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Rating: 
Summary: at play in the fields of God
Review: As one who has yet to take any formal training in more academic theology, and having read only a few of the works by the authors discussed in this volume, I come to the subject matter as a novice. And, it is as a novice that I review this work...There is much to praise in Miller and Grenz' "Introduction to Contemporary Theologies." It is pretty "bottom shelf"--not much intimidating jargon or assuming too much of the audience. The work is written in a very engaging and accessible manner. The footnotes are of some use while not being imposing. The book also has several weaknesses. It's very brevity forces a great deal of selectivity in what gets discussed. It takes a look at an eclectic assortment of authors. Some are cut and dried theologians...folks like Barth, Bultmann and Pannenberg; others are more popular theologians who wrote for broader audiences...Bonhoeffer being the prime example; others could be described as theologians but also might be considered philosophers or social advocates...Ruether, Gutierrez, and Hick for example. The authors strive for objectivity by presenting the background and argument of each author and then weaknesses others have found in each author's work. Yet sometimes, it seems that the authors spend more time picking apart the work of certain authors than that of others. The two authors who suffer worst at the their hands are Moltmann and Hick. The discussion of Hick actually degenerates into a debate about tolerance and intolerance. All other flaws aside, this introduction is seriously in need of some basic bibliographies of the authors discussed. As it stands, if a reader becomes interested in a particular author, then it is left up them as to where to start reading...no help is given. Each section could also be greatly improved with a discussion of the influence of each author. One who is uninformed in these matters is left with questions. For instance: how did Ruether influence feminism, what is happening with Liberation theology today, and what is the impact of process theology? All in all, I guess I recommend this book because it has the ability to the reader interested in the theologians discussed. It is by no means comprehensive; it has its definite slants...still, I enjoyed it in spite of itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Good
Review: I enjoyed this book. It provides an excellent run-down of the most influental theologies of the 20th Century. However, there is virtually no mention of conservative theologians.
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