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Hiring labourers for the vineyard and making sense of God’s grace at work : an empirical investigation in hermeneutical theory and ordinary theology
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Francis, Leslie J., Smith, G. and Astley, J. (2022) Hiring labourers for the vineyard and making sense of God’s grace at work : an empirical investigation in hermeneutical theory and ordinary theology. HTS Theological Studies, 78 (4). a7444 . doi:10.4102/hts.v78i4.7444 ISSN 0259-9422.
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i4.7444
Abstract
The Matthean parable of the labourers in the vineyard is open to multiple interpretations. For some, the parable may speak of God’s unlimited grace and generosity; for others the parable may speak of God’s unfairness. The present study is set within the context of an emerging interest in the concept of grace as a topic for empirical enquiry. The study draws on the theoretical framework provided by the notion of ordinary theology and employs the sensing, intuition, feeling and thinking (SIFT) approach to biblical hermeneutics, which is rooted in Jungian psychological type theory. Data were drawn from two one-day workshops with Church of England Readers (lay ministers). On each occasion the participants were divided into three separate groups according to their preferences for thinking or feeling (the two judging functions proposed by psychological type theory) and within these groups they were invited to explore the messages about grace in Matthew 20:1–15 (Jesus’ parable of the labourers in the vineyard). The rich data gathered from these workshops generated insights into contemporary theologies of grace and also confirmed the hypothesis that a biblical interpretation of grace is shaped by the reader’s psychological type preference for thinking or feeling. While feeling types tended to empathise, thinking types pondered motives and unfairness.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BT Doctrinal Theology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BX Christian Denominations |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) | ||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Bible -- Hermeneutics, Hermeneutics -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Grace (Theology), Empirical theology | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | HTS Theological Studies | ||||||
| Publisher: | AOSIS | ||||||
| ISSN: | 0259-9422 | ||||||
| Official Date: | 21 June 2022 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 78 | ||||||
| Number: | 4 | ||||||
| Article Number: | a7444 | ||||||
| DOI: | 10.4102/hts.v78i4.7444 | ||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||
| Copyright Holders: | © 2022 Leslie J. Francis, Greg Smith, Jeff Astley | ||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 26 May 2022 | ||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 26 May 2022 | ||||||
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