The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology

Description

Postmodernity allows for no absolutes and no essence. Yet theology is concerned with the absolute, the essential. How then does theology sit within postmodernity? Is postmodern theology possible, or is such a concept a contradiction in terms? Should theology bother about postmodernism or just get on with its own thing? Can it? Theologians have responded in many different ways to the challenges posed by theories of postmodernity. In this introductory guide to a complex area, editor Kevin J. Vanhoozer addresses the issue head on in a lively survey of what 'talk about God' might mean in a postmodern age, and vice versa. The book then offers examples of different types of contemporary theology in relation to postmodernity, while the second part examines the key Christian doctrines in postmodern perspective. Leading theologians contribute to this clear and informative Companion, which no student of theology should be without.

KEVIN J. VANHOOZER is Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Illinois. Before that he taught for eight years at New College, University of Edinburgh, where he was Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies. He is the author of Biblical Narrative in the Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur (1990), Is There a Meaning in this Text? The Bible, the Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge (1998), First Theology: God, Scripture, and Hermeneutics (2002) and The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Theology (2003). He was also the co-founder and co-chair for many years of the Systematic Theology group in the American Academy of Religion.

'... the outline of various types of post-modern theology, including 'post-liberalism', 'radical orthodoxy' and the impact of post-modern thought on feminist theology is interesting.' Christian Marketplace 'This much-needed volume is a valuable guide through the often-murky waters of postmodern theology.' Calvin Theological Journal '... arguably the most significant collection ... It gathers together contributions from leading Christian theologians and philosophers of religion - including Venhoozer himself, Graham Ward and Mary McClintock Fulkerson - to consider the challenges and opportunities offered by postmodernity to theology ... This collection seems to be predominantly aimed at students of theology and the philosophy of religion ... but there is much here to think about for anyone working in the fields of continental philosophy of religion and theology ... Graham Ward's 'Deconstructive Theologies' offers a characteristically penetrating account of the promise and threat of deconstruction for theology ... Mary McClintock Fulkerson is given the unenviable task of surveying Feminist theologies in one short essay but she effortlessly meets it in a clear and constructive account which will serve as an excellent introduction to students entering this rich and varied field for the first time ... Kevin Vanhoozer's own excellent contribution explores the impact of postmodern thought and Derridean deconstruction in particular on scriptural exigesis ... I hope it goes without saying that Postmodern Theology is an extremely significant contribution and - despite my reservations - arguably the only really indispensable publication in the field for teachers and students this year.' Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory