Over on www.philocrites.com I have listed my main theological influences of late, and though it was an off-the-top of my head spur of the moment posting I am still feeling pretty satisfied with it. Looking back over the list (and I can't believe I didn't put in Moltmann, thanks to those who did so, as well as Rahner), it strikes me how influential these theologians also have been to my passion for church planting. Note that St. Paul is at the top! But each in some way have been engaged in the ways that the church and culture intersect and pull apart and remake each other. It will be fun to develop up a deep theological root for church planting which can get carried away in the moment to moment of inspiration from the latest trends. Ah summertime for that endeavor!
Here is the list I posted:
St. Paul, Schleirmacher, Frederic Henry Hedge, Peter C. Hodgson, Kathryn Tanner, Carl Scovel, David Tracy, Rodney Starks, Stanley Grenz, Stanley Hauerwas, Stanley Stowers---
and a host of postmodern ecclesial writers such as Bill Easum, Thomas Bandy, Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren, William Tenny-Brittain, Michael Slaughter, Dan Kimball, Eddie Gibbs/Ryan K. Bolger, Lyle Schaller (recent stuff), Aubrey Malphurs, Ralph Moore, Neil Cole.
3 comments:
Good to see Kathryn Tanner on someone else's list! I've blogged about her short systematics a number of times in the last few months.
I was thinking particularly of her Theories of Culture book. I used it prominently in my M.Div. thesis looking at Christian ecclesiology in the UUA since 1945. Her ideas of the importance of the margins in thinking of culture is a good foundation for emergent church/conversation. And I liked her background leading up to her thesis, when she presented a kind of cultural look at how culture has been viewed in different places and times. great for church planting orientation too.
I have that and her book on giving (the economics & theology book) but haven't had a chance to read them. I will try to push the culture book up in my reading list.
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