Postliberal Theologies

RELG 5559 Postliberal Theologies: Christian and Jewish                      P. Ochs  Mo 7:00PM - 9:30PM New Cabell Hall 287

 A study of postliberal Christian theologies, including Hans Frei, George Lindbeck, Robert Jenson, Stanley Hauerwas and a first and now second generation of their students. These theologians believe that postmodern criticisms of modern rationalism do not rule out recovering scripture and theological commentary as resources for knowing the world and our place in it. Thus, they revisit Christology and Trinitarian theology as sources of non-dogmatic and non-foundationalist Christian knowledge. Surprisingly, their “return to Christology” leads them also to re-value Judaism as an enduring source of knowledge. About 1/3 of the course will examine Jewish postliberal responses to these Christian theologians along with the beginnings of a Muslim response.

 

Readings:

(1) P. Ochs, Another Reformation: Postliberal Christianity and the Jews, Baker (2011) ISBN-13: 978-

0801039409

(2) Ephraim Radner, The End of the Church, Eerdmans 1998, 978-0802844613

(3) George Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age, 25th

Anniversary Edition Bruce D. Marshall, Westerminster John Knox, 2009, 978-0664233358

(4) R Kendall Soulen, The God of Israel and Christian Theology, Fortress, 2009

[1996] ASIN: B002SG6HXS

(5) David F. Ford, Self and Salvation, Being Transformed, Cambridge 1999 : 978-0521426169

(6) Douglas Harink, Paul Among the Postliberals, Brazos

(7) Scott Bader-Saye, Church and Israel after Christendom, Wipf and Stock Publishers (January 31,

2005) 978-1597520782

(8) Robert Jenson, Systematic Theology I: The Triune God, Oxford University, 2001, 978-0195145984

(9) John Wright, ed., Postliberal Theology and the Church Catholic, Baker, 2012, 978-0801039829

(10) Chris K. Huebner, A Precarious Peace,[Herald Press],  Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

ASIN: B00AQ4TSS0  $3!!

(11) John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus, Eerdmans, 1994, 978-0802807342

(12) Stanley Hauerwas, The Hauerwas Reader, (eds) Berkman, Cartwright, Duke, 2001 978-0822326915 

(13) Daniel Hardy, Wording a Radiance, with Deborah Ford, Peter Ochs, and David Ford., SCM 2010 978-0334042082

 

Recommended (optional):

(a) Hans Frei, The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative, Yale University, 1980  978-0300026023

(b) Robert Barron, The Priority of Christ, Brazos, 2007 978-1587431982

(c) Mark Wallace, The Second Naivete, Mercer 978-0865543805

(d) Paul D. Murray, Reason, Truth, and Theology in Pragmatist Perspective, Peeters 2004 978-

9042914520

(e) R. Kendall Soulen, The Divine Name(s) and the Holy Trinity: Distinguishing the Voices, Westminster

John Knox, 2011,  978-0664234140

(f) Colin Gunton, ed., Trinity, Time, and Church, A Response to the Theology of Robert W. Jenson,

Eerdmans,  978-1608994878

(g) Matthias Muller, Christliche Theologie im Angesicht des Judentums, Kohlhammer 2009

(h) John Milbank, The Word Made Strange, Blackwell, 1997 

(i) David Ford, Christian Wisdom, Desiring God and Learning in Love, Cambridge, 2007  978-

0521698382

·

Syllabus

Class #1 /Week 1: Introducing the Study of Postliberal Christian Theology

            Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 1 Intro (but skim the technical philos. Stuff); (b) Ochs Another Ref.

           Ch. 2 Lindbeck; (c) begin Lindbeck, Nature of Doctrine.

 

Week #2: Lindbeck and the Church as Israel

            Rd: (a) complete Lindbeck, Nature of Doctrine; (b) R Kendall Soulen, The God of Israel and

            Christian Theology.

 

Week #3: Robert Jenson and the Fruits of Trinitarian Theology

            Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 3 Jenson; (b) Robert Jenson, Systematic Theology I: The Triune God.

 

Week #4: Arguing for Christ: Stanley Hauerwas’s Theopractic Reasoning

            Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 4 Hauerwas; (b) Stanley Hauerwas, The Hauerwas Reader: Part I (Ed.

            Intros); Afterward (A Reader’s Guide—rd what is helpful); then Rd Part II as many chaps as

            interest you: minimally, Ch. 1, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22.

 

Week #5: The Limits of Postliberalism in John Howard Yoder’s American Mennonite Church

             Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 5 Yoder; (b) John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus; (c) Chris K.

            Huebner, A Precarious Peace (rd. what you can).

 

Week #6 Finding Christ in World and Polity: Daniel Hardy’s Ecclesiastical Postliberalism

              Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 6, Hardy; (b) Daniel Hardy, Wording a Radiance.

 

Week #7: Wisdom’s Cry: David Ford’s Reparative Pneumatological

              Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 7  Ford; (b) David Ford, Self and Salvation.

 

Week #8: John Milbank: Supersessionist or Christian Theo-Semiotician and Pragmatist?

             Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 8 Milbank; (b) John Milbank: choose readings, for ex., in Word Made 

             Strange, etc. (tba)

 

Week #9: Postliberalism Overview:

              Rd: (a) Ochs, Another: Ch 9, Ch 1 (including technical stuff); (b) Douglas Harink, Paul Among

             the Postliberals.

 

Week #10: Ephraim Radner, The End of the Church

             Rd. Ephraim Radner, The End of the Church

 

Week #11: Where are the Postliberal Catholics?

             Rd: John Wright, ed., Postliberal Theology and the Church Catholic.

 

Week #12: The Church and the People Israel

             Rd. Scott Bader-Saye, Church and Israel after Christendom,

 

Assignments:

(1)   Come to Class.  The primary work of the course is in class, which will be run as a seminar, led by student discussion.

(2)   Weekly one page response: No later than the evening before class, please deposit a 1-p. response to the reading in your drop-box in collab. (or if the class wants, students would email this to everyone): write as efficiently as possible, barebones: what is the bottomline for you in this Christian theologian’s work (as you respond to Ochs’ take on that theologian).

(3)   Introduce 1 class session: Beginning with Week #2, a student volunteer will introduce a given class session with a 10 min. overview.

(4)   Term Paper:  (a) By week #3: choose a theologian and a topic to write on – submit a 1 p. proposal to me in drop box; (b) By week #8: submit a 5pp. abstract of where you are going in the thesis of your paper; (c) By week #13 (no later): submit the paper (16pp +).