In this book, established scholars from different religions, regions, and disciplines continue the dialogue that Veli-Matti Karkkainen began in his A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World series and respond to his work in light of their diverse expertise and context. Each of the three parts focuses on a key area of Karkkainen's engaging work: 1) highlighting how his method shaped each volume, 2) highlighting his commitment to global perspectives, and 3) highlighting his interreligious and interdisciplinary dialogue partners. Together, these essays seek to deepen and extend the impact of Karkkainen's work, taking it seriously as a substantive model for contemporary systematic theology in listening and engaging with this world.

The theology of Karl Barth has often been a productive dialogue partner for evangelical theology, but for too long the dialogue has been dominated by questions of orthodoxy. Karl Barth and the Future of Evangelical Theology contributes to the conversation through a creative reconfiguration of both partners in the conversation, neither of whom can be rightly understood as preservers of Protestant orthodoxy. Rather, American evangelicalism is identified with the revivalist forms of Protestantism that arose in the post-Reformation era, while Barth is revisited as a theologian attuned both to divine and human agency. In the ensuing conversation, questions of orthodoxy are not eliminated but subordinated to a concern for the life of God and God's people. By offering an alternative to the dominant constraints, this book opens up new avenues for fruitful conversation on Barth and the future of evangelical theology.

The definitive biography of a renowned German pastor. Though relatively unknown in America, Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805-1880) is widely recognized in his native Germany, in part because of Friedrich Zundel's landmark biography. The terrifying battle between the spiritual forces of good and evil described here, and the awakening that followed, catapulted Blumhardt's parish into the public eye and still draws seekers to it. Zundel's account is fascinating on a historical level, but it is also infused with enduring pastoral insights and spiritual wisdom. Here is an almost unbelievable account of one person's faith in the inbreaking of God's kingdom and its victory over powers that bind and divide humanity.

Pietism is a reform movement originating among German Lutherans in the 17th century. It focused on personal faith, reacting against Lutheran Church's emphasis on doctrine and theology over Christian living. The movement quickly expanded, exerting an enormous influence on various forms of Christianity, and became concerned with social and educational matters. Indeed, Piestists showed a strong interest in issues of social and ecclesial reform, the nature of history and historical inquiry, the shape and purpose of theology and theological education, the missional task of the church, and social justice and political engagement. Though, the movement remained largely misunderstood, especially in Anglo-American contexts: negative stereotypes depicted Pietism as a quietist and sectarian form of religion, merely concerned with the "pious soul and its God." The main proposal of the editors of this volume is to correct this misunderstanding: assembling a deep collection of essays written by scholars from a variety of fields, this work demonstrates that Piestism was a movement characterized by great depth and originality. Besides, they show the vitality and impulse of Pietism today and emphasize the ongoing relevance of the movement for contemporary problems and questions.

The kingdom of God is breaking in here on earth, and you can be part of it. No doubt, it is common to hear Christians today declaring their allegiance to God's kingdom. But what does this actually entail, and what difference does it make? In his characteristically provocative and daring way, Christoph Blumhardt articulates a vision of God's kingdom that turns much of our understanding of modern Christianity upside-down. In the present volume, available in English for the first time, Blumhardt leads readers to look at the gospel anew, challenging us to follow Jesus in a way that makes God's reign a reality, here and now. Bypassing vague notions of spirituality, as well as transcending simplistic approaches to faith, Blumhardt inspires us to actually live under the rule and reign of God.

Don't wait for the end times--we can experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the presence of God's future already now. If you want to pick a theological fight with someone, enter into a discussion about eschatology. You'll encounter a kaleidoscope of opinions and, more likely than not, outright disagreement. On one end of the spectrum there are the doomsday naysayers who, in warning us to get ready for the end, have determined in advance the very signs of Christ's return. On the other end are those who idealize God's future to such an extent that it has virtually no relevance for faith. Enter Johann Christoph Blumhardt. Blumhardt cuts through both end-time speculation and eschatological indifference with a passionate plea to make room, here and now, for God's coming kingdom. Blumhardt's whole approach toward "last things" is so out of the ordinary that it fills one with an authentic exhilaration that defies the staid confines of conventional Christianity. These sermons articulate not just a theology of hope but are refreshing, compelling insights into the prophetic vision of the great outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh. With confidence and holy expectation, Blumhardt reminds us that we can experience now, and even hasten on, the presence of God's future. We need only pray for it, watch for it, and live for it. It is at hand!

But God marches forward in history, and whoever stands still is in danger of losing God. Here the son, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, writes as nowhere else about his father, Johann Christoph Blumhardt, clarifying the unity and continuity in their thought, but also his own painful though necessary points of departure. In particular, he takes a critical look at the role of faith healing, exorcism, and spiritual warfare in "The Awakening" that thrust his father into the limelight, as well as his father's reluctance to step beyond the walls of the Christianity he inherited. God wants to renew the whole world, to pour out his Spirit on humankind again, and around the world Christians are praying for renewal and revival. Are we standing in the way? Blumhardt calls out obstacles or "false crutches" that he believes thwarted the movement of the Spirit in his father's time and his own, all of which are still with us today: a focus on piety and personal salvation, misconceptions about mission and evangelism, and the institutional church with its human structures, dogmas, and traditions. If the religion of our churches is too small for God, are we ready to step outside and live in accordance with his great future?

Building on recent engagements with Barth in the area of theologies of religion, Karl Barth and Comparative Theology inaugurates a new conversation between Barth's theology and comparative theology. Each essay brings Barth into conversation with theological claims from other religious traditions for the purpose of modeling deep learning across religious borders from a Barthian perspective. For each tradition, two Barth-influenced theologians offer focused engagements of Barth with the tradition's respective themes and figures, and a response from a theologian from that tradition then follows. With these surprising and stirringly creative exchanges, Karl Barth and Comparative Theology promises to open up new trajectories for comparative theology. Contributors: Chris Boesel, Francis X. Clooney, Christian T. Collins Winn, Victor Ezigbo, James Farwell, Tim Hartman, S. Mark Heim, Paul Knitter, Pan-chiu Lai, Martha L. Moore-Keish, Peter Ochs, Marc Pugliese, Joshua Ralston, Anantanand Rambachan, Randi Rashkover, Kurt Richardson, Mun'im Sirry, John Sheveland, Nimi Wariboko

Description: From intellectual inquiry to spiritual practice to social reform, Pietism has exerted an enormous influence on various forms of Christianity and on Western culture more generally. However, this contribution remains largely unacknowledged or misunderstood in Anglo-American contexts because negative stereotypes--some undeserved, others deserved--tend to cast Pietism as a quietistic and sectarian form of religion interested in a narrow set of individualistic and spiritual concerns. In this volume, scholars from a variety of disciplines offer a corrective to this misunderstanding, highlighting the profound theological, cultural, and spiritual contribution of Pietism and what they term the ""pietist impulse."" The essays in this volume demonstrate that Pietism was a movement of great depth and originality that was not merely concerned with the ""pious soul and its God."" Rather, Pietists were from the beginning concerned with issues of social and ecclesial reform, the nature of history and historical inquiry, the shape and purpose of theology and theological education, the missional task of the church, and social justice and political engagement. In addition, the essays collected here fruitfully raise the question of the ongoing relevance of Pietism and the ""pietist impulse"" for contemporary problems and questions across disciplines and in the church at large. Endorsements: ""Understanding Pietism is critical for grasping the modern manifestations of Protestantism in Europe and North America. This impressive volume illustrates both the diversity and range of American research on Pietism and its promise for scholars on both sides of the Atlantic."" --Hartmut Lehmann Max-Planck-Institut fur Geschichte, Gottingen ""The editors of The Pietist Impulse have assembled a deep and far-ranging collection on an important theme in the history and practice of Christianity. Leading scholars from a variety of fields investigate a unifying theme in a refreshing number of methodological, chronological, and geographic permutations. These works demonstrate the vitality, the centrality, and the many possibilities of Pietist studies today."" --Katherine Carte Engel Texas A&M University About the Contributor(s): Christian T. Collins Winn is Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is author of ""Jesus is Victor "" The Significance of the Blumhardts for the Theology of Karl Barth (2008) and Series Editor for the Blumhardt Series (Cascade Books). Christopher Gehrz is Associate Professor of History and coordinator of the Christianity and Western Culture program at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. G. William Carlson is Professor of History and Political Science at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of numerous articles on Baptist General Conference history, Swedish Pietism, religion in the Soviet Union, and comparative evangelical political thought. Eric Holst is a graduate of Bethel Seminary, with an interest in contextual theology and theories of Christian education.

Description: IN THIS INNOVATIVE WORK, Christian T. Collins Winn examines the role played by the Pietist pastors Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805-1880) and Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842-1919) in the development of Karl Barth's theology. The disparate theological themes and dynamics of the two Blumhardts were crystallized in their eschatology, and Collins Winn argues that as early as 1916 Barth had appropriated this ""Blumhardtian eschatological deposit"" in ways fundamental to his own theological development. Against the grain of current Barth scholarship, this book establishes how the theology of the Blumhardts, though critically reconstructed, was not merely an episodic in uence on Barth's work. Instead, the Blumhardts had a complex and enduring impact on Barth, such that their imprint can be detected even in the mature theology of his Church Dogmatics. In treading new ground into Barth's theological formation, Jesus Is Victor represents an important contribution to the eld of Barth studies. Endorsements: ""Christian T. Collins Winn shows how the Easter message was the main issue in the whole theology of Karl Barth. The author makes it clear that Barth learned it in a free manner especially from both Blumhardts. And this book invites us to learn the same from those three prophetic theologians."" --EBERHARD BUSCH author of Karl Barth: His Life from Letters and Autobiographical Texts ""Interpreters of Barth have often acknowledged the in uence of the Blumhardts (father and son) on the theology of Barth, but they have not very often taken this suggestion seriously enough to expound the nature and development of his theology from this perspective. Collins Winn does this in Jesus Is Victor , and in so doing opens a new chapter in Barth studies. His mastery of the secondary literature is outstanding, and he shows the profound in uence of the Blumhardts at both the beginnings of Barth's struggle to nd a new path for theology and at the end, as his theology found mature expression in the latter volumes of the Church Dogmatics."" --DONALD W. DAYTON author of Theological Roots of Pentecostalism ""Little attention has been paid to the in uence of the Blumhardts on Karl Barth's theology. Collins Winn convincingly shows, however, that these Pietists have in uenced Barth's theology at key points in its development. Displaying a masterful grasp of his subjects, Winn paints for us a portrait of both Barth and Pietism that upsets some long-held stereotypes. Those interested in Barth's theology or Pietism cannot afford to ignore this book."" --FRANK D. MACCHIA author of Spirituality and Social Liberation: The Message of the Blumhardts in the Light of Wuerttemberg Pietism ""A North American theologian has here ventured, not only to study the numerous works of Barth translated into English, but rather has even engaged with the mostly untranslated primary and secondary literature of the Blumhardts. The result is impressive. Collins Winn has focused his argument while keeping his horizons wide, has carefully studied the primary sources and secondary literature, and has provided subtly differentiated conclusions. And he has done this with a diction and idiom that makes the reading a delight."" --DIETER ISING author of Johann Christoph Blumhardt, Life and Work About the Contributor(s): Christian T. Collins Winn is Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN. He is the editor of From the Margins: A Celebration of the Theological Work of Donald W. Dayton (2007).

Description: Recognized as a leading interpreter of major movements in American Christianity such as Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and the Holiness movement, Donald W. Dayton has produced a body of work spanning four decades and diverse areas of inquiry. In From the Margins, friends and colleagues respond to major essays by Dayton (several published here for the first time) so as to celebrate and reflect on this diverse and rich body of work. The essays highlight the breadth of Dayton's contribution while also revealing a methodological core. The latter could be described as Dayton's deconstructive reading of standard scholarly narratives in order to short-circuit their domesticating effects on the more radical aspects of American Christianity. Dayton's work has challenged long-held assumptions about the ""conservative"" nature of American Christianity by showing that both in their history and in their deeper theological substructures, traditions such as Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism are far more radical and productive of social change than was previously imagined. Endorsements: ""Donald Dayton's writings on the history of American evangelicalism combine impressive learning with a passion for the relevance of scholarship. His challenging interpretations have helped many others of us to rethink things from fresh perspectives."" --George Marsden, author of many books including Fundamentalism and American Culture, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, and Jonathan Edwards About the Contributor(s): Christian T. Collins Winn is Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN.

The historical movement known as Pietism emphasized the response of faith and inward transformation as crucial aspects of conversion to Christ. Unfortunately, Pietism today is often equated with a "holier-than-thou" spiritual attitude, religious legalism, or withdrawal from involvement in society. In Reclaiming Pietism Roger Olson and Christian Collins Winn argue that classical, historical Pietism is an influential stream in evangelical Christianity and that it must be recovered as a resource for evangelical renewal. They challenge misconceptions of Pietism by describing the origins, development, and main themes of the historical movement and the spiritual-theological ethos stemming from it. The book also explores case studies of Pietism's influence on contemporary Christian theologians and spiritual leaders such as Richard Foster and Stanley Grenz.