How My Mind Has Changed - Softcover

Wall, James McKendree

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802805337 ISBN 13: 9780802805331

Publisher: Eerdmans Pub Co, 1991

Synopsis

In this book, which continues a renowned series of essays published in the Christian Century, thirteen prominent Christian theologians speak--in unusually personal voices--of their journeys of faith and of the questions that have shaped their writing and scholarship. Reflecting a variety of theological positions and approaches, these essays feature decisive encounters with prayer, scriptural tradition, struggles for justice, and religious and cultural diversity. Some of these ""changes of mind"" include a change in denominational allegiance, others reflect a shift in method or emphasis prompted by experiences inside or outside the church. Some of the essays display a long-term theological project that unfolds or deepens in changing circumstances. All display the renewed vitality of theology in the postmodern context. Contributors include Paul Griffiths, Sarah Coakley, Mark Noll, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Carol Zaleski, Kathryn Tanner, Scott Cairns, Robert Jenson, Emilie Townes, Peter Ochs, David Ford, Douglas John Hall, and Max Stackhouse. ""The Christian Century's How My Mind Has Changed series has always offered an invaluable picture of how theologians negotiated the crisis of belief in their time. This illuminating volume, the most theologically diverse in the series, is a compelling and worthy successor to the five that preceded it."" --Gary Dorrien, Union Theological Seminary ""The Christian Century's wonderful and illuminating series, How My Mind Has Changed, has yielded tremendous insights from theologians over the years. Too often we only get snapshots of a theologian's reflections; here we glimpse the development of their thought. This collection gathers together many of the contemporary world's most insightful and engaging thinkers, and the result is a delightful, intellectual feast."" --L. Gregory Jones, Duke Divinity School ""These are luminous essays. Their authors do not merely represent topics or positions on the theological spectrum. They are honest and sometimes conflicted human beings, willing to drop the mask of world-class expertise and reveal the hope, agony, and changing contours of their faith. The honesty of these autobiographical accounts will create a sense of kinship between writers and readers. They will light the reader's path through his or her own struggles with continuity and change."" --Richard Lischer, Duke Divinity School David Heim has since 1998 been executive editor of the Christian Century, a biweekly magazine of religion, politics, and culture. He has written hundreds of signed and unsigned articles for the magazine, as well as reviews for the Washington Post and other journals.

About this title

Reviews

These essays, all originally written for The Christian Century magazine, of which Wall is the editor, will primarily interest those following currents of thought in modern Christian theology. A notable diversity of perspectives is represented and not all authors limit themselves to (or even address) the topic given in the book's title. Elizabeth Achtemeier, who teaches Bible at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., bluntly notes that "My mind has not changed a great deal, because the biblical story has not changed." But she adds that in disempowering women, the church has not lived up to the gospel, thus contributing to today's "feminist mess." A different view comes from lesbian feminist theologian Carter Heyward, who has come to see the "link between the healing process . . . and the work of liberation , " between the spiritual and the political. Jesuit Richard A. McCormick, relating many of his changes of mind to Vatican II, says he feels less need today to find certainty in what he or the church teaches. University Professor at Boston University Peter L. Berger explores the symbiosis of "mainline Protestantism" and the middle class, particularly that section involved in "the production and distribution of symbolic knowledge" through education, the media and social welfare programs.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Eerdmans Pub Co
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802805337
• ISBN 13: 9780802805331
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Heim David