Author Description

Part One surveys the striking changes (and continuities) in the mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, evangelical/fundamentalist, and black churches, including developments in their public worship and their views of world mission. Due attention is given to the challenges and creative opportunities posed by ecumenical movements, by the rise in women's consciousness and in racial and ethnic awareness, by new attitudes toward Jewish-Christian relations, and by the concerns of Third World peoples and churches. Part Two examines foundational developments in theological education and in the traditional academic disciplines of Bible, systematic theology, Christian ethics, and church history. Also considered at length are the changing strategies in religious education and the complex interplay between religion and science. Part Three offers a probing discussion on the relation between Christianity and contemporary American culture.