Murphy's analysis of the controversies surrounding H. M. Kuitert's theology is a thought-provoking introduction to the theological scene in The Netherlands during the recent past, most particularly to the Dutch preoccupation with the question of theological authority and its repercussions on the international debate on theology as an academic discipline. Today's most influential Dutch Protestant liberal, Kuitert has developed an empirical theology that is pivotal to the Dutch debate on the problem of authority in relation to theological appeals to experience. Murphy introduces the discussion between Kuitert and the left-wing Barthians in the late 1970s, and extends the argument to other provocative thinkers in The Netherlands such as Berkhof, Adriaanse, and Schillebeeckx. This study will provide philosophers and theologians with a clear and focused entry into the claims and counterclaims of contemporary Dutch thinkers, as well as fresh perspectives on the ongoing debates in the United States between Yale and Chicago theologians.

Author Biography

David Graham Murphy Northeast Missouri State University