In this seminal work, pioneering theologian Ernst Troeltsch raises the question, how can we pass beyond the diversity with which history presents us to norms for our faith and for our judgments about life? He trenchantly probes the issue of how one religion--when viewed historically in the context of other world religions--can be universally and absolutely true. Though many others since have explored the issue of historical relativism and religious truth, few have done so with Troel...
What led Dietrich Bonhoeffer to his momentous decision to be involved in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944? What is the relation between his resistance activities and his theological and ethical reflections? Exploring these and other intriguing and complex relationships in Bonhoeffer's life and throughout the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, Larry Rasmussen characterizes Bonhoeffer's resistance as an enactment of his Christology lived out with utter seriousness. Origin...
The thought of Karl Barth has undergone a remarkable renewal of interest in recent decades. Joseph Mangina's Karl Barth: Theologian of Christian Witness offers a concise, accessible guide to this important Christian thinker. Unique among introductions to Barth, it also highlights his significance for Christian ecumenism and brings his views into conversation with other contemporary theologians.
Now, forty years since its original publication, Hans Kung's groundbreaking study--acclaimed as a model for ecumenical discussion--has become a classic work. Looking at the doctrine of justification as understood by the Protestant theologian Karl Barth in comparison to classic Roman Catholic theology, Kung found that the two had similar ideas about the main elements of justification. He argued there is fundamental agreement between Catholicism and Barth's doctrine and that the somew...
How can the various pieces of what you believe about Christ fit together coherently? This is the basic question of Christology and this introduction to Christology traces the broad outlines and nuances laid out by the father of modern theology--Friedrich Schleiermacher. In straightforward language, Catherine Kelsey moves back and forth between the groundbreaking thought of Schleiermacher and a series of helpful exercises which enable readers to spell out their own responses to the c...
In this book, the second of his three-volume history, Gary Dorrien explores American theological liberalism in its heyday--at the advent of the research university and the institutionally identified school. He argues that in its prime theological liberalism effected a creative blending of theological schools, featured a tension between its evangelical and modernist impulses, and was fueled by its expectation of social and cultural progress, until its optimism was subjected to wither...
Thomas Olgetree's Christian Faith and History offers a critical analysis of the views of Ernst Troeltsch and Karl Barth regarding Christian faith and history. Troeltsch and Barth appraoched theology from seemingly antithetical vantage points, but Ogletree seeks to identify overlapping interests in the writing of these two authors, and to suggest a broader framework for understanding that constructively combines the insights of both.
Prayer is one of the central activities of Christian life. This anniversary edition of Karl Barth's lectures on the Lord's Prayer, along with supplementary essays by three Barth scholars, introduces us to what he had to say about this important Christian practice. For Barth, the ultimate aim of all theology is worship, and here he mines the theological and spiritual wisdom of Luther, Calvin, and the Heidelberg Catechism, urging us to participate in the work of God through prayer.
In the century between the "Emancipation Proclamation" of Abraham Lincoln and the "I Have a Dream" speech of Martin Luther King Jr., America sought both to rebuff and to redeem the promise of "liberty and justice for all." The story of slavery and the bloody civil war that abolished it has been told, but the story of the struggle for liberty and justice by and for African Americans in the half-century following the end of Reconstruction has been largely overlooked. In this highly re...
In this first of a three-volume, comprehensive series, Gary Dorrien mixes theological analysis with historical and biographical detail to present the first comprehensive interpretation of American theological liberalism. Arguing that the indigenous roots of American liberal theology existed before the rise of Darwinism, Dorrien maintains that this tradition took shape in the nineteenth century and was motivated by a desire to map a progressive "third way" between authority-based orth...
In this history of the rise, development, and near-demise of Karl Barth's theology, Gary Dorrien carefully analyzes the making of the Barthian revolution and the reasons behind its simultaneously dominating and marginal character. He discusses Barth's relationship to his predecessors and contemporaries, as well as to modern theologians, and argues that his approach to theology was deeply indebted to his liberal past.
This book, originally published in 1927, has proven to be one of the most important and influential books in the field of ethics in the twentieth century. It remains a pertinent, original, and insightful work--a landmark statement of modern casuistry.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable s...
Douglas John Hall demonstrates the continuing relevance of several of the twentieth century's greatest theologians--Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Emil Brunner, and Suzanne de Dietrich--suggesting that their neo-orthodox roots have much more in common than is traditionally acknowledged. Suitable for classroom use and individual study, Remembered Voices is a highly accessible introduction to twentieth-century theologians.
This book covers a broad spectrum of current perspectives in theology, including evangelical, liberal, liberationist, feminist, and postmodern approaches. A textbook for introductory theology classes in seminaries and colleges, this wide-ranging collection of essays also represents the best available resource for any reader seeking to explore and understand the diversity of current trends in theology and ethics.
The twentieth century saw a wide variety of theological stands that were often confusing. Gary Dorrien sorts through theological trends by focusing on the notions of Christ and word. He presents the story of recent theology in a narrative style that makes the book ideal for classroom use, integrating the major theologians of the century along with other developments in philosophy and culture.
A Theology for the Social Gospel is undoubtedly Walter Rauschenbusch's most enduring work. It is here that Rauschenbusch, the father of the social gospel in the United States, articulates the theological roots of social activism that surged forth from mainline Protestant churches in the early part of the twentieth century. Skillfully examining the great theological issues of the Christian faith--sin, evil, salvation, and the kingdom of God--Rauschenbauch offers a powerful justifica...
Igniting a firestorm of controversy upon its publication in 1966, Joseph Fletcher's Situation Ethics was hailed by many as a much-needed reformation of morality--and as an invitation to anarchy by others. Proposing an ethic of loving concern, Fletcher suggests that certain acts--such as lying, premarital sex, adultery, or even murder--might be morally right, depending on the circumstances. Hotly debated on television, in magazines and newspapers, in churches, and in the classroom, ...
Karl Barth is generally regared as the greatest Protestant thinker of modern times. The three essays in this book, "The Humanity of God," "Evangelical Theology in the 19th Century," and "The Gift of Freedom," show how Barth's later work moved beyond his revolt against the theology dominant in the first decades of the twentieth century.
As one of the major British theologians and ethicists of the nineteenth century, F. D. Maurice is considered a forerunner of the contemporary ecumenical movement. His writings and work were an articulation of his theology, which emphasized the inclusiveness of Christianity despite ideological divisions within the Christian community. Maurice proposed a primary unifying principle, based on the dynamic love of God for humankind in all its diversity, that would bring the various Christ...
Karl Barth's monumental work, Church Dogmatics, is recognized as a landmark in Protestant theology--perhaps the most important work of this century. However, the size range of its fourteen volumes has meant that its content and significance may not be so widely known or appreciated as it deserves. In this concise introduction, Helmut Gollwitzer provides a selection of some of the most important passages from Church Dogmatics to help the busy student explore the heart of the great wo...
This volume considers the task of changing society's assumptions about women, analyses ways to challenge our culture's tradition, and explores ways in which we can live together in the modern world. A variety of issues, from reproduction to war, are discussed from an array of perspectives, including womanist and ecofeminist. The book is ideal for feminist theology and feminist ethics classes, and is sure to become an instant classic.The Library of Theological Ethics series focus...
This seminal work by the great Protestant theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher was first published in 1799 and quickly became a classic apologetic work. This reissue of the Oman translation presents the definitive third edition of the German original and makes this important text available again to students and scholars who wish to gain insight into the development of contemporary Protestant thought.
A comprehensive work in the field of Christian ethics, Basic Christian Ethics remains, more than fifty years after its original publication, an engaging and important work.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the f...
In this book, Ronald Stone breaks new ground by providing a fresh survey of Reinhold Niebuhr as a professor, demonstrating that this vocation was central to Niebuhr's lifework. This book reveals Niebuhr's passion for the development of an intellectually equipped, socially concerned Christian ministry.
Reinhold Niebuhr is renowned for his unflinching honesty concerning issues of social ethics, specifically, love and justice. Humans, Niebuhr says, are incapable of perfect love. Therefore, their struggle against evil and injustice is doomed to only relative victory, although they strive to live in the ideal world. Niebuhr's concern with this paradox gave rise to numerous writings over the years in which he explored the many angles, subtleties, heights, and depths of the problems of ...
