Thinking the Faith

by Douglas John Hall

Book Overview

As the Christian movement nears the end of its second millennium, it faces a crisis that could not have been anticipated at the close of the first thousand yearsor, indeed, by most of our own great-grandparents. Since the most conspicuous dimensions of the waning of Christendom have to do with material decline (the decline in church membership and active attendance of Sunday services, the decline in financial and physical prosperity, the decline...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800625455
• ISBN13: 9780800625450
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Learning to talk about God in a North American context

In this thoughtful and relevant introduction to Hall's three book series, Christians are called upon to think about how faith is expressed in a North American context. For too long Christians have relied on the theology of history, of Western European thinkers. Of late we have relied upon South American Liberation Theology as the "new thing." Hall does an excellent job of walking the reader through a process of thinking the faith and integrates a Theology of the Cross as a lens through which to view our God talk.

Thinking about "thinking the Faith"

I read "Thinking the Faith" while on vacation and though the beginning was slow-going, the book was great. Hall has a grasp of the contemporary problems confronting people of faith. His contention is that theological solutions created in Europe for European theological problems may not be and probably are not appropriate for 21st century Christians in North America (i.e. Canada and USA). He also believes that the faith community has abandoned "knowledge" to technocrats. I am looking forward to reading the 2nd and 3rd volumes - "Professing the Faith" and "Confessing the Faith".

Thoughts on 'Thinking the Faith'

'Thinking the Faith'' presents Hall's dialogue betwen revelation and reason. He accurately sums up the problems in North American (ie USA + Canada) which people of faith must confront, beginning with their abandonment of "knowledge" to a purely technical definition. This is an important book for Christians at the dawn of the 21st century. I finished it while on vacation and know that I will be able to use it with a lay group I mentor.

Barth for postmoderns

I first read this book when I lead a discussion of it with a large class in the Arvada United Medthodist Chruch. They found it both a challenge and too conservative for their taste. I am now leading a discussion of it with a smal mens class in Cortez Colorado. They are having much the same reaction. It is a kind of late 20th century revisit to Neo-orthadoxy. Or Barth in the Postmodern generation. Hall may or may not be too conservative but he does call us all to think the faith trough and not just go with the latest fad and heart vibrations.