Favorite living Christian thinkers

[Kingpoleon]

Feel free to suggest others - I’d like to have 3-9 more. For me, I think I would say Wolterstorff, Maddox, Swinburne, Plantinga, McGrath, and Tutu.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Hans Küng died just a week or two ago.

I don't really have any favorite living theologians; I don't think we're living in a very theological age. I read a wonderful book on Mary a while back by an Anglican figure named Sarah Jane Boss but I'm not sure what else she's written.

Of these options, I voted for Hart, Hauerwas, and Tutu.

[Kingpoleon]

Hans Küng died just a week or two ago.

I don't really have any favorite living theologians; I don't think we're living in a very theological age. I read a wonderful book on Mary a while back by an Anglican figure named Sarah Jane Boss but I'm not sure what else she's written.

Of these options, I voted for Hart, Hauerwas, and Tutu.

Lots of old thinkers here - Polkinghorne died just last month, I believe. Wasn’t Küng one of those semi-heretical Catholic thinkers?

Huh. I think Swinburne, Plantinga, Ward, and Wolterstorff have sort of brought theology up again. Hall, fascinatingly enough, was mentored by Tillich, Niebuhr, and Barth. That’s pretty impressive from my view.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

The only options I see in the poll I have even heard about are Alistair MacIntyre, Tim Keller, Desmond Tutu and Russell Moore.
I guess Desmond Tutu among them?

My actual answer is probably Pope Francis, Robert Barron, James Martin, Nathan and Scott.

[Kingpoleon]

The only options I see in the poll I have even heard about are Alistair MacIntyre, Tim Keller, Desmond Tutu and Russell Moore.
I guess Desmond Tutu among them?

My actual answer is probably Pope Francis, Robert Barron, James Martin, Nathan and Scott.

Keller is one of a handful of decidedly conservative thinkers who I have serious respect for - his nuanced approach is admirable, not just respectable. Moore, I think, is just respectable.

I’ve never been a big fan of James Martin - he still refuses to say whether or not he really does disagree with the Vatican about LGBT issues.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

The only options I see in the poll I have even heard about are Alistair MacIntyre, Tim Keller, Desmond Tutu and Russell Moore.
I guess Desmond Tutu among them?

My actual answer is probably Pope Francis, Robert Barron, James Martin, Nathan and Scott.

Keller is one of a handful of decidedly conservative thinkers who I have serious respect for - his nuanced approach is admirable, not just respectable. Moore, I think, is just respectable.

I’ve never been a big fan of James Martin - he still refuses to say whether or not he really does disagree with the Vatican about LGBT issues.

I have never read anything from Tim Keller and I have only read from Russell Moore in an interview.

With regards to Martin, as far as I have read it I have found the America magazine enjoyable including pieces written by its founder.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The only options I see in the poll I have even heard about are Alistair MacIntyre, Tim Keller, Desmond Tutu and Russell Moore.
I guess Desmond Tutu among them?

My actual answer is probably Pope Francis, Robert Barron, James Martin, Nathan and Scott.

Great honer!

[RFayette]

Voted MacArthur, Piper, Keller as three great Reformed pastors, though I appreciate many names on this list.

[°Leprechaun]

John Shelby Spong

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Of the names on this list I'm familiar with: Tutu, Wright, Hart.

The only options I see in the poll I have even heard about are Alistair MacIntyre, Tim Keller, Desmond Tutu and Russell Moore.
I guess Desmond Tutu among them?

My actual answer is probably Pope Francis, Robert Barron, James Martin, Nathan and Scott.

Great honer!

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

John Shelby Spong

Spong, whatever you think of his worldview (I personally lost all patience with it when I realized what a textbook case he is of the "racist against conservatives" genre of liberal Christian attitudes towards the Global South), is more of a promoter and popularizer than a thinker. Most of his key insights are warmed-over James Pike.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Desmond Tutu of course. MacIntyre is a giant in 20th century ethics. NT Wright does some decent Biblical criticism even if somewhat apologetic for my taste. Swinburne is the philosopher who from my limited reading seems be the most fruitful theist interlocutor for atheists: the only other two names on that list who I know are Plantinga and William Lane Craig, and I've never been nearly as impressed by either of those two intellectually.

Oh I know of David Bentley Hart but can't say I've read him. Seems like a nice enough guy from what I know by osmosis tho.

[Kingpoleon]

Desmond Tutu of course. MacIntyre is a giant in 20th century ethics. NT Wright does some decent Biblical criticism even if somewhat apologetic for my taste. Swinburne is the philosopher who from my limited reading seems be the most fruitful theist interlocutor for atheists: the only other two names on that list who I know are Plantinga and William Lane Craig, and I've never been nearly as impressed by either of those two intellectually.

Oh I know of David Bentley Hart but can't say I've read him. Seems like a nice enough guy from what I know by osmosis tho.

If you think Swinburne’s rather impressive, you should definitely check out Wolterstorff. Now, as for Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God has always surprised me. “Some stories are so odd that they may just have happened. This may be one of them, but in historical terms there is no way of finding out.” And when Licona discounted it, he eventually recanted under fire. This is insane heresy hunting, led by Inquisitor Albert Mohler.

If you’re looking for someone a bit more courageous, I was decidedly impressed by Dale Allison’s new book for dismissing Matthew’s Zombies.

[TJ in Oregon]

Voted for Alasdair MacIntyre, John Lennox, William Lane Craig, and Bishop Barron. Probably should have voted for Alvin Plantinga also but somehow missed him.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Edward Feser should be added to this list.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Voted for Alasdair MacIntyre, John Lennox, William Lane Craig, and Bishop Barron. Probably should have voted for Alvin Plantinga also but somehow missed him.

I missed that Bishop Barron was on the list. I like him but I'm not crazy about the heavy apologetics focus in current American Catholic thought in general. I'm interested in reading his book of Vatican II commentary and seeing what I make of it.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Voted for Alasdair MacIntyre, John Lennox, William Lane Craig, and Bishop Barron. Probably should have voted for Alvin Plantinga also but somehow missed him.

I missed that Bishop Barron was on the list. I like him but I'm not crazy about the heavy apologetics focus in current American Catholic thought in general. I'm interested in reading his book of Vatican II commentary and seeing what I make of it.

I am pretty sure Barron was not originally included in the poll and was only added after I named him. Unfortunately it looks like we can't change our poll answers.

[TJ in Oregon]

Voted for Alasdair MacIntyre, John Lennox, William Lane Craig, and Bishop Barron. Probably should have voted for Alvin Plantinga also but somehow missed him.

I missed that Bishop Barron was on the list. I like him but I'm not crazy about the heavy apologetics focus in current American Catholic thought in general. I'm interested in reading his book of Vatican II commentary and seeing what I make of it.

To be honest I haven't paid a ton of attention to Bishop Barron. I've watched a few videos of his but it's not a major part of my thinking. But then again most of the people on this list aren't really either.

As of Muad'dib's suggestion, yeah I would say Ed Feser has been more influential to me. Not so much due to American political fights (I already agreed with him for the most part on those anyway) but that he has bothered to give defenses of Scholastic metaphysics. After reading him, I tend to see most Catholic philosophical-minded thinkers sort of meh if they don't make some metaphysical grounding for their arguments. Of course theology is somewhat separate from philosophy.

[Kingpoleon]

To be honest I haven't paid a ton of attention to Bishop Barron. I've watched a few videos of his but it's not a major part of my thinking. But then again most of the people on this list aren't really either.

As of Muad'dib's suggestion, yeah I would say Ed Feser has been more influential to me. Not so much due to American political fights (I already agreed with him for the most part on those anyway) but that he has bothered to give defenses of Scholastic metaphysics. After reading him, I tend to see most Catholic philosophical-minded thinkers sort of meh if they don't make some metaphysical grounding for their arguments. Of course theology is somewhat separate from philosophy.

I lost any remaining sympathy to Feser & Metanaxus after their election responses, particularly Feser’s implication that Richard Nixon certainly didn’t cheat at all in 1960.

[RI]

Voted for Alasdair MacIntyre, John Lennox, William Lane Craig, and Bishop Barron. Probably should have voted for Alvin Plantinga also but somehow missed him.

I missed that Bishop Barron was on the list. I like him but I'm not crazy about the heavy apologetics focus in current American Catholic thought in general. I'm interested in reading his book of Vatican II commentary and seeing what I make of it.

To be honest I haven't paid a ton of attention to Bishop Barron. I've watched a few videos of his but it's not a major part of my thinking. But then again most of the people on this list aren't really either.

My first introduction to Bishop Barron was watching the Catholicism series with a young adults group, and I honestly was not particularly impressed.

Last year, I was living in Los Angeles, and our parish priest gave the most vapid, hollow homilies imaginable, and it was absolutely draining to my faith life. When the churches all closed down due to COVID, I took the chance to watch mass online the try a few other masses from around the world, and I eventually tried Bishop Barron's mass from his parish in Santa Barbara. His homilies were so far and away better than any of the other ones I'd heard, so much so that I've been listening to him every week since March 2020. He's far more intelligent, thoughtful, and down-to-earth than I'd seen in my first impression of him.

A few things I really like about him: 1) he's very well versed in the Old Testament, Jewish history, salvation history, and textual analysis, meaning he can really dive into how the Old Testament illuminates the New Testament in a full and deep way, 2) he's very well versed on other philosophers and philosophies and can compare and contrast pretty effectively, 3) he's really taken the time to immerse himself in popular and millennial culture and understands it from the inside out in a way few priests and religious authorities ever do, and 4) with the one possible exception of his near-universalism, he's highly orthodox and politically in line with proper Church teaching.

I wouldn't say he's a "leading thinker" or something like that, but he's very gifted at articulating the faith in a very knowledgeable and yet still relatable way.