Last month Oliver Davies, Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College London gave his inaugural lecture entitled "Religion in the University: a Paradoxical Inquiry". In it Professor Davies talks about the new project he and colleagues are working on called 'Theology in the World'. He describes it as
[growing] out of Christian doctrine which, as we noted above, is the hinge between scripture and world. Theology in the world is not a practice therefore but rather a form of reflection which integrates doctrine, philosophical theology and ethics in a new way. Our first book (called unsurprisingly Theology in the World) has three authors: myself, Paul Janz and Clemens Sedmak and we anticipate that it will be the first in a series of books which give full international presence to this new theological movement.
Until the book comes out you can read more in Davies' article in last year's IJST called 'Violence in Bloomsbury: A Theological Challenge'. Davies, also last month, gave the Scottish Journal of Theology lectures on 'Doctrine, World and Rights'. John Webster said about him: 'Oliver Davies one of the most original of contemporary British theologians, and we are delighted to welcome him to Aberdeen to present and discuss his thinking with us'. Oliver Davies is first Roman Catholic to hold the post of Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College London (he has been in post since 2004). He also the director of the Centre for Religions, Theology and Public Life. His major books have been A Theology of Compassion. Metaphysics of Difference and the Renewal of Tradition (SCM, 2001) and The Creativity of God. World, Eucharist, Reason (CUP, 2004). He has also edited and written books on Welsh and Celtic theology and spirituality. Admittedly I don't find Davies very readable (yet), like some of the Radical Orthodoxy theologians, he is sometimes quite obscure or writes in an unreadable way, which is one of the reasons I enjoy the work of Colin Gunton (his predecessor) so much. However I am interested in this new project 'theology in the world', which sounds exciting.
The theology department at King's College London has changed dramatically since I was there. Those associated with Colin Gunton have all moved on and new cohort of lecturers have joined - Paul Janz, Clemens Sedmak, Susannah Ticciati, Christoper Hamilton and Maria Rosa Antognazza - whose interests seem to lie more in the philosophy of theology and religion, than the traditional topics of systematic theology (which was the tendency in Colin Gunton's time). Luke Bretherton, who is lecturer in theology and ministry (in the education department) is producing some good stuff on political theology and theological ethics. The department is moving in new directions, notably this new project 'theology in the world'. This is both sad and good. Sad because the theology being done by Gunton, Zizioulas, Schwobel, Torrance, Holmes and Rae was so exciting. Good, because following Gunton is such a hard act to follow that the department probably needed to strike out in new ways. The theology of the likes of Gunton has now all moved across the border into Scotland to Aberdeen (John Webster, Francis Watson) and St. Andrew's (Alan Torrance, Steve Holmes, Jeremy Begbie, Trevor Hart).
Both Hamilton and Antognazza are Philosophers of Religion, not Systematicians- Hamilton did his degree in the Philosophy dept. of King's, not the Theology dept.
Ticciati is my current lecturer in Systematics, and seems to have been strongly influenced by Rowan Williams.
Posted by: ash | March 02, 2007 at 06:26 PM