The Work of Theology
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More About This Title The Work of Theology

English

A "how-to" book on theology from a world-renowned theologian

In this book Stanley Hauerwas returns to the basics of "doing" theology. Revisiting some of his earliest philosophical and theological views to better understand and clarify what he has said before, Hauerwas explores how theological reflection can be understood as an exercise in practical reason.

Hauerwas includes chapters on a wide array of topics, including "How I Think I Learned to Think Theologically," "How the Holy Spirit Works," "How to Write a Theological Sentence," and "How to Be Theologically Funny." In a postscript he responds to Nicholas Healy's recent book Hauerwas: A (Very) Critical Introduction.

"What we believe as Christians," says Hauerwas, "is quite basic and even simple. But because it is so basic, we can lose any sense of the extraordinary nature of Christian beliefs and practices." In discussing the work of theology, Hauerwas seeks to recover that "sense of the oddness of what we believe as Christians."

English

Stanley Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke University. Among his many books are Resident Aliens, A Community of Character, Living Gently in a Violent World, and A Cross-Shattered Church.

English

The Anglican Theological Review
"Invites readers into an interesting conversation, yet they will find themselves wanting to give Hauerwas their ear, to listen to the story (apologia) he is telling. Hauerwas thus achieves his aim to "attract" others to join him in the work of theology."

Commonweal
"Stanley Hauerwas has achieved singular preeminence among theologians in the United States as a public intellectual. . . . Any new book bearing Hauerwas's name is noteworthy."

The Christian Century
"The church needs Hauerwas's prophetic witness. His theology is courageous, challenging, and a source of hope when many ecclesial leaders seem to be despairing."

Library Journal
"It is hard to imagine any living theologian more celebrated than Hauerwas."

Samuel Wells
"Stanley Hauerwas writes unputdownable theology — because he believes in a God who will never put us down until it's clear how our story comes out."
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