This is the story of the intellectual journey that remade God in the image of man, so that he might become one of us.
This is the story of the intellectual journey that remade God in the image of man, so that he might become one of us.
Spirituality, Theology
Nietzsche proclaimed the death of God a hundred and twenty years ago, but Christian theology and Western society are only beginning to come to terms with the implications of this most enigmatic of observations. Scholarly in content but accessible in style, this is the only up-to-date, definitive introduction available to the extraordinary phenomena that has become known as Radical Theology. Romanticism, Marxism, pre and post war German theology, non-realism and the nineteen sixties death of God movement, and now many contemporary writers around the world- they have all reshaped our ideas about God, giving it the rich diversity of experience and expression it comprises today. Tracing the history of the key idea in Western thought from its origins through to the present day, this is the story of the intellectual journey that remade God in the image of man, so that he might become one of us.
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Trevor Greenfield understands the problem facing Christianity, a pre-modern religious system trying to live in a post-modern world. He recognizes that the great division in Christianity today to be between those who cannot admit that the problem exists--Evangelicals, Fundamentalists and conservative Roman Catholics-- and those who have given up the struggle to become members of the Church Alumni Association and citizens of the 'Secular City.' He seeks an alternative to these sterile dead-ends in radical theology. It is a daring book from the pen of a sensitive and loving person, who instead of abandoning the faith of his fathers and mothers seeks to transform the very heart of Christianity. ~ John Shelby Spong, Bishop
Though Liberal Theology has failed to hold back the onslaught of conservative theologies, Trevor Greenfield believes that Radical Theology offers a more honest and robust option for Christians who want no truck with fundamentalism. He offers a clear and accessible account of the history of Radical Theology, its relation to scripture and tradition, and its development in recent times. For those wanting to know more about the movement inspired by 'death of God' theologies in the 1960s and '70s and the work of Don Cupitt in the '80s and '90s, this is an excellent place to start. ~ Linda Woodhead, Senior Lecturer in Christian Studies, Lancaster University
Trevor Greenfield depicts the landscape of radical theology with a pleasing balance of broad stroke and fine detail. His book will engage and benefit the college student and armchair reader alike. ~ Anthony Freeman, Author of God In Us
A gift for those who don't yet know their Hick from their Holloway or their Cox from their Kant. ~ David Boulton, Author of The Trouble With God
A useful overview of the developments in daring and dramatic interpretations of the post-Enlightenment religoius quest, with special developments since the mid-twentieth century. Provides succinct assesments of the contributions of Don Cupitt, Lloyd Geering and John Spong. His most intriguing chapter is one where he finds parallels betwen radical theology and the Biblical Wisdom tradition. ~ , Faith and Freedom
Asks us to engage with an audacious and unsettling proposition: that, following God's demise, we seriously endeavour to reinvent Him for our own time. Radical Theology is an ongoing process, from "the real" to the "non-real". Greenfield does a skilful job in tracing the roots of this journey. He both encapsulates the problems and outlines some possible answers from contemporary thinkers. He also confronts the issues raised by relocating ethics from the divine realm to the human. His discussion of seminal texts leads to tentative and nuanced conclusions that cannot be glibly paraphrased and, as with the rest of his book, we are invited to evaluate these radical thinkers for ourselves. ~ , Universalist
A clear and thorough account of Radical Theology as an intellectual and historical journey. It expresses Radical Theology's self-understanding in a clear and readable way. ~ , Theology, Ethics and Philosophy
An Introduction to Radical Theology is just that- an introduction to some of the wonderful and intriguing theological work that has been going on for several decades but ignored by far too many of us. A wonderful journey. ~ , The Center for Progressive Christianity
