R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology

Opened by the World

José Francisco Morales Torres

In Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology: Opened by the World, José Francisco Morales Torres constructs a new theological anthropology that begins with wonder. He contends that the visceral experience of wonder is an opening up of the human by an excess that saturates the world. This opened-by-ness points to a transforming receptivity as the basis of the person and to an extravagant Generosity that grounds all creation. Thus, wonder, which is grounded in generous Excess, is not only a gift but a demand: it calls for a liberative praxis that resist the forces that flatten the fullness of life into what is ‘useful’ and profitable and that reduce the limitless worth of fellow humans to mere commodities to be exploited and exchanged at the altar of the idolatrous ‘Market’. Wonder reveals a primordial receptivity in the human person, which demands of us an ethic of sustainability that does not reduce the other to commodity, a vulnerability that risks being opened by the other, a commitment to solidarity and liberation that resist the forces of an insatiable, idolatrous Market that seeks “only to steal and kill and destroy.”

  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Lexington Books
Pages: 226 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜
978-1-7936-3748-2 • Hardback • April 2023 • $100.00 • (£77.00)
978-1-7936-3749-9 • eBook • April 2023 • $45.00 • (£35.00)
Series: Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies in Religion and Theology
Subjects: Religion / Christian Theology / General, Religion / General, Religion / Theology

José Francisco Morales Torres is assistant professor of Latinx Studies and Religion at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter One: A Phenomenology of Wonder

Chapter Two: Metaphysics of Participation as the Ontological Grounding for Wonder

Interlude on Generosity: A Trinitarian Reflection on the Holy Spirit as “Giver of Life”

Chapter Three: Opened to the World or by the World?: Toward a Theological Anthropology of Wonder

Chapter Four: The Ethics of Wonder and Generosity: Some Initial Explorations

Conclusion

Bibliography

About the Author

In this book, Professor José Francisco Morales Torres offers a systematic account of ‘wonder’ as a philosophical and theological theme. Here ‘wonder’ becomes a key to understanding human existence and human aspiration for transcendence. This quest for wonder is developed in dialogue with the 20th century phenomenology and the metaphysical traditions going back to the Middle Ages. This book, however, is meant to be a contribution to the contemporary study of theological anthropology. This is accomplished wonderfully in a way that makes significant contributions to the contemporary philosophical and constructive theology.


— Bo-Myung Seo, Chicago Theological Seminary


Morales Torres resists the flattening of life with his emergent “theo-thaumatic vision.” Focusing on how humans can be opened by the world, he considers salient resources and themes for a theological anthropology of wonder.


— Kristine A. Culp, University of Chicago


Since a lot of current theological conversation seems to be centered around theodicy, which can lead to reductive visions of God, such that we look for ways of getting God off the hook for the presence of evil in the world, these efforts often leave us without much about this God that is captivating us. There are few wonder-producing dimensions to this vision of God, but Morales’ trinitarian vision of a God whose act of creation is one of generosity is captivating, and thus is quite attractive to me. That he draws on representatives from the three Abrahamic traditions to get there is even more compelling. [An] important study of the role of wonder as a foundation for theological anthropology!


— Robert D. Cornwall, Disciples of Christ Pastor and Church Historian; BobCornwall.com


Whether or not “wonder” really can provide a new starting point for theological anthropology, the refracting of reality through a previously underexploited lens always brings things to light that otherwise would have remained in the shadows, and Torres’s worthwhile text does precisely that.


— Journal of Ecumenical Studies


Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology

Opened by the World

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • In Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology: Opened by the World, José Francisco Morales Torres constructs a new theological anthropology that begins with wonder. He contends that the visceral experience of wonder is an opening up of the human by an excess that saturates the world. This opened-by-ness points to a transforming receptivity as the basis of the person and to an extravagant Generosity that grounds all creation. Thus, wonder, which is grounded in generous Excess, is not only a gift but a demand: it calls for a liberative praxis that resist the forces that flatten the fullness of life into what is ‘useful’ and profitable and that reduce the limitless worth of fellow humans to mere commodities to be exploited and exchanged at the altar of the idolatrous ‘Market’. Wonder reveals a primordial receptivity in the human person, which demands of us an ethic of sustainability that does not reduce the other to commodity, a vulnerability that risks being opened by the other, a commitment to solidarity and liberation that resist the forces of an insatiable, idolatrous Market that seeks “only to steal and kill and destroy.”

Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 226 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜
    978-1-7936-3748-2 • Hardback • April 2023 • $100.00 • (£77.00)
    978-1-7936-3749-9 • eBook • April 2023 • $45.00 • (£35.00)
    Series: Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies in Religion and Theology
    Subjects: Religion / Christian Theology / General, Religion / General, Religion / Theology
Author
Author
  • José Francisco Morales Torres is assistant professor of Latinx Studies and Religion at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Acknowledgments

    Introduction

    Chapter One: A Phenomenology of Wonder

    Chapter Two: Metaphysics of Participation as the Ontological Grounding for Wonder

    Interlude on Generosity: A Trinitarian Reflection on the Holy Spirit as “Giver of Life”

    Chapter Three: Opened to the World or by the World?: Toward a Theological Anthropology of Wonder

    Chapter Four: The Ethics of Wonder and Generosity: Some Initial Explorations

    Conclusion

    Bibliography

    About the Author

Reviews
Reviews
  • In this book, Professor José Francisco Morales Torres offers a systematic account of ‘wonder’ as a philosophical and theological theme. Here ‘wonder’ becomes a key to understanding human existence and human aspiration for transcendence. This quest for wonder is developed in dialogue with the 20th century phenomenology and the metaphysical traditions going back to the Middle Ages. This book, however, is meant to be a contribution to the contemporary study of theological anthropology. This is accomplished wonderfully in a way that makes significant contributions to the contemporary philosophical and constructive theology.


    — Bo-Myung Seo, Chicago Theological Seminary


    Morales Torres resists the flattening of life with his emergent “theo-thaumatic vision.” Focusing on how humans can be opened by the world, he considers salient resources and themes for a theological anthropology of wonder.


    — Kristine A. Culp, University of Chicago


    Since a lot of current theological conversation seems to be centered around theodicy, which can lead to reductive visions of God, such that we look for ways of getting God off the hook for the presence of evil in the world, these efforts often leave us without much about this God that is captivating us. There are few wonder-producing dimensions to this vision of God, but Morales’ trinitarian vision of a God whose act of creation is one of generosity is captivating, and thus is quite attractive to me. That he draws on representatives from the three Abrahamic traditions to get there is even more compelling. [An] important study of the role of wonder as a foundation for theological anthropology!


    — Robert D. Cornwall, Disciples of Christ Pastor and Church Historian; BobCornwall.com


    Whether or not “wonder” really can provide a new starting point for theological anthropology, the refracting of reality through a previously underexploited lens always brings things to light that otherwise would have remained in the shadows, and Torres’s worthwhile text does precisely that.


    — Journal of Ecumenical Studies


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book Martin Luther's Theology of Two Kingdoms in Buddhist and Christian Communities: Transforming Contemporary Myanmar Society
  • Cover image for the book Asian Case Studies on Translating Christianity: Toward God’s Self-Communication and the Trinitarian End of Asian Theology
  • Cover image for the book Opening the Field of Practical Theology: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book A Theology of Divine Vulnerability: The Silence that Gives Light
  • Cover image for the book Bodies Inhabiting the World: Scandinavian Creation Theology and the Question of Home
  • Cover image for the book Evolutionary History in Theological Perspective: Exploring the Scientific Story of the Cosmos
  • Cover image for the book Pastoral Virtues for Artificial Intelligence: Care and the Algorithms that Guide Our Lives
  • Cover image for the book Black Lives Matter and the Image of God: A Theo-Anthropological Study
  • Cover image for the book Uniting History and Theology: A Theological Critique of the Historical Method
  • Cover image for the book A Biblical Path for a Prosperous Society
  • Cover image for the book Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christological Reinterpretation of Heidegger
  • Cover image for the book The Many and the One: Creation as Participation in Augustine and Aquinas
  • Cover image for the book Between Being and Time: From Ontology to Eschatology
  • Cover image for the book All God's Creatures: A Theology of Creation
  • Cover image for the book Can the West Be Converted?: Towards a Contextual Theology for the West
  • Cover image for the book La Vida Sacra: Contemporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology
  • Cover image for the book Jürgen Moltmann and the Work of Hope: The Future of Christian Theology
  • Cover image for the book Luke and the Politics of Homeric Imitation: Luke–Acts as Rival to the Aeneid
  • Cover image for the book Challenges for Christian Faith: Addresses in Honor of C.S. Lewis
  • Cover image for the book Do I Belong in Seminary?
  • Cover image for the book Decolonizing Revelation: A Spatial Reading of the Blues
  • Cover image for the book A Molinist-Anabaptist Systematic Theology
  • Cover image for the book Holiness Abroad: Nazarene Missions in Asia
  • Cover image for the book The Power of Unearned Suffering: The Roots and Implications of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Theodicy
  • Cover image for the book The Rapture of God: Balthasar's Theology, Exposition, and Interpretation
  • Cover image for the book T. F. Torrance's Reconstruction of Natural Theology: Christ and Cognition
  • Cover image for the book The God Hypothesis: Discovering Divine Design in Our 'Just Right' Goldilocks Universe
  • Cover image for the book Premodern Faith in a Postmodern Culture: A Contemporary Theology of the Trinity
  • Cover image for the book The Art of Forgiveness
  • Cover image for the book Pastoral Bearings: Lived Religion and Pastoral Theology
  • Cover image for the book Martin Luther's Theology of Two Kingdoms in Buddhist and Christian Communities: Transforming Contemporary Myanmar Society
  • Cover image for the book Asian Case Studies on Translating Christianity: Toward God’s Self-Communication and the Trinitarian End of Asian Theology
  • Cover image for the book Opening the Field of Practical Theology: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book A Theology of Divine Vulnerability: The Silence that Gives Light
  • Cover image for the book Bodies Inhabiting the World: Scandinavian Creation Theology and the Question of Home
  • Cover image for the book Evolutionary History in Theological Perspective: Exploring the Scientific Story of the Cosmos
  • Cover image for the book Pastoral Virtues for Artificial Intelligence: Care and the Algorithms that Guide Our Lives
  • Cover image for the book Black Lives Matter and the Image of God: A Theo-Anthropological Study
  • Cover image for the book Uniting History and Theology: A Theological Critique of the Historical Method
  • Cover image for the book A Biblical Path for a Prosperous Society
  • Cover image for the book Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christological Reinterpretation of Heidegger
  • Cover image for the book The Many and the One: Creation as Participation in Augustine and Aquinas
  • Cover image for the book Between Being and Time: From Ontology to Eschatology
  • Cover image for the book All God's Creatures: A Theology of Creation
  • Cover image for the book Can the West Be Converted?: Towards a Contextual Theology for the West
  • Cover image for the book La Vida Sacra: Contemporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology
  • Cover image for the book Jürgen Moltmann and the Work of Hope: The Future of Christian Theology
  • Cover image for the book Luke and the Politics of Homeric Imitation: Luke–Acts as Rival to the Aeneid
  • Cover image for the book Challenges for Christian Faith: Addresses in Honor of C.S. Lewis
  • Cover image for the book Do I Belong in Seminary?
  • Cover image for the book Decolonizing Revelation: A Spatial Reading of the Blues
  • Cover image for the book A Molinist-Anabaptist Systematic Theology
  • Cover image for the book Holiness Abroad: Nazarene Missions in Asia
  • Cover image for the book The Power of Unearned Suffering: The Roots and Implications of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Theodicy
  • Cover image for the book The Rapture of God: Balthasar's Theology, Exposition, and Interpretation
  • Cover image for the book T. F. Torrance's Reconstruction of Natural Theology: Christ and Cognition
  • Cover image for the book The God Hypothesis: Discovering Divine Design in Our 'Just Right' Goldilocks Universe
  • Cover image for the book Premodern Faith in a Postmodern Culture: A Contemporary Theology of the Trinity
  • Cover image for the book The Art of Forgiveness
  • Cover image for the book Pastoral Bearings: Lived Religion and Pastoral Theology
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...