The Theological Imperative to Authenticity

Description

From a theological viewpoint, this book explores the junction between the philosophical existential idea of the authentic self and its cultural appropriation. The text builds on the theology of John Macquarrie and the narrative formation of identity to construct a theological definition of authentic selfhood. It then contrasts this definition with the common idea that authenticity, in the moral sense, can be used to justify any action. The author argues that this is not genuine authenticity. Instead, they consider that authenticity rests upon loyalty to something greater than oneself, and for Christians this is the character of the God in whose image they are created and are being formed. This book is illuminating reading for students and scholars of theological anthropology, pastroral theology, ethics and moral philosophy. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Methodology and Overview 1 What Is Authenticity? The Difficulty of Definition A Brief History Authenticity in Popular Writing Authenticity in Philosophy Authenticity in Theology 2 Human Becoming and the Image of God The Concept of Freedom “Ambiguous” Human Freedom for Inhumanity Human “Becoming” Human “Becoming” and “Potentiality” “Being” and “Letting-Be” The Image of God The imago Dei and Creation Sin and the imago Dei Sin and Original Righteousness The imago Dei and Salvation 3 Identity and the “True Self” True Self? What Is the “True” Self? “True” Self as Universal and Particular True Selves Taylor and Modern Understandings of Identity Identity and Commitment Identity and Community Self-Shaping 4 Identity as Formed in Narrative Narrative Intelligibility Narrative Continuity Narration Sociocultural Identity Formation The Importance of Telos 5 The Social Human Culture and Uniqueness in Relational Humanity A Self That Is Unique The Trinity and Human Sociality Embodiedness and Sociality The Body and Self-Expression The “I-Thou” Relationships and Ethics 6 Authenticity: A Definition The Journey to a Definition The First Definition The Second Definition The Third Definition The Fourth Definition Authenticity Is to Bring the Fullness of One’s Unique, God-Inspired Self to Life The Unique God-Inspired Self To Life 7 Authenticity: The Definition Tested The “True Torturer” Radical Individualism and the Social Human The Expression of Desire and an Orientation to the Good Authenticity as Ethic and Moral Relativism Conclusion Bibliography Index