Theological Renewal for the Third Millennium

Book excerpt: Amos Yong has stated that Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen has become “one of the more important theologians to be reckoned with in our time.” This becoming has developed over the course of many decades with prolific contributions in essays, monographs, lectures, and other mediums. The goal of this book, then, is to offer a curated selection of Kärkkäinen’s essays for both new and established reader of Kärkkäinen. This volume offers an accessible introduction to Kärkkäinen’s diverse contribution for readers who are only familiar with his popular survey texts or are new to his work overall. And yet, for those familiar with his theology, this volume provides insights into the journey his theological contributions have taken over the last fifteen years and serves as a kind of intellectual storyboard leading into his five-volume constructive systematics. In sum, this book seeks to offer a wide-ranging taste of Kärkkäinen’s trajectory that will inspire more research into his work and ever more attention to his important constructive contributions to global twenty-first-century theology.