Papers by Fernando Canale
Creación, evolución y teología
¿Debería la teología cristiana acomodar el relato de la creación bíblica en seis días a una evolu... more ¿Debería la teología cristiana acomodar el relato de la creación bíblica en seis días a una evolución en miles de millones de años? El prestigio de las ciencias empíricas ha convencido a muchos teólogos y a denominaciones enteras de que la evolución es el verdadero relato de la historia de la vida sobre la tierra. Para ellos, la evolución es tan cierta y verdadera como el hecho de que las manzanas provienen de los manzanos. Esta convicción ha motivado a los teólogos a realizar una reinterpretación de las Escrituras y acomodar sus creencias de manera que se ajusten a este nuevo “hecho” de la evolución histórica.En Creación, evolución y teología: Una introducción a los métodos científico y teológico, Fernando Canale presenta la estructura básica de la metodología científica y su aplicación a la construcción de la historia de la evolución. Canale muestra que la creencia popular en “resultados absolutamente ciertos” de la metodología científica es un mito, algo que ya ha sido reconocido por filósofos científicos y críticos posmodernos. El autor explica cómo la teología católica y la protestante pueden adaptar de manera coherente sus creencias religiosas a la historia de la evolución. A pesar de ello, sostiene Canale, cuando los cristianos optan por desarrollar su teología a partir de la sola Scriptura, resulta imposible acomodar las creencias cristianas a la historia de la evolución en miles de millones de años sin que pierdan su esencia y coherencia interna.
espanolEste articulo presenta la estructura y principios basicos de la investigacion de ideas exp... more espanolEste articulo presenta la estructura y principios basicos de la investigacion de ideas expresadas en textos. La primera seccion distingue entre las metodologias de las ciencias facticas y la de las ciencias humanas. La segunda seccion distingue entre las metodologias del pensamiento filosofico (metodologias que usan los filosofos para desarrollar su pensamiento) y las metodologias de investigacion filosofica (metodologias que utilizan los estudiantes avanzados e investigadores). Luego de describir la nocion general de metodo y sus condiciones, se pasa a identificar los componentes necesarios para toda metodologia. A continuacion se analiza brevemente el papel que cada componente juega en la investigacion de ideas transmitidas en textos. Los componentes involucrados son los materiales, los objetivos y los principios de interpretacion. Luego se discute brevemente el funcionamiento del metodo de investigacion filosofica. El articulo termina puntualizando algunas de las limitacio...
Ovaj tekst predstavlja dalji razvoj teme započete u posljednjem članku o temelju i metodologiji n... more Ovaj tekst predstavlja dalji razvoj teme započete u posljednjem članku o temelju i metodologiji novoga pristupa nauku o objavi i nadahnuću. Autor prvo objašnjava ulogu modela i ustroja pretpostavki u teologiji, a potom nastavlja s analizom pojmova objave i nadahnuća u tzv. \u27klasičnom modelu\u27, razvijenom od Origena, Augustina, Tome Akvinskog, do današnjih protestantskih konzervativnih stručnjaka poput Carla Henryja. Ustroj pretpostavki klasičnog modela počiva na filozofskim školama platonizma i aristotelijanizma, koje su bile prilagođene kršćanstvu u srednjevjekovnoj filozofiji. Njegova je glavna točka realizam u metafizici i intelektualizam u teoriji spoznaje. To logički povlači ulogu biblijskog pisca kao pukog pasivnog oruđa Svetog Duha. Istine otkrivene u Bibliji imaju se shvatiti samo u njihovom neprolaznom smislu, bez obzira na mnoge povijesne činjenice. Implikacija je takvog gledišta da se samo neki dijelovi Pisma imaju smatrati kao izvor teologije.Revelation and Inspirat...
Paradigm， System， and Theological Pluralism
Evangelical Quarterly: An International Review of Bible and Theology
This article explores the contents of the theological a priori and their bearings on the phenomen... more This article explores the contents of the theological a priori and their bearings on the phenomenon of theological pluralism. I suggest that the phenomenon of theological pluralism necessarily follows from the limitations proper to the nature of human reason . I start by distinguishing between Hans Kung’s notion of paradigm and the concept of system. Both belong to the theological a priori involved in the constitution of theological interpretations. Paradigm becomes the methodological portion of the theological a priori, while the system provides the ultimate foundations for meaning and truth. Next, I argue that, since reason can only provide various and even conflicting views of the ultimate hermeneutical principles of meaning (system), Christian theology cannot avoid inner fragmentation or theological pluralism. Finally, I propose that theological pluralism can be theologically overcome when the contents of the system are interpreted from the ground provided by biblical revelation.
The Cognitive Principle of Christian Theology: An Hermeneutical Study of the Revelation and Inspiration of the Bible
Where do Christians get the information about what they believe? How do theologians know whether ... more Where do Christians get the information about what they believe? How do theologians know whether the doctrines they teach are made up of divine truth? For centuries believers have assumed that the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the origin of Christian knowledge. Over time, other sources were added to Scripture, such as philosophy, science, tradition and experience. ·with the advent of modernity, philosophy and science led many Christian theologians to the idea that the documents comprising Scrip ture came out of human thinking and tradition. If the modem view was correct, Christian theology had no cognitive foundation; it was left groundless. Is there unique truth in Christianity? Do Christian doctrines describe real things to our minds? Or are they the result of imagination flowing through the traditions into which we are born? Is the modem view of the Bible\u27s origin the final word on the matter? Or are the views of the classical church and of contemporary ...
Personal Testimony
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sem-videos/1078/thumbnail.jp
Moj je prvi članak istražio osnovu za razvitak novog pristupa doktrini o objavi i nadahnuću. U ov... more Moj je prvi članak istražio osnovu za razvitak novog pristupa doktrini o objavi i nadahnuću. U ovom drugom članku postavlja se pitanje o metodologiji razvitka novog pristupa doktrini o objavi i nadahnuću kao teološkom problemu. Osnovna je teza ovog članka da je metodologija koju treba slijediti u razjašnjavanju epistemološkog podrijetla Pisma ona koju upotrebljava sustavna teologija. Međutim, ona mora biti prilagođena povijesnoj naravi osnove predočene u prvom članku.My first article explored the ground on which a new approach to the doctrine of revelation and inspiration could be eventually developed. Inthis second article I consider the method by which a new approach to revelation-inspiration as theological problem may be developed. The thesis of this article is that the method to be followed in clarifying the epistemological origin of Scripture is the methodology utilized by systematic theology. However, this methodology must be adjusted to the historical nature of the ground unc...
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2012
phenomenon relates to the evolution of Evangelicalism, in this series of articles I am attempting... more phenomenon relates to the evolution of Evangelicalism, in this series of articles I am attempting to assess, in broad lines, the nature and extent of the changes American Evangelicalism is experiencing at the beginning of the twenty first century. In order to envision the direction in which Evangelicalism may be evolving, it is important to factor the initial reaction of Evangelicals to the Emerging Church movement. Because the changes facing Evangelicalism affect the actual religious experience of all believers, reaction to postmodernity and engagement with the emerging church movement was unavoidable. Reactions to challenges can widely vary in persons and movements. Allan Stucky reminds us that “[d]ifferent people react to such radical changes in different ways. Some quickly adapt while others fight to keep their world the same at all costs. Some find themselves in the middle, cautiously seeking to understand their new world but weighing it against where they’ve been before. And j...
Andrews University Seminary Studies, 2006
Probably most evangelical theologians would be more inclined to defend, expand, and disseminate t... more Probably most evangelical theologians would be more inclined to defend, expand, and disseminate their theologd convictions than to deconstruct them. The notion that their theology could be "deconstructed" may sound, to them, preposterous, even sacrilegous. As a methodologd step, however, deconstruction is always necessary to understand revealed truths. In our postmodern times, "deconstruction" has become a synonym for "destruction." However, as I will explain later, in h s article I will use the word "deconstruction" to name a critical method of analyzing and evaluating the presuppositions on which theological systems have been built. Though the deconstruction may be applied to all schools of Christian theology, in this article I will specifically apply it to evangelical theology. This article suggests the possibility of analyzing evangelical theology' critically by deconstructing the theological system on which it stands. Though deconstruction can be applied to biblical interpretation and pastoral practices, in this article I am focusing on the deconstruction of Christian teachings that were constructed through the centuries by way of dogmatic or systematic theological thinking. Instead of facing the ever-increasing fragmentation of evangelical theology and its lack of relevance in the life of the church: I suggest we take an honest, introspective look at our own thinking. Thus the aim of methodological deconstruction is not to destroy evangelical theology, but to open the way for new theological understandings and fresh discovery of truth.' This proposal may be especially helpful in a time when evangelical theology is going through a period of crisis and transition.'' My purpose is modest. I aim at presenting a preliminary outline of the 'Though in this article I discuss the program of theological deconstruction in concrete relation to American evangelicalism, deconstruction is required in all forms of evangelical theologies and schools of Christian theologies.
Andrews University Seminary Studies, 1993
My first article' explored the ground on which a new approach to the doctrine of revelation a... more My first article' explored the ground on which a new approach to the doctrine of revelation and inspiration could be eventually developed. In this second article I consider the method by which a new approach to revelation-inspiration as theological problem may be developed. The thesis of this article is that the method to be followed in clarifying the epistemological2 origin of Scripture is the methodology utilized by systematic theology. However, this methodology must be adjusted to the historical nature of the ground uncovered in the first article.
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2006
Review At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Adventist theology stands divided. In the fi... more Review At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Adventist theology stands divided. In the first article of this series, we discovered that Adventist theological pluralism originated when the lay theology of early Adventism faced the academic world of scholarly research. Theological tradition, philosophy, and science generated questions they were not prepared to answer. By the late seventies, a sector of Adventism was adjusting Adventist beliefs to Evangelical theology. Simultaneously, another sector was adjusting Adventism to science. In the process, Evangelical and Progressive Adventisms forgot and replaced the sanctuary vision that originated the systematic understanding of Christian theology that brought Adventism to existence. The nature of Adventist pluralism is methodological. It generates from disagreements on the basic principles from which we interpret scripture and understand Christian doctrines. It seriously endangers the unity, ministry, and mission of the church. In the second article, we saw that Adventism could overcome its present theological divisions by creatively engaging in biblical and systematic theologies. Systematic theology provides the scholarly method and space for the complete and harmonious system of truth Adventist pioneers saw. Systematic and biblical theologies assume methodological conditions and a hermeneutical vision to guide them in the discovery of truth.
Andrews University Seminary Studies, 1998
In his study of sanctuary terms in Exod 25-40, Ralph E. Hendrix reports that "miqdaj (holy precin... more In his study of sanctuary terms in Exod 25-40, Ralph E. Hendrix reports that "miqdaj (holy precinct), and b y i t (house) in reference to the divine dwelling, each occurs only once, in Exod 25:8 and 34b:26 respectively" CThe Use of Mijkan and 'Ohel Mo id in Exod 25-40," Andrews University Seminary Studies 30 [1992]: 5, n. 5). In these chapters two other words are used consistently to refer to the sanctuary. Concluding his word study, Hendrix suggests "that mishn is used in constructional contexts, primarily associated with commands to manufacture and assemble the Dwelling Place of YHWH, but secondarily in its generic sense as simply 'dwelling place.' The phrase bhel moid appears in literary contexts where the cultic function of the habitation is the concern" (ibid., 13). In a more theological note he adds that "in all contexts within Exod 2110 the biblical writer has masterfully controlled the use of mishn and ?&el mo id in order to clarlfy the dual nature of YHWH's habitation. That habitation was to be understood as a transient dwelling place, such as was consistent with the dwelling places of nomadic peoples; therefore the choice of miikan. But yet, that habitation also had the continuing function of fostering the cultic relationship, and this aspect was best expressed by the choice of %el mo 8' (ibid.). The variety in the use of words to describe the sanctuary contributes to underline its God-building-beings structure. In this article I am not addressing the complexity of the structure. The purpose of the essay only requires its identification. However, we should notice that the "bui1ding"component does not play a mediatorial role between God and human beings, but situates and articulates their relationships in space and time. 'Aristotle Metaphysics 1. 1-2, 981b26-983a11. Aristotle describes the science we call metaphysics as the study "that investigates the first principles and causes" (ibid., 1.2,982b9). 'Martin Heidegger underlines the role of human nature as principle of interpretation of reality (ontology) (Being and Time, trans. by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson [New York: Harper and Collins, 1962],62). 'Aristotle recognized that our understanding of the world is a principle of science. If it were not by the existence of the science of God (theology), the science of the world would the Pre-Socratic Philosophers: A Complete Translation of the Fragments in Diels, Fragmente der Vorsokratikw [Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1948],43).
Should theological scholarship be satisfied with alreadyexisting theories about revelation and in... more Should theological scholarship be satisfied with alreadyexisting theories about revelation and inspiration, or is there room for development of a new understanding of the way in which the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures were originated? In this article I probe the question of the ground or basis for developing a new approach to this doctrine. Further aspects of the topic will be considered in later articles. It seems clear, to begin with, that according to Scripture itself, both revelation (e.g., Dan 2:28; Gal 1:12; Eph 1:17; and Rev 1:l) and inspiration (eg., 2 Tim 3:16 and 2 Pet 1:21) are acts of God. Without attempting at this point to define these terms precisely, we can say that revelation involves God's action in the process of generating ideas in the mind of the prophet, whereas inspiration involves God's action in the process through which the prophets wrote down the revealed ideas and produced the Bible.' It follows that any interpretation of the revelation-inspirat...
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2011
Anglican theologian Alister McGrath describes Protestantism as a "living entity whose identity mu... more Anglican theologian Alister McGrath describes Protestantism as a "living entity whose identity mutates over time." "In biological 1 mutation-explains McGrath-, small changes in genetic codes lead to the emergence of new forms." Postmodernity has brought about deep 2 epochal changes in Western culture and philosophy. These changes reached evangelical circles during the last twenty years generating a number of responses. One of them, the "emerging church" movement is gaining momentum, attention, and influence. Justin Taylor thinks that it involves a "significant shift" in some segments of evangelicalism. The 3 leadership of the Evangelical coalition and the future of the Protestant Reformation may be at stake. What are the extent and nature of the changes taking place in the emerging Church movement? Moreover, does the emerging church movement represent a minor evolutionary mutation in the history of 4
Perspective Digest, 2012
The role of the church in the interpretation of the Holy Word is a matter of delicate balance.
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2012
In this series of articles I am considering the changes Protestantism is experiencing at the begi... more In this series of articles I am considering the changes Protestantism is experiencing at the beginning of the twenty first century and its implications for the future of the Evangelical movement in America. In previous articles I have presented a brief historical and theological background, description, and evaluation of the broad changes presently taking place under the Emerging Church umbrella designation. In this article I will identify the major levels where these changes are occurring and some of their implications for the future theological and ministerial task of Evangelical Christians. As we proceed, I will deal briefly with the nature and consequences of the changes experienced by the Emerging Church sector of the Evangelical movement. Specifically, are we to see these changes as a passing fad affecting the level of praxis (evangelism, mass media communication, music) where the gospel is packaged, or, as reaching deeper into the level of thinking (philosophy and theology) a...
Andrews University Seminary Studies, 2007
Postmodernity brought about the greatest paradigm shift in philosophical s t u l e s since Socrat... more Postmodernity brought about the greatest paradigm shift in philosophical s t u l e s since Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle defmed the basic structure and destiny of Western philosophy and science. I n postmodern times, knowledge and truth have become relative to the historical and cultural conditions o f the cognitive subject. Postmodern "herrneneutical reason"' replaces the "epistemologcal foundationabsm" of classical and modem times.2 T h e epistemologcal shift implies that truth changes with the times. W e can n o longer speak of "eternal" o r "absolute" truth. Truth is relative to our historically and culturally conditioned lives3 How should evangelical theology relate to this epoch-making epistemological shift? Can we speak in postmodern times of an absolute unchanging theological truth?4 Recently, Stanley Grenz has addressed h s issue,5 proposing that evangelical theology should embrace postmodern epistemology and work from w i h the ...
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2011
Having outlined a basic historical context from which to understand and evaluate current mutation... more Having outlined a basic historical context from which to understand and evaluate current mutations taking place within the evangelical movement in the first article of this series, we now turn our attention to the “emerging church” movement itself. Probably most people associate the “Emerging Church” label with a worship style fad. On July 8, 2005, a PBS Special Documentary defined the “Emerging Church” as “a growing movement that is rethinking what Christianity and the Church should look like in contemporary culture.” The 1