Overview

In this incisive work, Michelson traces contemporary debates on the doctrine of God back in time to the philosophical critiques of Hume and Kant. Schleiermacher and Barth each offered accounts of the doctrine of God. This book offers a critical evaluation of these accounts and demonstrates how they were responding to early modern critiques of the possibility of knowing God. Michelson also leverages Charnock’s account constructively to demonstrate how this earlier writer has the theological resources to tackle those same critiques. Not content to stop there, Michelson also highlights how these critics built their arguments on faulty interpretations of classical theological tradition. In doing so, this book carves out a provocative, constructive path forward for contemporary theological reflection on the doctrine of God.

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9780567718952

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This book is a masterful and compelling contribution to theological epistemology, essential for any theologian working on this topic. Michelson exhibits an impressive command of a diverse range of thinkers, skilfully weaving them into a constructive dialogue that offers profound insights for the Church as it navigates an unsettling world. Most exciting, however, is that this work gives every indication that Michelson may emerge as one of the most important theologians of his generation. * Andrew Torrance, University of St Andrews, UK * Michelson diagnoses several of the central issues affecting the doctrine of God since the early modern period and the oft-cited 'crisis' into which it plunged theology, all while challenging the very framework of an early modern crisis in the first place. His own genealogical analysis suggests that the crisis need not have been. Through capable analyses of key figures in the Reformed tradition, he exposes the assumptions behind many proposed solutions to this 'crisis' and charts a compelling way forward for those who wish to learn from Barth and Reformed scholasticism alike. This is a serious work of theology that is equal parts rigorous and free, ambitious and careful. It will reward careful attention. * Tyler R. Wittman, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, USA * Modern dogmatics has often been troubled by theories of knowledge which undermine the possibility of theology by denying that the works of God deliver knowledge of God’s nature. In this thoughtful and penetrating work, Michelson excavates the sources and causes of this criticism, illustrating its effects on large portions of contemporary theology. Drawing on Scholastic and Reformed sources, he shows that these critiques are not fatal for theologies duly attentive to the analogy between God’s being and works. Generous and patient, rather than reactionary; critical and analytical, but relentlessly constructive — this is an immensely useful book, and a model for theologies attempting to retrieve Christian traditions for a Postmodern age. * Tim Baylor, Calvin University, USA *

This book is a masterful and compelling contribution to theological epistemology, essential for any theologian working on this topic. Michelson exhibits an impressive command of a diverse range of thinkers, skilfully weaving them into a constructive dialogue that offers profound insights for the Church as it navigates an unsettling world. Most exciting, however, is that this work gives every indication that Michelson may emerge as one of the most important theologians of his generation. * Andrew Torrance, University of St Andrews, UK *

Author Information

Jared Michelson is a research fellow at the University of St Andrews, UK, and a Christian minister.

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