The Holy Spirit and Christian Ethics in the Theology of Klaus Bockmuehl
Foreword by Graham McFarlane
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
Klaus Bockmuehl (1931-1989), former Professor for Systematic Theology at Regent College, Vancouver, published outstanding theological ethical works. The questions that Bockmuehl explored have not lost any relevance: How do we know what God's will is in a particular situation? Is Scripture sufficient for ethical decisions or should we listen to God? Does God even speak today? Is there a distinctive Christian ethic? Bockmuehl's central contribution can be found in his emphasis on the seminal role the Holy Spirit plays within Christian ethics, not only as the one who realizes the reign of God in the life of the individual but also as the one guiding the individual in a particular situation.
This book is the first in-depth study of Bockmuehl, introducing readers to his theology and ethics, including a short biographical overview, delineating and appraising how he understands the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian ethics. It is not a book without criticism and its own creative contribution. Annette Glaw concludes her fascinating study with a proposal for a relational concept of the Holy Spirit as the loving presence of God in Christian ethics.
Annette Glaw is an Academic Tutor for the Distance Learning Department at London School of Theology, where she also teaches theological German and leads the Social Justice Group. She translates English/American academic works into German and is presently working as a freelance translator for a German publishing house.
"Long have I pondered what it would be to live, as Jesus promised, 'life in all its fullness.' What Annette Glaw provides here is so much more than an excellent and timely study of Klaus Bockmuehl. What she offers here is the tangible hope of a life lived, utterly transformed by the unconditional love of God, so that all relationships, even with oneself, are the gracious, loving fruit of a beautiful, loving God--an abundant life indeed!"
--Susan Sainsbury, Mattersey Hall College
"This is a fascinating book that tackles key issues of Christian spirituality. It gives practical answers to questions like: how can one live a life empowered by the spirit of God? The answers are developed in a thorough engagement with the work of Klaus Bockmuehl. In the end, Annette Glaw presents a profound perspective on the relational work of the holy spirit, which provides a fresh impetus for both spiritual life as well as the academic study of pneumatology and ethics."
--Volker Rabens, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
"This is an exceptional book; it introduces us for the first time to a much-neglected thinker. It also equips us with an understanding of how the church can live ethically in power--through its love relationship with the Father. In both respects, it has much to offer its reader and the wider contemporary church."
--From the foreword by Graham McFarlane, London School of Theology