Gary Dorrien

In this first of a three-volume, comprehensive series, Gary Dorrien mixes theological analysis with historical and biographical detail to present the first comprehensive interpretation of American theological liberalism. Arguing that the indigenous roots of American liberal theology existed before the rise of Darwinism, Dorrien maintains that this tradition took shape in the nineteenth century and was motivated by a desire to map a progressive "third way" between authority-based orthodoxies and atheistic rationalism. Dorrien characterizes American liberal theology by its openness to historical criticism and evolutionary theory, its commitment to the authority of individual reason and experience, its conception of Christianity as an ethical way of life, and its commitment to make Christianity credible and socially relevant to modern people.

In this history of the rise, development, and near-demise of Karl Barth's theology, Gary Dorrien carefully analyzes the making of the Barthian revolution and the reasons behind its simultaneously dominating and marginal character. He discusses Barth's relationship to his predecessors and contemporaries, as well as to modern theologians, and argues that his approach to theology was deeply indebted to his liberal past.

In this in-depth historical analysis of evangelical theology, Gary Dorrien describes how evangelicalism has developed and matured. Beginning at the turn of the century and the start of the fundamentalist-modernist controversies, he notes the key figures and institutions of the evangelical movement. He also shows how evangelicalism has both diversified and entered into the broader theological discussions of today.

The twentieth century saw a wide variety of theological stands that were often confusing. Gary Dorrien sorts through theological trends by focusing on the notions of Christ and word. He presents the story of recent theology in a narrative style that makes the book ideal for classroom use, integrating the major theologians of the century along with other developments in philosophy and culture.