tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post116238167760465896..comments2023-11-03T11:37:04.473+00:00Comments on nothing new under the sun: Top 20 books that have influenced me theologicallybyron smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-49047279712765221362007-01-10T21:35:00.000+00:002007-01-10T21:35:00.000+00:00charlescameron - I first encountered Westphal thou...charlescameron - I first encountered Westphal though an excellent little book called <i>Suspicion and Faith: the religious uses of modern atheism</i>. He offers a reading of Nietzsche, Marx and Freud as modern day prophets of sin, with a message that the church needs to first hear with repentance rather than hostility, taking the log from our own eye before we presume to speak of specks in theirsbyron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-64544599087321463332007-01-10T18:14:00.000+00:002007-01-10T18:14:00.000+00:00I was interested to find that you had included a b...I was interested to find that you had included a book by Merold Westphal on your list.<br />I met Merold when I was doing postgraduate research at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan in the late 1970s.<br />He gave me a couple of articles he had written (both dated 1971) -(a) 'Hegel, Pannenberg and Hermeneutics' & (b) 'Kierkegaard and the Logic of Insanity'. <br />I'm not familiar Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163283525855044852006-11-11T22:18:00.000+00:002006-11-11T22:18:00.000+00:00The One, The Three and the Many - I've heard enoug...<I>The One, The Three and the Many</I> - I've heard enough summaries of it for it to have been influential, but haven't yet read it, so thought it might be a little naughty to list it. I often like Gunton (even if he's a tad too harsh on Augustine), but realised as I was compiling my list that <I>Triune Creator</I> is the only book of his I've finished. Otherwise it's just been chapters here and byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163265290385492782006-11-11T17:14:00.000+00:002006-11-11T17:14:00.000+00:001, 3, many. Gunton's most interesting by far1, 3, many. Gunton's most interesting by farmichael jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15379361601019023165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163134041018470682006-11-10T04:47:00.000+00:002006-11-10T04:47:00.000+00:00Which Lewis and Gunton and Bauckham would you have...Which Lewis and Gunton and Bauckham would you have picked? I'm particularly surprised you're not a fan of the Bauckham, esp since you also said it would make it onto your unwritten top 10.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163133011018828082006-11-10T04:30:00.000+00:002006-11-10T04:30:00.000+00:00well you didn't choose Gunton's best piece, neithe...well you didn't choose Gunton's best piece, neither Lewis's. And the Bauckham book? hmm.michael jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15379361601019023165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163038720260653322006-11-09T02:18:00.000+00:002006-11-09T02:18:00.000+00:00it gets spotty after thatYou mean you're not a fan...<I>it gets spotty after that</I><BR/>You mean you're not a fan of Athanasius and Irenaeus? I don't see whom else you might be referring to...byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163037315543884032006-11-09T01:55:00.000+00:002006-11-09T01:55:00.000+00:00Yes it gets spotty after that... I was hoping Wrig...Yes it gets spotty after that... I was hoping Wright and Westphal were phases you were going through ;-)<BR/><BR/><BR/>Though your 14 and 15 are in my unwritten top ten.michael jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15379361601019023165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162864748715559952006-11-07T01:59:00.000+00:002006-11-07T01:59:00.000+00:00Anastasia, I've explained why I included Nietzsche...Anastasia, I've explained why I included Nietzsche <A HREF="http://nothing-new-under-the-sun.blogspot.com/2006/06/why-i-love-nietzsche.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>. Thanks for your list.<BR/><BR/>MPJ - only the top six...? As for the BCP - it's hard to avoid when you use any liturgy (or rather, any written liturgy). Even if the influence has often been mediated through later works, Cranmer is byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162851996375217782006-11-06T22:26:00.000+00:002006-11-06T22:26:00.000+00:00What a great top six!! and I think many of the oth...What a great top six!! and I think many of the others would be in my top twenty. <BR/><BR/>Since when were you a devotee of the BCP?michael jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15379361601019023165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162523002053080152006-11-03T03:03:00.000+00:002006-11-03T03:03:00.000+00:00Why Calvin over Augustine? I've only really been r...Why Calvin over Augustine? I've only really been reading Augustine this year, whereas Calvin's been with me for a while. But I wouldn't be unhappy to switch them. <I>Institutes</I> also covers more than <I>City of God</I>, so in terms of a single volume it would probably come first, even if I've read more of Augustine than Calvin apart from the two on this list.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162520393487183202006-11-03T02:19:00.000+00:002006-11-03T02:19:00.000+00:00suprised Augustine did not rank #3. why calvin ov...suprised Augustine did not rank #3. why calvin over augustine for you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162439311723775392006-11-02T03:48:00.000+00:002006-11-02T03:48:00.000+00:00Drew - I hadn't heard it put like that - but it's ...Drew - I hadn't heard it put like that - but it's an interesting image.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162432649785553232006-11-02T01:57:00.000+00:002006-11-02T01:57:00.000+00:00some canonical books are more important than other...<I> some canonical books are more important than others</I><BR/><BR/>Aahhh... a road map theory! Some are an 8 lane highway, while others are tiny back streets that you only wander down on a dark and stormy night, and get mugged by a hitherto unsuspected idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162426475737550152006-11-02T00:14:00.000+00:002006-11-02T00:14:00.000+00:00Drew - yes, the discipline boundary thing is diffi...Drew - yes, the discipline boundary thing is difficult, but how to compare the influence of a novel with a systematics? It's hard enough picking between theology books (even though I did break out for Nietzsche - perhaps I should have picked a more explicitly theological work for him: <I>Thus Spoke Zarathustra</I>)byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162425952740646392006-11-02T00:05:00.001+00:002006-11-02T00:05:00.001+00:00Ben - perhaps even without Christian's suggestion,...Ben - perhaps even without Christian's suggestion, I wonder whether most or all of the twenty would become biblical texts. May I point out that if we're going to be technical, Church Dogmatics is <I>one</I> book in several volumes, and that <I>City of God</I> is twenty-two books! (Even <I>Confessions</I> is thirteen) So I thought I'd define the limits by what is generally bound together and byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162425915290293912006-11-02T00:05:00.000+00:002006-11-02T00:05:00.000+00:00Christian - nice thought. Though if combined with ...Christian - nice thought. Though if combined with Ben's idea, then I suspect that all twenty spots might well be taken by books from the biblical library.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162418855697882402006-11-01T22:07:00.000+00:002006-11-01T22:07:00.000+00:00Yes, I think I would too.a number of these books h...Yes, I think I would too.<BR/><BR/><I>a number of these books have influenced me as I've reacted against them</I><BR/><BR/>An important, if rarely made, point! (I don't mean rare from you, I mean in general) This would also problematize disciplinary boundaries (as you hint at above), as theology as a discourse is often responding to other discourses...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1162416971192800902006-11-01T21:36:00.000+00:002006-11-01T21:36:00.000+00:00Nice list, Byron -- and I like your liturgical/dev...Nice list, Byron -- and I like your liturgical/devotional choices for ##1-2.<BR/><BR/>Since "Holy Scripture" is really a whole <I>library</I> of texts, it would be interesting to know if any particular biblical text deserves your #1 spot. If I were to include biblical texts on my own list, I'd definitely put the Fourth Gospel at #1.Ben Myershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03800127501735910966noreply@blogger.com