The Freedom of Christian Theology

Eberhard Jngel (1934-2021) belongs to the most creative, wide-ranging, rigorous, and demanding voices in twentieth-century Protestant theology. Over a long and distinguished career, Jngel grappled with topics such as revelation, responsible talk about God, God's triunity, Christology, the nature of theological language, analogy, divine and human freedom, love, atheism, and theological approaches to the state. In all this, he had followed, perceptively yet critically, in the footsteps not only of Martin Luther, but also of G. W. F. Hegel, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rudolf Bultmann, Martin Heidegger, and Karl Barth. Despite the diversity of their own backgrounds and interests, the contributors to The Freedom of Christian Theology: New Studies in Dialogue with Eberhard Jngel all share the conviction that Jngels legacy lends itself to the same kind of constructive engagement that Jngel himself practiced. The essays offered here bring Jngels many-sided contributions to bear on the theological, philosophical, and social challenges of today. Each is an attempt to grapple, in the spirit of Eberhard Jngel, with the mysteries of todays world, which no less demand analytical care and penetrating insight. As an ongoing conversation with Jngel, the essays model the freedom and joy of Christian theology to reflect on the worlds complexities out of the riches of the Christian tradition.