Discerning God Incarnate: A Study of Method in Christology

A critical examination of diverse contemporary approaches to identifying Jesus of Nazareth as God incarnate. Is incarnational Christology credible? Should we understand Jesus as God incarnate? Discerning God Incarnate offers a critical survey of a range of proposals in contemporary theology and philosophy of religion on the validation of the doctrine of the Incarnation. In this engaging and original study Gary Chartier investigates approaches that span across the topics of consciousness, resurrection, tradition and experience, focusing on the logic and pervasive assumptions of each argument.Historical study of the Bible and historical sensitivity to the ways in which church tradition develops, along with contemporary views of divine action, make it difficult to affirm belief in the Incarnation simply on the basis of what the Bible or the church teaches. Chartier examines the alternative paths to affirming incarnational Christology that take full account of contemporary historical and philosophical insights. He explores the potential and limitations of the kind of ‘critical orthodoxy’ associated with such figures as Charles Gore, J. M. Creed and Leonard Hodgson, embracing both credal orthodoxy and historical consciousness.Providing a sharp philosophical reflection on the degree to which different critical Christological arguments are exclusive or potentially mutually supportive, this is a valuable resource for any student and scholar studying philosophy of religion and theology.