Author’s Corner: John Webster

Each week on Credo we welcome you to join us in the Author’s Corner where we will meet a set of authors whose recent books deserve your attention and might even help you grow in your knowledge of theology, history, philosophy, and the scriptures. We hope the Author’s Corner can keep you up-to-date on the most important books published today and where you can find them.

On today’s Author’s Corner, we present you with a selection of titles honoring the work of the late John Webster.

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Reader in John Webster (T&T Clark, 2020) edited by Michael Allen

This Reader charts John Webster’s theology from its earliest development, guiding the reader through selective essays that represent his corpus. It is an excellent introduction to the breadth of his writings, which teaches students how to engage with his particular mode of theological argument.

T&T Clark Reader in John Webster starts with a biographical, chronological and topical survey of Webster’s theological development. It notes his shifting conversation partners and his abiding theological principles. The editor places the essays in context with short introductions, as well as editorial footnotes clarifying key terms, historical or exegetical arguments or polemical emphases. This is an essential introduction to Webster’s work and his impact on classical and contemporary theology.

Christ Our Salvation: Expositions and Proclamations (Lexham, 2020) by John Webster

The Gospel is the Heart of Scripture

The church’s vocation is to treasure the gospel and live it out. The late theologian John Webster believed Christian preachers and theologians should be principally concerned with the proclamation of this news. At the center of that proclamation is our salvation in Christ.

In this compilation of homilies, John Webster explores the various contours of the salvation accomplished for us in Christ and displays for preachers a model of theological exegesis that understands that the gospel is the heart of holy Scripture. Readers of Christ Our Salvation will be presented with a feast of “theological” theology for Christian proclamation.

A Companion to the Theology of John Webster (Eerdmanns, 2021) edited by Michael Allen and R. David Nelson

An overview and analysis of John Webster’s seminal contributions to Christian theology. At the time of his death, John Webster was widely hailed as one of the leading Christian theologians in the world. Over the course of three decades, he produced groundbreaking studies on the theologies of Eberhard Jüngel and Karl Barth and, especially since the turn of the millennium, numerous books and essays on various themes in Christian dogmatics. He then intended to write an encyclopedic systematic theology—a project he was unable to complete.

No substitute is possible for that lost opus, but the contributors offer this volume as an homage to Webster and an aid to those who want to learn from him. A Companion to the Theology of John Webster begins with an introductory section on Webster’s theological development, then continues into an extensive overview of Webster’s contributions to contemporary discussions of particular doctrines. An epilogue suggests how Webster’s theology might have unfolded had he lived longer and imagines the continuing influence of his work on the enterprise of Christian dogmatics. Readers hoping to understand the legacy of this great theologian, and also those eager for fresh insights into the present state and future trajectories of contemporary Protestantism, will find much to offer here.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Kevin J. Vanhoozer
1. John Webster (1955–2016) by Ivor J. Davidson
Part One: John Webster’s Theological Development
2. Theological Theology: Webster’s Theological Project by Michael Allen
3. Webster on Eberhard Jüngel by R. David Nelson
4. Webster on Karl Barth by Kenneth Oakes
5. Webster on the Theology of the University by Martin Westerholm
6. Webster’s Theological Exegesis of Christian Scripture by Matthew Levering
Part Two: John Webster on the Theological Topics
7. Scripture by Darren Sarisky
8. Reason by Michael Allen
9. The Triune God by Fred Sanders
10. The Perfection of God by Christopher R. J. Holmes
11. Creation by Justin Stratis
12. Anthropology by Michael Allen
13. Jesus Christ by Katherine Sonderegger
14. Salvation by Ivor J. Davidson
15. The Church by Joseph L. Mangina
16. Metaphysics by Tyler R. Wittman
17. Ethics by Paul T. Nimmo
Epilogue: Courses Charted but Not Taken by R. David Nelson
Bibliography of Published Works by John Webster