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| A Liberal Theology for the Twenty-First Century: A Passion for Reason
ISBN: 9781315263847
Platform/Publisher: Taylor & Francis / Routledge
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Unlimited; Download: Unlimited
Subjects: Humanities; Classical Studies; Religion; Late Antiquity & Byzantium; Religion and Philosophy; World Religions; Christianity;
Liberal theology, in its typical form, represents the attempt to approach religion from a rational perspective without denying or belittling the importance of religious experience and religious commitment. Versions of liberal theology can be found in all the great religions. This book is primarily concerned with a Christian tradition that goes back to the second century and reached a high point in the seventeenth. This tradition includes a method of inquiry which, when re-evaluated in the light of recent discussions on the nature of rationality and applied to contemporary issues, reveals that there are versions of materialism, monism and theism that can accord with rationality. While liberal theology cannot demonstrate the truth of theism, it can present it not only as one of the rational options, but as an option that has uniquely attractive characteristics, and when the liberal tradition is taken at its best, it can support a version of Christianity which continues to refer to God as a transcendent 'reality', and which can continue to support recognizable doctrines of incarnation, redemption and Trinity. The liberal theology introduced and advanced in this book can be contrasted with many recent 'radical theologies', and could be called 'liberal orthodoxy'. Students of philosophy, theology and religious studies, as well as clergy and interested lay readers, will find this an accessible insight into liberal theology and to current debates on materialism, atheism and inter-faith dialogue.
Michael J. Langford is the author of numerous how-to books and articles on photography. He writes for a variety of audiences; books like Learn Photography in a Weekend are geared to the casual picture-taker, while works such as The Single Lens Reflex Handbook or The Darkroom Handbook: Photography Consultant are developed with the professional photographer in mind. The main benefit of photography, Langford believes, is that it enhances the way people see the world. One of Langford's best-known works is Basic Photography, an international best-seller that has been translated into four languages and gone through six editions. A comprehensive introduction to the subject, Basic Photography and its companion volume, Advanced Photography, are frequently used as textbooks in photography courses. Other books by Langford include Photography: Materials and Methods, The Step-by-Step Guide to Photography, Better Photography, and Visual Aids and Photographs in Education. Langford's expertise in how-to books erives in part from his many years of teaching. He is the Photography Course Director at the Royal College of Art in London, and has also taught at the London College of Printing and the Birmingham College of Art and Design, where he was the Head of the School of Photography. He has also worked as a photographer for several advertising agencies and magazines in England and in Europe. (Bowker Author Biography) |
