THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY--vertical AND horizontal

From the American Heritage Dictionary:
Anthropology

1. The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.
2. That part of Christian theology concerning the genesis, nature, and future of humans, especially as contrasted with the nature of God

Horizontal anthropology, such as that described on Wikipedia and in definition one from the American Heritage Dictionary (above), speaks about humanity from under the canopy. While this is certainly a valid and valuable endeavor, it is not the only perspective. Vertical anthropology, in which I dabble (see here and here), speaks about humanity without the canopy, attempting to describe it from God's perspective.

If one seeks to understand from one and neglects the other, then the description of humanity is necessarily partial.

Now and again, I shall be investigating vertical anthropology. I leave the horizontal to others (to that end, if any have resource recommendations, comment away).

Tag(s): theological anthropology anthropology

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