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;...

A study of the fundamental religious ideas of the Reformation and their relationship to liberal Protestantism.

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...