“McGrath has written an excellent account of Brunner’s theology that should, if history be kind, spark a renewed interest and consideration of Brunner as a significant theologian for the 21st century.”” (“”Freedom in Orthodoxy,” 1 February 2014)
“McGrath’s consummate skills as both a theologian and an historian are masterfully at work in this penetrating and highly illuminating study arguing for the importance and continuing vital relevance to current theological and cultural debates of one of the 20th century’s largely forgotten major theological voices. Exhibiting the same sagacious understanding, balanced discernment and astute critical insight that we have come to admire and value so highly in McGrath, this intensively researched and captivating book brings together for the first time an enormous wealth of original source material yielding important new insights and contexts for a compelling reassessment and reappropriation of Brunner’s legacy. The book as such will serve not only as an inspired catalyst for renewed attention to Brunner but also as an indispensable resource base for further research, whether on Brunner himself or on the doctrinal and cultural issues that animated him and to which he continues to contribute so richly and relevantly.”
Paul Janz, King’s College London
“Professor McGrath offers us a brilliant reassessment of a theologian who has for long languished in the shadow of Karl Barth. It needs no less than an author with the wide-ranging skills of a theologian, intellectual historian and expert in the interface between science and religion to bring to light the neglected contribution of Emil Brunner to the theology of the twentieth century. Brunner’s comprehensive vision for doctrine, theology of nature, missiology, ethics, practical theology and apologetics is exposed by an author who has himself produced formative work in all these areas. Neither simply a biography nor a mere introduction to Brunner’s theology, this deeply-researched and engaging study traces the emergence of Brunner’s thought in its cultural context, recognizes its flaws and yet recovers a challenge for the involvement of theology in the culture of our present time.”
Paul S. Fiddes, University of Oxford
“McGrath’s meticulously researched and lucid exposition and assessment of Emil Brunner’s legacy is a landmark publishing event not only for the better understanding of modern Reformed theology but also of twentieth-century theology at large.”
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Fuller Theological Seminary and University of Helsinki
From the Inside Flap
During his lifetime, Emil Brunner (1889-1966) was a highly influential and renowned theologian, instrumental in shaping the course of modern Protestant theology Yet in recent decades he has been neglected within modern theology. In this major study, Alister McGrath, himself one of the world’s leading theologians, presents an insightful reappraisal and comprehensive intellectual history of the influential Swiss thinker.
Informed by wealth of innovative scholarly research, McGrath delves deeply into Brunner’s role in shaping dialectical theory, Brunner’s distinct approach to the leading theological debates of the 1930s, and his mature theological vision. McGrath also examines such topics as Brunner’s debate with Karl Barth over the question of natural theology (along with the complex relationship between the two theological giants), Brunner’s reception in the English-language world of the 1930s, and Brunner’s distinctively Swiss voice in the German-language theology of the day. Also addressed are the reasons for Brunner’s contemporary neglect in scholarly circles, his deserved place in current debates on natural theology, ethics and ecumenical reflections. Illuminating and insightful, Emile Brunner: A Reappraisal represents an invaluable scholarly contribution to our understanding of the ideas and historical significance of one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century.
From the Back Cover
During his lifetime, Emil Brunner (1889-1966) was a highly influential and renowned theologian, instrumental in shaping the course of modern Protestant theology Yet in recent decades he has been neglected within modern theology. In this major study, Alister McGrath, himself one of the world’s leading theologians, presents an insightful reappraisal and comprehensive intellectual history of the influential Swiss thinker.
Informed by wealth of innovative scholarly research, McGrath delves deeply into Brunner’s role in shaping dialectical theory, Brunner’s distinct approach to the leading theological debates of the 1930s, and his mature theological vision. McGrath also examines such topics as Brunner’s debate with Karl Barth over the question of natural theology (along with the complex relationship between the two theological giants), Brunner’s reception in the English-language world of the 1930s, and Brunner’s distinctively Swiss voice in the German-language theology of the day. Also addressed are the reasons for Brunner’s contemporary neglect in scholarly circles, his deserved place in current debates on natural theology, ethics and ecumenical reflections. Illuminating and insightful, Emile Brunner: A Reappraisal represents an invaluable scholarly contribution to our understanding of the ideas and historical significance of one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century.
About the Author
Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Theology, Ministry and Education at King’s College London, UK, and head of its Centre for Theology, Religion, and Culture. One of the world’s leading theologians, McGrath is the author of some of the most widely used textbooks on theology, including Christian Theology: An Introduction (2010) and Historical Theology (2012).
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