Rarely do theological thinkers have the opportunity to present their own self-understanding of both their context and their methodology and the inter-relation of the two. This book gives leading theological minds from North America, Great Britain and Europe an opportunity to explore the shaping of their theological minds in regard to context and methodology. Asking 'why theology', each contributor explores their sense of call to the Christian faith, the purpose of their theological journey, and reflects on his or her context and theology. Cutting across denominational, gender, disciplinary, international and generational boundaries to explore shifts in theology and methodology, this book provides a diagnostic tool for examining where theology has come from and a compass to where theology is headed. Contributors include: James H Cone, Edward Farley, Colin E Gunton, Alister E McGrath, Wayne A Meeks, John Milbank, JA1/4rgen Moltmann, Gerald O'Collins, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Kathryn Tanner, Keith Ward and John Webster.

Theological thinkers are placed into contexts which inform their theological tasks but that context is usually limited to a European or North American centre, usually ignoring minorities and lesser mainstream theologies even in that context. This work focuses on the shift of Christian theological thinking from the North Atlantic to the Global South, even within the North Atlantic Church and Academy. It gives a Global perspective on theological work, method and context. Theologians from North America, Great Britain and Europe, Africa, Asia, Central and South America comment on how their specific context and methodology manifests, organizes and is prioritized in their thought so as to make Christian theology relevant to their community. By placing the Global South alongside the newly emerging presence of non-traditional Western forms such as Pentecostal, Aboriginal, and Hispanic theologies and theologians a clearer picture of how Christian theology is both enculturated and still familial is offered..