Christendom is not merely a sharp divide between evangelicals and liberal Protestants. Catholicism remains the largest professedly Christian institution, and there are a number of teachers who do not fit neatly into any category.
Bill Bennett writes primarily on ethics and politics, on which subjects he agrees with most evangelicals. His approach to all issues is remarkably well thought-out and cordial. Kreeft is also good when defending Christianity generally.
Bill Bennett (b. 1943) - former Drug Czar and Secretary of Education, now co-director of Empower America with Jack Kemp and host of the radio show Morning in America. Works for governmental responsiblity, education reform, and the recovery of biblical morality. Though an unabashed Christian, he is not outspoken about his specific theology, but his social and ethical stances are in line with conservative evangelicals and most fundamentalists. Titles: The Book of Virtues; The Broken Hearth; The Children's Book of America; The Children's Book of Virtues; The Death of Outrage; The Educated Child; The Moral Compass and Our Sacred Honor; Our Country's Founders; Our Sacred Honor; Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism.
Yves Congar (1904-1995) - French Dominican priest in the Catholic church, appointed a Cardinal shortly before his death. He urged the church to embrace the ecumenical movement and to give higher regard to the laity. Despite early opposition, he became one of the most influential theologians at the Second Vatican Council that defined contemporary Catholic doctrine. Titles: Called to Life; Diversity and Communion; I Believe in the Holy Spirit (et al.); Jesus Christ: Our Mediator, Our Lord; Lay People in the Church; The Revelation of God; The Word and the Spirit.
Joseph F. Girzone - liberal Catholic priest (retired since 1981), now a writer and speaker; founder of the Joshua Foundation. Girzone highlights the peaceful, loving nature of Jesus and the relevance of His teachings for today. He teaches that all those who pursue a life of humility and generosity will find their own way to God. Titles: Jesus: His Life and Teachings; Joey; Joshua; Joshua and the Children; Joshua and the City; Joshua and the Shepherd; Joshua in the Holy Land; Kara: The Lonely Falcon; The Messenger; Never Alone: A Personal Way to God; The Parables of Joshua; A Portrait of Jesus; The Trinity: A New Living Spirituality; What Is God?; Who Will Teach Me?
Hannah Hurnard (1905-1990) - Quaker who in her later years embraced mysticism and syncretism. Hurnard was a missionary to Palestine remembered for her devotional allegories of the Christian pilgrimage. Her later works show heavy influence from Christian Science and Eastern thought, and a belief in reincarnation and out-of-body experiences. Titles: Eagles' Wings to Higher Places; God's Transmitters; Hearing Heart; Hind's Feet in High Places; The Inner Man; Kingdom of Love; Mountains of Spices; Walking Among the Unseen; Watchmen on the Walls; Wayfarer in the Land; Winged Life. (Picture courtesty of TrueGospel.)
John Paul II (1920-2005) - Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 until his death. In the priesthood since 1946, he was an important contributor to the Second Vatican Council and represented the church's present stance as theologically liberal but socially conservative. Opposed to abortion, homosexuality, and women in the priesthood, he nevertheless embraced religious inclusivism. The Pope was also supportive of the resurgence of adoration of Mary as a co-redeemer with Christ. Titles: Crossing the Threshold of Hope; Gift and Mystery; In My Own Words; John Paul II's Book of Mary; Love and Responsibility; The Poetry of Pope John Paul II; The Rosary Hour; The Theology of the Body; The Way to Christ; The Wisdom of John Paul II.
Luke Timothy Johnson (b. 1955) - Catholic professor at Emory University. A traditional Catholic, Johnson defends the historicity of the New Testament and is firmly amillennial, opposing many Protestants' obsession with end-time prophecy. Johnson's focus in study is on the cultural context of the early church. - Titles: Brother of Jesus, Friend of God; The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters; Faith's Freedom; The Future of Catholic Biblical Scholarship (w/ William S. Kurz); Letters to Paul's Delegates; Living Jesus; Reading Romans; The Real Jesus; Religious Experience; Scripture and Discernment; The Writings of the New Testament; and commentaries on Luke, Acts, Romans, and the Pastoral Letters.
Peter Kreeft - conservative Catholic writer with a focus on apologetics. Kreeft's witty writings capture some of the spirit of C.S. Lewis and often builds philosophical debates into imaginative stories such as Socrates attending a modern Ivy League university. He is also active in cooperative efforts between Catholics and evangelicals. Titles: Angels and Demons; Back to Virtue; Between Heaven and Hell; Catholic Christianity; Christianity for Modern Pagans (Ed.); How to Win the Culture War; The Journey; Making Sense Out of Suffering; The Philosophy of Tolkien; A Refutation of Moral Relativism; Socrates Meets Jesus; Socratic Logic; A Summa of the Summa; The Unaborted Socrates.
Hans Küng (b. 1928) - Swiss liberal Catholic theologian and prominent universalist. He is a firebrand whose protests against the church for its adherence to biblical doctrine are as loud as Luther's were for its departure from it. Küng calls for "tenacious resistance" against the theological and social conservatism in the Catholic church, and especially opposes its pro-life stance and its barring of women from the priesthood. Titles: Apostolic Succession: Rethinking a Bar to Unity; The Catholic Church: A Short History; Christianity and World Religions; Does God Exist?; Eternal Life; Global Responsibility; Great Christian Thinkers; The Incarnation of God; Infallible?: An Unresolved Inquiry; Justification; My Struggle for Freedom; On Being a Christian; Paradigm Change in Theology; Reforming the Church Today; Sacraments: An Ecumenical Dilemma; Tracing the Way; Women in Christianity.
Brennan Manning - fairly liberal Catholic mystic who focuses on transcendental meditation as a way of reaching God. An inclusivist in the tradition of Karl Rahner, he opposes the idea that one must repent in order to be saved. He preaches a gospel of self-esteem and universal acceptance of the common man. Titles: Abba's Child; Above All; A Glimpse of Jesus, the Stranger to Self-Hatred; The Journey of the Prodigal; Lion and Lamb; Posers, Fakers, and Wannabes; The Rabbi's Heartbeat; The Ragamuffin Gospel; Reflections for Ragamuffins; The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus; Running on Empty; Ruthless Trust; The Signature of Jesus; The Wisdom of Tenderness.
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) - Catholic monk famous for two atypical qualities: First, he was a social activist who was outspoken for civil rights and against the development of nuclear technology. Second, he combined traditional Catholic mystical contemplation with Eastern spirituality, long before Eastern thought became popular in the West. Titles: Contemplative Prayer; New Seeds of Contemplation; The Seven Storey Mountain; The Silent Life.
Arnold B. Murray - pastor of Shepherd's Chapel in Gravette, Arkansas, and popular Bible teacher on morning television. "Dr." Murray refuses to name the source of his educational degrees or any other personal history besides a claim of being a veteran of the Korean War. His doctrinal diversions are myriad: he denies the
and the eternality of hell and the omniscience of God, believes in the pre-existence of human souls, and teaches that British, Americans, and Candians are the true descendants of Israel, that the Jews are impostors, and that Cain is the result of intercourse between Eve and Satan. Not to be confused with 19th-century writer Andrew Murray.
Richard John Neuhaus (b. 1936) - conservative Catholic and leading advocate of unity with evangelicals. For Neuhaus, unity would mean bringing all conservative denominations into structural unity with the Catholic church and thus under authority of the Pope (though this is not the goal of his evangelical counterparts). In his ecumenical efforts, which include the famous Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT), he has shown a remarkable inconsistency–at times showing clear loyalty to sacramentalism, and at others using the same language as the Reformers to describe justification by faith. Titles: America Against Istelf; As I Lay Dying; The Catholic Moment; Christian Faith and Public Policy; Death on a Friday Afternoon; Freedom for Ministry; The Naked Public Square; The Second One Thousand Years (Ed.); There We Stood, Here We Stand (w/ Timothy Drake); Welfare Reformed (Ed.).
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) - Catholic priest, theologically traditional but socially liberal. He sought to inject compassion, community, and humility into the ministry. Titles: Bread for the Journey; Can You Drink the Cup?; Compassion; A Cry for Mercy; Here and Now; In the Name of Jesus; The Inner Voice of Love; Intimacy; Life of the Beloved; Making All Things New; Out of Solitude; Reaching Out; Return of the Prodigal Son; Thomas Merton: Contemplative Critic; The Way of the Heart; With Open Hands; The Wounded Healer.
Karl Rahner (1904-1984) - foremost Catholic theologian of the 20th century, founder of the journal Concilium, and a leading proponent of inclusivism. Rahner sought to recover the doctrine of God's transcendence for liberalism, resulting in a theology similar to neo-orthodoxy. Rahner also believed the Holy Spirit worked salvation through "lawful religions" (Islam, Judaism, etc.) to produce "anonymous Christians." Titles: The Content of Faith; Encyclopedia of Theology: The Concise Sacramentum Mundi (Ed.); Foundations of Christian Faith; Encounters with Silence; Hearers of the Word; The Need and the Blessing of Prayer; Theological Investigations; Watch and Pray with Me; Words of Faith.
Gwen Shamblin - founder of the Weigh Down Workshop, and firm believer in deliverance ministries. She recently left the Church of Christ in protest of its insistence on the Trinity and the deity of Christ, doctrines she considers satanic. Her husband has established a church whose teachings are similar to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Her books were pulled from most Christian bookstores when her teachings were exposed in Christianity Today. Her ascetic dieting methods have also drawn criticism from nutritionists. Titles: Exodus: A Daily Devotional; Rise Above; The Weigh Down Diet.See also the section on liberal and neo-orthodox writers. Depending on how tightly one draws the boundaries of evangelicalism, Word of Faith teachers and moderates may also fall outside those boundaries. There may be other authors in this database who hold non-evangelical views on particular issues.
For a statement of my beliefs, see my Declaration of Faith.
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