Matthew Ryan Robinson – författare

Theological work, whatever else it may be, is always a reflection on social transformations. Not only pastors but also theologians work with the sources of the Christian traditions in one hand and a newspaper in the other. But how are we to understand the relationship between social transformations and the continuously “compromised” development of Christian ideals, as these are measured by doctrinal formulations? And how might a more deeply sociological perspective on this relationship inform theological work? Matthew Ryan Robinson and Evan F. Kuehn approach this question, not by reconstructing a history of ideas, but rather by telling a story about the development of churches and theological institutions. They take the turbulent and dynamic ecclesiological situation of nineteenth-century Germany as a representative case, focusing on the sociological methodological orientation of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Ernst Troeltsch in the context of the rise of theological liberalism, the history of religions, and the German churches’ confrontation with social and political challenges. Robinson and Kuehn then connect this orientation with the sociology of religion of Hans Joas and Niklas Luhmann, arguing for a functional focus in theological research on what doctrines do rather than what the reality behind or in any particular doctrine is.

The rise of populism and nationalism in the West have raised concerns about the fragility of liberal political values, chief among them tolerance. But what alternative social resources exist for cultivating the interpersonal relationships and mutual goodwill necessary for sustainable peace? And how might the lived practices of religious communities carry potential to reinterpret or re-circuit these interpersonal tensions and transform the relationship with the cultural "other" (Fremde) from "foe" (Feind) to "friend" (Freund)? This volume contributes a unique analysis of this shifting discourse by viewing the contemporary socio-political upheaval through the lens of Friedrich Schleiermacher's theology, with a focus on the themes of friendship, interpersonal subjectivity, and sociability as a path beyond mere tolerance. Each of the essays of the volume is written by an internationally recognized scholar in the field, and the volume examines Schleiermacher's novel reflections across multiple social contexts, including North America, Great Britain, western Europe, and South Africa. As these essays demonstrate, the implications of this conversation continue to resound in contemporary religious communities and political discourse.

The rise of populism and nationalism in the West have raised concerns about the fragility of liberal political values, chief among them tolerance. But what alternative social resources exist for cultivating the interpersonal relationships and mutual goodwill necessary for sustainable peace? And how might the lived practices of religious communities carry potential to reinterpret or re-circuit these interpersonal tensions and transform the relationship with the cultural "other" (Fremde) from "foe" (Feind) to "friend" (Freund)?

This volume contributes a unique analysis of this shifting discourse by viewing the contemporary socio-political upheaval through the lens of Friedrich Schleiermacher''s theology, with a focus on the themes of friendship, interpersonal subjectivity, and sociability as a path beyond mere tolerance. Each of the essays of the volume is written by an internationally recognized scholar in the field, and the volume examines Schleiermacher''s novel reflections across multiple social contexts, including North America, Great Britain, western Europe, and South Africa. As these essays demonstrate, the implications of this conversation continue to resound in contemporary religious communities and political discourse.

In der Religionswissenschaft zeichnet sich ein erneuter Fokus auf die Funktion von zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen in der Pflege religiöser Sensibilitäten ab. Diesem Sachverhalt geht Matthew Ryan Robinson in seiner Studie zu Friedrich Schleiermachers "Versuch einer Theorie des geselligen Betragens" nach. In Schleiermachers Ethik ist der Mensch geformt aus innigen, eng miteinander verknüpften Beziehungen zu anderen. Schleiermacher beschreibt diese Geselligkeit als eine natürliche Tendenz, in der der Mensch sich in seiner Unvollkommenheit an den körperlichen und existenziellen Grenzen des Anderen orientiert, um seine eigene Erfahrungen zu vollenden."Die Vollendung der Menschheit" bildet die fundamentale Struktur in Schleiermachers Religionstheorie, als Orientierung an "dem Universum und dem Verhältnis der Menschheit zu ihm". Schleiermacher stellt so Geselligkeit nicht nur als grundlegend für die menschliche Natur dar, sondern auch als inhärent religiös - und potentiell erlösend. Dieser Anspruch und die daraus resultierenden Implikationen sind zentrale Überlegungen Robinsons zu Schleiermachers Ethik, Religionstheorie und Ekklesiologie.

"What Does Theology Do, Actually? Observing Theology and the Transcultural" is to be the first in a series of 5 books, each presented under the same question – "What Does Theology Do, Actually?", with vols. 2–5 focusing on one of the theological subdisciplines. This first volume proceeds from the observation of a need for a highly inflected "trans-cultural", and not simply "inter-cultural", set of perspectives in theological work and training.The revolution brought about across the humanities disciplines through globalization and the recognition of "multiple modernities" has introduced a diversity of overlapping cultural content and multiple cultural and religious belongings not only into academic work in the humanities and social sciences, but into the Christian churches as well.[Was treibt Theologie aktuell? Beobachtungen zu der Systematischen Theologie und dem Transkulturellen]"Was treibt Theologie aktuell? Beobachtungen zur Systematischen Theologie und dem Transkulturellen" soll das erste in einer Reihe von fünf Büchern sein, welche alle unter der Titelfrage präsentiert werden, wobei sich die Bände 2 bis 5 auf jeweils andere theologische Disziplinen konzentrieren.Dieser erste Band geht von der Beobachtung aus, dass nicht nur interkulturelle, sondern auch transkulturelle Perspektiven in der theologischen Arbeit und Lehre notwendig sind. Die Revolution, welche den Geisteswissenschaften durch die Globalisierung und die Erkenntnis "multipler Modernitäten" gebracht wurde, hat nicht nur in den akademischen Raum der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften eine Vielfalt sich überschneidender, kultureller Inhalte und multipler religiöser und kultureller Identitäten eingeführt, sondern auch in die christlichen Kirchen.Dr. Matthew Ryan Robinson, Ph.D. is Research Associate in the Protestant Theological Faculty at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn. His is the author of Redeeming Relationship, Relationships that Redeem: Free Sociability and the Completion of Humanity in the Thought of Friedrich Schleiermacher (Mohr Siebeck 2018) and, with Evan F. Kuehn, Theology Compromised: Schleiermacher, Troeltsch, and the Possibility of a Sociological Theology (Lexington Books / Fortress Academic 2019).Inja Inderst is Research Associate in the Protestant Theological Faculty at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn.

»What Does Theology Do, Actually? Observing Theology and the Transcultural« is to be the first in a series of 5 books, each presented under the same question – »What Does Theology Do, Actually?«, with vols. 2–5 focusing on one of the theological subdisciplines. This first volume proceeds from the observation of a need for a highly inflected »trans-cultural«, and not simply »inter-cultural«, set of perspectives in theological work and training.The revolution brought about across the humanities disciplines through globalization and the recognition of »multiple modernities« has introduced a diversity of overlapping cultural content and multiple cultural and religious belongings not only into academic work in the humanities and social sciences, but into the Christian churches as well.

Exegesis has long been characterized by a broad disciplinary diversity, but also ambiguity – combining biblical studies, exegesis, early Jewish studies, early Christian studies, Ancient Near Eastern studies, Greco-Roman, and classical studies in various ways. This is to say nothing of the more recent development of contextual and engaged exegesis as reflected in feminist, liberation, postcolonial and queer Biblical exegesis. Furthermore, how and why scholars study the Bible varies, not only across confessional or cultural contexts, but across institutional-academic contexts. The book engages these complex methodological questions about the interrelations of context, institutions, and knowledge production in relation to such issues as religious belonging, ethnicity, political identity, and postcolonial pasts, among other issues of contemporary importance.[Was treibt Theologie eigentlich?]Exegetische Forschung zeichnet sich seit langem durch eine große disziplinäre Vielfalt, aber auch Mehrdeutigkeit aus. Sie verbindet auf unterschiedliche Weise Bibelwissenschaft, Exegese, frühjüdische Studien, frühchristliche Studien, altorientalische Studien, griechisch-römische und klassische Studien. Ganz zu schweigen von der neueren Entwicklung einer kontextbezogenen und engagierten Exegese, wie sie in der feministischen, befreiungstheologischen, postkolonialen und queeren Bibelexegese zum Ausdruck kommt.Darüber hinaus variiert die Art und Weise, wie und warum Forschende die Bibel untersuchen, nicht nur zwischen konfessionellen oder kulturellen Kontexten, sondern auch zwischen institutionellen und akademischen Kontexten. Der Band befasst sich mit diesen komplexen methodischen Fragen über die Wechselbeziehungen zwischen Kontext, Institutionen und Wissensproduktion in Bezug auf Themen wie religiöse Zugehörigkeit, Ethnizität, politische Identität, postkoloniale Vergangenheiten und andere Themen.