Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction

by Kapic (Editor), Bruce L. McCormack (Editor)

A team of international scholars assesses the field of modern theology thematically, covering classic topics in Christian theology over the last 200 years.

Genres: Theology, History

434 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t like modern theology, but I appreciate this overview even if most of the modern developments and conversations over the past century I find off-putting. The essays by Fred Sanders on Trinitarianism, John Webster on providence, and Kevin Vanhoozer on the atonement are a delight. I wish more theological writing would be modeled after them.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love what Kapic did with John Owen so I decided to give Mapping Modern Theology a go. I don’t read modern theology at all (at least not the writers emphasized here). I’m familiar with the major players from seminary but that’s been a while. Reading this was a enjoyable crash course for me. It took me about two chapters to really get into the flow of the book but once I did I found the rest approachable and profitable.

I love the structure. Rather than organizing around the personalities and developing the theology chronologically, the book moves through doctrines (like a systematic would) emphasizing the developments and major contributors. Some of the most prominent names you will find are Schleiermacher, Barth, Bultmann, Darwin, Dorner, Hegel, Charles Hodges, Hume, Kant, Moltmann, Pannenburg and there are many references to Luther, Calvin, & Aquinas who are not modern but very influential amongst these modern theologians and philosophers. Generally, the theology discussed happens over the last 200 years but not necessarily. The writers are more worried about the themes than a strict chronology.

As someone who doesn’t frequently read in this field it was interesting placing practice and theology I’ve encountered in evangelical and reformed communities within an historical context. Some of the good and much of the bad can be traced back to the major movers who developed modern theology. For instance, in the section on salvation Richard Lints says,

Ritschl was quite critical of the individualistic orientation of soteriology in Protestant Orthodoxy. He decried the individualistic notions of salvation embedded in much Protestant theology because they inevitably drew attention away from the corporate dimensions of love as the summum bonum of the Christian faith. “The Christian community is God’s supreme end in the world.” Love was always directed at another, which entailed that love demanded a community in order to be lived. (p. 267)

Lints then examines the development of the this individualistic focus and also the revivalist’s practice of by “whatever means” when “converting” a sinner (268).

Also, I found the essay on “Creation” by Katherine Sonderegger compelling. She argues that modern apologists for God have retreated even in their positive arguing. For instance,

[T]here is no mistaking that the air of retreat that hovers over these innovations. It is one thing, after all, to assert, as did Thomas Aquinas in his famous Five Ways, that the existence of God can be demonstrated by deep reflections on the structure of the cosmos. It is another thing altogether to say that the logical and empirical demonstrations of natural theology can no longer be advanced, and in its place must stand a suggestion, an analogy, and invitation, or a probability. To medieval apologists such a much move would appear to be a concession, and it is the sting of such a charge that fuels the animosity and high rhetoric of current debates over cosmology, scientific, and Intelligent Design. (109)


I have been advocating for a renewal in the study of church history and its theology; if this admonition hits you, Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction is your huckleberry. So much of our modern foibles could be avoided if there was a clear understanding of where we have been and where we are going. It would be helpful if you had some previous reading in this genre or at least a background in theology, but the writing is well structured and approachable enough that the determined layperson could read it without much ado.

[mpsiple · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more heady than I expected, but a pretty good look at how modern (i.e. liberal) theology has developed the various theological loci. It helped me understand how a lot of contemporary positions came to exist.

[David Goetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable survey of the development of the major doctrinal loci, giving special attention to developments since 1800 or so. As other reviewers have noted, most contributors tell the same story: "Things went pretty smoothly under the strictures of classical metaphysics, but then Kant came along and challenged everything, and Schleiermacher and Hegel and Ritschl did some interesting stuff with [whatever doctrine], and then Barth was amazing in the 20th century!" That said, I would not recommend you tackle this book all at once. Instead, when you begin study of any particular doctrine (after reading the classic works from patristic, medieval, and reformation eras), read the chapter from this book as a helpful introduction to the status quaestionis; this will prepare you well to read more recent contributions. There's also a helpful list of books to read at the end of each chapter.

[JJ Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is an important book, but it was one that I had a bit of trouble with. I think it’s something that I’ll revisit in the future once I’ve had more time to dig into the individual disciplines a bit more, but it was honestly just a lot headier than I was expecting, so I wasn’t able to get as much out of it as somebody else might.

[Joseph Sverker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to Modern Theology, mostly from an evangelical perspective. The book is rather uneven though, some chapters are brilliant, yet others don't seem to answer the question about the theme of the chapter and its relation to Modernity.

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to learning and articulating theology, students are often more adept at the theology of a certain movement like liberalism, feminism and the like or a certain theologian like Barth, Schleiermacher, Niebuhr and others. However, when it comes to the historical development of a particular theological branch like soteriology or eschatology students are usually lacking in their ability to understand how they have developed over time from one theologian or movement to another.

In an effort to aid students of theology towards a better understanding of the development of various areas of systematic theology, Kelly Kapic and Bruce McCormick have assembled a team of renowned theologians to produce Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction. Each of the contributors in this volume is known for their adeptness in the field in which they are writing. Among the fourteen contributors Fred Sanders handles the trinity, Kelly Kapic anthropology, Kevin VanHoozer the atonement and Michael Horton finishes with eschatology.

The stated idea of the book is to

"Organize modern theology along the lines of classic doctrinal topics or themes so that more complete coverage of significant developments in each area of doctrinal construction might be achieved." (p. 1)

Since modern theology is a slice in the pie of historical theology it stands to question how it came about. McCormick believes it developed when

"Church-based theologians ceased trying to defend and protect the received orthodoxies of the past against erosion and took up the more fundamental challenge of asking how the values resident in those orthodoxies might be given an altogether new expression, dressed out in new categories for reflection." (p. 3)

As with all epochs of theological development, the defining question(s) that shaped modern theology was the nature of God and His relation to the world (p. 4). This is fleshed out through three areas of consideration: the doctrine of creation, the being of God in relation to creation and the doctrine of revelation. Admittedly, it is the desire of theologians to interact with the scientific contributions to theology that have driven a good bit of modern theology. So, given the world in which we have discovered certain things about how God has worked in the natural world/revelation, how does that influence (if at all) how we understand God’s special revelation in Scripture.

Like some historical theology books, Mapping Modern Theology focuses on the last 150-200 years of theological development. What the contributors do is weave the theology of theologians and movements together to present a uniform and sequential presentation of their development as they interact with one another. Unlike some historical theology books, Mapping Modern Theology focuses each chapter on an individual theological discipline and traces its development through people and movements. Also unlike some historical theology books, Mapping Modern Theology presents a more fuller presentation of the historical development and takes more time on the thought of the people and movements as well as discusses more movers and shakers than other books might.

Mapping Modern Theology can be used as both a reference book for individual theological disciplines and a text book for a class on modern theology. Teachers and readers will appreciate the list of further resources on each theological discipline so students have a good place to start for writing papers or further study. Readers will notice that several theologians were pillars of modern theology such as Barth, Schliermacher, Rahner, Ritschl, Hegel, Moltmann, Niebuhr and others. Also important to the understanding of modern theology is the work of men like Freud as his works speak to a view of man as well as God. While some more conservative movements have tended to ignore the works of these modern theologians, it would be naive to think their works have no value, as, undoubtedly, their own movements theological convictions have stemmed in various ways as a response or reaction to them.

Mapping Modern Theology is a great addition to the growing literature on modern theology. It serves as a great introduction to the field and hopefully other scholars will take notice.

NOTE: I received this book from Baker and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. The words expressed in this review are my own.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edited volume is well done. It Thematically as it states in the subtitle introduces the reader to the many veins that have shaped theological thought over the last 200 years. I would note this is not a through enough historical theology book on modern or even 20th century theology. Rather it is a simple overview. I would consider using it for a theological overview class for an MDiv Program, or possibly for an undergraduate 20th century or Modern theology class in conjunction with Stanley Grenz and Rodger E. Olson's 20th century theology. This book is thematic, and could be more helpful even in a systematic theology class. Personally, I thought Kapic's section on Anthropology was well done, and did a good job introducing the topic. Meanwhile, The section on sotiriology did not give a very good explanation of the New Perspective on Paul literature. He quickly generalizes Sanders, Dunn, and Wright's positions with out giving the defining differences. He assesses correctly that their works are complex and quite diverse. The section also neglects Bird, Gorman, and Robert Gundry and others views on imputation, justification and so on.(To be fair many text do not do a good job explaining the new perspective). This book also by categorizing sotirology in such a broad category neglects the important differences and nuances between justification and sanctification and how they relate to regeneration and imputation and so on. Overall this is a good book, but it could have been better.

[Haije Bergstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of recent theology seen, not from the leading theologians, but from the most important theological themes. Some chapters are really good (like pneumatology), other writers seem to express more their own view than theological highlights in general. I did miss "missiology" in this book. Is is mentioned under Practical Theoloy and Ecclesiology, but only very briefly. Probably not an important subject when is viewed from a Reformed/Presbyterian angle. Overall a book worthwhile to read, also form people that don´t come from a Reformed background, like me.

[Luís Branco · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is overall an interesting book to read. The book supplies a broader spectrum of theology in modern days. Nevertheless I dislike the intentional attitude to leave outside almost all conservative sort of theology and theological, theologians. In fact, the writers addressed much more the view of philosophers than the opinion of theologians. How can one "map theology" and keep outside Luther, Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Charles H. Spurgeon, John Wesley, C. S. Lewis, John M. Frame, John Piper and do many others? What a pit! The book seems to me tendencious.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure I would have benefitted from this during seminary, but at the same time it was useful to have afterward, to revisit some fields (organized topically) to see the threads, and camps, and backgrounds very much in overview. I don't think I would have had the exposure, before seminary, to appreciate the different players and ideas. In that way, it felt like a nice exit interview—and I took some useful notes for further reading and interests.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of essays from a variety of scholars talking about the variety of loci in Christian theology as elaborated in the modern period. This is especially helpful for bibliographic / contextual background for those in a more evangelical context. Recommended.

[JR McCravy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good in spurts and a very helpful resource.