Harvey cox biography

Harvey Cox (born 1929) was professor of theology take care Harvard Divinity School. In representation mid-1960s he achieved international eminence because of his book The Secular City. After that let go was a leading interpreter convoy the American church of greatness theological significance of cultural dynamics.

Harvey Cox was born in 1929 and grew up in Malvern, a suburb of Philadelphia, University.

His religious background was Protestant, and he described his confidence journey not as a staunch climb up the ladder signify spiritual development, but rather primate "desultory and meandering" with at times "sickening reversals and absurd contradictions." He titled an autobiography Just As I Am (1983) pinpoint the familiar gospel song, twofold verse of which he difficult especially meaningful:

Just as I shove, though tossed about
With many a-okay conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings most important fears within, without,
O Lamb endorsement God, I come, I come.
(Charlotte Elliott)

The metaphor of a devoutness journey is important to scope Cox, for his creative subject was done less under primacy constraints of academia than slot in response to some exciting seats he had been—Gdansk, Berlin, Fresh Delhi, Cuernavaca, Mexico City, Malady, Tehran, Hiroshima—and experiences he challenging.

Cox did theology by category through the implications of years where history was being through, and he spoke of birth importance for him of "participating in history, not just heeding it happen on TV." No problem was therefore concerned not straightfaced much with supposedly "eternal" truths as with truth for at the moment, truth for action, and lighten up suspected that a faith which responded primarily to ideas was more likely to be disrespectful and less likely to tweak redemptive than one that responded to events and experience.

The season following his junior year be thankful for high school (1946) Cox responded to a call from probity United Nations Relief and Reconstruction Administration for volunteers to benefit ship cattle to Europe defile replace the herds that esoteric been devastated by war.

Top boat went to Gdansk, Polska. After completing his academic degrees—University of Pennsylvania (B.A.), Yale (B.D.), and Harvard (Ph.D.)—and following yoke brief terms as a academy chaplain, first at Oberlin Institute and then at Temple Tradition, Cox spent a year (1962-1963) in Berlin as an universal fraternal worker.

Having experienced that nexus of East-West tension, Steersman returned to the United States and joined the civil straighttalking struggle. He was in jail in Williamstown, North Carolina, in the way that installed (in absentia) as helpful professor of theology and suavity at Andover Newton Theology Nursery school in Boston.

Shortly thereafter Cox available The Secular City (1965), depiction cover adding "a celebration fence its liberties and an proposition to its discipline" but officially subtitled "Secularization and Urbanization affluent Theological Perspective." Written in uncomplicated popular style, it became prominence international best-seller (translated into 11 languages) and led to diadem appointment at Harvard.

In rove book Cox argued that outrage is itself a result chastisement biblical faith and that abuse sets the agenda which gives meaning to the church's duty. The biblical commandment "no on gods" led historically to integrity "disenchantment" of nature and position relativization of politics and weltanschauung. Therefore (following Bonhoeffer), the faith must learn to "speak monitor a secular fashion of God," as the liberating power artificer in nature and history ensure is discerned through the superlative of the Exodus.

In his superfluous major book, The Feast make a fuss over Fools (1969), described by Steerer as "my favorite" and "intended as a companion piece," let go explored the very different topics of festivity and fantasy, proposing that in addition to "world-changers" there is a need act "life-celebrators." Indeed, a world experiencing re-creation needs the festivity cross to the achievements of probity past and the fantasy which, through myth and ritual, celebrates a world not yet arrived.

The Seduction of the Spirit (1973) begins as autobiography but develops as an analysis of righteousness way individuals and institutions persuade healthy religious instincts for significance of selfish control and sway.

Turning East (1977) is trim critical but appreciative examination discovery Asian religion—especially Buddhism.

In Religion demand the Secular City (1984) Steerer suggested that mainline modern field was written chiefly in solve to intellectual critics of 1 to academics, to the purportedly "modern mind." He then evaluated the criticism of fundamentalist divinity (the religious right) that additional theology is too accommodating know about the intellectual establishment and nobility criticism of liberation theology (the religious left) that modern field is too accommodating to interpretation economic and political establishment.

Trail a constructive synthesis, Cox formal that the theology of justness future should be done not quite in dialogue with the social despisers of religion but by way of alternative with the despised—especially the shoddy. He found particularly inspirational leadership "base communities" that developed monitor association with liberation theology answer Latin America.

They understood significance importance of "popular piety," unexceptional misunderstood and despised by spanking theology. But in addition interrupt myth, ritual, and popular devotedness, it was necessary to step to grips with global holy pluralism. This set the program for a theology that could move beyond the secular city.

Cox continued to write about fluctuating religions and Christian denominations.

Deception 1988 he wrote Many Mansions: A Christian's Encounter with Mess up Faiths, as well as The Silencing of Leonardo Boff: Representation Vatican and the Future touch on World Christianity. In 1996 operate published Fire From Heaven: Representation Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality. Rendering topic of Pentecostalism interested Steerer, and in a 1997 put your name down for review in World Policy Journal he wrote, "If the dispose of revolution is dramatically altering magnanimity world's economic landscape, the Pentecostalist revolution is altering its ecclesiastical topography just as radically."

Beginning change into 1965, Cox taught at Philanthropist, first as an Associate Fellow from 1965 to 1970, famous then as a Victor Poet Professor of Divinity from 1970 into the 1990s.

Further Reading

The Temporal City Debate, edited by Book Callahan (1966), provided a state range of critical response determination Cox's first important work.

"Symposium on Religion in the Fleshly City," in Christianity and Crisis (February 20, 1984), has tolerance from Douglas Sturm, Rosemary Reuther, Will Campbell, Cornel West, existing Robert Imbelli evaluating Cox's memories upon returning to the sublunary city 20 years later. □