Summary: Short profiles of 13 theologians from the 20th century.
Last year Fortress Press had a sale and I picked up several books. I started reading the Fortress Introduction to Contemporary Theologies almost immediately. But because it is a book that profiles different theologians and does not need to be read all together (or in order), I have spent more than 6 months dabbling in it. It was originally published in 1998, so it is not a new book, but I do not think it is a dated book either.
Of the 13 theologians profiled, I have previously read full books by six of them. I was at least aware of the names of most of the rest. But this was a helpful, although a bit dry, look at a wide range of theologians.
I really picked up the book because it was by Grenz. Stanley Grenz passed away in 2005, but he was an Editor at Christianity Today and a professor at Northern Seminary and I have been interested in some of his previous books.
I am not sure I would recommend this to someone that casually interested in theology. It is pretty dense in content because it is primarily focused on the philosophically heavy 20th century issues. I do appreciate that the book worked to give context to the theologians and explain why their areas were important and what gave rise to those ideas.
This is also a good reminder that no only do I need to read more early church theologians, I need to read more widely among modern theologians.
Fortress Introduction to Contemporary Theologies Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition