Modern Christian Theology: An Intellectual History

By Thomas Albert Howard

A sweeping history of how Christian theologians have grappled with a rapidly changing modern world

From the Enlightenment to the present day, Christian thinkers have labored to understand how ancient doctrines and sacred traditions might speak to a world reshaped by revolution, scientific advancement, political upheaval, and global transformation. Modern Christian Theology traces how theology has responded to--and itself been shaped by--the modern age.

Covering more than two centuries, Thomas Albert Howard charts the development of Protestant and Catholic theology against the backdrop of major historical forces such as the French Revolution, industrialization, nationalism, socialism, historical-critical scholarship, secularization, the ecumenical and missionary movements, two world wars, the Cold War, decolonization, the civil rights movement, modern feminism, and the dramatic worldwide expansion of Christianity. Rarely have both Protestant and Catholic theology been treated together on this scale. Rather than focusing solely on major figures and their texts, Howard situates modern Christian theology within the broader intellectual and institutional contexts in which it unfolded, highlighting the evolving relationship between the church and the modern university.

Beautifully written and panoramic in scope, Modern Christian Theology shows how traditions rooted in the ancient church and monastery have sought to engage modernity's deepest challenges while adapting to an increasingly pluralistic and interconnected world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691178585
• ISBN13: 9780691178585
• Release Date: June 2027
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 600 Pages