NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Secular theology

The field of secular theology, a subfield of liberal theology advocated by Anglican bishop John A. T. Robinson somewhat paradoxically combines secularism and theology. Recognized in the 1960s, it was influenced both by neo-orthodoxy, and the existentialism of Paul Tillich. Secular theology successfully digested modern movements like the Death of God Theology propagated by Thomas J. J. Altizer or the philosophical existentialism of Paul Tillich and eased the entrée of such ideas into the theological mainstream and made constructive evaluations, as well as contributions, to them. Liberal theology is a branch of religious thinking which emerged in the late 18th and early 19th century, in the wake of The Enlightenment. ... Dr John Arthur Thomas Robinson (1919 in Canterbury, Englandâ€“December 5, 1983) was a New Testament scholar, author, and former Anglican bishop of Woolwich, England. ... George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906), British writer who coined the term secularism. ... At Wikiversity you can learn more and teach others about Theology at: The School of Theology Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Neo-orthodoxy is an approach to theology that was developed in the aftermath of the First World War (1914-1918). ... Cover of Sartres book Nausea Existentialism is a philosophical movement that claims that individual human beings have full responsibility for creating the meanings of their own lives. ... Paul Johannes Tillich (August 20, 1886 â€“ October 22, 1965) was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. ... Thomas J. J. Altizer is a liberal theologian who postulated in the early 1960s the death of God. While teaching at Emory University (from 1956 to 1968), Altizers religious views were featured in two TIME magazine articles in 1965 and 1966. ...

John Shelby Spong advocates a nuanced approach to scripture (as opposed to blunt Biblical literalism at the other end of the scale), informed by scholarship and compassion, which he argues can be consistent with both Christian tradition and a contemporary understanding of the universe. Secular theology holds that theism has lost credibility as a valid conception of God's nature. It rejects the concept of a personal God and embraces the status of Jesus Christ, Christology and Christian eschatology as Christian mythology without basis in historical events. John Shelby Spong (born 16 June 1931 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is the retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark (based in Newark, New Jersey). ... Biblical literalism is the supposed adherence to the explicit and literal sense of the Bible. ... Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more gods or deities. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... The phrase personal God is religious term used far more often by laypeople than by theologians due to its numerous connotations. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Christology is a field of study within Christian theology which is concerned with the nature of Jesus the Christ. ... Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul Â· Church Fathers Constantine Â· Athanasius Â· Augustine Anselm Â· Aquinas Â· Palamas Â· Wycliffe Tyndale Â· Luther Â· Calvin Â· Wesley Arius Â· Marcion of Sinope Pope Â· Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box: In Christian theology, Christian eschatology is the... Christian mythology is the body of traditional narrative associated with Christianity. ...

The movement chiefly came about as a response to general dissatisfaction with the Christian establishment's tendency to lapse into "provincialism"^{[citation needed]} when presented with the "unusual" theological ideas common during the 1960's.^{[citation needed]} The movement also suggested the legitimacy of seeking the holy outside the church itself. Thereby it suggests that the church did not have exclusive rights to divine inspiration. In a sense, this incorporated a strong sense of continuous revelation in which truth of the religious sort was sought out in poetry, music, art, or even the pub and in the street. Holiness means the state of being holy, that is, set apart for the worship or service of a god or gods. ...

Literature

Harvey Gallagher Cox, Jr. ... Wolfhart Pannenberg (born 1928) is a German Christian theologian. ... Dr John Arthur Thomas Robinson (1919 in Canterbury, Englandâ€“December 5, 1983) was a New Testament scholar, author, and former Anglican bishop of Woolwich, England. ... John Shelby Spong (born 16 June 1931 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is the retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark (based in Newark, New Jersey). ...

See also