From Fragmentation to Integration: Reinterpreting the Resurrection of Jesus Through Carnley's "Christus Praesens"

Abstract

The Resurrection of Jesus is central to Christian faith, yet its significance may be understood primarily as a past historical event or in relation to future eschatological hope, leaving its significance for present Christian life insufficiently explored. This study examines how participants from a Catholic university understand and interpret the Resurrection, how they perceive its teaching by religious educators and ministers, and what gaps emerge from these understandings. Employing an intradisciplinary empirical-theological approach and the See–Discern–Act framework, the study conducted three focus group discussions with 27 participants from Saint Mary’s University, consisting of senior high school students, college students, and professional teachers. The findings show that respondents generally possess basic knowledge of the Resurrection and predominantly affirm it as Jesus's rising from the dead, while some emphasize symbolic, spiritual, existential, or transformative meanings. Although most respondents perceive the teaching of the Resurrection as clear and understandable, several indicate a need for greater theological depth and more explicit engagement with its meaning and implications for Christian life. The findings, therefore, reveal a range of understandings that do not always correspond neatly to Carnley’s historical-event, eschatological-event, and non-event categories. Carnley’s concept of Christus praesens provides a constructive theological resource for relating the remembered Jesus to the risen Christ encountered in the present life of the Christian community. In dialogue with Eballo’s Gamay at Hiyang, this perspective suggests a contextual approach to religious education that can help learners move from basic doctrinal knowledge toward deeper theological appropriation and lived Christian faith.