The Doctrine of God: A Global Introduction

In recent years, the doctrine of God has once again become a central focus of theological discussion and debate. In this ecumenical, international, and contextual introduction, internationally respected scholar Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen offers a global survey of understandings of God in Scripture, Christian history, and contemporary theology. This new edition incorporates developments in theological research over the past decade and has been substantially updated throughout.

• Contents
• Introduction: God-Talk Then and Now
• Part 1: The Texture of Historical Developments
  • 1. Biblical Narrative and Testimonies of God
    • For Orientation: God-Talk in the Bible
    • Old Testament: Jewish Monotheism
    • New Testament: Christian Trinitarian Monotheism
  • 2. The Rise and Consolidation of the Christian Doctrine of God
    • Classical Theism: What Is It?
    • Early Fathers on God and Trinity
    • The Emergence of the Trinitarian Doctrine and Its Challengers
    • Patristic and Creedal Establishment of the Doctrine of God
  • 3. From the Medieval to the Modern Quest for God
    • Mystical Visions and Sophisticated Doctrines of Medieval Times
    • The Zenith of Classical Theism: The "Schoolmen" on the Doctrine of God
    • The Rise of the Social Model of the Trinity
    • The Reformers and Their Followers on God
    • The Mystical Experience of God among Catholic Reformers
    • Post-Reformation Testimonies and Doctrines
    • God in Modernity
    • Reflections: Looking Back and Forward
• Part 2: God in Contemporary Theological Interpretations
  • 4. Interpretations of God among European Theologies
  • God as the Wholly Other: Karl Barth
  • God as the Mystery of the World: Karl Rahner
  • God as Communion: John Zizioulas and Eastern Orthodox Tradition
  • God as the Power of the Future: Wolfhart Pannenberg
  • The Crucified God: Jurgen Moltmann
  • God's Existence in Dispute: Secularism and New Atheism(s)
  • Reflections on Contemporary European Views of God
  • 5. Interpretations of God from Diverse North American Contexts
    • For Orientation: The North American Mosaic
    • Rebuttals to Classical Theism: Secular and Process Theologies
    • Revisions of Classical Theism: Contextual Interpretations
    • Revisiting Classical Theism: Evangelicalism and Open Theism
    • Reflections on the North American Scene
  • 6. Interpretations of God in the Global South
    • For Orientation: Theology Goes Global
    • God in African Theologies
    • God in Latin American Theologies
    • God in Asian Theologies
    • Reflections on Non-Western God-Talk
• Part 3: The Christian God among Religions
  • 7. Christian Theology Faces Religious Plurality and Pluralism(s)
    • Religious Plurality as a New Challenge
    • Theological Responses to Pluralism(s)
    • How to Approach the Dialogical Comparative Task
  • 8. The Gods of the Religions
    • Allah of Islam
    • The Deities of Hinduism
    • Any Deities in Buddhism?
• Concluding Reflections on the Comparative Theological Exercise
• Epilogue: The Future of God-Talk in the Third Millennium
• Indexes