Challenges in Contemporary Theology – serie

This distillation of 20 years of Rowan Williams' pastoral and academic work tackles many of the most searching questions of theology and society at the end of the twentieth century. Collects the work of a prominent writer and serving bishop on the history of Christian theology and spirituality. Brings together Rowan Williams' theological essays with studies of wider issues from a theological point of view. Includes an introduction to his work by Bishop Williams.

DIVINE ILLUMINATION “An important and ground-breaking study which links growing interest in Augustine and medieval philosophy with cutting-edge questions in contemporary philosophy of religion, particularly concerning epistemology and the ‘rationality’ of religion.” Janet Soskice, University of Cambridge “In this lucidly argued and solidly documented study, Schumacher uncovers the roots of problems notoriously besetting modern theories of knowledge in conflicting medieval interpretations of Augustine’s assumptions about knowledge as divine illumination: an intriguing thesis, which she handles with delicacy and flair.” Fergus Kerr, O.P. University of Edinburgh “Challenges the traditional history of theories of knowledge. A bold and provocative reading.” Olivier Boulnois, École Pratique des Hautes Études (University of Paris, Sorbonne) Divine Illumination offers an original interpretation of Augustine’s theory of knowledge, tracing its development in the work of medieval thinkers such as Anselm, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, and John Duns Scotus. Although Scotus is often deemed responsible for finally pronouncing Augustine’s longstanding illumination account untenable, Schumacher shows that he only rejected a version that was the byproduct of a shift in the understanding of illumination and knowledge more generally within the thirteenth-century Franciscan school of thought. To reckon with the challenges in contemporary thought on knowledge that were partly made possible by this shift, Schumacher recommends relearning a way of thinking about knowledge that was familiar to Augustine and those who worked in continuity with him. Her book thus anticipates a new approach to dealing with debates in contemporary epistemology, philosophy of religion, and theology, even while correcting some longstanding assumptions about Augustine and his most significant medieval readers.

After Writing provides a significant contribution to the growing genre of works which offers a challenge to modern and postmodern accounts of Christianity.

After Writing provides a significant contribution to the growing genre of works which offers a challenge to modern and postmodern accounts of Christianity.

In this book Sarah Coakley confronts a central paradox of theological feminism - what she terms 'the paradox of power and vulnerability.' Confronts a central paradox of theological feminism – what Coakley terms 'paradox of power and vulnerability'.Explores this issue through the perspective of spiritual practice, philosophical enquiry and doctrinal analysis.Draws together an essential collection of Sarah Coakley's work in this field.Offers an original perspective into contemporary feminist theology.

God and the Body addresses the challenges to traditional Christianity by gay and lesbian Christians and their critics within the church. This controversial book will be welcomed for the radical new insights it provides into Christian arguments about the body.

In this engrossing analysis, Cavanaugh contends that the Eucharist is the Church's response to the use of torture as a social discipline.

Gerard Loughlin is one of the leading theologians working at the interface between religion and contemporary culture. In this exceptional work, he uses cinema and the films it shows to think about the church and the visions of desire it displays. Discusses various films, including the Alien quartet, Christopher Nolan's Memento, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange, Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth and Derek Jarman's The Garden.Draws on a wide range of authors, both ancient and modern, religious and secular, from Plato to Levinas, from Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar to André Bazin and Leo Bersani.Uses cinema to think about the church as an ecclesiacinema, and films to think about sexual desire as erotic dispossession, as a way into the life of God.Written from a radically orthodox Christian perspective, at once both Catholic and critical.

Gerard Loughlin is one of the leading theologians working at the interface between religion and contemporary culture. In this exceptional work, he uses cinema and the films it shows to think about the church and the visions of desire it displays. Discusses various films, including the Alien quartet, Christopher Nolan's Memento, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange, Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth and Derek Jarman's The Garden.Draws on a wide range of authors, both ancient and modern, religious and secular, from Plato to Levinas, from Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar to André Bazin and Leo Bersani.Uses cinema to think about the church as an ecclesiacinema, and films to think about sexual desire as erotic dispossession, as a way into the life of God.Written from a radically orthodox Christian perspective, at once both Catholic and critical.

In this engrossing analysis, Cavanaugh contends that the Eucharist is the Church's response to the use of torture as a social discipline.

This book brings Christian theology, creative literature, and literary critical theory into dialogue on the theme of 'the end'.

This book brings Christian theology, creative literature, and literary critical theory into dialogue on the theme of 'the end'.

This ground-breaking book challenges readers to rethink the divide between liberal and orthodox approaches which characterises Christianity today. Provides an alternative to the liberal / orthodox divide in contemporary Christianity.Defends Christianity's engagement with non-Christian traditions.Includes important discussion of theological method.Illustrated with case studies involving human rights, interfaith tolerance, economics, and ethics.

In Scriptural Interpretation, Sarisky brilliantly draws together Patristic Theology and a theological interpretation of Scripture in the modern day, to examine Scripture’s central place in the life of the Church and ordinary believers. Examines the importance of scriptural interpretation in the life of Christians and of the church Draws together two lively discussions: a study of the theology of the Cappadocian fathers, and a discussion of theological interpretation of Scripture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuriesCovers an impressive historical range, from Basil of Caesarea right up to the work of the major contemporary thinkers, Stanley Hauerwas and Rowan WilliamsOffers a sophisticated understanding of many Patristic thinkers – an area of huge current interest in the field – and challenges accepted readings of the theology of Basil of Caesarea

This new work clarifies Aquinas’ concept of natural law through his biblical commentaries, and explores its applications to U.S. constitutional law. The first time the use of Aquinas on the U.S. Supreme Court has been explored in depth, and its applications tested through a rigorous reading of the biblical commentariesShows how key judgments in the Supreme Court have rested on medieval natural law, and applies critical gender theory to discuss problems with these applicationsOffers new research data to give a different picture of Aquinas and natural law, and a fresh take on Aquinas’ biblical commentariesNew research based on passages in the biblical commentaries never before available in English

“A challenging, sensitive, appreciative, deep and broad-minded book.”The Muslim World Book Review “The work of a master scholar who has devoted a lifetime of scholarly, dialogical, and contemplative reflection to these three interconnected traditions. Audacious in its breadth, the book also addresses important and urgent issues, ranging from creation and eschatology to providence and grace, and the debates that even today continue to divide Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This learned and passionate book is a service to all three communities, a helpful reference work for the ongoing dialogue.”Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University “Professor Burrell is an intellectual wonder and paragon of interfaith evenhandedness. This book takes us on a cross-religious intellectual journey in a way no other book I know does. It is a seminal piece of writing and its intellectual assumptions hold the key not only to interfaith peace in the world but also objective philosophical excellence.”Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal Religious debate among Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scholars has acquired urgent new dimensions in recent years. Yet over the course of 1400 years, what have the Abrahamic traditions really learned from each other? Brilliantly demonstrating the ways that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have struggled with similarly intractable issues over the centuries, Towards a Jewish-Christian-Muslim Theology offers insightful new pathways for productive theological work, along with deep insights into the topic of faith itself. Burrell uses exercises in “creative hermeneutics” to show how each tradition struggles with complex issues, and how comparative inquiry illuminates those issues to the benefit of each tradition. For each key topic explored, renowned religious scholar and theologian David B. Burrell shows how intellectual trends of their day may be read to extend the reach of each tradition itself. By illuminating the actual and potential interaction among the dominant monotheistic religions, Towards a Jewish-Christian-Muslim Theology offers inspiration for continued theological dialogue and hope for people of all faiths in the 21st century.

The definitive compendium of Cavadini’s essays on Augustine Visioning Augustine offers readers an expertly selected collection of essays exploring the text and history of the theology of Saint Augustine. Prominent scholar and essayist, John Cavadini, offers modern audiences an innovative framework for understanding Augustine, integrating articles and essays on significant texts, historical and contemporary perspectives and insights into Augustine’s development as a theologian. Examining themes such as the transformation of the human will in De doctrina Christiana and Augustine’s critique of philosophy in City of God, Cavadini provides clear and accessible smaller-size essays that serve as entry points for those interested in Augustinian scholarship.  The author’s meditations on Augustinian texts invite readers to re-evaluate their interpretations and learn about the subtle and sophisticated vocabulary of Augustine. An encounter with Augustine the Christian theologian, Cavadini contends, is not a narrowly focused parochial experience, but instead a challenge to enlarge our horizons.  Written by one of the most prominent Augustinian scholars and essayists in the fieldAddresses ecumenical and cultural issues that weaken contemporary interest in Christian faithOffers modern readers historical context on Augustinian theologyProvides a single-volume collection of Cavadini’s essays on Augustine written over the course of more than two decadesAccessible prose and intellectual sensitivity to modern theological problemsmake Visioning Augustine an indispensable volume for graduate students, scholars and professionals in all areas of Christian theology.

The definitive compendium of Cavadini’s essays on Augustine Visioning Augustine offers readers an expertly selected collection of essays exploring the text and history of the theology of Saint Augustine. Prominent scholar and essayist, John Cavadini, offers modern audiences an innovative framework for understanding Augustine, integrating articles and essays on significant texts, historical and contemporary perspectives and insights into Augustine’s development as a theologian. Examining themes such as the transformation of the human will in De doctrina Christiana and Augustine’s critique of philosophy in City of God, Cavadini provides clear and accessible smaller-size essays that serve as entry points for those interested in Augustinian scholarship.  The author’s meditations on Augustinian texts invite readers to re-evaluate their interpretations and learn about the subtle and sophisticated vocabulary of Augustine. An encounter with Augustine the Christian theologian, Cavadini contends, is not a narrowly focused parochial experience, but instead a challenge to enlarge our horizons.  Written by one of the most prominent Augustinian scholars and essayists in the fieldAddresses ecumenical and cultural issues that weaken contemporary interest in Christian faithOffers modern readers historical context on Augustinian theologyProvides a single-volume collection of Cavadini’s essays on Augustine written over the course of more than two decadesAccessible prose and intellectual sensitivity to modern theological problemsmake Visioning Augustine an indispensable volume for graduate students, scholars and professionals in all areas of Christian theology.

Transcending Subjects: Augustine, Hegel and Theology engages the seminal figures of Hegel and Augustine around the theme of subjectivity, with consideration toward the theology and politics of freedom.

Responding to the recent upsurge of interest in Thomas Aquinas, this book goes straight to the heart of the contemporary debates about Thomism. Focuses on the concept of authority, both in terms of Aquinas’s own attitude to authority, and how the Church authorities have used Aquinas’s texts. Engages with appropriations of Aquinas’s work by a range of theologians, from liberal Catholics to the creators of radical orthodoxy. Argues for future readings of Aquinas which are substantially different from those which have gone before.

Responding to the recent upsurge of interest in Thomas Aquinas, this book goes straight to the heart of the contemporary debates about Thomism. Focuses on the concept of authority, both in terms of Aquinas’s own attitude to authority, and how the Church authorities have used Aquinas’s texts. Engages with appropriations of Aquinas’s work by a range of theologians, from liberal Catholics to the creators of radical orthodoxy. Argues for future readings of Aquinas which are substantially different from those which have gone before.

This book makes a major contribution to contemporary theological and philosophical debates, bridging scriptural and metaphysical approaches to the triune God. Bridges the gap between scriptural and metaphysical approaches to biblical narratives.Retrieves Aquinas's understanding of theology as contemplative wisdom.Structured around Aquinas's treatise on the triune God in his 'Summa Theologiae'.Argues that intellectual contemplation is part of a broader spiritual journey towards a better understanding of God.Contributes to the current resurgence of Thomistic theology in both Protestant and Catholic circles.

This book makes a major contribution to contemporary theological and philosophical debates, bridging scriptural and metaphysical approaches to the triune God. Bridges the gap between scriptural and metaphysical approaches to biblical narratives.Retrieves Aquinas's understanding of theology as contemplative wisdom.Structured around Aquinas's treatise on the triune God in his 'Summa Theologiae'.Argues that intellectual contemplation is part of a broader spiritual journey towards a better understanding of God.Contributes to the current resurgence of Thomistic theology in both Protestant and Catholic circles.

This ground-breaking book provides a new perspective on Christian practices of silence. An original, theologically informed work, written by a significant Quaker theologian Provides a new perspective on Christian practices of silence Considers the theological and ethical significance of these practices Relates silence, listening and communication to major contemporary issues Takes forward theological engagement with feminist thought Contributes to ongoing research into the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

This ground-breaking book provides a new perspective on Christian practices of silence. An original, theologically informed work, written by a significant Quaker theologian Provides a new perspective on Christian practices of silence Considers the theological and ethical significance of these practices Relates silence, listening and communication to major contemporary issues Takes forward theological engagement with feminist thought Contributes to ongoing research into the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

We are pleased to annouce that God’s Companions by Samuel Wells has been shortlisted for the 2007 Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing.www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk Grounded in Samuel Wells’ experience of ordinary lives in poorer neighborhoods, this book presents a striking and imaginative approach to Christian ethics. It argues that Christian ethics is founded on God, on the practices of human community, and on worship, and that ethics is fundamentally a reflection of God's abundance. Wells synthesizes dogmatic, liturgical, ethical, scriptural, and pastoral approaches to theology in order to make a bold claim for the centrality of the local church in theological reflection. He considers the abundance of gifts God gives through the practices of the Church, particularly the Eucharist. His central thesis, which governs his argument throughout, is that God gives his people everything they need to worship him, be his friends, and eat with him. Wells engages with serious scholarly material, yet sets out the issues lucidly for a student audience.

We are pleased to annouce that God’s Companions by Samuel Wells has been shortlisted for the 2007 Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing.www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk Grounded in Samuel Wells’ experience of ordinary lives in poorer neighborhoods, this book presents a striking and imaginative approach to Christian ethics. It argues that Christian ethics is founded on God, on the practices of human community, and on worship, and that ethics is fundamentally a reflection of God's abundance. Wells synthesizes dogmatic, liturgical, ethical, scriptural, and pastoral approaches to theology in order to make a bold claim for the centrality of the local church in theological reflection. He considers the abundance of gifts God gives through the practices of the Church, particularly the Eucharist. His central thesis, which governs his argument throughout, is that God gives his people everything they need to worship him, be his friends, and eat with him. Wells engages with serious scholarly material, yet sets out the issues lucidly for a student audience.

Leading theologian Graham Ward presents a stimulating series of reflections on Christ and contemporary culture. Takes as its starting point Niebuhr’s famous volume on ‘Christ and Culture’ published in the 1970s Explores representations of Christ from sources as diverse as the New Testament and twentieth-century continental philosophy Considers Christ and culture in the light of contemporary categories such as the body, gender, desire, politics and the sublime Develops an original and imaginative Christology rooted in Scriptural exegesis and concerned with today’s cultural issues The author has been described as ‘the most visionary theologian of his generation’.

The much-discussed notion of Postliberal theology developed from the writings of two theologians at Yale University, Hans Frei and George Lindbeck. An analysis and critique of the much-discussed idea of postliberal theologyProvides an overview of postliberalism and the controversies which resultedCompares the writings of theologians Hans Frei and George Lindbeck, from which postliberal theology developed, and uncovers important differences in their thoughtReconceptualizes these thinkers’ contributions to contemporary theological discussionPublished in the prestigious Challenges in Contemporary Theology series.