God and Modernity - Softcover

Shanks, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415221897 ISBN 13: 9780415221894

Publisher: Routledge, 1999

Synopsis

For the past four hundred years, theological debate has been dominated by a fundamental divide: between the liberals, with strong loyalties to the secularity of the secular state and university on the one hand, and the neo-orthodox, insisting on the absolute priority of a proper loyalty to the church community itself, on the other. God and Modernity strikes off in a fundamentally new directionAndrew Shanks boldly calls for a new and better way to do theology.
Shanks argues that God is most present in a culture where public debate over ethical issues flourishes best. Social movements such as feminist movements, peace movements, and green movements have emerged to challenge both Church and State. These new movements are no longer confined to a particular confessional religious identity and are independent of state sponsorship. These social movements already made an individual impact on theology. What would a theology look like, systematically trying to reconcile older divisions in the theological debate with a new loyalty to such movements common ethos?
Anyone wishing to gain a refreshing insight into a new way of understanding theology and politics will welcome this ground-breaking book.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Shanks is a priest in the Church of England. He is the author of Hegel's Political Theology (1991) and Civil Society, Civil Religion (1995).

Review

..." fascinating... brilliant... This is a new and better way of doing theology. Even those who do not agree with Shank's conclusions should be impressed by the range and passion of his work, drawing on his diverse experience as a priest of the Church of England."
-Peter C. Hodgson, Religious Studies Review
""God and Modernity is a really distinctive contribution to the question of how religious discourse is to find its way and its place in the fragmenting political world we inhabit."
-Rowan Williams, Bishop of Monmouth
"Lucidly written, and easy to read... an original and provocative contribution to theology."
-"Times Literary Supplement
..."contains genuine insights and a genuine alternative to previous ways of doing theology."
-Linda Woodhead, Lancaster University
..."Shanks makes a very interesting reading of history....his analysis is intricate and complex."
-Jeffrey C. Pugh, "Journal of the American Academy of Religion

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0415221897
• ISBN 13: 9780415221894
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200