ABSTRACT
In its issue of September 10, 2001 the American news magazine Time declared that the pacifist Stanley Hauerwas was “America’s best theologian.” Hauerwas himself held that “best theologian” was not something a Christian theologian should endeavor to be; but the accolade attests the central – but also controversial – place Hauerwas occupies in contemporary theology. The theological world looks different today compared with the situation some 40 years ago, when Hauerwas completed his theological education. Many theologians have contributed to this development, and other factors are involved as well. But few have had such a great influence as Hauerwas. His many books, his dynamic lectures, and now also his influential former students have led to a redrawing of the theological map. He has set the agenda even for many of his critics. He is also widely read outside the sphere of academic theology, both inside and outside the Christian church.
