Moral Language and the Language of Grace
Philosophy and Theology 10 (1):169-198 (1997)
| Abstract | From the standpoint of the moral theologian, perhaps the most influential aspect of Karl Rahner’s theology is the thesis of the fundamental option, that is, the claim that the individual’s status before God is determined by a basic, freely chosen and prethematic orientation of openness towards, or rejection of God which takes place at the level of core or transcendental freedom. This paper argues that this notion of the fundamental option is problematic because it is not concrete enough to provide an adequate interpretation of our actual experience. Yet this problem cannot be addressed through reviving the traditional account of mortal and venial sins, which are equally problematic, albeit in a somewhat different way. The second half of the paper explores the alternative offered by Aquinas’s account of charity, which, it is argued, does provide us with an account of grace sufficiently rich and concrete to illuminate human experience. However, this alternative is likewise problematic, most notably in its commitment to the view that charity is lost through one mortal sin. Yet Aquinas’s account of charity provides resources for an internal critique and revision on this point, as can be seen through a consideration of cases of “sinful saints.” | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,709 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesBrian F. Linnane (2003). Rahner's Fundamental Option and Virtue Ethics. Philosophy and Theology 15 (1):229-254.
Joseph A. DiNoia (1992). Nature, Grace, and Experience. Philosophy and Theology 7 (2):115-126.
Heidi Russell (2010). Efficacious and Sufficient Grace. Philosophy and Theology 22 (1/2):353-372.
Benedict M. Ashley (1997). Fundamental Option and/or Commitment to Ultimate End. Philosophy and Theology 10 (1):113-141.
Kevin Timpe (2007). Grace and Controlling What We Do Not Cause. Faith and Philosophy 24 (3):284-299.
Kevin Timpe (2007). Grace and Controlling What We Do Not Cause. Faith and Philosophy 24 (3):284-299.
Brian F. Linnane (1997). Categorical and Transcendental Experience in Rahner's Theology. Philosophy and Theology 10 (1):199-226.
Gerald P. McKenny (2010). The Analogy of Grace: Karl Barth's Moral Theology. Oxford University Press.
Jennifer Erin Beste (2007). God and the Victim: Traumatic Intrusions on Grace and Freedom. Oxford University Press.
Max Kölbel (1998). Lewis, Language, Lust and Lies. Inquiry 41 (3):301 – 315.
Mark B. Tappan (1991). Narrative, Language and Moral Experience. Journal of Moral Education 20 (3):243-256.
Jean Porter (1989). Moral Rules and Moral Actions: A Comparison of Aquinas and Modern Moral Theology. Journal of Religious Ethics 17 (1):123 - 149.
Darrell Cole (1999). Thomas Aquinas on Virtuous Warfare. Journal of Religious Ethics 27 (1):57 - 80.
Theodore W. Jennings (1985). Beyond Theism: A Grammar of God-Language. Oxford University Press.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2011-01-09Total downloads4 ( #178,844 of 549,699 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,425 of 549,699 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
