The shape of British theology in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries

Re Manning, R (2016) 'The shape of British theology in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.' In: Hébert, M and Reijnen, A.M, eds. Paul Tillich et Karl Barth: accords et antagonismes théologiques. Tillich-Studien (23). LIT Verlag, Munster. ISBN 9783643900470

Abstract

Any account of the shape of British theology in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries will necessarily be subjective. Indeed, any attempt to define national characteristics of an enterprise that is by nature both deeply personal and unavoidably international is quite simply asking for trouble. This essay is no exception. In what follows, I will sketch out my own interpretation of the factors that have influenced the shape of theological discourse in Britain over the last sixty years or so. Not an historical analysis per se, I intend rather to give a flavour, to those more used to concentrating on the German and French (or American) traditions, of what we might call “the cast of mind” characteristic of British theology in this period. I begin with a brief consideration of the context of British theology in the early twentieth century, defined particularly by the institutional transformations that lead to the emergence of a distinctively modern academic theology and the sharp challenges to the scientific legitimacy of such an enterprise. I then turn to adopt an over-literal application of my title to survey the varieties of late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century British theology via the figure of a heptagon, each node of which corresponds to a place of particular significance. I conclude with some brief proposals for the future shape of British theology as the twenty-first century progresses.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BT Doctrinal Theology
Divisions:	School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2016 14:28
Last Modified:	15 Aug 2021 09:42
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/7428

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