Beyond Foundationalism

Beyond Foundationalism
Originally uploaded by hawkenstein.

Wow! This is quite the book.

It took me quite awhile to get through this one as it is written for the academy.

In this book, Grenz and Franke attempt to create a model for doing theology that is non-foundational. This is necessary because of the influence of postmodernism on our philosophy and world. Many people in a vast array of disciplines are questioning foundationalism and many modernist notions concerning how we know what we know.

One of the most convincing arguments in the book concerns the supposed objectivity we have as a result of foundationalism. We are finite beings often times incapable of ture objectivity. Our readings of scripture are influenced by our traditions, our backgrounds, our education, etc.

Though I found the book to be interesting and helpful, I can't say that I am convinced that the author's have truly moved beyond foundationalism. In some ways it felt like they are arguing for a new foundationalism. Perhaps this is my misunderstanding.

Most helpful in the book is the historical discussion concerning many of the developments in theology, the critique of modernism, the reminder of how much tradition and culture influence our theologizing, and the desire to do theology in the context of community, the trinity, and eschatology.

I'd love to hear what my cousin Phil has to say about this book if he's read it.