The Modern Theologians: An Introduction To Christian Theology Since 1918

by David F. Ford (Editor)

This popular text has been updated to ensure that it continues to provide a current and comprehensive overview of the main Christian theologies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Genres: Theology, Religion, History, Reference, Nonfiction

819 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2005

About the author

David Frank Ford (born 23 January 1948, Dublin) is an academic and public theologian. He has been the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge since 1991. His research interests include political theology, ecumenical theology, Christian theologians and theologies, theology and poetry, the shaping of universities and of the field of theology and religious studies within universities, hermeneutics, and inter-faith theology and relations. He is the founding director of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme and a co-founder of the Society for Scriptural Reasoning.

Reviews

[David Levey]

I haven't finished this book yet, and probably never will, because it's over 800 pages of densely-packed facts and interpretations, but it certainly is a magnificent reference work, well worth dipping into, and helps me to realise how varied and rich Christianity is, and how much God is at work in modern theologians, though some may be of the sceptical variety.

The focus does however fall mainly on Western theology, and there is not enough on (say) African theology or Orthodox theology, though there are chapters on these topics. Still, there are fascinating sections on 'Global Engagements', 'Theology between Faiths' and 'Theology in Many Media', and this is an evolving work (now in its third edition). Hence I'm sure the editors will do their best to fill such gaps in due course.

[Katariina Kabur]

I only read the chapter "Introduction to Modern Christian Theology" and I liked it. It gave a proper overview of a modern theologians (and the problems) that need to discovered by a theology student. Good introduction to my Systematic theology seminar. Kant, Hegel, Barth, Schleiermacher... you name it.

[Ayung Kenpachi]

The book has given the reader a wide spectrum of views, opinions, and outlooks on theology and ethics, although a large amount of time would be needed to accumulate the knowledge of the material in the book. The amount of information, knowledge, and data the author has collected and each topic being dealt with by individual writers summarizing and pointing to the core of their given topic is worthy of applause. This book is a must-read/must-have for anyone who is interested in developing multiple perspectives on theology and its relationship with ‘other’ things (includes other religions too) which are still applicable and relatable to our current generation. It also deals with popular and controversial topics like feminism, gay lesbian queer, etc. The point is- the book is loaded with an introductory and summary style of writing including debates, questions and opinions from the authors themselves which would help anyone grasp a hint of what actually is in theology and what it has to do with both worlds (secular and religious). The book would be especially helpful for a lifetime for students whose discipline is in theology/ethics (although it touches most of the topics under theology rather than ethics).

[Tom]

Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. This is very introductory and so cannot do justice to the way these thinkers think.

[Rui]

This book played for theology a similar role as Sophie's Word dd for my discovery of philosophy: a launching ramp for a vast unknown planet. Now, lets explore it!