A theology of the presence of God in Charismatic worship

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract

This thesis begins with a practical theological reflection on charismatic worship, based on pastoral conversations with two church members who have scientific backgrounds. A key question arises: given that we can account in various scientific and social-scientific ways for many of the dynamics experienced by participants, how is it meaningful to speak of God being present in charismatic worship? This thesis contends that the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar, and especially his notion of reciprocal ekstasis, offers a way beyond this impasse and provides resources for a more mature articulation of the presence of God.

I proceed to address the research question by first undertaking a select biblical overview, making preliminary observations about the hermeneutical and (unavoidably) metaphysical issues at stake in accounts of the presence of God. I then set out a select theological overview structured around the interpretive options available, including objectivist, non-metaphysical and reappropriated metaphysical models.
My evaluation at this point takes the form of a search for ‘a suitable partner’ for charismatic Adam. While charismatic accounts tend towards objectivism – for instance, physicalised notions of ‘manifest presence’ – this tends to pit nature against supernature and risks construing the world as ‘sacramentally drained’ (so, John Milbank). Instead, following James K. A. Smith, I argue that the nouvelle théologie, with its reappropriated metaphysical model, provides a more helpful partnership for articulating the presence of God in charismatic contexts.

Here I draw on Balthasar’s work as a way beyond the impasse in which the divine is emphasised to the exclusion of the human, or vice versa. Balthasar’s principle of reciprocal ekstasis – whereby both God and humanity give of themselves in the encounter of worship – enables a rich account of divine agency while at the same time taking seriously the humanly observable dynamics of worship. The result is an affirmation of the divine aspect of presence, rooted in the covenantal overflow of triune life, and encountered in the signifying phenomena of charismatic worship as these are properly related to the form of Christ. At the same time, the humanly emergent features of consciousness and Christian gathering are dignified with their own indispensable function. All this is to be seen within a non-competitive or ‘symphonic’ framework in which the perspective of multiple disciplines is recognised.

The thesis makes its unique contribution through an exploration of participative ontology with respect to charismatic worship, in particular through an extended exegesis of Balthasar’s notion of reciprocal ekstasis. It thus helps address the gap in hermeneutically-informed theological reflection on mediation in charismatic contexts, and offers constructive resources for conversations between charismatic theology, scientific method and pastoral experience.
Date of Award1 Jul 2021
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • King's College London
SupervisorAlister McGrath (Supervisor) & Ben Quash (Supervisor)

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