In this in-depth historical analysis of evangelical theology, Gary Dorrien describes how evangelicalism has developed and matured. Beginning at the turn of the century and the start of the fundamentalist-modernist controversies, he notes the key figures and institutions of the evangelical movement. He also shows how evangelicalism has both diversified and entered into the broader theological discussions of today.
Roger Olson provides us with a concise, lively and readable history of evangelical theology. From pietism to evangelicalism, Olson shows the development of thought. Great as a reference book, a refresher course or for use in introductory theology classes.
Gary Dorrien follows the threads of theology through the twentieth century, examining how Christians have reconciled their myth-filled religious beliefs within a world secularized by Enlightenment criticism and science. To understand how religion keeps its place in Christians' lives, Dorrien writes, we must explore how modern theologians have answered the question of myth in today's Christianity. Dorrien's narrative walks readers through modern theology - stopping with each of the major thinkers along the way to see how they dealt with the issue of modern Christian mythology. Ultimately he offers his own "new neo-orthodoxy", a theology of Word and Spirit that is pluralistic and affirms the mythical character of the gospel while holding fast to the Gospels' myth-negating condemnation of idolatry and their focus on history.
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 liberal theology would remain "the basic American theology," a prediction that was out of step in the 1930s but is growing more credible today. 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 through reflection on classic works in the field.
Swiss theologian Karl Barth traveled to the United States only once during his long career. In 1962, newly retired, he came to visit family and to deliver a series of lectures subsequently published (by Eerdmans) as Evangelical Theology: An Introduction, which remains in print and widely read to this day. Besides recounting some delightful and poignant biographical details about Barth s two-month journey through the States, the authors of this book revisit central themes in Barth s mature theology and explore the theological and ethical significance of his Evangelical Theology. Even more, the distinguished scholars contributing to this volume assess contemporary North American theology and show how Barth s Evangelical Theology remains as bracing, powerful, and relevant today as it was fifty years ago. Contributors: David W. Congdon Jessica DeCou Hans-Anton Drewes Kevin W. Hector George Hunsinger Cambria Janae Kaltwasser Gerald McKenny Daniel L. Migliore Adam Neder Peter J. Paris Katherine Sonderegger
The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology is a comprehensive critical survey of the main persons, events, controversies, concepts, and institutions of twentieth-century evangelical theology. It will introduce readers to and be a reference work for the study of evangelicalism's distinctive theological vision in its unity and diversity. Roger Olson explores evangelical theology through five lenses: The Story of Evangelical Theology, Movements and Organizations Related to Evangelical Theology, Key Figures in Evangelical Theology, Traditional Doctrines in Evangelical Theology, and Issues in Evangelical Theology. The Westminster Handbook to Christian Theology series provides a set of resources for the study of historic and contemporary theological movements and Christian theologians. These books are intended to help students and scholars find concise and accurate treatments of important theological terms.
"The SCM Press A-Z of Evangelical Theology" is a comprehensive critical survey of the main persons, events, controversies, concepts, and institutions of twentieth-century evangelical theology. It will introduce readers to and be a reference work for the study of evangelicalicalism's distinctive theological vision in its unity and diversity. Olson explores evangelical theology through five lenses: The Story of Evangelical Theology; Movements and Organisations Related to Evangelical Theology; Key Figures in Evangelical Theology; Traditional Doctrines in Evangelical Theology; and Issues in Evangelical Theology. Here is a unique, compact narrative description of the origins, rise and significance of evangelical theology today. About the Author Roger E Olson is Professor of Theology at George W Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, USA.
How should one approach the task of theology? This Spectrum volume brings together five evangelical theologians with distinctly different approaches to the theological task who present their own approach and respond to each of the other views. Emerging from this theological conversation is an awareness of our methodological commitments and the benefits that each can bring to the theological task.
In this first of three volumes, Dorrien identifies the indigenous roots of American liberal theology and demonstrates a wider, longer-running tradition than has been thought. The tradition took shape in the nineteenth century, motivated by a desire to map a modernist "third way" between orthodoxy and rationalistic deism/atheism. It is defined by its openness to modern intellectual inquiry; its commitment to the authority of individual reason and experience; its conception of Christianity as an ethical way of life; and its commitment to make Christianity credible and socially relevant to modern people. Dorrien takes a narrative approach and provides a biographical reading of important religious thinkers of the time, including William E. Channing, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Bushnell, Henry Ward Beecher, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Charles Briggs. Dorrien notes that, although liberal theology moved into elite academic institutions, its conceptual foundations were laid in the pulpit rather than the classroom.
