Presentation

Esteemed reader, we are presenting, in your hands, one more edition of the journal Caminhando. For the first time, we are presenting an article written in English. In the near future, we will also present articles in Spanish. As such, we are doing everything possible to make our journal truly international.

In the section on the Bible, Dr. Milton Schwantes, in his article “The king – messiah in Jerusalem: Observations on Davidic messianism in Psalms 2 and 110” presents an introduction to hierosolimitantic messianic theology and its contribution to “the close relationship between the divine and Davidic realization”. It is also important to take note of his literal translation of Psalm 2.

Marcelo Carneiro, professor of New Testament in Bennett Methodist Institute and coordinator of the program in theology, offers an “Historical analysis applied to the text of Matthew 5: 17-20: a discussion of Jesus and the Torah”, and deals with the use of an exegetical method, and participates, beyond this, in the renewed discussion regarding the Historical Jesus. The fact the historical source of Matthew 5: 17-20 is quite controversial reaffirms the special value of this reflection.

The articles in the section on Theology and History deal with, in this edition, anthropology, ecclesiology and cultural theology. Dr. Cláudio de Oliveira Ribeiro presents, in his introductory article, a synthesis with regard to the principle themes studied in the discipline Creation and Anthropology. This panoramic vision will be very useful for the repetition of the contents in the course and overcomes the quite common tendency of specialization in dogmatic studies.

Dr. Rui Josgrilberg offers, at our request, the Aula Magna for the first semester of 2008 at the Bachelors course at the School of Theology of the Methodist Church / UMESP. “The ethical subject” is a profound analysis of the comprehension of the human being as subject. Beyond this, his distinction between the ethical subject and the ethical Christian subject certainly awakens considerable interest. It is not necessary to say that the theme is a continuation of a phenomenological perspective on the study of the human being.

Following is a reflection on “Theological Education from the perspective of gender” by Bishop Marisa Freitas Coutinho, which is based on a lecture offered at the inauguration of the Otilia Chaves Center of the School of Theology. The Bishop, who is responsible for the Northeast of Brazil, argues in favor of studies from the perspective of gender, and challenges andocentric perspectives without reducing the question of gender to mere ginocentrism. Because of her Biblical presentation and pastoral tone, readers who are not familiar with studies related to gender will find the text very accessible.

Dr. Douglas Nassif analyses intra-catholic movements during the second empire (1840-1889). With this tool the Methodist student of the subject can explain how a missionary, in this case the Methodist pastor Daniel Kidder, in 1835, said, regarding Brazil, that “no other Catholic country exists on the globe, where there prevails a greater degree of tolerance and liberal attitude of feelings toward Protestants”, and why the Methodist missionary Justus Nelson, the only Protestant pastor imprisoned for “Affront to the Apostolic Roman Catholic Religion” does not attack Catholicism in general terms, but holds the ultramontane group responsible.

Dr. Helmut Renders presents different confessional readings of the marks of the Church (one, holy, catholic, apostolic) and synthesizes differences and shared understandings. “The notae ecclesias of the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed as basis for the new aoreciation of the project of the Church” deals with a Church that is still not present; nonetheless, it is not simply “invisible”. It deals with a horizon of hope for the renovation of the project of the Church.

Bishop Josué Adam Lazier, currently completing his Masters Degree, reflects on ”The liturgical and transformational Church” and points to ecclesiological aspects of the Methodist Social Creed that became, in the same year of its creations in 1908, a Creed accepted by the National Council of Christian Churches in the United States.

Dr. Michael Nausner, Member of the International Editorial Council and professor in the School of Theology of the United Methodist Church in Germany, in Reutlingen, in his article “Intercultural Experiences in the Methodist Connectional System” presents his research regarding cultural frontiers. Cultural frontiers are understood as “primary sources of Christian formation” not only in the sense of experiences of limitations, but, equally, of opportunities.

In his article “Primitive Methodism and the valuing of African culture” Gercymar Wellington Lima and Silva combine to offer concepts of social and cultural history and inaugurate, in the discussion, a new series of ideas in which we dream of the meaning of the good life. In coming editions we will publish one or two articles that deal with theology from an Afro – Brazilian perspective, including biblical, doctrinal and pastoral aspects. We hope to motivate and establish an ongoing reflection on a theme which has not been given sufficient attention.

We open the Pastoral section with a third, more panoramic, article, by the doctoral student Blanches de Paula: “Themes that challenge Pastoral Psychology”. The author mentions the challenges of daily life, the sociology of emotion, new directions in psychology and research in pastoral psychology. Amongst these and other themes, the author points to the challenge of cognitivizing and sentimentalizing faith, the church as a therapeutic community and “reconciliation in a social perspective”.

Following comes the research group Discurso, under the direction of Dr. Magali do Nascimento Cunha, which shares a research summary on “Religious discourse, Pentecostal hegemony, and media in Brazil. The presence in television of Pastor R.R. Soares: a case study”. The study investigates the reasons for the high degree of acceptance of the missionary amongst evangelicals and points to “the marriage of a matrix of religious, social and contextual factors”.

Finally, the article of the CNPq scholarship holder Maria Aparecida da Silva, on the theme of “Reconciliation: the path to the cure of wounds and overcoming religious divisions”. This young theologian reflects on a generation in which the ecumenical spirit does not represent a common point of reference. According to her, inter-ecclesiastical relations need an existential grounding in order to once again proceed.

We end this presentation with information in relation to the electronic edition of the publication. Please consult the page of electronic publications of the Methodist University of São Paulo, which can be found at www.metodista.br/ppc

Between Easter and Pentecost, that represents the essence of Christian hope, in relation to the cosmos, to the Church and to human beings,

In the name of the Editorial Staff,

Helmut Renders

Editor