Personal Identity in Theological Perspective

by Richard Lints, Michael Horton (Editor), Mark R. Talbot (Editor)

The turbulence and confusion of contemporary life should motivate us to ask the big questions of life anew and to reexamine the disastrous naturalism of the twentieth century. This volume gathers well-known thinkers from a breadth of confessional Christian traditions who share a passionate interest in better understanding the nature of persons. The contributors to Personal Identity in Theological Perspective aim to recover the ancient biblical account of human beings as made "in the image of God." Their essays fall naturally into three divisions - retrieving historical discussions of human identity, presenting contemporary challenges to a distinctively Christian anthropology, and offering constructive proposals toward a richer understanding of persons. This volume will provoke discussion and debate on the fundamental question What does it mean to be human? Contributors: Stanley J. Grenz Michael S. Horton Stanton L. Jones David H. Kelsey Richard Lints Nancey Murphy Mark R. Talbot William C. Weinrich Robert Louis Wilken Mark A. Yarhouse

Genres: Theology

235 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Joseph Sverker]

This is a very useful book for anyone who is interested in a theological approach to the question of personhood and human identity. It is particularly useful in that there is a clear awareness of philosophy and sociology (and psychology) among the different contributers in the book and all of them argues well that a theological understanding can borrow from this and learn from it, but the theologian also need to "bend" the secular concepts since the primary aspects that constitute personhood is the fact that God relates to humanity. There are many very strong essays in the book and Grenz, Murphy, Kelsey, Horton and Lints were the most helpful to me. Jones' and Yarhaouse's essay on sexuality might be the most controversial, at least in my context here in Sweden, in that they argue for a traditional evangelical view on sexuality that places sex solidly and exclusively inside the male-female marriage. Having said that they show sensitivity and good awareness of the issues involved. Furthermore, they do not fall into the biological essentialistic camp, but they are, instead, far more critical against evolutionary psychology than structuralist theories.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very helpful volume for understanding the contemporary conversation about theological anthropology. Not, however, an introductory volume. The reading is probably most appropriate for graduate students. As with most such things, the essays are somewhat uneven. I most highly recommend Wilken's piece on "Biblical humanism" and Kelsey's piece "personal bodies."