20th century AD

Christian Century, July 4, 2001 by Gary Dorrien

Near the end of his life Frei reflected that his personal stake in Lindbeck's argument was very deep, and he exhorted Lindbeck not to back down from his truth claims about the truth status of Christian language. Frei lived long enough to see the emergence of a postliberal school, to which he bequeathed some vexing questions. Is the postliberal conception of Christian truth merely descriptive and evocative? Is it enough for theologians to say that biblical truth is the capacity of the text to draw readers into a new framework of meaning that makes sense of one's life and world?

In the next issue I will look more closely at those questions and at the possible future of postliberalism.

Gary Dorrien's most recent book is The Barthian Revolt in Modern Theology (Westminster John Knox). He is the Ann V. and Donald R. Parfet Distinguished Professor at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazo, Michigan.