The Modern Theologians Reader

The Modern Theologians Reader is a unique text providing a collection of the key readings on all the major topics which have shaped modern theology. Each reading is accompanied by an introduction and helpful annotations to guide students through the relevance and importance of each extract. It can be used on its own, or an accompaniment to the third edition of the highly successful textbook, The Modern Theologians. The volume begins with a selection of the original writings of such 20th–century luminaries as Barth, Bonhoeffer, Lubac, Rahner, Balthasar, as well as many others. Other sections feature the seminal texts that influenced Christian theology in areas such as modernity, science, and global engagements. Seminal writings on theology between faiths –– including Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam –– are also presented, as well as discussions on theology and the visual arts, music, and film. The comprehensive series of original extracts allows the reader to develop their own theological judgments, and follow the development of the important debates that have shaped modern theology.

Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 Part I: Classics of the Twentieth Century 5 Chapter 1: Karl Barth 7 Chapter 2: Dietrich Bonhoeffer 19 Chapter 3: Paul Tillich 30 Chapter 4: Henri de Lubac 41 Chapter 5: Karl Rahner 54 Chapter 6: Hans Urs von Balthasar 64 Part II: Theological Responses to Modernity in Europe and the USA 73 Section A: Germany 75 Chapter 7: Wolfhart Pannenberg 75 Chapter 8: Jürgen Moltmann 86 Section B: Britain 96 Chapter 9: T.F. Torrance 96 Chapter 10: Anglican Theology 104 Section C: USA 115 Chapter 11: The Niebuhrs 115 Section D: The Contemporary Scene: Reappropriating Traditions 124 Chapter 12: Revisionists and Liberals 124 Chapter 13: Postliberal Theology 135 Chapter 14: Systematic Theology after Barth 144 Chapter 15: Roman Catholic Theology after Vatican II 157 Section E: Texts, Truth, and Signification 167 Chapter 16: Biblical Interpretation 167 Chapter 17: Philosophical Theology 181 Chapter 18: Postmodern Theology 192 Part III: Theology and the Sciences 205 Chapter 19: Theology and the Natural Sciences 207 Chapter 20: Theology and the Social Sciences 225 Part IV: Theology, Prayer, and Practice 237 Chapter 21: Theology and Spirituality 239 Chapter 22: Pastoral and Practical Theology 248 Part V: Particularizing Theology 259 Chapter 23: Feminism, Gender, and Theology 261 Chapter 24: Black Theology of Liberation 273 Chapter 25: Latin American Liberation Theology 284 Chapter 26: African Theology 294 Chapter 27: Theologies of South Asia 303 Chapter 28: Contextual Theology in East Asia 315 Chapter 29: Postcolonial Biblical Interpretation 325 Part VI: Global Engagements 335 Chapter 30: Ecumenical Theology 337 Chapter 31: Eastern Orthodox Theology 348 Chapter 32: Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology 357 Chapter 33: Evangelical Theology 366 Part VII: Theology Between Faiths 377 Chapter 34: Theology of Religions 379 Chapter 35: Judaism and Christian Theology 390 Chapter 36: Islam and Christian Theology 398 Chapter 37: Buddhism and Christian Theology 408 Part VIII: Theology in Many Media 423 Chapter 38: Theology and the Visual Arts, Music, and Film 425 Index 442

David F. Ford is Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of numerous books, including The Future of Christian Theology (2010), Christian Wisdom: Desiring God and Learning in Love (2007), Shaping Theology: Engagements in a Religious and Secular World (2007), and Theology: A Very Short Introduction (2000). He also directs the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and is a member of the editorial board of Modern Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology, and other major journals. Mike Higton is Academic Co–Director of the Cambridge Inter–faith Programme at the University of Cambridge, and Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Exeter. His recent books include Christian Doctrine (2008), Difficult Gospel: The Theology of Rowan Williams (2004) and Christ, Providence and History: Hans W. Frei′s Public Theology. Simeon Zahl is an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Pneumatology and Theology of the Cross in the Preaching of Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (T&T Clark/Continuum 2010), and is currently at work on a book on the affections in Lutheran theology.

“In short, although an increasing number of theological readers have been produced in recent years, at this time The Modern Theologians Reader is the clear choice for those who are engaged with this time period. Some will undoubtedly wish that this or that text had been omitted or added; nonetheless, all should be able to agree that Ford and Higton have effectively addressed the needs of most modern Christian theology teachers.”  ( Reviews in Religion & Theology , 3 July 2013) “For a course on modern theology, this reader will soon become standard fare.”  ( Religious Studies Review , 7 March 2013) “This is a cornucopia of very well judged selections from significant and usually interesting theologians mostly Christian, from the early 20 th Century.”  ( Regent′s Reviews , 1 April 2012)