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4.4 out of 5
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5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING, BUT NEEDS ESSENTIAL ADDITIONS
To start with due disclosure, I am a Jew and do not share the Christian frame of this book. But, as an "outsider" I found it outstanding in presenting main lines of (Christian) theological, mainly academic, thinking, which is in large parts relevant also to non-Christians. It also handles well studying theology, including hermeneutics, epistemology, and the importance of knowing languages -- which is much neglected in modern mass-cultures. I am not qualified to discuss the theological issues taken up in this book, though I am somewhat surprised that "negative theology," which regards humans as only qualified to speak about what God is not rather than what his attributes are, is not mentioned other than in a side hint (p.162). Also the author is much too optimistic about inter-faith dialogues (pp.117-122), instead of fully recognizing and confronting the realities and growing potentials of mass-killings caused by religious fanaticism.My main critique concerns what is missing, including important background on the historic roots of monotheistic faiths on one side and urgent needs for theological rethinking and ethical-spiritual leadership fitting the emerging metamorphosis of humanity on the other (despite a short chapter on "Theology for the third millennium", pp. 169-176, which does not include main likely challenges).To start with the past, Karl Jaspers coined the term "Axial Age" referring to the period from about 800 to 200 BCE, during which relatively similar radical innovations in thinking appeared in China, India, and the Occident, which laid the ground for monotheistic faiths. I think that this foundational development should at least be mentioned and somewhat discussed in a book like this one.To jump to the future, the emerging metamorphosis of humanity, as driven mainly by science and technology, is sure to pose completely novel fateful issues requiring, inter alia, radically innovative moral thinking, including in theology. Examples include human enhancement and cloning, perhaps synthesis of life forms, advanced quasi-intelligent robots, mass-killing viruses produced in kitchen laboratories and more. Not only do such issues pose critical challenges to theology of all faiths, but they also require a novel type of ethical-spiritual leadership, both separate from and in combination with radically novel political leaders (whom I call in my next book "Avant-Garde Politicians)." Therefore preparing the required ethical-spiritual leadership (and ethical-spiritual advisors for senior politicians) is a main task of theology, but one neither taken up nor recognized in this book. Hopefully the author will apply his broad knowledge and sharp mind to such emerging crucial challenges facing all theologies (all the more so as they are not taken considered in his longer book on the The Future of Christian Theology, as well as in other books on the future of theology, such as Steven Kepnes, The Future of Jewish Theology. They are also ignored in discourse on needed global ethics in the two books by Küng included in the additional readings [pp. 80,183]).Pending a coming book by the author dealing with such issues, hopefully soon, given the scope of this book as chosen by the author I evaluate it as "outstanding." It is strongly recommend to all concerned with ultimate questions of human existence, spirituality and interface with the transcendental.Professor Yehezkel DrorThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem
4.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably comprehensive
This book is part of an extensive series covering a very wide range of topics. Having read this one, I shall certainly look at others in the hope that the quality is as good as this book. David Ford shows in this little book why he is so highly regarded as a Theologian and writer. Despite being (as the title indicates) a very short book of less than 200 pages, it covers as massive amount of ground - and does so in a remarkably readable way. It will certainly prompt further study.
5.0 out of 5 stars A superb overview of Christian theology
I loved this book. David Ford is an eminent theologian and a lucid author. Tlin this book he provides a very clear and well-structured account of what theology is all about, the key subdivisions within the discipline, the methods adopted by theologians, and the challenges that face theology in the future. Highly recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to (Christian) theology
Like all the OUP 'Very Short Introductions' I have read, this is an excellent, authoritative summary of this particular subject. Extremely well written, very engaging, comprehensive and authoritative - you really feel the author is an expert in his field.It is very specifically about Christian theology (as the author points out, there are other 'Very Short Introductions' to other faiths /religions available in the series) so be aware of this when considering it.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for those new to theology
I got this as a set text for my LLM training and it's great. Easy to read and relevant to both the course and the coursework.
4.0 out of 5 stars Overview giving broad perspectives
Concentrating mostly on the Christian tradition, but providing some recent inter-religious dialogue material and numerous items for further reading, this gives a recommendable intro in a manageable pocketably sized book. The distinction between theology and religion is clarified, there are sections on thinking about God, the problem of evil, the identity of Jesus, the scope of salvation, the place of experience .. don't you just love these VSI's?!
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic introduction
This is a really rich book for a very short introduction. Highly recommended to lay person and theology students alike
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing presentation on an important topic
I’m disappointed by the presentation of this book. It downplays religion throughout the book as a personal choice, suggesting that truth is what you make it (i.e. relative). It introduces some interesting topics and gives a bit of background to the area, though I find it uncompelling as a catholic as it almost feels like it is mocking faith at times and suggesting that it is unreasonable which is far from what I have experienced and seen in the catholic community that I belong to.
A superb resource for understanding theology
I use this book in a class I teach to provide the fundamentals for the examination of theology. Entitled Theology - A Very Short Introduction, it is concise and provides a road map for the student to explore all aspects of theology.
Excellent overview for the lay person
This very short introduction to Theology is extremely well written for those who have no background in theological language or concepts. Thought provocting and easy to read, it handily covers the various topics of theology in every day language for the most part, with theological terms explained.This books is one of the texts for Education for Ministry Year 4. Our EfM group considers it one of the best texts we have had throughout the program.
One thing this book is good at is posing good questions (this is the reason ...
First of all, it should be called CHRISTIAN Theology: A Very Short Introduction. The problem is not that it deals with Christianity more than any other religion, the problem is that it fundamentally depends on various specifically Christian doctrines for explanations of basic theological questions. For example the question “Is God real” is answered by invoking Trinitarian Christian God. If “reality of God” can be theologically established only by appeal to Trinitarian God, then, I suspect, such explanation would not be particularly convincing not just to non-Christians, but also to many Christians who are exposed to wider debates about religion and its place in modern society. Similarly, the problem of evil is explained away by appealing to Christian “mystery”.One thing this book is good at is posing good questions (this is the reason why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2). However, it’s not good at providing even introductory answers, or possibilities for answering those questions.It seems that the book spends disproportionally large space to discussion of methodology and approaches to “doing theology”, rather than providing actual theological highlights on the most critical questions of religion and faith.Overall I would not recommend this book as an introduction to theology to people new in the field.
Four Stars
Need this book for my Behavior Science course...thankful it is available in digital format and much cheaper
A very good first book
The book is of good quality and is very informative about all subject I want to know about.
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Theology: A Very Short Introduction 2/e (Very Short Introductions)
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Product origin: United Kingdom
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