Angeles --Wipf and Stock Publishers

About this edition

• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1610971892
• ISBN 13: 9781610971898
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 134