Postliberal Theology - Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Postliberal Conversions

Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Postliberal Conversions

It is also noteworthy that in recent years a great number of prominent postliberal theologians have become Roman Catholics, such as R.R. Reno, and Paul J. Griffiths (both former Anglicans), as well as Bruce Marshall, Michael Root, and Reinhard Huetter (former Lutherans), in a manner similar to the followers of the tractarian movement within mid-19th century Anglicanism, which also occurred during global economic change (see Industrial Revolution). Prominent postliberals becoming Catholic is especially notable because George Lindbeck's ecumenical work at Vatican II and beyond expressed no interest in individual conversions to the Catholic Church, but did suggest the need for a communal transformation of liberal Protestantism so that Protestant Christianity might begin to be more identifiable as a form of catholic Christianity. Postliberalism partly arose in response to a decline of the prestige of mainline Protestantism in America, in light of which conservative Evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism were seen by some theologians and ministers as the only serious theological and sociological alternatives. Post-liberalism has sought to transform Christian communities in a socially-embodied, historically-extended way.