| In this dissertation I intend to investigate the possibility for a robust constructive open and relational Christology. In order to do this I will lay out a broadly open and relational vision, situate the constructive function of contemporary historical Jesus research, and propose three parings of contemporary Christologies that share a thematic center with distinct trajectories. I intend to both articulate each thinkers' own contribution and stretch them toward each other. The goal is to move toward a three-pronged constructive Christology that engages historical Jesus studies and seeks to speak in both an existential and metaphysical register. In sum, it will be argued that the christologically tinged existential starting point for Christology requires all three, and that more potential is present in the examined theologians than often assumed. To conclude, I will return to an open and relational account of God, allowing the Christological investigations to thematize its commitments, and propose a centering metaphor for an open and relational vision --- namely the self-investment of God. |
