The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology (Cambridge Companions to Religion) (Paperback)

~ (Editor) "Those who attempt to define or to analyze the concept of postmodernity do so at their own peril..." (more)
Key Phrases: deconstructive anthropology, postliheral theology, creedal marks, New York, Jesus Christ, Grand Rapids (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is essential reading for those interested in philosophy, theology, and religious and cultural studies. This is an ideal introduction to the key issues for theology in its encounter with post-modernity." Catholic Library World

"This much-needed volume is a valuable guide through the often-murky waters of postmodern theology." Calvin Theological Journal, Jerry Stutzman

"this is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature on the relationship between Christian theology and what, in his introduction, Vanhoozer helpfully calls the 'postmodern condition'" - Philip D. Kenneson, Milligan College

Product Description

Theologians have responded in many different ways to the challenges posed by theories of postmodernity. Kevin J. Vanhoozer addresses the issue directly in an introductory survey of what "talk about God" might mean in a postmodern age. The book offers examples of different types of contemporary theology in relation to postmodernity, and examines the key Christian doctrines in postmodern perspective. Leading theologians contribute to this informative Companion.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521793955
• ISBN-13: 978-0521793957
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,347 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great postmodern primer, October 19, 2005

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

According to the introduction, 'Postmodernity allows for no absolutes and no essence. Yet theology is concerned with the absolute, the essential.' Not meaning to be postmodern to the extreme, this statement can hardly be taken as an absolute, either in regard to postmodernity or in terms of theological development. So, where does one start?

The definition of postmodernity is difficult to formulate. The modern is more easy to situate, in that it occurs in or after the Enlightenment, and the different developments in intellectual and philosophical areas that that entails. Postmodern, as the name implies, is defined in relation to (and in contrast to) the project of modernity. 'Postmodernity is upsetting, intentionally so. Postmodern thinkers have overturned the table of the knowledge-changers in the university, the temple of modernity, and have driven out the foundationalists,' according to editor Kevin J. Vanhoozer.

The book is divided into two primary parts. In the first part, there are essays by theologians such as Kevin Vanhoozer, Nancey Murphy and Brad Kallenberg, George Hunsinger, Thomas A. Carlson, Graham Ward, David Ray Griffin, Mary McClintock Fulkerson, and D. Stephen Long. These look at different types of theology that might be classified as postmodern - postliberal theology, postmetaphysical theology, deconstructive theology, reconstructive theology, feminist theology, and radical orthodoxy. No one form of theology in this list holds a monopoly on the term postmodern; no one form of theology in this list fully qualifies under all the parameters by which one might judge something to be postmodern. (Vanhoozer playfully comments that there are eight chapters, a sort of eightfold-path to enlightenment.)

In the second part of the book, various aspects of the traditional structure of systematic theology receive a 'postmodern' treatment. Most systematic theologies are divided broadly into sections that look at scripture, tradition, the Trinity, method, God, creation, humanity, Christology, soteriology (salvation), ecclesiology (church), and pneumatology (Holy Spirit). These are drawn together in essays by Vanhoozer, Dan Stiver, David Cunningham, Philip Clayton, John Webster, Walter Lowe, Stanley Grenz, and David Ford.

Prior to this collection, I was very familiar with many of the theologians (Ward, Griffin, Cunningham, Grenz, Ford), and had fleeting acquaintance with the work of many others. They constitute an interesting and diverse group to approach this particular topic - postmodernity as an enterprise eschews the idea of conformity and lock-step methods, and these writers approach their subjects from vastly different areas. For example, David Ray Griffin has been one of the leading lights in the school of process theology, but here writes on reconstructive theology, stating that 'not all process theology is properly called postmodern.' Graham Ward is known to me more as a writer in the area of radical orthodoxy topics, but here is developing the idea of deconstruction a la Derrida as applied to the theological task. Stanley Grenz is on the more conservative side of writers here; I was surprised (in a pleasant way) to see him dealing with the issue of ecclesiology through the lens of narrative theology.

This is a really interesting text, one of the most interesting theology books I've read in a long while. It is a good text for introducing many of the strands of modern, er, I mean postmodern (okay, contemporary) theology in a brief but systematic, clear and accessible manner.

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book, June 3, 2009

By	Mr. John Mckeever (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is strong meat for anyone interested in the postmodern interfaces with theology. It is balanced, constructive and contains ideas that are 'dynamite' in every chapter. Particulary good are Vanhoozer's own chapters and the chapter by Walter Lowe on Christ and Salvation. It is certainly among my top five best buys on Amazon.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for seminary students, December 16, 2006

By	K. D. Kelly (Johnstown, PA) - See all my reviews

In my unending search to discover a way in which the sacramental life of the church, LCMS, may be used to intersect post-modernism, I ran across this collection of essays. The collection is very good, however it tends to lean heavily toward the philosophical; I am much more concerned with the practical day to day life of the church. The work contains essays that deal with a range of theologies in the post-modern world. There are several that I thought were quite helpful to my own thesis: D. Stephen Long's Essay on "Radical Orthodoxy," and both of Vanhoozer's. The work also includes a "for further reading" section at the end of each essay that I also found helpful.