An Invitation to ANALYTIC CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY Thomas H. McCall To Bill Ury, my first and finest teacher of theology. You showed me what it means to do theology to the glory of God and for the sake of the world, and you helped me catch a precious glimpse of “love divine, all loves excelling.” I’ll be forever grateful. Contents Introduction 1 What Is Analytic Theology? 2 Analytic Theology and Christian Scripture 3 Analytic Theology and the History of Doctrine 4 Analytic Theology for the Church and the World 5 Analytic Theology to the Glory of God Notes Author Index Subject Index Praise for An Invitation to Analytic Christian Theology About the Author More Titles from InterVarsity Press Copyright Introduction THE WIDE RANGE OF EVENTS and publications that are loosely gathered under the label “analytic theology” is both quite broad and very active. Proponents and practitioners range from traditionally minded Orthodox and Roman Catholic philosophers and theologians through Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and other tradition-sensitive scholars to conservative evangelicals and to revisionist or “progressive” theologians. In some quarters, enthusiasm runs high. In other sectors of the theological (and philosophical) academy, suspicion and even hostility run deep. Misunderstanding often accompanies the label, and questions abound. But just what is this thing called “analytic theology”? What are its “accidental” features, and what are its “essential” attributes? And what are we to make of it as theology? Or is it merely a technically precise and agenda-driven subdiscipline of analytic metaphysics? Where is it going? Is there some discernible direction that it will—or should—take? In this book, I introduce nonspecialists to analytic theology. I try to make clear both what it isn’t and what it is. Accordingly, I discuss what makes analytic theology analytic, and I try to lay out what makes analytic theology really theology. Specifically, I outline analytic theology’s connections to Scripture, Christian tradition and culture (broadly conceived), and I do so by using case studies to illuminate the relationships and the need for further integration. Here I must also confess to an agenda: I am hoping to influence the future of analytic theology by calling the discipline to a deeper engagement with the traditional resources of the theological task. I come to the work of analytic theology as someone who is, by training and by vocation, a theologian. Thus I am especially grateful for the patience and graciousness of those friends and colleagues who have genuine expertise in epistemology, metaphysics and philosophy of religion (as well as the history of philosophy). I am deeply indebted to you for whatever abilities I have as an analytic theologian, and I am truly grateful for your collegiality and encouragement. I am also thankful for those fellow theologians who have taken up the mantle of analytic theology; and I am grateful as well to those who led the