"In The Spirit of American Liberal Theology, the preeminent
religious historian of our time, Gary Dorrien, offers a fresh,
compelling, and definitive interpretation of the liberal theological
tradition in the United States, from its Unitarian and Transcendentalist
beginnings, through its social-gospel heyday, to its myriad
trajectories in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: evangelical
and ultramodernist, personalist and process, pietistic and naturalist,
feminist and liberationist, dialectical and revisionist, Protestant and
Catholic, comparative and interfaith. With his signature blend of
historical precision, deep analysis, lucid prose, and gripping
storytelling, Dorrien shows how American liberal theology, despite its
shortcomings, is more relevant today than ever, continuing to resist
authority religion, chart a third way between overbelief and disbelief,
engage in social-justice activism, integrate the latest advances in
science and critical biblical scholarship, and creatively refashion
itself in response to postmodernity, queer theory, liberation movements,
ongoing interreligious encounter, and a global ecological crisis. An
ideal textbook for college and seminary courses, The Spirit of American Liberal Theology
is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of
progressive religious thought and committed to its future development." -
Demian Wheeler, Associate Professor of Philosophical Theology and
Religious Studies, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities