Ship of Fools: Favourite theologians and authors

Thread: Favourite theologians and authors Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by South Coast Kevin (# 16130) on :

I thought it would be interesting to talk about some of our favourite theologians and what ideas of theirs we particularly like. Open theism came up in the Purgatory thread about Passover so I thought I'd mention Greg Boyd, one of the main proponents of open theism these days.

Boyd has written all sorts of fascinating stuff, I think. Open theism, the idea that God sees all possibilities in the future but not what will actually happen (unless He's set it Himself), is one topic but Boyd has also helped get the Christus Victor view of the atonement back on the agenda, and has majored on the overlap between faith in Christ and patriotism. See his Wikipedia entry for details of the sermon series he gave and the book he wrote about the 'myth of a Christian nation'. (See this New York Times article for more.)

Over to you, if anyone wants to join in... [Smile]

Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :

Thanks for this.

I am very sympathetic to Process theology and will follow this up.

Posted by Starlight (# 12651) on :

quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
Boyd has written all sorts of fascinating stuff, I think.

I agree. I think a lot of people find open theism to be a really helpful way of thinking about God. I find what Boyd has to say about the atonement really interesting... right up until the question of how "it works" which I think Boyd struggles to elucidate clearly. ie how exactly is the devil defeated and what exactly does/did Christ do to achieve this?

My own favourite writers would be:
* E.P. Sanders for his work on Judaism and Paul. He corrected major misunderstandings of Judaism that were standard among Protestants and began a revolution in the interpretation of Paul's writings.
* Hastings Rashdall for his work on the atonement. He shows the Moral Influence model of the atonement was taught by the New Testament writers and the subsequent early Church.
* Douglas Campbell for his work on Paul. He strongly critiques past "standard" interpretation of Paul's writings and argues for a significantly different reading.

Posted by Lord Jestocost (# 12909) on :

Adrian Plass, for teaching me that actually I'm NOT sinful and doomed to Hell for occasionally being slightly out of step with other Christians.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

Richard Holloway for making people on the edge feel included. You don't have to abandon Christianity altogether just because you don't fit into someone else's nice little narrow definition of it.

Posted by Mary LA (# 17040) on :

Thanks for the links on 'open theism', didn't know anything about that --

One of the few theologians I have read in the last decade or so has been the Roman Catholic theologian from Chicago, David Tracy, who has been writing a long-awaited book on the hiddenness and incomprehensibility of God. Now it seems the book may not appear any time soon, but I'm still hoping for articles online.

Url fail. When I learn how to do links here, I'll come back and insert, sorry about that.

Just putting this out there in case anyone else reads Tracy.

Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Starlight:
* E.P. Sanders for his work on Judaism and Paul. He corrected major misunderstandings of Judaism that were standard among Protestants and began a revolution in the interpretation of Paul's writings.

Seconded. I was very privileged to hear Sanders lecturing when I was training in Oxford. Superb theologian, and a brilliant storyteller - hearing him talk about what the Temple would have been like at Passover, it was like you were there.

My own favourite theologian, however, has to be Aidan Kavanagh. Sharp minded and witty, his writing style was dense and complex but somehow also very lucid. His main thesis in everything by him that I've read was very simple: worship comes first, philosophy second.

Kavanagh on fine form:

quote:
That it never crosses our minds that a liturgy or an icon should cause us to shiver only shows how we have allowed ourselves to tame the Lion of Judah and put him into a suburban zoo to entertain children.

Posted by Leprechaun (# 5408) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mary LA:
Thanks for the links on 'open theism', didn't know anything about that --

One of the few theologians I have read in the last decade or so has been the Roman Catholic theologian from Chicago, David Tracy, who has been writing a long-awaited book on the hiddenness and incomprehensibility of God. Now it seems the book may not appear any time soon

I guess that's one way of emphasising God's hiddeness and incomprehensibility. [Razz]

Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :

Chiming in to echo the Greg Boyd fan club. Wanted to link to his blog but it seems to be down right now. Hopefully it will be up and running soon and I'll hook you up to his delightful insights!

(I like to say "Boyd is a rock star" both because I love his work like a rock-star groupie, but also because he plays in a rock band in his spare time.)

Posted by tclune (# 7959) on :

For this lent, I read James Alison's "The Joy Of Being Wrong." I am not a great fan of theologians generally, even when I find their point of view worthwhile. They generally seem to think that, if you enjoy reading them, they've done it wrong. Alison skirts the edges of that pitfall, but mostly manages to avoid it. I confess that I enjoyed Rene Girard's "The Scapegoat" considerably more than Alison's work (I guess Girard really isn't a theologian...), but both are well worth the read.

--Tom Clune

Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :

quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
Chiming in to echo the Greg Boyd fan club. Wanted to link to his blog but it seems to be down right now. Hopefully it will be up and running soon and I'll hook you up to his delightful insights!

(I like to say "Boyd is a rock star" both because I love his work like a rock-star groupie, but also because he plays in a rock band in his spare time.)

I like Boyd. You can use horror movies to illustrate Boyd's take on Christus Victor. Really does bring a whole new take on reading scripture.

Posted by Dafyd (# 5549) on :

Rowan Williams.

Also, Nicholas Lash and Denys Turner.

Recently deceased: Herbert McCabe.

Posted by chris stiles (# 12641) on :

Gerhard Forde out of deceased theologians.

Of present theologians Robert Capon for expressing grace without the removal of mystery.

I've also enjoyed listening to Paul Zahl's podcasts on Art and Christianity.

Posted by Mary LA (# 17040) on :

Leprechaun wrote: I guess that's one way of emphasising God's hiddeness and incomprehensibility.

This made me laugh. Perhaps Tracy, like James Joyce, came to believe God like the artist was off somewhere paring his fingernails and oblivious of his creation.

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

I like James Allison, too.

I was much helped by the little of John Macquarrie I read when young.

They both take Christian orthodoxy seriously and don't try to show they are above it.

Also Gregory Dix.

Posted by AberVicar (# 16451) on :

quote:
Originally posted by tclune:
For this lent, I read James Alison's "The Joy Of Being Wrong." I am not a great fan of theologians generally, even when I find their point of view worthwhile. They generally seem to think that, if you enjoy reading them, they've done it wrong. Alison skirts the edges of that pitfall, but mostly manages to avoid it. I confess that I enjoyed Rene Girard's "The Scapegoat" considerably more than Alison's work (I guess Girard really isn't a theologian...), but both are well worth the read.

--Tom Clune

I find both Alison and Girard (from whom he derives/develops much of his thought) profoundly liberating, and I recommend both of them when I get a chance.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I try to read a lot of Leonardo Boff.

Posted by Calleva Atrebatum (# 14058) on :

Philip Yancey's The Jesus I Never Knew is highly readable account, from an (open?) evangelical, but very Moltmann-esque, I think.

Swinburne is really interesting on God's omniscience (and how it needs to be limited to preserve freedom), and Plantinga on why you don't need empirical proof to hold belief, and why the problem of evil doesn't outright disprove God.

Posted by Dave Marshall (# 7533) on :

quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
Chiming in to echo the Greg Boyd fan club. Wanted to link to his blog but it seems to be down right now.

If his old blog is anything to go by (eg. third post down) I'd be cautious about his ideas even if I was sympathetic to that perspective. Generating theology at that rate may be a real buzz for him and great propaganda value if you happen to agree with his conclusions, but how much consideration can he possibly give to it beyond seeing that it's superficially plausible?

quote:
Originally posted by Chris Stiles:
I've also enjoyed listening to Paul Zahl's podcasts on Art and Christianity.

I find artistic expression of Christian perspectives (for example in music or TV drama) more interesting and convincing than most things self-consciously labelled theology. It seems somehow vaguely unhealthy to be a consumer of theological opinion, especially when it's packaged and promoted as reasoned and reasonable. Art I think more clearly disclaims objectivity and for me anyway more effectively raises questions and invites dialogue.

Posted by Ramarius (# 16551) on :

Another Boyd fan. I still like to read Brunner. Pannenberg's a genius. Among NT scholars, always enjoy reading Raymond Brown.

Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :

I'm having a lot of fun reading Peter Gomes right now.

Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :

For once, I agree with Dave Marshall. I rarely read any theology these days. I mostly read poetry, novels, biographies, histories ...

I've kept a list of everything I've read for the last 12 years or so - perhaps longer, I'm too lazy to go and look ...

If I did, I think I'd see a gradual transition from reading evangelical books to broader theological ones, and then a drying up of theological reading almost completely - apart from devotional reading during Lent.

The rest of the time I'm reading the fun stuff I missed out on when I used to read too much theology ... [Razz]

I enjoy theology, but I prefer debating about it than reading it.

Posted by Herrick (# 15226) on :

Spong is insightful and intelligent.

Posted by Ramarius (# 16551) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Herrick:
Spong is insightful and intelligent.

....misread that and started feeling hungry....

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

James Alison

Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ramarius:
Among NT scholars, always enjoy reading Raymond Brown.

Raymond E Brown is the greatest biblical scholar of the 20th century. I always have time for him.

NT Wright's stuff is awesome too. Different flavour but a current favourite.

Love Brueggeman on the Old Testament.

[ 14. April 2012, 04:28: Message edited by: Evensong ]

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

quote:
Originally posted by chris stiles:
Of present theologians Robert Capon for expressing grace without the removal of mystery.

He is one of my favourites too. I have found The Third Peacock particularly helpful.

[ 14. April 2012, 06:15: Message edited by: Huia ]

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Herrick:
Spong is insightful and intelligent.

This gay man would disagree. I went to hear him in London some twenty years ago and he said that ten years earlier he didn't know about gays. I thought "Then why I am listening to you? You ought to be listening to me".

Posted by Stejjie (# 13941) on :

Votes here for Philip Yancey and NT Wright as well. Paul Fiddes, a Baptist theologian, is growing on me: I'm not sure I always agree with him, but he refuses to take things for granted that we Baptists often do, but thinks about them in new ways. It's quite refreshing.

Posted by Trisagion (# 5235) on :

Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Hans Urs von Balthasar, John Henry Newman, Joseph Ratzinger, Giuseppe Gheradini, Aidan Nichols, Scott Hahn and Romanus Cessario for me.

Posted by opaWim (# 11137) on :

Adrian Plass.
If only for the ever needed reality-checks, but also as Lord Jestocost wrote

quote:
Adrian Plass, for teaching me that actually I'm NOT sinful and doomed to Hell for occasionally being slightly out of step with other Christians.

Jeff Lucas for more or less the same reasons.

Richard Rohr.
For his books on how the contemplative life might work in these times.

Cynthia Bourgeault.
For her book on Centering Prayer and her book on Mary Magdalene.

Posted by Ramarius (# 16551) on :

....and if you want some smart (and thorough) NT exegesis, Craig Blomberg is a gud 'un...

Posted by Mary Marriott (# 16938) on :

Thich Nhat Hanh's many books are marvellous on prayer and mindfulness. And experiences in their own right, in the present moment.

[ 14. April 2012, 18:55: Message edited by: Mary Marriott ]

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ramarius:
Another Boyd fan. I still like to read Brunner. Pannenberg's a genius. Among NT scholars, always enjoy reading Raymond Brown.

Raymond Brown. ABSOLUTELY. He remains one of the finest Johannine scholars that have ever lived despite his early death in the 90s.

His lectures are brilliant and often amusing and available on CD and DVD. They include the masterly The Passion in John.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

Still absolutely a Moltmann man, myself. Luke Timothy Johnson and NT Wright - and Robert Jewett if only for his commentary on Romans - as biblical scholars ... when I get back from the moly mysteries I'll dig a little deeper. EP Sanders, yes - J Christiaan Beker changed my life ...

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

er ... those mysteries would be "holy"

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

I think Oscar Cullmann remains important even though his battle with Bultmann is long won. Of contemporary theologians I suspect Miroslav Volf is telling us something extremely important. Karl Barth remains utterly seminal - in small doses! PT Forsyth deserves rediscovering and translating for a new generation.

My litmus test is whether a theologian - sytematician or biblical - engages with the scandal of particularity, the centrality of Jesus of Nazareth. If not he/she goes into the why bother basket - joining the Slavoj Zizeks of the world as interesting but not Christian theologians. That doesn't make them unimportant or unvaluable (sic), just otherly important and valuable.

Terry Eagleton fascinates me these days.

And so on ... I'd better shut up. And check out those moly mysteries.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lord Jestocost:
Adrian Plass, for teaching me that actually I'm NOT sinful and doomed to Hell for occasionally being slightly out of step with other Christians.

Haven't read him yet, but he's on my list.

I tend to collect my theology wherever I find it, so here are some of my faves with their books:

--Margaret Craven, "I Heard The Owl Call My Name".

--Madeleine L'Engle, anything of hers, but especially the various Murry and Austin novels. ("Wrinkle In Time", "Young Unicorns", etc.) Very good about the love of God, everyday pains of life, fighting for Good, the joy of all Creation connected to God, etc.

--CS Lewis, "Chronicles of Narnia", "'Til We Have Faces", "God in the Dock", "Letters to Malcolm", etc.

--Anne Lamott, "Traveling Mercies". Down in the gutter and gradually climbing out spirituality.

--Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness", "Peace Is Every Step". He also has two books on Buddha and Jesus.

And, of course...
--Terry Pratchett. Seriously.

Posted by pimple (# 10635) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
Richard Holloway for making people on the edge feel included. You don't have to abandon Christianity altogether just because you don't fit into someone else's nice little narrow definition of it.

My first choice too. Second is Karen Armstrong though she might prefer to be regarded as a hisorian, not a theologian. For her enormous erudition, and her compassion - which would be perfect if she'd not use so many words!

[Shades of Mozart - "too many notes"?]

Posted by Rosa Winkel (# 11424) on :

To add to Girard, Walter Wink.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by venbede:

quote:
Originally posted by Herrick:
Spong is insightful and intelligent.
This gay man would disagree. I went to hear him in London some twenty years ago and he said that ten years earlier he didn't know about gays. I thought "Then why I am listening to you? You ought to be listening to me".

Spong isn't an original theologian - all his stuff is rehashed as if it is something new, whereas many of us have heard it all before.

Then again, the same could be said of a lot of stuff that I write - I suppose the skill of a teacher is top rehash stuff for a popular audience rather than to be an original thinker. Or, at least, I console myself with that notion.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
PT Forsyth deserves rediscovering and translating for a new generation.

I agree. Lots of good stuff in his writings.

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

quote:
Originally posted by leo:

quote:
Originally posted by venbede:

quote:
Originally posted by Herrick:
Spong is insightful and intelligent.
This gay man would disagree. I went to hear him in London some twenty years ago and he said that ten years earlier he didn't know about gays. I thought "Then why I am listening to you? You ought to be listening to me".
Spong isn't an original theologian - all his stuff is rehashed as if it is something new, whereas many of us have heard it all before.

Then again, the same could be said of a lot of stuff that I write - I suppose the skill of a teacher is top rehash stuff for a popular audience rather than to be an original thinker. Or, at least, I console myself with that notion.

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

quote:
Originally posted by leo:

quote:
Originally posted by venbede:

quote:
Originally posted by Herrick:
Spong is insightful and intelligent.
This gay man would disagree. I went to hear him in London some twenty years ago and he said that ten years earlier he didn't know about gays. I thought "Then why I am listening to you? You ought to be listening to me".
Spong isn't an original theologian - all his stuff is rehashed as if it is something new, whereas many of us have heard it all before.

Then again, the same could be said of a lot of stuff that I write - I suppose the skill of a teacher is top rehash stuff for a popular audience rather than to be an original thinker. Or, at least, I console myself with that notion.

Unfortunately although one might agree with Spong on a number of issues, he does seem to market himself as an 'original thinker' - both of which words appear daft when linked with his name. He does however have more of a claim in enjoying the limelight and a successful symbiotic relationship with the media.

Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :

I think N.T. Wright and Anne Lamott, in their very different ways, may have saved my faith.

Posted by Balaam (# 4543) on :

John Stott, NT Wright and Jim Wallis of Sojourners.

That's the recent ones, but like a lot of people I'm influenced by a lot of people from a long time before that.

Who in Western Christianity has not been influenced, if not directly then indirectly, by Thomas Aquinas?

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

Elizabeth Stuart in bits I've read.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

quote:
Originally posted by leo:

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
PT Forsyth deserves rediscovering and translating for a new generation.
I agree. Lots of good stuff in his writings.

Aha!

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

Another vote for Luke Timothy Johnson, Walter Wink and Robert Farrar Capon.

While Bonhoeffer isn't the easiest read in the world (any of his works) I would highly recommend his book Life Together for anyone pondering the dynamics of Christian community and/or feeling disappointment that said community doesn't live up to its potential.

In the blogosphere, I see so much energy and thought among 30-something female pastors/priests...I'm sure that extends into academia, and would love to be directed to some up-and-coming female theologians.

Posted by Amos (# 44) on :

Karl Rahner. Donald Mackinnon. P.T. Forsyth (great kenotic theologian), Bonhoeffer. Austin Farrer. Gillian Rose. Rowan Williams. Dan Harrington. Raymond Brown. Luke Timothy Johnson.

Posted by Yerevan (# 10383) on :

quote:
He does however have more of a claim in enjoying the limelight and a successful symbiotic relationship with the media.

Sounds rather like Richard Dawkins...

I did once ask a theology postgrad friend of mine whether Spong was worth reading. The answer was short, to the point, highly negative and included at least one swearword. I took it as a no. Said friend is not at all conservative.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

I personally agree with your friend. But of that another time.

I should have added Werner Georg Kümmel to my reference to Cullmann. These theological battlers of the 1960s need to be reincarnated in the twenty-teens to return a distinct Christological voice to Christian witness.

In fact to respond to the Spongs et al.

Posted by FCB (# 1495) on :

Um. . . Thomas Aquinas?

Among the more recently dead, Herbert McCabe, Victor White, Hans Urs von Balthasar (in small doses -- Love Alone is Credible is great), Karl Barth and Karl Rahner.

Girard is interesting and original (in an extremely repetitive way), though theologically a bit clumsy. To be honest, I find a lot of current theology quite tedious.

Posted by art dunce (# 9258) on :

Origin of Alexandria, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating.

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

I thought this was meaning academic theologians.

Ken Leech, every time. (And Thomas Merton.)

Posted by Amos (# 44) on :

quote:
Originally posted by FCB:
Um. . . Thomas Aquinas?

Yes. Not mentioning Thomas is like not seeing the mountain in front of you because it's just too big. Oops.

Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :

My preferred author is R T (Dick) France, head and shoulders above anyone else. He was a highly regarded biblical scholar, but I find his exegesis to be very readable as well. More than anyone else I've found that he makes the biblical text coherent and understandable. I also heard him speak a few times, and it was an intellectually stimulating and enlightening experience.

I found out not long ago that he died in February this year. [Frown]

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amos:

quote:
Originally posted by FCB:
Um. . . Thomas Aquinas?
Yes. Not mentioning Thomas is like not seeing the mountain in front of you because it's just too big. Oops.

But favourites is not the same as great. We tend to think highly of those theologians we count as favourites and probably given them more respect than is their due, but greatness is something else. It requires more than personal preference, it needs to have some assessment of the entire range of Christian Theology and the individuals contribution. What is more they should be someone we have to consider whether or not we agree with them.

Thomas Aquinas is without doubt a great theologian, whether he is a favourite will depend on our character as much as his. He is one of my father's favourites (along with Calvin, Augustine, Jonathon Edwards and Feuerbach) but personally I have not read enough of Aquinas to have an opinion on whether he is among my favourites.

Jengie

Posted by Dafyd (# 5549) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
Thomas Aquinas is without doubt a great theologian, whether he is a favourite will depend on our character as much as his.

I can't imagine taking a copy of the Summa Theologica to read on the bus.

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Dafyd:

quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
Thomas Aquinas is without doubt a great theologian, whether he is a favourite will depend on our character as much as his.
I can't imagine taking a copy of the Summa Theologica to read on the bus.

It is available as a iphone App.

Posted by Amos (# 44) on :

Well, Thomas is one of my favourites. As well as being great.

Posted by Wyclif (# 5391) on :

Non-Fiction Books That Have Influenced Me

The Education of Henry Adams / Henry Adams
How to Read a Book / Mortimer J. Adler
Politica / Johannes Althusius
Cur Deus Homo / St. Anselm
Summa Theologica / Thomas Aquinas
The Origins of Totalitarianism / Hannah Arendt
Confessions / St. Augustine
From Dawn to Decadence / Jacques Barzun
The Law / Frédéric Bastiat
The Closing of the American Mind / Allan Bloom
The Consolation of Philosophy / Boethius
De Regno Christi / Martin Bucer
God and Man at Yale / William F. Buckley
Reflections on the Revolution in France / Edmund Burke
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy / Jacob Burckhardt
The Institutes of the Christian Religion / John Calvin
Witness / Whittaker Chambers
Orthodoxy / G. K. Chesterton
Civilisation / Kenneth Clark
Religion and the Rise of Western Culture / Christopher Dawson
Selected Essays 1917-1932 / T. S. Eliot
In Praise of Folly / Desiderus Erasmus
Washington: The Indispensable Man / James Thomas Flexner
Autobiography / Benjamin Franklin
Anatomy of Criticism / Northrup Frye
Wealth and Poverty / George Gilder
Life in an English Country House: A Social and Architectural History / Mark Girouard
After Liberalism / Paul Gottfried
The Constitution of Liberty / F. A. Hayek
Protestant, Catholic, Jew / Will Herberg
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements / Eric Hoffer
The Odyssey / Homer
Dedication and Leadership / Douglas Hyde
The Conservative Mind / Russell Kirk
Leftism Revisited / Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions / Thomas Kuhn
The Abolition of Man / C. S. Lewis
The Great Chain of Being / Arthur Lovejoy
The Bondage of the Will / Martin Luther
After Virtue / Alasdair MacIntyre
Jefferson and His Time / Dumas Malone
Novus Ordo Seclorum / Forrest McDonald
Prejudices / H. L. Mencken
The Seven-Storey Mountain / Thomas Merton
Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980 / Charles Murray
The Quest for Community / Robert Nisbet
Anarchy, State, and Utopia / Robert Nozick
The Habit of Being / Flannery O’Connor
Lost in the Cosmos / Walker Percy
The Republic / Plato
Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy / Michael Polanyi
The Making of the Atomic Bomb / Richard Rhodes
The Lost Tools of Learning / Dorothy Sayers
For the Life of the World / Alexander Schmemann
Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy / Joseph Schumpeter
The Wealth of Nations / Adam Smith
The Gulag Archipelago / Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Persecution and the Art of Writing / Leo Strauss
The New Science of Politics / Eric Voegelin
The Double Helix / James D. Watson
Ideas Have Consequences / Richard M. Weaver
Philosophical Investigations / Ludwig Wittgenstein
The Right Stuff / Tom Wolfe
The Autobiography of Malcolm X / Malcolm X
A Student’s Guide to Literature / R. V. Young

Authors That Have Influenced Me

Henry Adams, Johannes Althusius, St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Hannah Arendt, St. Athanasius, St. Augustine, Doug Bandow, Jacques Barzun, Owen Barfield, Karl Barth, Frédéric Bastiat, Herman Bavinck, Michael Behe, Hilaire Belloc, David Berlinski, Wendell Berry, Allan Bloom, F.F. Bruce, Martin Bucer, William F. Buckley, John Bunyan, Jacob Burckhardt, Edmund Burke, John Calvin, Robert Farrar Capon, William T. Cavanaugh, Whittaker Chambers, Geoffrey Chaucer, Martin Chemnitz, G.K. Chesterton, St. John Chrysostom, Winston Churchill, Kenneth Clark, Patrick Collinson, Frederick Copleston, Thomas Cranmer, Theodore Dalrymple, Horton Davies, Christopher Dawson, Charles Dickens, John Donne, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Dinesh D’Souza, Umberto Eco, Jonathan Edwards, T.S. Eliot, Desiderus Erasmus, Austin Farrer, Niall Ferguson, James Thomas Flexner, Shelby Foote, St. Francis of Assisi, Benjamin Franklin, Douglas Southall Freeman, Milton Friedman, Northrup Frye, Eugene Genovese, Robert George, George Gilder, Cyrus H. Gordon, Paul Gottfried, George Grant, Allen C. Guelzo, D.G. Hart, David Bentley Hart, F.A. Hayek, Friedrich Heer, Heinrich Heppe, Will Herberg, George Herbert, Gertrude Himmelfarb, Charles Hodge, Eric Hoffer, Richard Hooker, Thomas Howard, Philip Edgecumbe Hughes, Douglas Hyde, Jane Jacobs, Stanley Jaki, John Jewel, Paul Johnson, James B. Jordan, John Keegan, J.N.D. Kelly, Roger Kimball, Russell Kirk, Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Thomas Kuhn, James M. Kushiner, Abraham Kuyper, Peter J. Leithart, C.S. Lewis, J.B. Lightfoot, Arthur Lovejoy, Martin Luther, George MacDonald, Geddes MacGregor, J. Gresham Machen, Alasdair MacIntyre, Dumas Malone, George Marsden, Cormac McCarthy, Forrest McDonald, Marshall McLuhan, H.L. Mencken, Thomas Merton, Perry Miller, John Milton, Ludwig von Mises, William Morris, Malcolm Muggeridge, Richard A. Muller, Charles Murray, Ken Myers, John Williamson Nevin, Lesslie Newbigin, Aidan Nichols, Robert Nisbet, Robert Nozick, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Oden, George Orwell, Camille Paglia, Jaroslav Pelikan, Walker Percy, William Perkins, Benedict Pictet, Alvin Plantinga, Plato, Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Justin Raimondo, Ayn Rand, R.R. Reno, Henning Graf Reventlow, Philip Rieff, Jonathan Riley-Smith, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, Steven Runciman, R.J. Rushdoony, John Ruskin, George Santayana, Dorothy Sayers, Francis Schaeffer, Philip Schaff, Joseph Schumpeter, Roger Scruton, Herbert Schlossberg, Alexander Schmemann, William Shakespeare, Amity Shlaes, James Sire, Adam Smith, Cordwainer Smith, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Pitirim Sorokin, Thomas Sowell, Rodney Stark, Leo Strauss, Charles Taylor, Alexis de Tocqueville, J.R.R. Tolkien, T.F. Torrance, Arnold Toynbee, Lionel Trilling, William Tyndale, James Ussher, Cornelius Van Til, Henry Vaughan, Paul Vitz, Eric Voegelin, Michael Ward, B.B. Warfield, Booker T. Washington, Richard M. Weaver, Charles Williams, Walter Williams, Edmund Wilson, Ludwig Wittgenstein, P.G. Wodehouse, Gene Wolfe, Tom Wolfe, H.A. Wolfson, N.T. Wright, John Wycliffe, Malcolm X, R.V. Young

Posted by hatless (# 3365) on :

Bloody hell, that's impressive, Wyclif.

Posted by Trisagion (# 5235) on :

Bloody hell, that's terrifying, Wycliff.

[ 21. April 2012, 23:25: Message edited by: Trisagion ]

Posted by art dunce (# 9258) on :

Wycliff, reading your list I thought you might enjoy this book.

Posted by Wyclif (# 5391) on :

quote:
Originally posted by art dunce:
Wycliff, reading your list I thought you might enjoy this book.

I've not actually gotten to that one, but have heard about it. Flannery O'Connor is very much one of my fave authors.

Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on :

So Wyclif.

What's the meaning of life? [Biased]

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Dafyd:
Rowan Williams.

quote:

Yes.

Recently deceased: Herbert McCabe.

And yes!

NT Wright as others have said.

The probably not-at-all famous Iain MacKenzie, whose books I came across by accident in a cathedral shop somewhere in the west of England.

JDG Dunn

Confession time: there are writers I have hardly actually read whose work seems to stand behind a lot of people I have read. Hans Urs Balthasar (not a name you can forget) I've not read at all. Various Torrances (I get them confused). And the elephant in the room, Karl Barth. I have read some of his books but not as far as I remember ever finished one. Even the one - only one - I own a copy of. So I mostly know of his views through summaries or reviews or essays by others. But the books are so big and the translations so turgid... [Frown]

Last but not least, Margaret Barker. A real eye-opener. And, amazingly, the one time I saw her speak in public, genuinely funny as well. It seemed to me that maybe 50% of what she says is stuff that really we all know anyway, or ought to. Its just obviously there in the Bible, and in our liturgies, and in our hymns and choruses (especially some of the more far-out evangelical ones). About 30% of it is, if not new, at least widely unknown, and well-supported from her sources. And perhaps 20% is off-the-wall batshit crazy. Working out which 20% is the fun part.

[ 22. April 2012, 12:50: Message edited by: ken ]

Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :

Way up the beginning of this thread the name of Greg Boyd was offered as an exponent of Open Theism.

So I went and got one of his books downloaded to my Kindle.

An awful let down. His theism is only "open" in relation to the closed predestinarianism of his fellow travellers. And the God he speaks of is no less a manipulator of people and history.

So I am none the wiser. A lot poorer. And less inclined to act on recommendations without checking them out first.

Posted by iamchristianhearmeroar (# 15483) on :

Frederick Buechner's not had a mention yet but probably deserves one. Perhaps his outlook - doubt experienced as much as, if not more than, faith - is just similar to mine...

Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :

quote:
Originally posted by shamwari:
Way up the beginning of this thread the name of Greg Boyd was offered as an exponent of Open Theism.

So I went and got one of his books downloaded to my Kindle.

An awful let down. His theism is only "open" in relation to the closed predestinarianism of his fellow travellers. And the God he speaks of is no less a manipulator of people and history.

So I am none the wiser. A lot poorer. And less inclined to act on recommendations without checking them out first.

Well, Boyd is a theist not a deist.

Posted by no_prophet (# 15560) on :

Are theologians by definition about ideas? What about principles for living? Where's the connection? other than perhaps theology can advise a plan for how to live.

I'm moving out of the "insight first" way of thinking in my 6th decade of life, and into direction of how to live, and to see if this encourages me in directions that the idea-driven way has disappointed, well much worse than disappointment actually: created barriers, rejection and full crisis. Not the crisis of person, but crisis of having to reject ideas I thought for >50 years were secure.

Thus, I'm reading things about Leo Tolstoy, St Francis, Herbert McCabe, and I find myself drawn into some poetry, mostly 19th century. I'm also wondering about music settings for worship as theology in action.

I suspect others on the ship are much further along this direction than I.

Posted by Steve H (# 17102) on :

quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
Boyd has also helped get the Christus Victor view of the atonement back on the agenda,

I hold to the 'None of the above' theory of the atonement. I believe that Christ's death and resurrection obtains salvation for all who choose to accept it, but I neither know nor care how it does so. I think that most of the traditional theories have something to offer, but all have their failings - except the 'Christus Victor' or 'Ransom' theory, which I think is grotesque, and to be rejected completely.
My favourite theologians include:
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin;
Paul Tillich;
J.A.T.Robinson;
Don Cupitt;
Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki.
A nice, incompatible mix of non-realists and process theologians!

[ 15. May 2012, 23:05: Message edited by: Steve H ]

Posted by Steve H (# 17102) on :

Oh - and Soren Kierkegaard.
Also, I should really have said "A nice, incompatible mix of existentialists, non-realists and process theologians".

[ 15. May 2012, 23:10: Message edited by: Steve H ]

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

quote:
Originally posted by no_prophet:
Are theologians by definition about ideas? .

Theologians are by definition about God. Theology is talking about God. If it was about moral living we'd call them ethicists. Though presumably the two have to relate to each other in some way.

Funny how we give different social values to words depending on where they come from. "Behaviour" is natively English and means something rather cruder then French "manners", which is more downmarket than the Latin "morals", and Greek "ethics" are the poshest of all.

Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :

Beeswax Altar posted

"Well, Boyd is a theist not a deist."

I have a suspicion about what that is supposed to mean!

Fact is Boyd (and the people he is contending against) all perceive God to be acting UPON creation in terms of a pre-determined Plan. The only difference being that Boyd allows for a bit of leeway.

I was hoping for a much more Open and "Process" view which understands God as working WITHIN creation in response to the dynamic of freedom and change.

Nowhere is there any suggestion that the sovereignty" of God might actually be self-limited.

Posted by Kwesi (# 10274) on :

Can I put in a word for Christianity Rediscovered: An Epistle from the Masai by Vincent J.Donovan, reprinted in 2003? As one reviewer wrote: 'This is one of those rare books which change the way you look at the world." The writer's contact with the Masai can be compared with the visit of Peter to Cornelius. In my humble opinion it can be truly described as seminal,

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

Agree - Donovan ought to be required reading for people who think they are called to be missionaries (which is all of us in one way or another.)

Posted by Alogon (# 5513) on :

quote:
Originally posted by sebby:
Unfortunately although one might agree with Spong on a number of issues, he does seem to market himself as an 'original thinker' - both of which words appear daft when linked with his name. He does however have more of a claim in enjoying the limelight and a successful symbiotic relationship with the media.

I have mixed feelings about Spong, also. On the good side (according to a friend who lives in his diocese): The radical criticisms of the Christian faith that he made after retirement were not reflected in his previous conscientious preaching and teaching as diocesan. He believed that laity were entitled to know about the same ideas as are studied in seminary. We laity should appreciate that vote of confidence. He promoted faithful, ongoing Bible study, especially by his clergy. The two sermons of his that I heard were very fine. On the bad side, Bp. Spong has not always been a credit to TEC's reputation in the public eye. I once thought that it was unfortunate that Jerry Falwell declined his challenge to hold a televised debate. Falwell's reply was, "I don't care to lift you up from your obscurity." I don't regret now that that event never happened. Having met him twice, as well as hearing him in a couple radio interviews, I get the impression that he's a bit of a narcissist.

As far as my favorite contemporary theologians go, I second the nominations of Girard and Wink, but several others recommended sound very interesting as well. I'd like to become better acquainted with their thought.

Posted by Qupe (# 12388) on :

I like John Milbank and Stanley Hauerwas to read in the bath or on the train, and Sarah Coakley. I'm reading the autobiography of Bede Griffiths at the mo ('The Golden String') which I'm enjoying and finding very good food for thought. Among biblical theologians, Robert Alter is really special.

Posted by markporter (# 4276) on :

quote:
Originally posted by shamwari:
Beeswax Altar posted

"Well, Boyd is a theist not a deist."

I have a suspicion about what that is supposed to mean!

Fact is Boyd (and the people he is contending against) all perceive God to be acting UPON creation in terms of a pre-determined Plan. The only difference being that Boyd allows for a bit of leeway.

I was hoping for a much more Open and "Process" view which understands God as working WITHIN creation in response to the dynamic of freedom and change.

Nowhere is there any suggestion that the sovereignty" of God might actually be self-limited.

The main open theism book I've read is "The God Who Risks" by John Sanders - don't know if that would be more up your street, I'm not sure he come massively close to process theology, but I know he opens things up a little.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

Reminiscent of Spong (but quite different) is Richard Holloway. (Just done a quick glance upthread to see if he's mentioned but I missed his name if he is). Bishop of Edinburgh (Scottish Episcopal) until 2000, and known for his outspoken views before then, he has increasingly questioned his former faith and now describes himself as a 'post-religionist'. His spiritual autobiography Leaving Alexandria is very moving, and despite his inability to believe any more in God - at least as traditionally understood - he reveals a deep yearning. More poetic and affective than the dry intellectualism of someone like Cupitt, he has a lot in common with the late R S Thomas, who might well have professed allegiance to orthodox christianity but often lived in doubt.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
Richard Holloway. (Just done a quick glance upthread to see if he's mentioned but I missed his name if he is).

PS: Chorister did, back on 12 April. Thanks for that!

Posted by Desert Daughter (# 13635) on :

My favourites are

- Raimon Panikkar and Henri Le Saux (Pioneers of Hindu-Christian Dialogue)

-Karl Rahner (hero of all Inclusivists [Razz]

)

- Peter Wust (not often considered a theologian but a Philosopher. His "Christian Existentialism", though, brought me back to my faith)

Plus Kakichi Kadowaki, Eugen Bieser, Jacques Dupuis, and Keith Ward.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Rosa Winkel:
To add to Girard, Walter Wink.

I have just discovered that Wink dies last week.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

I can only imagine the conversations when all these theologians get to heaven....

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

...especially those who don't believe in it!

Posted by Nooj (# 15637) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Steve H:
Oh - and Soren Kierkegaard.
Also, I should really have said "A nice, incompatible mix of existentialists, non-realists and process theologians".

Came here to say him.

Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :

Limiting it to theologians who have expounded Christology I have been influenced by

D. Baillie God was in Christ

N. Pittenger The Word Incarnate

P. Forsyth Person and Place of Jesus Christ.

That dates me. But is not truth eternal? They do not all speak with one voice.

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