Fortress Introduction To Contemporary Theologies

Beginning with the tatters of Europe after World War I, the authors deftly survey a myriad of Christian theologians. These theologians have responded creatively to the steep challenges to faith in this tumultuous century - from Karl Barths No! to Reinhold Niebuhr's Christian realism, from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "religionless Christianity" to Rosemary Radford Ruether's feminist liberation theology. Easily accessible to both the theological student and the inquiring lay reader, this succinct and reliable guide opens doors to some of the most profound religious insights of our time.

While many know of the signal contributions of such twentieth-century giants as Paul Tillich or Karl Barth or Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the important work since their time often goes unremarked until some major controversy erupts. Here is a smart and helpful survey of the chief approaches and thinkers in today's understanding of the person, significance, and work of Jesus Christ. Schweitzer offers an insightful introduction to the contemporary context of Christology, in which basic questions in the discipline (and soteriology) are being rethought in light of globalization, postmodernity, and the contemporary experience of evil.

Captures the multiple voices of Christian theology in a diverse and interconnected world through in-depth studies of representative figures and overviews of key movements Providing an unparalleled overview of the subject, The Modern Theologians provides an indispensable guide to the diverse approaches and perspectives within Christian theology from the early twentieth century to the present. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and explores the development and trajectory of modern theology while presenting critical accounts of a broad range of relevant topics and representative thinkers. The fourth edition of The Modern Theologians is fully updated to provide readers with a clear picture of the broad spectrum and core concerns of modern Christian theology worldwide. It offers new perspectives on key twentieth-century figures and movements from different geographical and ecclesial contexts. There are expanded sections on theological dialogue with non-Christian traditions, and on Christian theology's engagement with the arts and sciences. A new section explores theological responses to urgent global challenges - such as nationalism, racism, and the environmental crisis. Providing the next generation of theologians with the tools needed to take theological conversations forward, The Modern Theologians: Explores Christian theology's engagement with multiple ways of knowing across diverse approaches and traditions Combines introductions to key modern theologians and coverage of the major movements within contemporary theology Identifies common dynamics found across theologies to enable cross-contextual comparisons Positions individual theologians in geographical regions, trans-local movements, and ecclesial contexts Features new and revised chapters written by experts in particular movements, topics, and individuals Providing in-depth critical evaluation and extensive references to further readings and research, Ford's The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology since 1918, Fourth Edition, remains an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in Theology and Religious Studies, such as Introduction to Christian Theology, Systematic Theology, Modern Theology, and Modern Theologians. It is also an invaluable resource for researchers, those involved in various forms of Christian ministry, teachers of religious studies, and general readers engaged in independent study.

This unique and supremely readable textbook recounts the thought of nine influential twentieth-century theologians in the light of biblical narrative to better understand the Christian life. By drawing upon the achievement of major thinkers--Rosemary Ruether, Gustavo Gutierrez, Reinhold Niebuhr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Rahner, Jurgen Moltmann, Hans Kung, Yves Congar, and Wolfhart Pannenberg--and rooting it within the rich fabric of its biblical context--Creation, Exodus, Conquest, Exile, the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, Pentecost and the End of Time--The Tapestry of Christian Theology traverses a landscape both historical and spiritual, one that traces and encourages a new understanding of both perspectives, and illumines a greater insight into our own lives. Here is a rigorous and wide ranging textbook for college theology courses, also suitable for the general reader.

One of the best ways of introducing theology is through direct student engagement with the most exciting works of contemporary religious reflection. We can learn to think theologically from the giants. Gregory Higgins' work, a fresh edition of his earlier The Tapestry of Christian Theology, does just that. Loosely arranging his work around ten key biblical themes, Higgins catches the spirit and verve of ten contemporary theologians. In successive chapters he introduces these important thinkers, the movements or schools they inspire or represent, and the overarching theological question posed by their work. This key correlation yields a pedagogical strategy that enables students not only to explore contemporary theology and think theologically but also personally to probe ten important challenges to Christian discipleship today.

Philip Kennedy, here, offers the first book that any student - with or without religious convictions - can profitably use to get quickly to grips with the essentials of the Christian religion: its history and its key thinkers, its successes and its failures. Most existing undergraduate textbooks of theology begin from essentially traditional positions on the Bible, doctrine, authority, interpretation, and God. What makes Philip Kennedy's book both singularly important and uniquely different is that it has a completely new starting-point. The author contends that traditional Christian theology must extensively overhaul many of its theses because of a multitude of modern social, historical and intellectual revolutions. Offering a grand historical sweep of the genesis of the modern age, and writing with panache and a magisterial grasp of the relevant debates, conflicts and controversies, "A Modern Introduction to Theology" moves a tired and increasingly incoherent discipline in genuinely fresh and exciting directions, and will be welcomed by students and readers of the subject.

Olsons clear and concise overview roots contemporary questions firmly in Christian responses to the Enlightenment. He discusses the range of contemporary opinions, their rationales, and whats at stake. Olson illustrates these alternate frameworks as they play out in central concerns over the being of God in relation to the universe, how to understand the figure of Christ today, and the distinctively new notions of being human. Specifically geared to the novice theologue in college or seminary settings, Olsons text includes Reflection/Research Questions, Suggestions for Further Reading, and a Glossary.

Kierkegaard has always enjoyed a rich reception in the fields of theology and religious studies. This reception might seem obvious given that he is one of the most important Christian writers of the nineteenth century, but Kierkegaard was by no means a straightforward theologian in any traditional sense. He had no enduring interest in some of the main fields of theology such as church history or biblical studies, and he was strikingly silent on many key Christian dogmas. Moreover, he harbored a degree of animosity towards the university theologians and churchmen of his own day. Despite this, he has been a source of inspiration for numerous religious writers from different denominations and traditions. Tome II is dedicated to tracing Kierkegaard's influence in Anglophone and Scandinavian Protestant religious thought. Kierkegaard has been a provocative force in the English-speaking world since the early twentieth century, inspiring almost contradictory receptions. In Britain, before World War I, the few literati who were familiar with his work tended to assimilate Kierkegaard to the heroic individualism of Ibsen and Nietzsche. In the United States knowledge of Kierkegaard was introduced by Scandinavian immigrants who brought with them a picture of the Dane as much more sympathetic to traditional Christianity. The interpretation of Kierkegaard in Britain and America during the early and mid-twentieth century generally reflected the sensibilities of the particular theological interpreter. Anglican theologians generally found Kierkegaard to be too one-sided in his critique of reason and culture, while theologians hailing from the Reformed tradition often saw him as an insightful harbinger of neo-orthodoxy. The second part of Tome II is dedicated to the Kierkegaard reception in Scandinavian theology, featuring articles on Norwegian and Swedish theologians influenced by Kierkegaard.