Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 76:2 (Fall 2014)
Article: Review Article: Review Of "The Journey Of Modern Theology" By Roger E. Olson
Author: Danny E. Olinger

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WTJ 76:2 (Fall 2014) p. 431

Review Article:
Review Of
The Journey Of Modern Theology
By Roger E. Olson

Danny E. Olinger

Danny E. Olinger is general secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC. He reviews Roger E. Olson, The Journey of Modern Theology: From Reconstruction to Deconstruction. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2013. Pp. 720. $29.00, cloth.

In The Journey of Modern Theology, Roger Olson, professor of theology at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, attempts to provide a roadmap for how contemporary theology in Western culture has arrived at its current state of affairs. In many ways he succeeds. His knowledge of theologians and schools of thought is prodigious. His writing style is clear. His tone is winsome. Even when he disagrees with a theologian, he often emphasizes the theologian’s positive contributions first. The adjective used in the majority of reviews will undoubtedly be that he is “balanced.” I enjoyed reading Olson’s book from beginning to end and learned many new things.

Still—and this is where the Reformed critic knows he can’t win when reviewing anyone who has the reputation of winsomeness and a stated goal of sparking interest and further reading—I found the book lacking at key points. I would read Olson’s analysis of theologians and be thankful for his descriptive summary of their teachings, but I would come to a different conclusion regarding their strengths and weaknesses, what was orthodox and what was not. Karl Barth and Hans von Balthasar, the two theologians that Olson states are the heroes of this story of modern theology,1 would not be my picks to emulate.

At the same time, however, after reading 700 plus pages of Olson’s reasoning, I knew that he would undoubtedly say I was clutching onto an outdated, propositional view of Scripture which prohibits me from doing theology as it should

WTJ 76:2 (Fall 2014) p. 432

be done in a modern context. I also knew that he would probably encourage me to be charitable, to see the truths that each theologian and school possessed in measure, and to be able to distinguish among dogma, doctrine, and opinion.

To Olson’s credit, he recognizes that he is not without his own biases. In “An Important Note for All Readers but Especially for Professors and Scholars” at the beginning of the book, Olson confesses, “This is admittedly and unapologetically an interpretive survey of modern theology. It strives to be factual, but, inevitably, the author’s and his sources’ perspectives will intrude here and there” (p. 15).

I. Olson’s Presuppositions

O...

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