A comprehensive collection of resources showing students of theology how to prepare and write creative research-oriented materialThe Craft of Innovative Theology: Argument and Process delivers a thorough examination of the method of producing and writing creative theological theses and projects, explaining to students how to write elegant, innovative research-oriented articles. Through a collection of papers written by distinguished scholars, the text exhibits numerous examples of well-executed creative writing on topics as varied as theodicy and evolution, and artificial intelligence and baptism.Each article includes an introduction by the editor that serves to guide the student through the material and elucidates what makes the work stand out as exceptional. The articles are also annotated to assist with the appreciation of the methodology and style used by the author. The Craft of Innovative Theology assists theology students in improving their research writing to a point where they'll be ready for a Masters' thesis or PhD dissertation, and is an excellent resource for a research methods course in a graduate program.The works incorporated by the editors include:* A thorough introduction to God and the Incarnation, including knowing God through religious pluralism* An exploration of God and church, including racial stigma and the southern Baptist public discourse in the twentieth century, and the appropriateness of baptizing artificial intelligence* A discussion of God and the world, including where humanity has come from and where we're going, and the challenges posed by biological evolution to Christian theology* A treatment of God and ethics, including sin and the faces of responsibilityPerfect for students of postgraduate theology and research methods courses, The Craft of Innovative Theology: Argument and Process will also earn a place in the libraries of students in courses that prepare them to write a Masters' thesis in theology or to begin shaping their PhD dissertation topic.

The Acknowledgments ixContributors xiIntroduction xiiiPart I God and the Incarnation 11 Knowing God through Religious Pluralism 3Tinu RuparellResearch Level 2 32 Is It Possible for the Eternal Word to Be Made Manifest in a Person with Down's Syndrome? 19Ian S. MarkhamResearch Level 1 19Part II God and Church 313 Racial Stigma and Southern Baptist Public Discourse in the Twentieth Century 33Pamela D. JonesResearch Level 1 334 The Plugged-in Church: Is it Appropriate to Baptize Artificial Intelligence 50Ian S. MarkhamResearch Level 1 50Part III God and the World 635 Humanity: Where on Earth Have We Come From and Where Are We Going To? 65Celia Deane-DrummondResearch Level 3 656 What Challenges Does the Theory of Biological Evolution Pose to Christian Theology? 81Christopher SouthgateResearch Level 3 81Part IV God and Ethics 977 Sin and the Faces of Responsibility 99Leigh VicensResearch Level 4 998 A Good Story: Human-Animal Friendship and Meat Eating 114Trevor BechtelResearch Level 2 1149 Just Business: It's Not What You Think 127Kathryn D. BlanchardResearch Level 2 127Part V The End of the World 14910 Relentless Love and the Afterlife 151Thomas J. OordResearch Level 1 15111 Hell: Retributivism, Escapism, and Universal Reconciliation 164Andrei A. BuckareffResearch Level 3 16412 Christ Will Come Again 183Keith WardResearch Level 2 183Part VI Method in Theology 19513 Theological Language and Method in Liberal Theology: Schubert Ogden's Response to the Falsification Controversy 197John Allan KnightResearch Level 4 19714 Does Culture Determine Belief? The Relationship between the Social Sciences and Theology 212Martyn PercyResearch Level 3 21215 Theological Reference and Theological Creativity in Judaism 226Cass FisherResearch Level 4 22616 Marshall's Slingshot: Truth Theory, Realism, and Liberal Theological Method 245John Allan KnightResearch Level 4 245Glossary 261Index 266