Introduction

The notion of a secular theology appears contradictory, even oxymoronic. One of the trajectories of modern theology has been towards an elimination of otherworldliness, in favor of attention to the concrete, immediate reality in which human beings live, think, suffer and die. Recently, a new variety of theological thinking has emerged, which in some ways articulates another protest against immanence for the sake of transcendence. In many ways, radical theological thinking in the United States traces its roots to the work of Paul Tillich. Tillich opened theology up to secular culture, and seriously engaged discourses of philosophy, anthropology and the sciences in an effort to situate theology as a responsible academic discipline which carries along with it important existential and ecclesiastical implications.