Christopher R. Brewer - Böcker

If God is the creator of all, might creation itself not provide us with ways of seeing God that enrich our understanding--that connect our desire for God with our life in creation?Natural theology has been a feature of Christian thinking for centuries, but it has also been misunderstood and maligned. What exactly is natural theology, and how might it help us in our pursuit to know and understand God?In Understanding Natural Theology, theologian and scholar Christopher R. Brewer considers several different versions of natural theology and their proponents, including David Brown, Alvin Plantinga, C. Stephen Evans, Thomas F. Torrance, and even Karl Barth, a noted critic of natural theology. Through this study, readers will come to understand not only what natural theology is but also how it can serve in our collective pursuit to understand God.

Drawing upon the pioneering work of the British theologian David Brown who argues for a non-static, ‘moving text’ that reaches beyond the biblical canon, this volume brings together twelve interdisciplinary essays, as well as a response from Brown. With essays ranging from New Testament textual criticism to the fiction of David Foster Wallace, The Moving Text provides an introduction to Brown and the Bible that will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as specialists in a wide range of fields. Contributions include: Ian Boxall (The Catholic University of America) "From the Magi to Pilate's Wife: David Brown, Tradition and the Reception of Matthew's Text," Robert MacSwain (The University of the South) "David Brown and Eleonore Stump on Biblical Interpretation," Aaron Rosen (Rocky Mountain College) "Revisions of Sacrifice: Abraham in Art and Interfaith Dialogue,"Dennis F. Kinlaw III (Houston Baptist University) "The Forms of Faith in Contemporary American Fiction".

‘The limits of radicalism are those which end not in chaos but in the breaking of fresh ground.’Howard E. RootPreviously unpublished––and only recently rediscovered by Dr Christopher R. Brewer in an uncatalogued box in the archives of Lambeth Palace Library––Canon Howard E. Root’s 1972 Bampton Lectures, ‘The Limits of Radicalism’, have to do with nothing less than ‘what theology is’, a topic no less relevant today than it was in 1972. Against the radical reductionism of his time, Root defended the integrity of theology and ‘theological truth’. Advocating a ‘backward-looking’ radicalism, he thought that tradition should display ‘recognisable continuity’, and yet at the same time––against reductionistic tendencies––that it might be enriched and enlarged via a wide variety of ‘additive imagery’ including, though not limited to, poetry and pop art, music and even television. We must ‘begin where we are’, said Root, for we cannot, in the manner of Leonard Hodgson, ‘think ourselves into the minds and feelings of men 2000 years ago.’ In this volume, which begins with a substantial, mostly biographical introduction, Dr Brewer argues that Root––a backward-looking radical who defended metaphysics and natural theology, and insisted that theologians look to the arts as theological resources––anticipates the work of David Brown and others concerned with tradition and imagination, relevance and truth. A fascinating glimpse into the recent history of British Christianity, Root’s lectures, as well as the related appendices, are essential reading for theologians interested in the dynamics of a developing tradition and the theme of openness, as well as those with a particular interest in 1960s Cambridge radicalism and the British reception of the Second Vatican Council.

‘The limits of radicalism are those which end not in chaos but in the breaking of fresh ground.’Howard E. RootPreviously unpublished––and only recently rediscovered by Dr Christopher R. Brewer in an uncatalogued box in the archives of Lambeth Palace Library––Canon Howard E. Root’s 1972 Bampton Lectures, ‘The Limits of Radicalism’, have to do with nothing less than ‘what theology is’, a topic no less relevant today than it was in 1972. Against the radical reductionism of his time, Root defended the integrity of theology and ‘theological truth’. Advocating a ‘backward-looking’ radicalism, he thought that tradition should display ‘recognisable continuity’, and yet at the same time––against reductionistic tendencies––that it might be enriched and enlarged via a wide variety of ‘additive imagery’ including, though not limited to, poetry and pop art, music and even television. We must ‘begin where we are’, said Root, for we cannot, in the manner of Leonard Hodgson, ‘think ourselves into the minds and feelings of men 2000 years ago.’ In this volume, which begins with a substantial, mostly biographical introduction, Dr Brewer argues that Root––a backward-looking radical who defended metaphysics and natural theology, and insisted that theologians look to the arts as theological resources––anticipates the work of David Brown and others concerned with tradition and imagination, relevance and truth. A fascinating glimpse into the recent history of British Christianity, Root’s lectures, as well as the related appendices, are essential reading for theologians interested in the dynamics of a developing tradition and the theme of openness, as well as those with a particular interest in 1960s Cambridge radicalism and the British reception of the Second Vatican Council.

The prestigious Gifford Lectures were established in 1887 by Adam Lord Gifford (1820–1887), a senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The purpose of Lord Gifford’s bequest to the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, and Aberdeen was to sponsor lectures to 'promote and diffuse the study of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term–in other words, the knowledge of God'. After 135 years of lectures, this book presents a reflection and reevaluation.What were the circumstances leading to the foundation of Gifford’s lectures? What were the aims of the lectures, and to what extent have the lectures delivered fulfilled these aims? And what might be the best approaches in the twenty-first century to honour that intent? This book examines the history of the Giffords in an effort to imagine its future trajectories.

In the ancient conversation between Western philosophy and Christian theology, powerful contemporary voices are arguing for monologue rather than dialogue. Instead of these two disciplines learning from and mutually informing each other, both philosophers and theologians are increasingly disconnected from, and thus unable to hear, what the other is saying, especially in Anglo-American scholarship. Some Christian philosophers are now found claiming methodological authority over doctrine, while some Christian theologians even deny that philosophy has its own integrity as a separate discipline. Against these trends, David Brown has argued over the past thirty years that philosophy and theology are both necessary in order to grapple with the reality of divine mystery and Christian faith. Neither discipline can be reduced to the other, and each has its own contribution to make for a full understanding of what Brown describes as 'a single vision' of God. In this volume, Brown addresses some key topics in philosophical theology, including the created order, experience and revelation, incarnation and redemption, and heaven and our communal destiny. Combining analytic clarity, doctrinal substance, and historical depth, this volume exemplifies Brown's project of truly integrating philosophy and theology. It thus provides an ideal introduction to this vital conversation for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as a connected argument of interest to specialists in both disciplines.