Christ, the Praying Animal: A Critical Engagement with Niels Henrik Gregersen and the Christology of Deep Incarnation

Abstract

This article assesses the christological project of Danish theologian Niels Henrik Gregersen, centered on the concept of ‘deep incarnation’. It identifies the major stages of development in Gregersen’s understanding of deep incarnation, and highlights several areas of Gregersen’s thought often overlooked in theological engagements with deep incarnation, including his significant engagement with Richard Bauckham’s ‘identity Christology’ and his proposed ‘explorative metaphysics’. It concludes by posing some critical questions of Gregersen’s project from the standpoint of classical Christology.

“The God With Clay”: The Idea of Deep Incarnation and the Informational Universe

“…Many of these voices are present in the explorative debate book, Incarnation: On the Scope and Depth of Christology (Gregersen 2015). For excellent critical analyses and concise overviews, see Lenow (2018) and Edwards (2019). Within theology, discussions have rightly pointed to the need for developing ideas of a corresponding "deep pneumatology" (e.g., Celia Deane-Drummond and Elizabeth A. Johnson).…”