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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2009
This article discusses the theology of one of the major figures of theology in Edwardian England, Charles Gore (1853–1932), particularly his understanding of kenosis and vulnerability in relation to Christ and the Christian. Beginning with an analysis of the loss of invulnerability by the Church of England, the article uses the theology of Donald Mackinnon as a backdrop for understanding the notion of ‘rough discipleship’ outlined by Gore which strips away the trappings of power. Through a detailed discussion of Gore's works on the incarnation and the Sermon on the Mount, a picture is drawn of the requirements of the Christian character as well as what he regarded as the authentic church freed from the state. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of kenoticism in relation to the crisis of authority in contemporary Anglicanism. Assertions of power and authority are shown to be a denial of the complexity and vulnerability implied by the powerlessness and tragedy of Christ.
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