The Making of American Liberal Theology: Crisis, Irony, and Postmodernity, 1950-2005

by Gary J. Dorrien

In this concluding volume of his magisterial trilogy, Gary Dorrien sustains his previous definition of liberal theology and his mixture of theological, philosophical, and historical analysis, while emphasizing the unprecedented diversity of liberal theology in the postmodern age. Dorrien argues that liberal theology has been in crisis for the past half-century, yet despite the crisis, and also because of it, it has also experienced a "hidden renaissance" of intellectual creativity. Liberal theology in the early twenty-first century is more diverse, complex, and marginalized than ever before in its history, he concludes, but its essential idea--creating a progressive, credible, integrative third way between orthodox over-belief and secular unbelief--remains as necessary as ever.

Genres: Theology, History, Christianity

680 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Gary John Dorrien is an American social ethicist and theologian. He is the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and Professor of Religion at Columbia University, both in New York City, and the author of 18 books on ethics, social theory, philosophy, theology, politics, and intellectual history.

Prior to joining the faculty at Union and Columbia in 2005, Dorrien taught at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where he served as Parfet Distinguished Professor and as Dean of Stetson Chapel.

An Episcopal priest, he has taught as the Paul E. Raither Distinguished Scholar at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and as Horace De Y. Lentz Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Doug Adamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third volume of Dorrien's massive history of American Liberal Theology. It is a challenging read for many reasons, not least for this reviewer, the small print and dense reading. It seemed like a far longer work than it's page count would suggest. Dorrien displays a deep and broad mastery of his subject matter. I have little doubt that this work, in its 3-volume entirety, will become, if it is not already, the standard work on the topic.

[David Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written definitely scholarly. Would have been more helpful to me if he looked at the theological influence on the church more.