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Christian theology: An introduction to its traditions and tasks
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- GenresTheology
400 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2020
Terrible. A collection of essays from a modernist/critical perspective largely dismissing the majority of historical Christian thought as outdated, if not "problematic." No concern for truth, especially as revealed by God in His Word. Unfounded presuppositions and theological existentialism can hardly be called "Christian Theology."
April 28, 2010
Christian Theology: An Introduction to It's Traditions and Tasks provides an adequate general introduction to the history of theology and theological movements/modes of thought.
Though it does give a decent amount of space to the foundational thinking in Christian theology, it is still weighted heavily towards modern liberal theology. Since I had to read this for a class at St. Stephen's College--an institution of the United Church of Canada, this is not very surprising. Headings are drawn in each chapter starting with "the Doctrine in its Classic Formulation," followed eventually by "Challenges and Contributions of Modern Consciousness," giving the impression of historical progress, that the older forms are somehow obsolete. Schleimacher, for example, is almost unambiguously confirmed as a theological innovator, and the existentialist, "ground of all being" originator Paul Tillich is given nearly the same treatment. The space given for "Process Theology" which has nearly dropped completely off the map is also a good indicator of where the editors and their sympathies lay. That is not to say that liberal theology is "bad," but it does say that it can be limited and one-sided. As such, Catholicism, which was (for better or worse) the only game in town for centuries, receives very little space in comparison to liberal protestant understandings such as Tillich and Bultmann, which make up a fraction of Christian intellectual history. Eastern Orthodoxy is almost completely absent as well.
This is not always the case, however, in the sense that many of the earlier theologians are treated with respect for the creativity in their thought in relation to their time and place. Augustine on original sin, for example, is seen as taking the "third way" between the Manichean doctrine of evil as a manifestation in the world as a rival to God's goodness, and the Pelagian view that evil essentially does not exist and humans are free to sin or not sin as they please. Augustine, in this case, is seen as affirming, above all else, the essential goodness of creation, and evil as a distortion or corruption of the original good intent. The book's reasonable coverage of recent developments in liberation theology are also commendable, since their partisan claims tend to seem out of place within the bourgeois existential angst of the likes of Tillich.
The strongest chapter is Stephen W. Sykes' treatment of the sacraments. Seeing as how Sykes is an Anglican priest, this should come as no shock. His even-handed approach, incorporating the massive Catholic tradition, and even the Eastern Orthodox tradition, gives a very satisfying basic understanding of the sacraments as the "outward sign of an inner reality." His "issues and proposals" section both adheres to an intelligent assessment of the viability of tradition as well as speaking into new possibilities in the present.
Overall, a solid introduction to Christian theology. The faults are not in quality, but in the selective judgment of the editors. I give them credit for the high academic quality of the text, even if it does betray a certain bias that has prevented it from aging well in the last decade and a half.
Though it does give a decent amount of space to the foundational thinking in Christian theology, it is still weighted heavily towards modern liberal theology. Since I had to read this for a class at St. Stephen's College--an institution of the United Church of Canada, this is not very surprising. Headings are drawn in each chapter starting with "the Doctrine in its Classic Formulation," followed eventually by "Challenges and Contributions of Modern Consciousness," giving the impression of historical progress, that the older forms are somehow obsolete. Schleimacher, for example, is almost unambiguously confirmed as a theological innovator, and the existentialist, "ground of all being" originator Paul Tillich is given nearly the same treatment. The space given for "Process Theology" which has nearly dropped completely off the map is also a good indicator of where the editors and their sympathies lay. That is not to say that liberal theology is "bad," but it does say that it can be limited and one-sided. As such, Catholicism, which was (for better or worse) the only game in town for centuries, receives very little space in comparison to liberal protestant understandings such as Tillich and Bultmann, which make up a fraction of Christian intellectual history. Eastern Orthodoxy is almost completely absent as well.
This is not always the case, however, in the sense that many of the earlier theologians are treated with respect for the creativity in their thought in relation to their time and place. Augustine on original sin, for example, is seen as taking the "third way" between the Manichean doctrine of evil as a manifestation in the world as a rival to God's goodness, and the Pelagian view that evil essentially does not exist and humans are free to sin or not sin as they please. Augustine, in this case, is seen as affirming, above all else, the essential goodness of creation, and evil as a distortion or corruption of the original good intent. The book's reasonable coverage of recent developments in liberation theology are also commendable, since their partisan claims tend to seem out of place within the bourgeois existential angst of the likes of Tillich.
The strongest chapter is Stephen W. Sykes' treatment of the sacraments. Seeing as how Sykes is an Anglican priest, this should come as no shock. His even-handed approach, incorporating the massive Catholic tradition, and even the Eastern Orthodox tradition, gives a very satisfying basic understanding of the sacraments as the "outward sign of an inner reality." His "issues and proposals" section both adheres to an intelligent assessment of the viability of tradition as well as speaking into new possibilities in the present.
Overall, a solid introduction to Christian theology. The faults are not in quality, but in the selective judgment of the editors. I give them credit for the high academic quality of the text, even if it does betray a certain bias that has prevented it from aging well in the last decade and a half.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews