Kathryn Tanner | |
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Born | March 29, 1957 |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Kathryn Eileen Tanner |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Yale University |
Influences | |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Theology |
Sub-discipline | Systematic theology |
School or tradition | |
Institutions | |
Doctoral students |
Kathryn Eileen Tanner (born 1957) is an American Anglican theologian who serves as Frederick Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School. [3]
Born on March 29, 1957, [4] Tanner earned her BA, MA, MPhil, and PhD degrees from Yale University. Her career began at Yale by teaching for the department of religious studies. She later moved to the University of Chicago where she served as the Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology. Afterwards, she returned to teach at her alma mater. [3]
Tanner does constructive Christian theology in both the Catholic and Protestant traditions. Her work addresses contemporary challenges to the Christian faith through the creative use of both the history of Christian thought and interdisciplinary methods, such as critical, social, and feminist theory. [5] Her first book, God and Creation in Christian Theology developed an account of the non-competitive relations between God and creatures. Her next book The Politics of God applies non-competitive relations to the political sphere. Her book Theories of Culture: A New Agenda for Theology explores the relevance of cultural studies for rethinking theological method. She has also written a short systematic text on the Incarnation (Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity) and a text on the economic relevance of Christian beliefs about God (Economy of Grace). Christ the Key, argues for the centrality of Christ in all theological questions. Her latest book Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism pulls together some of her previous discussions on economy and theology and discusses the moral, social, and theological concerns with present-day "finance-dominated capitalism" and how Christian theology offers better alternatives.
She is a past president of the American Theological Society and is active in the Episcopal Church. She is a member of the Theology Committee that advises the Episcopal House of Bishops. [3]
She is on the editorial boards of Modern Theology , International Journal of Systematic Theology, and Scottish Journal of Theology . [6]
Tanner delivered the Warfield Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2007 [7] and the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh in 2016, which became her 2019 book Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism. [8]
Kathryn Tanner has done much work to contribute to the scholastic work of systematic theology. One of the most well-known works was her book called Christ the Key, published in 2010. This work is mainly Christocentric, describing Christ as center for connecting humanity with God. [9] This book discusses the following topics in the seven chapters of the book, Human Nature, Grace (divided into 2 parts), trinitarian life, politics, death and sacrifice, and the working of the spirit. [10] This book is best used to understand aspects of contemporary theology connected to the soul of humanity in relation with the divine humans choose to interact with. Kathryn states in the preface of this book that it is a sequel to her book Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity, continuing to explain the importance of the centrality of God seeking out humanity to be in intimate relationship with us through the life, death and resurrection of the Son, Jesus Christ. [11] This book follows after the 2001 work to continue understanding her Christological view on God's interactions with humanity through Christ.
The Gift of Theology: The Contribution of Kathryn Tanner was put together by editors Rosemary P. Carbine and Hilda P. Koster, who were both so deeply moved and affected by Kathryn's work they decided to put together this book to best give their thanks to Kathryn Tanner for her contributions to contemporary theology. [12] In this work, we get a much better understanding and appreciation of who Kathryn Tanner is in relation to her work as a scholar by her colleagues who admire her work most in similar fields of study. John E. Thiel, a professor of religious studies at Fairfield University, writes the foreword, describing Kathryn Tanner as "the most accomplished theologian of her generation." [13]
This book goes on to explain in detail Kathryn Tanner's contributions and explaining the theology behind her best known works. It is a critical analysis of all her works, how she processes theology and presents them and how they have affected the theological world.
Original sin in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image of God. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3, and in texts such as Psalm 51:5 and Romans 5:12–21.
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, an event that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
Karl Rahner was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th century. He was the brother of Hugo Rahner, also a Jesuit scholar.
In Christianity, salvation is the saving of human beings from sin and its consequences—which include death and separation from God—by Christ's death and resurrection, and the justification entailed by this salvation.
Jürgen Moltmann was a German Reformed theologian who was a professor of systematic theology at the University of Tübingen and was known for his books such as the Theology of Hope, The Crucified God, God in Creation and other contributions to systematic theology. His works were translated into many languages.
Sanctification literally means "to set apart for special use or purpose", that is, to make holy or sacred. Therefore, sanctification refers to the state or process of being set apart, i.e. "made holy", as a vessel, full of the Holy Spirit of God. The concept of sanctification is widespread among religions, including Judaism and especially Christianity. The term can be used to refer to objects which are set apart for special purposes, but the most common use within Christian theology is in reference to the change brought about by God in a believer, begun at the point of salvation and continuing throughout the life of the believer. Many forms of Christianity believe that this process will only be completed in Heaven, but some believe that complete entire sanctification is possible in this life.
Miroslav Volf is a Croatian Protestant theologian and public intellectual and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale University. He previously taught at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in his native Osijek, Croatia and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1990–1998).
Paula Fredriksen is an American historian and scholar of early Christianity. She held the position of William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of Scripture at Boston University from 1990 to 2010. Now emerita, she has been distinguished visiting professor in the Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, since 2009.
Constructive theology is the redefinition or reconceptualization of what historically has been known as systematic theology. The reason for this reevaluation stems from the idea that, in systematic theology, the theologian attempts to develop a coherent theory running through the various doctrines within the tradition. A potential problem underlying such study is that in constructing a system of theology, certain elements may be "forced" into a presupposed structure, or left out altogether, in order to maintain the coherence of the overall system.
Christian feminism is a school of Christian theology which uses the viewpoint of a Christian to promote and understand morally, socially, and spiritually the equality of men and women. Christian theologians argue that contributions by women and acknowledging women's value are necessary for a complete understanding of Christianity. Christian feminists are driven by the belief that God does not discriminate on the basis of biologically determined characteristics such as sex and race, but created all humans to exist in harmony and equality regardless of those factors. On the other hand, Christian egalitarianism is used for those advocating gender equality and equity among Christians but do not wish to associate themselves with the feminist movement.
Sarah Anne Coakley is an English Anglican priest, systematic theologian, and philosopher of religion with interdisciplinary interests. She became an honorary professor at the Logos Institute, the University of St Andrews, after retiring from the position of Norris–Hulse Professor of Divinity (2007–2018) at the University of Cambridge. She was a visiting professorial fellow (2019-22) then honorary professor at the Australian Catholic University, and an honorary fellow of Oriel College, Oxford.
Lutheran Mariology or Lutheran Marian theology is derived from Martin Luther's views of Mary, the mother of God and these positions have influenced those taught by the Lutheran Churches. Lutheran Mariology developed out of the deep Christian Marian devotion on which Luther was reared, and it was subsequently clarified as part of his mature Christocentric theology and piety. Lutherans hold Mary in high esteem, universally teaching the dogmas of the Theotokos and the Virgin Birth. Luther dogmatically asserted what he considered firmly established biblical doctrines such as the divine motherhood of Mary while adhering to pious opinions of the Immaculate Conception and the perpetual virginity of Mary, along with the caveat that all doctrine and piety should exalt and not diminish the person and work of Jesus Christ. By the end of Luther's theological development, his emphasis was always placed on Mary as merely a receiver of God's love and favour. His opposition to regarding Mary as a mediatrix of intercession or redemption was part of his greater and more extensive opposition to the belief that the merits of the saints could be added to those of Jesus Christ to save humanity. Lutheran denominations may differ in their teaching with respect to various Marian doctrines and have contributed to producing ecumenical meetings and documents on Mary.
Ecumenical meetings and documents on Mary, involving ecumenical commissions and working groups, have reviewed the status of Mariology in the Eastern Orthodox, Protestantism, and Roman Catholic Churches.
Isabel Carter Heyward is an American feminist theologian and priest in the Episcopal Church, the province of the worldwide Anglican Communion in the United States. In 1974, she was one of the Philadelphia Eleven, eleven women whose ordinations eventually paved the way for the recognition of women as priests in the Episcopal Church in 1976.
Paul Althaus was a German Lutheran theologian. He was born in Obershagen in the Province of Hanover, and he died in Erlangen. He held various pastorates from 1914 to 1925, when he was appointed associate professor of practical and systematic theology at the University of Göttingen, becoming full professor two years later. Althaus was moderately critical of Lutheran Orthodoxy and evangelical-leaning Neo-Lutheranism. He termed it a “mistake” to “defend the authenticity and infallibility of the Bible.”
Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rational analysis and argument. Theologians may undertake the study of Christian theology for a variety of reasons, such as in order to:
For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is believed to be the third Person of the Trinity, a triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, who reject the doctrine of the Trinity, differ significantly from mainstream Christianity in their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. In Christian theology, pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit. Due to Christianity's historical relationship with Judaism, theologians often identify the Holy Spirit with the concept of the Ruach Hakodesh in Jewish scripture, on the theory that Jesus was expanding upon these Jewish concepts. Similar names, and ideas, include the Ruach Elohim, Ruach YHWH, and the Ruach Hakodesh. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit is identified with the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, and the Paraclete (helper).
Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a Korean-American theologian and Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Indiana. She is best known for books and articles on the social and religious experiences of Korean women immigrants to North America.
Ian Alexander McFarland is an American Lutheran theologian and has since 2019 served as Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Theology at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, where he also taught from 2005 to 2015. From 2015 to 2019 he was the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He holds degrees from Trinity College (Hartford), Union Theological Seminary, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, the University of Cambridge and Yale University. He also taught at the University of Aberdeen from 1998 to 2005.
Laurel C. Schneider is an American theologian and a professor of Religion and Culture as well as a professor of Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University. Schneider is known for her theological analysis of images of God in relation to questions of social justice and liberation. Her work has contributed to the development of a theological framework, using concepts like multiplicity and polydoxy, as an alternative to orthodoxy and more traditional approaches to religious belief and theological reflection. Schneider's work focuses on collaborative models of thinking and publishing. She has worked as co-convener of the National Workgroup in Constructive Theology resulting in a co-written publication entitled Awake to the Moment: Introducing Constructive Theology. Her other areas of research are queer theory and Native American religious traditions.