Asian Horizons

Leadership

Shaji George Koluthara — 2024-10-21

Josmy Jose Ezharamattathil FMA, Formation to Interreligious Dialogue: a theological Approach in Forming the Adolescents to Create a Culture of Dialogue, Bengaluru: Dharmaram Publications, 2021.

Raju Chakkanattu — 2024-10-21

Leadership Development in the Church: Inter-Disciplinary Methodology and Implications for Pastoral Formation

Christina Kheng — 2024-10-21

This article highlights issues that have arisen from leadership development in the Catholic Church particularly in terns of ambiguities and tensions in meaning and approaches. It discusses some problems associated with the ways in which secular and religious teachings on leadership have been appropriated and the underlying lack of attention to inter-disciplinary methodology. To address these problems, the article points out the importance of attending to philosophical foundations and outlines what a common foundation might be. The resulting orientations for leadership theory are then highlighted, along with suggestions on how secular and religious sources might be reformulated. Thereafter, the implications for leadership development are discussed.

Counter-Cultural Leadership and Christian Lifestyle in Paul’s Address to the Ephesian Elders (Acts 20:17-35)

Christoph Stenschke — 2024-10-21

In his Miletus speech, his only longer speech to a Christian audience in Acts, Paul gives an account of his own ministry which is to serve as an example for church leaders from Ephesus. He then outlines the tasks, attitudes, behaviour and challenges involved in leadership in Christian communities. Much of what Paul demands is in contrast to the prevailing values of ancient Greco-Roman leadership--if not in theory, then in actual practice. Paul emphasises the necessity for leaders to exemplify or embody in a perceptible way the values which they convey to others and demand of them. His instructions help Christian leaders to reflect on the patterns of leadership in their cultural context and to assess such patterns in the light of the Gospel of Christ, the humble Messianic king.

Indian Business Corporations and the Quest for the Servant CEO

Sahayaraj Stanley — 2024-10-21

This write-up begins with a small portrayal of Indian business leaders. To illustrate the point, the examples of two unethical business chiefs are given. The essay further analyses the difference between country and a company and explains how some families would like to run the country as they run their family business. Servant leadership is shown to be the best alternative and antidote to the evils of unethical corporate culture. Some salient qualities of servant leadership are presented, and the need for it is exemplified. The write-up further elaborates on the need to form leaders in this new mould of leadership. The author concludes by pointing out that future corporate leaders need to be servants as well as mystics, engaged in the marketplace.

Feed and Lead: Paradigms of Psycho-Social Dimensions of Christian Leadership in Eastern Theological Perspective

Manoj John Thattacherry — 2024-10-21

Christian Leadership has always been held in high esteem and has remained a subject for consideration by others. The fundamental thrust of this leadership is that it is a worldly leadership which is thoroughly Christ- centered. We can find some paradigms of the background to the present- day Christian leadership among the ancient Syriac Church Fathers. One such Syriac scholar is Aphrahat. The 10^th tahwita ‘On Shepherds’ throws ample light on the paradigms of psycho-social dimensions of Christian leadership. This article attempts to introduce the excellent models of Christian leadership which emerge in the 10th tahwita.

Dissent in a Synodal Church: A Proposal

Todd A. Salzman & Michael G. Lawler — 2024-10-21

Currently the Catholic Church is a state of polarization marked by dissent and disagreement between more conservative and more change-accepting Catholics. There is even dissent and disagreement among Church leaders which, when articulated in public, adds to the confusion among lay believers. In this article, we offer various proposals for dealing with that dissent and confusion. There are two models guiding the theology of Church among Catholics. One is a hierarchical model in which the Church is rigidly structured hierarchically and all decisions about doctrine and practice come from the leadership. This model dominated Catholic ecclesiology from the Council of Trent to the Second Vatican Council, which introduced another model of Church, a communion model, in which all lay believers have their part to play in Church decisions. In the hierarchical model, dissent is perceived as a threat to unity and is to be condemned. In the communion model, presented and lived out as a synodal model by Pope Francis, dissent can be addressed by “synodal dialogue” in which “unity prevails over conflict.” In this essay, we recommend that the term dissent be abandoned and replaced with Pope Francis preferred disagreement, which can be addressed in synodal dialogue leading to what Francis calls "unity in diversity," to which he believes the Church is called.

The Name of Jesus in Matthew

Gerald O' Collins — 2024-10-21

The Easter narrative of Matthew 28, unlike those of Luke and John, does not refer to the Risen One as Lord. Unlike Luke 24, it does not name him as the Son of Man. While once naming him as Son (in the baptismal formula), Matthew 28 five times calls him Jesus. This is the personal name which the evangelist explained in his opening chapter, the name which held together the teaching, healing, and other activity of Jesus' ministry, and which unifies the final Easter chapter. Up to Chapter 27, Matthew has cited the Scriptures to illuminate the ministry of Jesus. Now the Scriptures fall silent; the risen Jesus speaks for himself, the divine Emmanuel who accompanies the Church on her universal mission.

Current Developments Concerning Sensus Fdelium in Moral Theology: Divorce and Remarriage as Test Case

Antony Kuruz Kilaiton Thommi — 2024-10-21

The difficulties and challenges faced by the synod on Family to arrive at a convincing and conclusive statement was partly due to the inability of the Church to pay adequate attention, both theologically and practically, to what sensus fidelium means in the real-life situations of the faithful. Therefore, in this article we propose an alternative by retrieving the concept of sensus fidelium (the sense of the faithful') by enlarging its scope to the field of moral theology in the recent discussions. The much-debated issue of divorce and remarriage is taken as a test case to explore concretely the place of sensus fidelium in the moral issues facing the faithful today. This paper will examine the following questions: (1) How do moral theologians reconceptualize sensus fidelium in the practical life of the faithful? (ü) How is the sensus fidelium related to God's self-revelation, human experience, moral conscience and the culture in the life of the faithful? (iii) What is the role of the magisterium in relation to the sensus fidelium? (iv) What do empirical surveys teach us about sensus fidelium?

Revisioning Lúcás Chan's Biblical Ethics as an Ethics of Discipleship

Timothy Chapman — 2024-10-21

Lúcás Chan was a pioneer of biblical ethics who accepted the Vatican II call for the reform of moral theology. Building on his few twentieth century forebears and integrating the work of Catholic and Protestant biblical scholars and ethicists, Chan applied virtue theory as a hermeneutic for deriving a biblical ethic. His method insisted upon a dual competency for first exegeting a biblical text and then employing virtue theory as a framework for applying the scripture to contemporary issues. This paper adds another layer of hermeneutics, derived from Jesus's words in Luke's gospel, to read the whole of scripture through the lens of Christ. This Christological hermeneutic builds on and adapts Chan's method into an ethics of discipleship.

Covid-19's Impact on the Liturgical Climate

John Mathew — 2024-10-21

One of the characteristics of Liturgy is that it is dynamic and ever- changing. This is due to the fact that both the human being and the universe are constantly changing. The Liturgy must adapt to changing conditions in order to stay relevant to today's society. Covid's doggedness has changed the manner of life human beings lived. The Roman Liturgy has the similar impact. It is not the first time in the church's history that change has occurred, and this article explains that change is a natural feature of the Catholic Liturgy that should not be regarded with suspicion but rather as an integral element of its character. In this presentation, the author has made an honest attempt to pinpoint a few of the recent changes that have happened as a consequence of Covid-19's effect.

Music, Heart and Soul of Personality: A Pastoral Psychological Reflection

Joseph Thannickal — 2024-10-21

This article explores music as a tool in the formation of Seminarians. As a universal passion, human beings feel the joy and the power of music in their hearts and souls. Needless then to be surprised that the Church has used music in worship for centuries. However liturgical music has not maintained always the same standards of erudition or excellence, as Pope Francis observed in 2017. Hence using music as a formation tool requires watchfulness and updating. The reports in this article are on the author's heuristic reflections on the experiences of using music in formation. It discusses four areas of a former’s personality where strong influence of music could be beneficial; namely the candidate's growth as a person, community membership, intercultural competence, and creativity, each with their own subsets of competencies. The Church therefore, would stand to lose if she ignores music's impact on candidates and seminarians, who would in course of time, assume the roles of Pastoral leadership in the Church. For theology, it will mean another opportunity to explore deeply the interactive space between God's action and the creative and aesthetic dimensions of the human person where music dwells.