The Early Barth series spotlights the theological restlessness of a thinker on the cusp of reshaping twentieth-century Christian thought.Karl Barth was the most influential theologian of the twentieth century, and his work continues to inspire both fresh theological thinking and critical debate. The period covered by the volumes in the Early Barth series—1905 to 1933—saw Barth emerge from his training under such theological giants as Adolf von Harnack and Wilhelm Herrmann; assert his rejection o...
The Nature and Destiny of Man issues a vigorous challenge to Western civilization to understand its roots in the faith of the Bible, particularly in the Hebraic tradition. Niebuhr here lays out his influential understanding of the two poles of human existence: finitude and freedom. Individual human thriving requires that we fully understand and honor both of these aspects of our nature, yet human history demonstrates our penchant for placing one over the other. This book is arguably Reinhold Nie...
Renowned theologian Reinhold Niebuhr began his career as pastor of Bethel Evangelical Church in Detroit, Michigan, where he served from 1915–1928. Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic is Niebuhr's account of the frustrations and joys he experienced during his years at Bethel. Addressed to young ministers, this book provides reflections and insights for those engaged in the challenging yet infinitely rewarding occupation of pastoral ministry.With a foreword from Jonathan Walton on&...
Originally published in 1963, Honest to God ignited passionate debate about the nature of Christian belief and doctrine in the white heat of a secular revolution. In addition, it articulated the anxieties of a generation who saw these traditional fundamentals as no longer acceptable or necessarily credible. Reissued on the 55th anniversary of the original publication, Honest to God remains a work of honest theology that continues to inspire many in their search for credible Christianity in today...
Christian Faith is one of the most important works of Christian theology ever written. The author, known as the "father of theological liberalism," correlates the entirety of Christian doctrine to the human experience of and consciousness of God. A work of exhaustive scholarship written in deep sympathy with the ministry of congregations and church bodies, Christian Faith has inspired admiration and debate from all quarters of the Christian family since its first publication in 1821...
With its focus on the traditions and communities that form us over the course of a lifetime, virtue ethics has richly expanded our understanding of what the Christian life can look like. Yet its emphasis on human virtues and habits of mind and life seems inconsistent with the Reformed tradition's insistence that sin lies at the heart of the human condition. For this reason, virtue ethics seems out of place in Reformed theology, especially in the company of the Reformed tradition's g...
This volume offers a compelling introduction to the life, times, and theological thought of H. Richard and Reinhold Niebuhr--the two most important American theologians of the twentieth century. Although the Niebuhr brothers shared the same heritage and experienced many of the same formative moments, their thought diverged at key points as their lives and careers developed. Scott R. Paeth's expert introduction to the Niebuhr brothers explores this history and the enduring influence...
In this collection, six leading theologians on political theology explore the contemporary states and potential future of the discipline. Offering a highly nuanced and complex picture of "older" and "newer" Political Theology, these scholars examine the multifaceted interconnections and tensions between political theologies, liberation theologies, feminist theologies, and theologies that see themselves as "postcolonial" or "decolonizing." Among other topics, the authors address the...
In this collection, six leading theologians on political theology explore the contemporary states and potential future of the discipline. Offering a highly nuanced and complex picture of "older" and "newer" Political Theology, these scholars examine the multifaceted interconnections and tensions between political theologies, liberation theologies, feminist theologies, and theologies that see themselves as "postcolonial" or "decolonizing." Among other topics, the authors address the...
Featurin g essays from renowned scholars, this volume in the Westminster Handbooks to Christian Theology series provides an insightful and comprehensive overview of the theology of Karl Barth (1886-1968). This volume offers concise descriptions of Barth's key terms and concepts, while also identifying the intricate connections within Barth's theological vocabulary. Masterfully compiled and edited, this volume features the largest team of Barth scholars ever gathered to interpret ...
***Available April 2012.***This book offers the first English translation of Friedrich Schleiermacher's "On the Doctrine of Election" (1819), a historic and influential essay published just before the first edition of Schleiermacher's magisterial systematic theology: The Christian Faith. In this essay, Schleiermacher develops a view of election as consisting of a single divine decree of both election and rejection that embraces all humanity--a theological development that became ba...
Terrence Tice has revised his earlier translation of this epoch-making work by the nineteenth-century theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834). In this volume, Schleiermacher lays out what Christian theology is and how the work of theology can be seen as a whole. This new edition features extensive critical notes by the translator, based on his lifetime of study, and an editor's postscript that provides an overview and interpretation of the main sections of the work.
Brandt presents important selections from German theologian Schleiermacher's Christian Ethics, a work that moves beyond formal matters to offer a comprehensive analysis of ethical issues, including what constitutes moral action for individuals in relation to the family, the state, the school, the church, and society. This edition also includes James Brandt's in-depth introductory essay, describing the role of Christian Ethics in Schleiermacher's overall corpus, its place in the h...
Daniel W. Hardy was one of the foremost ecclesial theologians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the English-speaking world. 'Wording a radiance' is a theology of the Spirit and of the Eucharistic foundations of the Church. It is also the last testament of a great ecclesial theologian, and the editors present his theology in a manner that honours its character as testament. They situate his theology in the context of the last year of his life, which included a spiritual ...
Theologians from the early church to the present have written much about the Holy Spirit and Christian salvation. This extensive sourcebook of primary theological texts makes many of these writings available with a description of their context and importance. Especially valuable are more recent works emerging from theologians in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This global perspective, coupled with the broad selection of writings from the history of theology, makes this the most comp...
Georgia Harkness (1891-1974) was a Methodist theologian and the first American woman to teach theology at the seminary level. A leader in the ecumenical movement, Harkness strove to make theology accessible to the laity. This book is a compilation of writing from early in her career that appeared in publications such as The Christian Century, Religion in Life, and Christendom. Although her theology shifted somewhat during these years, Harkness held fast to her belief that libe...
This latest volume in the ever-popular WJK Armchair series turns its sights on contemporary theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). Born in Breslau, Germany, Bonhoeffer led quite an intriguing life. This book, with dozens of illustrations by artist Ron Hill, highlights Bonhoeffer's background and theological education; his time at Union Seminary in New York City; his involvement in the resistance movement against Adolf Hitler; and his participation in the plot to assassinat...
"Everyone who acts responsibly becomes guilty" was a basic premise that Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed in various ways in his theology and ethics. Even Bonhoeffer's own actions--in praying for the defeat of his country in World War II and in participating in a plot to assassinate Hitler--demonstrate the tension between the reality of guilt and Bonhoeffer's ethical decisions. In this study, Christine Schliesser examines the problem of guilt in Bonhoeffer's writings, arguing that the c...
Here Adam Neder offers an exploration of the concept of "participation in Christ" in Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics and what it means for understanding Christian faith. He clarifies Barth's claim that humanity as a whole, and human beings individually, participate in Jesus Christ--revelation, election, creation, reconciliation, and redemption all take place in Christ; and their meaning may only be comprehended in Christ. In these acts of inclusion and realization, the creature is inc...
This collection of essays from one of America's great theological minds explores the nature and meaning of Christian community. First published between 1945 and 1960, these essays make clear for the first time H. Richard Niebuhr's moral theology of the church. Understanding Christianity itself as a movement--and not an institution--Niebuhr argues that, at their best, Christian communities should express the ongoing, transforming relation of God and the world.The Library of Theologic...
Surveying important nineteenth- and early twentieth-century theologians, primarily in the German tradition, John Wilson provides a thorough introduction to modern theology and those whose work within it helped initiate a new era in Christian theology. Beginning with Immanuel Kant and moving into the present time, Wilson describes the formative theological work of a number of theologians such as Friedrich Schleiermacher, Albrecht Ritschl, Karl Barth, and Emil Brunner. In doing so, he ...
Unique for its breadth in studying theologians not only from Europe and North America but also from Latin America, Asia, and Africa, this landmark volume introduces the doctrine of the Trinity, examining the work and thought of contemporary theologians throughout the world. Veli-Matti Karkkainen provides an overview of the biblical roots of the doctrine, discussing both the idea of plurality in God in the Old Testament and the rise of Trinitarian understandings in the New Testament. ...
In this concluding volume of his magisterial trilogy, Gary Dorrien sustains his previous definition of liberal theology and his mixture of theological, philosophical, and historical analysis, while emphasizing the unprecedented diversity of liberal theology in the postmodern age. Dorrien argues that liberal theology has been in crisis for the past half-century, yet despite the crisis, and also because of it, it has also experienced a "hidden renaissance" of intellectual creativity. ...
This volume introduces readers to the life and thought of Karl Barth (1886-1968), one of the most important theologians since the Reformation era. Featuring the Armchair series' characteristic whimsical illustrations, Barth for Armchair Theologians surveys Barth's theology as it emerges and culminates in his monumental Church Dogmatics as well as how his theology continues to be interpreted in the present day.Written by experts but designed for the novice, the Armchair series pr...
This reissue of a twentieth-century classic by H. Richard Niebuhr emphasizes an understanding of God's revelation that takes seriously both the Bible itself and modern ideas about the nature of history. The book argues that God's revelation is "confessional history." The source and setting of basic Christian convictions lie within a historical framework. By his focus on revelation as personal experience, Niebuhr served as the igniting force for views of future theological movements ...
