Table of Contents
Preface ix
Part 1 Understanding Contemporary Christian Thought
Chapter 1 Setting the Stage: Christianity and the Developments of Modernity 3
The Enlightenment and the Development of Critical and Autonomous Reason 5
Historical Criticism of the Bible 11
The Two Main Hypotheses of Historical Criticism 12
Theological Questions and Challenges Raised by Historical Criticism 15
Chapter 2 Surveying the Field: Options in Contemporary Christian Thought 21
Biblical Literalism 22
Evidence for Truth 27
Biblical Literalists in the United States 29
Theological Literalism 30
Faith and Reason 34
Theological Literalists in the United States 35
Theological Reinterpreters 35
Panentheism and Its Implications 38
The Place of Theological Reinterpreters in the Church 41
Part 2 Classical Christian Thought and Contemporary Transformations
Chapter 3 God and Cosmology 45
Biblical and Greek Roots of the Christian Idea of God 45
Transformations in Reflection on God during the Enlightenment 51
Justifying Belief in God in the Contemporary Period Karl Barth Paul Tillich 56
Limits of Rational Thought: Barth 57
Awareness of God through Ultimate Concern: Tillich 58
God and God's Relation to the Universe in Panentheism 59
Human Language about God 65
Metaphors of God and the Analogy of Being 65
Human Language about God and Contemporary Theology 68
Chapter 4 Christ and History 71
Historical Background: Jewish Hopes for a Messiah 71
The Development of Classical Christology 74
Historical Background: New Testament Gospels to the Nicene Creed 74
Jesus the Christ in Classical Christology 84
The Historical Jesus and Christology in the Contemporary Period 95
The Quest for the Historical Jesus 97
Directions in Contemporary Christology 99
Liberation Theology 99
Existentialist Theology 102
Theology of Hope 104
Chapter 5 Heaven, Hell, and Anthropology 107
Biblical and Greek Views of Humanity and Human Destiny 107
Mainstream Old Testament Belief in Sheol 107
Development of Apocalypticism and Belief in Resurrection 109
Greek Thought and Belief in an Immortal Soul 113
Classical Christian Eschatology 114
Fusion of Greek Anthropology and Hebrew Teleology 114
Original Sin, Grace, and Human Destiny 118
Contemporary Alternatives Regarding the Afterlife 120
The Interdependent and Evolutionary Understanding of Human Beings 120
Resurrection or Determined Agnosticism 122
Progress in the Afterlife John Hick 124
Process Theology's Limited God and the Afterlife 127
Part 3 Christianity and Cultural Transformations
Chapter 6 Christianity and Other Religions 135
A Framework for Understanding Christianity's Relationship to Other Religions 138
Historical Exclusivism and Articulation of the Issues 140
Types of Contemporary Exclusivism 144
Christianity Is Exclusively True and the Exclusive Place of Salvation: Sectarian Protestantism 144
Christianity Is Exclusively True, but Salvation Is for Everyone Karl Barth 145
The World Religions Have Some Truth, but Christianity Is the Exclusive Place of Salvation: Evangelical Protestantism 148
Inclusivism 151
Emergence of Inclusivism 151
Salvation Occurs in All Religions, but Christianity Is Completely True Karl Rahner 153
Pluralism 156
Salvation Occurs in All Religions, and No Religion Is Exclusively True John Hick 156
Criticisms of Hick: Self-Conscious Inclusivism and Exclusivism 161
Chapter 7 Christianity and Feminism 165
The Why and What of Feminist Theology 167
Feminist Theology and the Bible 169
The Twofold Approach to the Bible and Its Interpretation 170
Exposing and Critiquing Patriarchy in Text and Interpretation 171
Liberating Appropriation of the Text 177
Women's Leadership in the Church 180
Evangelical Protestants, the Bible, and Women's Ordination 181
Roman Catholics and Women's Ordination 183
Language for God 184
Significance of Male God-Language 185
Feminist Arguments for Change from Exclusively Male God-Language 187
Sin and Salvation 192
Sin as Self-Negation, Layered Oppression, and Structural Reality 192
Salvation 195
Chapter 8 Christianity and Homosexuality 199
Sources of Authority according to the Main Christian Groups 200
Roman Catholicism, the Church Hierarchy, and Homosexuality 201
Sources of Authority in Evangelical and Mainline Protestant Groups 203
Biblical Passages on Homosexuality 207
Old Testament 208
New Testament 211
Arguments from Human Reason and Scriptural Themes 214
Human Reason 215
Biblical Themes 221
Chapter 9 Christianity and the Natural Environment 225
The Anti-environmental Charge against Christianity 227
Stewardship of Creation 230
Salvation History, Eschatology, and Ecology 234
The Transformation of Nonhuman Creation Denis Edwards 234
Overcoming Christianity's Ecological Ambiguity Paul Santmire 236
Creation Spirituality 239
Original Blessing and the Cosmic Christ Matthew Fox 240
The Universe Story Thomas Berry Brian Swimme 244
Discussion Questions and Further Reading 249
Notes 263
Glossary 281
Index 293
