Background
Gerrish, Brian Albert was born on August 14, 1931 in London. Son of Albert and Doris (King) Gerrish.
(What does it mean to live by faith? Answers are more elus...)
What does it mean to live by faith? Answers are more elusive than ever. Beginning with a rich discussion of the Reformation legacy, historian-theologian B.A. Gerrish responds that if we release our thinking from sectarian, partisan lenses, we find that faith denotes a multitude of impulses-trust, doubt, fidelity, and confidence-and is a fundamental human posture. It undergirds not only "saving" faith but also "secular" varieties in other religious traditions-and even outside religions. We all literally live by faith in every phase of our lives. Gerrish's prolegomenon to theology goes on to ask what then is the use of belief? How, in fact, do we come to faith? And how are religious and secular faith related, especially in relation to Jesus Christ? Gerrish opens up the notion of faith to encompass the "discovery of personal meaning in one's existence" and the theological drive to articulate the deepest drives of the human self.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800628500/?tag=2022091-20
( Preeminent theologian B. A. Gerrish uses the motif of t...)
Preeminent theologian B. A. Gerrish uses the motif of the journey of Christian life to present themes such as God, faith, sin, evil, and forgiveness, as well as to address important related contemporary questions. In these theologically astute and psychologically insightful sermons, he conveys the process of faith development in the face of issues that challenge simple belief.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0664256910/?tag=2022091-20
(Thinking with the Church offers twelve substantial essays...)
Thinking with the Church offers twelve substantial essays from B. A. Gerrish, renowned historian, theologian, and Calvin scholar. In this collection, he focuses on the Calvinist tradition and the interpretation of historical theology as a critical engagement with past leaders of Christian thought and their opponents. / In the first two parts the essays focus on philosophical theology, considering questions such as What is religion? and What is revelation? Part three turns directly to historical interpretation of the Calvinist tradition, viewed in the very diverse work of three of its foremost representatives — Calvin himself, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Charles Hodge. Finally, in the fourth and fifth sections Gerrish deals with particular Christian doctrines in which the diversity of the Calvinist tradition is apparent — the atonement, the Eucharist, and grace. Historical interpretation is the foundation throughout, but Gerrish does not exclude the critical engagement that belongs to the task of historical theology.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080286452X/?tag=2022091-20
(For many years the history of the Protestant Reformation ...)
For many years the history of the Protestant Reformation has been presented largely as a single movement and from the standpoint of a chosen hero such as Luther, Zwingli, or Calvin. This traditional treatment creates the impression that the Reformation was a once-for-all event in the life of the church rather than a permanent aspect of the church's existence. 'Reformers in Profile' takes the position that the Reformation era was one of many reformations. These reformations were led by men often characterized as 'lesser lights' and little known by the general public. Each of these men had his own vision of what the reformation of the church entailed and each had his program to translate vision into reality. The ten reformers profiled here (each by a recognized expert) are presented as representatives of a type or vision of reform: humanist, Protestant, radical, and Catholic. Each profile reviews the career, approach, and contribution of its subject so that the reader will have a clear view of what each reformer stood for and how he pursued his goal.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592445365/?tag=2022091-20
(This book is the first major study of Calvin's doctrine o...)
This book is the first major study of Calvin's doctrine of the Lord's Supper in twenty-five years and the first attempt to show the eucharistic shape of Calvin's entire theology. The core of Calvin's doctrine of the Eucharist is the analogy of "feeding" on Christ, the Bread of Life. This analogy, argues Gerrish, links Calvin's thoughts to the "Holy Banquet" with the rest of his theology. The systematic character of Calvin's theology rests in part on his consistent understanding of God as father and fountain of good and his conception of the gospel as the message of free adoption. The father's liberality in feeding his children and their answering gratitude (or lack of it) is a thread that runs through Calvin's entire summary of piety; creation, the work of Christ, baptism, and the Lord's Supper.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592440134/?tag=2022091-20
( Modern Christian religious thought, B. A. Gerrish argue...)
Modern Christian religious thought, B. A. Gerrish argues, has constantly revised the inherited faith. In these twelve essays, written or published in the 1980s, one of the most distinguished historical theologians of our time examines the changes that occurred as the Catholic tradition gave way to the Reformation and an interest in the phenomenon of believing replaced adherence to unchanging dogma. Gerrish devotes three essays to each of four topics: Martin Luther and the Reformation; religious belief and the Age of Reason; Friedrich Schleiermacher and the renewal of Protestant theology; and Schleiermacher's disciple Ernst Troeltsch, for whom the theological task was to give a rigorous account of the faith prevailing in a particular religious community at a particular time. Gerrish shows how faith itself has become a primary object of inquiry, not only in the newly emerging philosophy of religion but also in a new style of church theology which no longer assumes that faith rests on immutable dogmas. For Gerrish, the new theology of Protestant liberalism takes for its primary object of inquiry the changing forms of the religious life. This important book will interest scholars of systematic Christian theology, modern intellectual and cultural history, and the history and philosophy of religion.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226288714/?tag=2022091-20
Gerrish, Brian Albert was born on August 14, 1931 in London. Son of Albert and Doris (King) Gerrish.
Bachelor, Queens' College, Cambridge, England, 1952. Master of Arts, Queens' College, Cambridge, England, 1956. Certified, Westminister College, Cambridge, 1955.
School of Theology and Ministry, Union Theological Seminary, New York City, 1956. Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University, 1958. Honorary Doctor of Divinity, University St. Andrews, Scotland, 1984.
Assistant pastor, West End Presbyterian Church, New York City, 1956-1958; tutor philosophy of religion, Union Theological Seminary, New York City, 1957-1958; instructor church history, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, 1958-1959; assistant professor, McCormick Theological Seminary, 1959-1963; associate professor, McCormick Theological Seminary, 1963-1965; associate professor history theology, University of Chicago, 1965-1968; professor, University of Chicago, 1968-1985; John Nuveen professor, University of Chicago, 1985-1996; John Nuveen professor emeritus, University of Chicago, since 1996. Distinguished Svc. professor theology Union Theological Seminary, Virginia, since 1996. Cunningham lecturer U. Edinburgh, Scotland, 1990.
("In sum, this is a masterful volume, gracefully and inter...)
(For many years the history of the Protestant Reformation ...)
(This book is the first major study of Calvin's doctrine o...)
(A study of the fundamental religious ideas of the Reforma...)
(What does it mean to live by faith? Answers are more elus...)
(Thinking with the Church offers twelve substantial essays...)
( Modern Christian religious thought, B. A. Gerrish argue...)
( Modern Christian religious thought, B. A. Gerrish argue...)
( Preeminent theologian B. A. Gerrish uses the motif of t...)
Fellow American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Member American Academy Religion, American Society.Church History (president 1979), Ernst-Troeltsch-Gesellschaft, American Theological Society (Midwest division president 1973-1974).
Children from previous marriage: Carolyn, Paul. Married Dawn Ann De Vries, August 3, 1990. 1 child, Heather.