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MAJOR VOICES IN AMERICAN THEOLOGY by David Wesley Soper

MAJOR VOICES IN AMERICAN THEOLOGY

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Pub Date: April 13th, 1953
Publisher: Westminster Press

The major voices heard in this book are those of Edwin Lewis of Drew Theological Seminary, Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich of Union Theological Seminary, Nels Ferre of Vanderbilt University, and H. Richard Niebuhr and Robert L. Calhoun of Yale Divinity School. No one would quarrel with the selection of these individuals as being among the leaders in contemporary theological circles in this country. The review of the theological position of these leaders, while not by any means exhaustive, is sufficiently comprehensive for all but the specialists in theology. Each man studied is tagged: Lewis with ""Evangelical Theology"", Reinhold Niebuhr with ""The Critical Theology"", Ferre with ""The Posteritical Theology"", Tillich with ""The Bridgebuilding Theology"", Richard Niebuhr with ""The Theology of Hope"", Calhoun with ""The Theology of Work"". The treatment of the position of each theologian is sufficiently comprehensive to point out the developments that have taken place in their thought. These shifts in point of view have been radical especially in the case of Lewis and Reinhold Niebuhr who have departed far from their original liberal positions. The leading emphases and points of view are clearly set forth, and there is considerable comparison of one man's thought with another's to point out wherein they agree or differ and how they complement one another. The author is sympathetic to the modern trends in theological thought, but has by no means abandoned his critical faculties. A very useful book for ministers and others who want a brief review of the theology of these much discussed leaders.