Description
Since the 1960s, theologians have been involved in efforts to guide Christians to reflection and action in light of planetary peril. The contributors to this volume illustrate how Friedrich Schleiermacher’s theological work could fulfill that need. Schleiermacher’s theology, they contend, finds its culmination in Christian social action and is remarkably conducive to ecological thinking in the modern world.
Each chapter deals with a particular locus in Schleiermacher’s systematic theology, focusing on its implications for sustainable living. In so doing, Schleiermacher and Sustainability offers a sophisticated account of Schleiermacher’s thought that will upend many estimations of his value for current constructive theology and provide a potent resource for those seeking to integrate ecological living into the marrow of their daily existence.
Reviews
<p>"Theology should help people solve problems. So-called “modern theologians” like Schleiermacher do not always receive positive evaluations by that standard, but the authors of this volume are optimistic: Through their critical yet constructive interpretations of Schleiermacher’s accounts of human freedom, sin, and creation and the natural world, the authors outline a substantive social-theological ethics in Schleiermacher. The key is the focus given to sociality and the interconnectedness of all life in Schleiermacher’s thought. Finally a book that emphasizes the fundamentally social – not subjectivist – orientation of Schleiermacher’s thinking! This focus reveals important insights in Schleiermacher’s work for addressing contemporary challenges ranging from religious plurality and secularity to sustainability and ecological ethics. One only hopes that this contribution from Poe and her co-authors might catalyse further, similar conversations between modern and contemporary theologians." –Matthew Ryan Robinson, Practical Theology and Institut für Hermeneutik, University of Bonn</p>