Theological Method: A Guide for the Perplexed

Guides for the Perplexed

by Paul L. Allen

Theological A Guide for the Perplexed is a book that introduces the reader to the practice of doing theology. It provides a historical survey of key figures and concepts that bear on an understanding of difficult methodological issues in Christian theology. Beginning with a description of philosophical themes that affect the way theology is done today, it summarizes the various theological methods deployed by theologians and churches over two millennia of Christian thought. The book uncovers patterns in the theological task of relating biblical texts with beliefs and doctrines, according to historically conditioned theological and cultural priorities. The book's highlights include a discussion of Augustine's epoch-making De doctrina Christiana. Also receiving close attention is the relationship between philosophy and theology during the Middle Ages, the meaning of sola scriptura for the Protestant Reformers, the methods of key interpreters of doctrine in the nineteenth century and the theological priorities of the 'Radical Orthodoxy' movement.

Genres: Theology

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2012

Reviews

[Aaron C. Bruun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theological Method is a condensed but comprehensive survey of theological development from the Apostolic Fathers to the 21st century. Allen does a superb job in explaining how the great Christian theologians have processed Scripture and hermeneutics from the Apostle Paul, to Calvin, to Barth, and so on. Each sentence in the book is packed with big ideas. This is where I think some of the complaints have come from. If you aren't familiar with the theological words he uses, then you can feel lost, as if Allen is trying to show off. However, once you realize Allen's pattern, he is condensing complicated ideas, theologies, and methods in order to keep the reader focused and not get lost in rabbit trail explanations. His process of laying out the theological method in a 200+ page book is brilliant. Each sentence could in fact be a few paragraphs in detailed format, but the condensed writing keeps the pace moving. I look forward to reading this again in the future.

[Elissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book should really be “A White Man’s Guide for the Perplexed.” There are only 5 women mentioned in the entire book: Adrienne von Speyr (p. 187), Catherine Pickstock (p. 211), Phyllis Trible and Elizabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza (p. 218), and Kathryn Tanner (p. 225). Of these 5, only the ideas of Pickstock and Tanner are (briefly) engaged with at all. Similarly, the only discussion of a non-white theologian is the references to Gustavo Gutiérrez in the brief section on liberation theology.

I gave it 3 stars because the methodological approach—analyzing theologians in reference to Bernard Lonergan’s theological categories—is interesting. The book also provided a good historical overview for the primary sources we read in the Master’s-level methods class I taught. But when it comes to modern and contemporary theology, this book completely fails, especially by not counting for the diversity of contemporary theology as I note above (not to mention the title of the chapter on 19th-century theology as “early modern”... any historian would explain that early modern is a period that runs roughly from the Renaissance and Reformation until around the French Revolution and Allen completely skips over any theology done between the Reformation and the 19th century, a span of over 300 years!).

[Brian Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of theological methods. Allen provides his review of Theological Methods by illustrating the history of theology, grouping certain theologians by time periods. I found this approach helpful.

[Malcolm Yarnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

About halfway through this book, but it appears to be an excellent introductory text to the analytical field of theological method. My major difficulty so far is that Allen quickly dismisses Barth's objection to Aquinas's influential non-Trinitarian beginning treatment of God.

[Matt Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it really irritating that the author used so much Latin. Write an English book in English or provide footnotes or parenthetical notes or something. Its bad enough that there is no ebook version where you could long press on a word to define it, but having to stop and google Latin on almost every page is annoying.

I don't think this volume is really for the perplexed. It wouldn't help them any. It is for tue theology student whose professor assigned it as a case study in staying awake while reading boring books.