rain and the rhinoceros


Social Ethics in the Making
July 3, 2008, 2:01 pm
Filed under: Books, Ethics, theological scholarship

Out of all the new theology book releases this year, one of the most promising works is Gary Dorrien’s Social Ethics in the Making. Dorrien is the world’s leading expert on the American liberal theological tradition. He is a wonderfully balanced and insightful historian of modern theology and this book will almost certainly become the history of modern Christian social ethics.

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Here’s a glimpse at the table of contents:
Introduction
1 Inventing Social Ethics: Francis Greenwood Peabody, William Jewett Tucker, and Graham Taylor
2 The Social Gospel: Washington Gladden, Josiah Strong, Walter Rauschenbusch, and Harry F. Ward
3 Lift Every Voice: Reverdy C. Ransom, Jane Addams, and John A. Ryan
4 Christian Realism: Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, John C. Bennett, and Paul Ramsey
5 Social Christianity as Public Theology: Walter G. Muelder, James Luther Adams, John Courtney Murray, and Dorothy Day
6 Liberationist Disruptions: Martin Luther King Jr., James H. Cone, Mary Daly, and Beverly W. Harrison
7 Disputing and Expanding the Tradition: Carl F. H. Henry, John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas, Michael Novak, and Jim Wallis
8 Dealing With Modernity and Postmodernity: Charles Curran, James M. Gustafson, Gibson Winter, Cornel West, Katie G. Cannon, and Victor Anderson
9 Economy, Sexuality, Ecology, Difference: Max L. Stackhouse, Dennis P. McCann, Lisa Sowle Cahill, Marvin M. Ellison, 10 John B. Cobb, Jr., Larry Rasmussen, Daniel C. Maguire, Sharon Welch, Emilie M. Townes, Ada María Isasi-Díaz, María Pilar Aquino, and David Hollenbach
11 Borders of Possibility: The Necessity of “Discredited” Social Gospel Ideas
Index



Cavanaugh Interview
December 12, 2007, 6:46 pm
Filed under: Capitalism, Cavanaugh, Economics, Globalization, theological scholarship

One of our great faculty members in the Department of Theology at St. ThomasWilliam T. Cavanaugh, was recently interviewed by The Other Journal. Check out the interview here.  



What is the task of Christian Theology?
November 27, 2007, 2:56 pm
Filed under: Atheism, theological scholarship

The past few posts on atheism have generated some good discussion. I deeply appreciate all who have participated in this discussion and I encourage any bystander to jump on in. I have to say that I am especially happy about the diversity of opinions posted and the respect with which people have engaged in dialogue.We have noted that much of the popular atheist literature does not take the time to engage theology. But why should atheists engage theology? I think in order to answer this we have to have some understanding of what theology is all about. What is the task of the theologian? Why does her work matter so much that we insist atheists listen?I’m going to point you to a wonderful little reflection on the task of theology by my friend, Halden at Inhabitatio Dei. I’d love to hear your responses and so would he.