Franz Bibfeldt's famously flexible theology comes to life for a new generation of readers in this revised and expanded edition of The Unrelieved Paradox, which, besides completely reproducing the original 1994 volume, contains these noteworthy added new preface by Martin Marty ("Not a classic!" he says)Previously unpublished essays by William Schweiker, Jean-Luc Marion, James T. Robinson, and Arthur CallahamMuch more recent toasts to Bibfeldt by Ian Gerdon and Emanuelle BurtonNew artwork by David Morgan
Martin E. Marty was an American religious scholar and historian known for his extensive work on religion in the United States. A Lutheran pastor before transitioning into academia, he became a leading voice in religious studies, particularly in the areas of American Protestantism, fundamentalism, and public religion. He was a longtime professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School, where he mentored numerous doctoral students and held the prestigious Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professorship. Marty wrote or edited a book for nearly every year of his academic career, producing influential works such as Righteous Empire: The Protestant Experience in America, which won the National Book Award, and the five-volume Fundamentalism Project, co-edited with R. Scott Appleby. He was a prolific columnist for The Christian Century and wrote extensively on religion's role in American public life. A recipient of numerous honors, including the National Humanities Medal and over 80 honorary doctorates, Marty also served as president of several academic societies and participated in U.S. presidential commissions. The Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion at the University of Chicago was named in his honor.
This can be a very funny book for theology nerds. It's in the nature of the book to be repetitive, however. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to pastors with a sense of humor.