142 - Theology in Postliberal Perspective

Theology in Postliberal Perspective
By Daniel Liechty
Philadelphia, Trinity Press International, 1990. 114 pp. $9.95.

Daniel Liechty's "postliberal" theology is more post-theological liberalism than it is "postliberal" theology. His concern for the affirmation of individuals, social, and ecological justice, and interfaith dialogue are quintessential liberal concerns. But, unlike traditional liberal theologians, he is convinced that God, if God exists, is wholly unknowable. All God-talk is just that: talk. What is important, then, is not what we say, or don't say, about God, but only our actions. "The task of theology," he contends, "is to move from the worship of Gods of bondage and war toward the worship of Gods of love and freedom." Ethics is the basis of religion, not the reverse. What ethics is based on-why, for example, love and freedom are normative, and not power and intelligence or individual wealth and pleasure-is never explained.

The book's jargon-free prose and its brevity make it accessible to a wide audience. However, its brevity is also its chief drawback, since there is little support for many of the book's most basic assumptions.

Marcus P. Ford
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Ariz.