Announcing the Society for Dialectical Theology

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"Dialectical theology is the consistent and systematic development of the missionary (i.e., hermeneutical) insight that forms the condition of possibility for modern theology. . . . Dialectical theology thinks within historical consciousness without reducing faith to history, that is, without reducing kerygma to culture. . . . Dialectical theology is essentially an anticonstantinian theology of mission." (Congdon 2015, xxvi, xxviii)

Last week, David Congdon and I announced the formation of a new Society for Dialectical Theology. The SDT was announced publicly through a YouTube video that serves also as a brief introduction to Dialectical Theology (DT). Here's the video:



If you are devotee of DT, conduct scholarship on one or more of the members of the DT movement in the 20th century, or are simply interested in learning more, I encourage you to complete this form to join the SDT and be added to its mailing list. The SDT is in its infancy, and there are no dues or other obligations. We're just trying to get folks together to talk about some theology that is not only interesting but -- we're convinced, at least -- remains incredibly relevant and constructively fruitful today.

So fill out the form, and I'll see you inside the SDT!

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Comments

George Plasterer said…
I look forward to seeing what direction you take this. I appreciated so much the Barth/Bultmann discussion. As an aside, your final point, I believe Dr. McMaken made it, was an interest in political application. I will be interested in how you avoid turning the political into its own idol, which I think both Bultmann and Barth had concerns. My book-reading groups have just read Barth and are now ready to read some Bultmann. We were going to read Congdon's book, which I have already read, but it increased in price since I bought it. In any case, a re-thinking of theology today in light of the insights of dialectical theology is well worth the effort.
December 13, 2016 1:37 PM
W. Travis McMaken said…
The political sphere is not any more inherently open to the danger of idolatry than the intellectual, cultural, ecclesial, etc., spheres.

Glad to hear that you'll be reading David's book!
December 13, 2016 1:42 PM
Max Harris said…
I agree that ideological contamination of faith extends beyond the political sphere, but the danger is that as faith seeks to avoid entanglement with one ideology, it risks becoming captivated by another. I assume a central interest of dialectical theology is a perpetual faith-based ideology critique that is wise enough to extend the critique back upon itself. Count me in.
December 16, 2016 9:09 AM
George Plasterer said…
Among the on-going influences of your video is the clarity you have given to the importance of the "event" in Christian theology. If I understood rightly, this means holding together the event of the cross/resurrection and the event of faith. I am not sure where Dr. Congdon is on this now, but I understood him to say in one of our discussions that he thought Bultmann might have lopped off the event of the past in favor of the present act of faith, and that Dr. Congdon wants to hold them together. I share this only to see if I understood him rightly. In any case, the insight of the importance of the event has brought me back to Kierkegaard and Philosophical Fragments. Thank you for that.
March 02, 2017 9:59 AM
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