The Theological Roots of Christian Gratitude

This book asserts that gratitude for God's gift of creation grounds the insight of positive psychology that grateful persons act pro-socially. Kenneth Wilson posits that a sense of gratitude encourages sacrificial service and reveals all behavior to have

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Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue Series Editors: Mark Chapman and Gerard Mannion Building on the important work of the Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network to promote ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue, the Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue series publishes scholarship on ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and encounters in relation to the past, present, and future. It gathers together a richly diverse array of voices in monographs and edited collections that speak to the challenges, aspirations, and elements of ecumenical and interreligious work. Through its publications, the series allows for the exploration of new ways, means, and methods of advancing the wider ecumenical cause with renewed energy for the twenty-first century.

The Theological Roots of Christian Gratitude Kenneth Wilson The Ecumenical Legacy of the Cappadocians Edited by Dumitraşcu Nicu

The Theological Roots of Chr istian Gratitude

Kenneth Wilson

THE THEOLOGICAL ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN GRATITUDE

Copyright © Kenneth Wilson, 2015. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-53691-4 All rights reserved. First published in 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.

ISBN 978-1-349-57836-8 ISBN 978-1-137-53355-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137533555 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: October 2015 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Preface

vii

Also by Kenneth Wilson

viii

1

Introduction

1

2

The Theological Roots of Gratitude

13

3

A Christian Theological Understanding of the Self

31

4

Becoming Response-Able: Learning to Be Responsible

51

5

Inheritance and Legacy: The Open Power of the Present

69

6

Compassion

89

7

The Gift of Service

109

8

Learning to Give Attention

127

9

Sharing: Building Together

147

10

The Beauty of Holiness

167

11

Picking up the Pieces

187

12

Conclusion: A Way Forward

207

Bibliography

227

Index

237

Preface

The opportunity to engage with the matter of gratitude from a theological perspective came about through Dr. Jack Templeton’s desire to honor the memory of his father, Sir John Templeton, the centenary of whose birth fell in 2012. The coincidence of Dr. Templeton’s ambition with the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II led to conversation between the Templeton Foundation an