Essential theology books of the past 25 years

The Christian Century – I believe it’s still the flagship periodical of US mainline Protestantism – asked eight theologians to name five essential theology books of the past 25 years. Below I’ve excerpted the titles they gave. You’ll want to go to CC’s website to read the theologians’ descriptions of the books they chose, and why they chose them.

Not a lot on liturgy here – but there is Schmemann on Eucharist and Cavanagh on torture and Eucharist. It’s good to see so much on spirituality. It’s also interesting to note how many books take up the core beliefs of Christianity – the creed, the Trinity – in some innovative relationship to human experience. I’m looking at, for example,  Kathryn Tanner, Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity: A Brief Systematic Theology, or Eugene F. Rogers, Sexuality and the Christian Body: Their Way into the Triune God. It’s not your grandparents’ systematic theology, and I think that’s a good thing. Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, appears twice, and Milbank on theology and social theory appears three times.

More than a few books here which I haven’t read. I’m making a vow, my religious superiors and the abbey business office will be glad to know, not to go near amazon.com for the next 48 hours.

Enjoy browsing.                        – awr

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Stanley Hauerwas’s 5 picks:
George A. Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age.  Robert Jenson, Systematic Theology. James Wm. McClendon Jr., Systematic Theology. John Milbank, Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason.

Amos Yong’s 5 picks:
Nancy L. Eiseland, The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability. Clark H. Pinnock, Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit. Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation. J. Kameron Carter, Race: A Theological Account.  Paul F. Knitter, Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian.

Emilie M. Townes’s 5 picks:
Katie Geneva Cannon, Katie’s Canon: Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community. Charles H. Long, Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Inter­pretation of Religion. Peter J. Paris, The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common Moral Discourse. Larry L. Rasmussen, Earth Community, Earth Ethics.  Kathryn Tanner, Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity: A Brief Systematic Theology.

Lawrence S. Cunningham’s 5 picks:
Bernard McGinn, The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism.  Herbert McCabe, God Matters and God Still Matters. John Milbank, Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason. David Bentley Hart, The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth.

Sarah Coakley’s 5 picks:
Andrew Louth, The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition: From Plato to Denys.  Steven Payne, John of the Cross and the Cognitive Value of Mysticism: An Analysis of Sanjuanist Teaching and Its Philosophical Implications for Contemporary Discussions of Mystical Experience. Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God. Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter, editors. Feminist Epistemologies. William T. Cavanaugh, Torture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s 5 picks:
David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. John Webster, Word and Church: Essays in Church Dogmatics. N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God.  Nicholas Wolterstorff, Divine Discourse: Philosophical Reflections on the Claim That God Speaks. John D. Zizioulas, Being as Communion: Studies in Personhood and the Church.

George Hunsinger’s 5 picks:
Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith: The Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church. Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist. Sarah Coakley, Powers and Submissions: Spirituality, Philosophy and Gender. J. Kameron Carter, Race: A Theological Account. Derek S. Jeffreys, Spirituality and the Ethics of Torture.

Willie James Jennings’s 5 picks:
Sallie McFague, The Body of God: An Ecological Theology. John Milbank, Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason. Eugene F. Rogers, Sexuality and the Christian Body: Their Way into the Triune God. Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation. Delores S. Williams, Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk.

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Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., edits the blog, Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom.

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Comments

10 responses to “Essential theology books of the past 25 years”

  1. C Henry Edwards

    “I believe it’s still the flagship periodical of US mainline Protestantism”

    If so, perhaps both the choice of the theologians and their book selections may tell us something about where US mainline Protestantism is going, and why.

    Reply
    1. Rita Ferrone

      Allow me to point out that Lawrence Cunningham is a Catholic. He is a senior professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, and has been for many years the writer of a column in Commonweal called “Religion Booknotes.”

      One of the encouraging directions evident among mainline Protestants is the tendency to regard Catholics as peers and participants in theological conversation. We do well to repay them the favor and refrain from predictions about “where US mainline Protestantism is going, and why” as a way to discount the value of their publications, which is what this comment seems to do.

      Reply
  2. Anthony Ruff, OSB

    CHE, what are you suggesting? Where do you see it going, and why? Perhaps you’ve read many of these books and can share your impression with us.
    awr

    Reply
    1. Michael Podrebarac

      We’re waiting…

      Reply
    2. C Henry Edwards

      Fr. Ruff, I’m not sufficiently informed about mainline Protestantism to suggest anything specific. But my impression from general news sources is that it now lacks the energy and vigor of both Catholicism and evangelical Christianity in this country. Right or wrong?

      Reply
    3. Michael Podrebarac

      That’s what I thought.

      Reply
  3. Joe O'Leary

    No works in any language but English?

    Reply
    1. F C Bauerschmidt

      Zizioulas was originally in Greek and John Milbank is rumo(u)red to write in English, but I’m not so sure.

      But the point about English-only is an interesting one. I’m trying to think of what non-Anglo-phone authors I might have included. I can think of some that are quite good, but I can’t think of many that I would call “essential.” Chauvet would come close (largely because of his influence, not, in my opinion, because the work is all that good). Marion would be a contender, though really more a philosopher than a theologian.

      If the scope were extended to 50 years, of course, there would be lots of French and German and Spanish names. Maybe it’s a matter of translation lag — there are essential works of theology out there, but Anglo-phone theologians don’t read them until they are translated. Maybe in the past 25 years the center of theological gravity has shifted to the English-speaking world. Maybe Anglo-phone theologians are simply incredibly parochial (making them a lot more like German theologians).

      Reply
  4. Alan Hommerding

    I would wonder if the CC magazine didn’t request that the suggested books be in English; that would provide a better service to their readership base and increase the chances that somebody – perhaps the clergy among their readership in particular – would do some catching up.
    I did read the Pinnock book on the Holy Spirit, which was excellent. A very wide-ranging number of sources, including quite a bit from the Eastern rites.
    Not a lot of female authors, still. But I suppose this list done 25 years ago may not have included any.

    Reply
  5. Michael Silhavy

    I’m surprised no one has bit yet….any regular posters care to list their top 5 books of the past 25 years?

    Reply

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