Revisionist and Postliberal Theologies and the Public Character of Theology

REVISIONIST AND POSTLIBERAL THEOLOGIES AND THE PUBLIC CHARACTER OF THEOLOGY* WHAT DAVID TRACY calls "revisionist theology" has come to dominate academic theology in the United States. Those familiar with Professor Tracy's analysis will recognize how much I am about to oversimplify it. But for present purposes suffice it to say that revisionist theology seeks to carry on the tradition of Schleiermacher and liberal theology, with its nineteenth century optimism appropriately chastened by the insights of neo-orthodoxy , indeed by the whole grim history of the twentieth century . Revisionist theologians tend to think that both theological language and Scripture symbolically convey a religious dimension of experience or a possibility for human existence. Many of the most creative developments in Catholic theology since Vatican II have adopted such a revisionist model (often with results far more exciting than those of Schleiermacher 's twentieth-century Protestant descendants). When Catholic theologians seek dialogue with their Protestant counterparts , it is generally revisionist theology with which they enter into conversation. To cite a somewhat random list. Catholics like David Tracy, Leslie Dewart, Gregory Baum, and Michael Novak, and Protestants like Langdon Gilkey at Chicago , Edward Farley at Vanderbilt, Schubert Ogden at Perkins , Gordon Kaufman at Harvard, John Cobb at Claremont- *.An earlier draft of this essay was presented to the American Theological Society (Midwest) in November 1984, and I am grateful for the unusually helpful discussion it received there. I wish I could have responded to all the critical questions raised on that occasion without turning an article into a book. I owe much of my understanding of "postliberal theology " to the continuing discussions of the Yale-Washington theology group, and several conversations with Stephti:ii Webb led me to a better grasp of "revisionist theolo!P'." · 39~ REVISIONIST AND POSTLIBERAL THEOLOGIES 893 most of the leaders of this country's academic theological community -share the assumptions and methods of revisionist theology. On the other hand, persistent rumors hint at something different by way of theological method emerging principally at Yale. Even sympathetic observers must concede a certain air of mystery. Partly, there's a long Yale tradition of legendary manuscripts in progress that interminably fail to get completed and published. But even when books and articles appear after long gestation, they often address an idiosyncratic set of issues in a way that makes comparisons difficult, and they sometimes refuse on principle to discuss systematically questions about method and assumptions. George Lindbeck's recently published book The Na.ture of Doctrine clears up some of the mystery.1 Lindbeck makes it possible to see how a number of projects share some of the assumptions of what he calls " postliberal theology." In addition to Lindbeck's own work, a list could include David Kelsey 's The Uses of Scripture in Recent Theology, Charles Wood's The Formation of Christian Understanding, Paul Holmer's continuing studies of Wittgenstein and theology, Brevard Childs' interpretation of the Old Testament as canon, William Christian's philosophical analysis of inter-religious dialogue, Ronald Thiemann's discussions of Biblical authority, and above all the work of Hans Frei-all published by people connected with Yale, most in the last ten years.2 1 George A. Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine, Westminster Press, 1984. 2 David H. Kelsey, The Uses of Scripture in Recent Theology, Fortress Press, 1975; Charles M. Wood, The Formation of Christian Understanding, Westminster Press, 1981; Paul L. Holmer, "Wittgenstein and Theology," in D. M. High, New Essays on Religious Language, Oxford University Press, 1969, "The Nature of Religious Propositions," in Ronald S. Santoni, Religious Language and the Problem of Religious Knowledge, Indiana University Press, 1968, and other articles; Brevard S. Childs, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture, Fortress Press, 1979; William A. Christian, Oppositions of Religious Doctrines, Herder and Herder, 1972; Ronald F. Thiemann, Revelation and Theology: The Gospel as Narrated Promise, University of Notre Dame Press, 1985; Hans W. Frei, The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative, Yale University Press, 1974, and The Identity of Jesus Christ, Fortress Press, 1975. 394 WILLIAM C. PLACHER I do not want to claim too much. This is not a " school "the writers I have mentioned would disagree on many issues. Moreover, they...