Russell Re Manning
Profile
After initial studies in theology and philosophy at Keble
College, Oxford, I began postgraduate studies at the Faculty of
Divinity, Cambridge. Here my interests in philosophical theology
and the importance of culture within theological reflection led me
to focus upon the philosophy and theology of the German-American
Lutheran Paul Tillich. My Ph.D. considered the theological and
philosophical background to his early pre-emigration proposals for
the reformulation of theology as theology of culture, with
particular reference to the role of art within this project. As
part of my research (and general theological education!), I spent a
deeply rewarding Semester at the Evangelisches Stift in Tübingen.
Since finishing my doctoral studies, I have worked as a research
associate in the Psychology and Religion Research Group and have
been a research fellow at St. Edmund’s College. My research
interests have developed towards the scientific embeddedness of
theology, in particular focusing on the various ways in which
theologians engage with both scientific methodology and scientific
research data. My research has covered the contemporary concerns of
neuroscience and theology, the theological significance of
synaesthesia and the nascent paradigm of emergence. My current
research addresses the broader question of the historical and
conceptual varieties of natural theology, understood as a
particular sort of theological engagement with science. I continue
to have research interests in the theology and philosophy of Paul
Tillich, as well as teaching interests in the philosophy of
religion, contemporary philosophical theology and ethics.
Research Interests
My main research interests fall under four headings.
Natural Theology
My central project is a reconstruction of the historical and
conceptual varieties of natural theology within the Christian
theological tradition. My research traces the history of Christian
natural theology from its pre-history in Greek philosophy to its
contemporary revival in the science and religion field.
Emergence and Theology
I am interested in exploring the theological implications of the
recent scientific and philosophical interest in the paradigm of
emergence. My research considers the extent to which the scientific
emergence paradigm can provide a basis for a reconceptualisation of
theological loci, such as creation, providence and divine
action.
Neuroscience and Theology
Neuroscientific data is often considered as a challenge to
religious beliefs, in particular the validity of religious
experience. However, there have been a number of attempts by
neuroscientists and theologians to affirm a positive theological
significance of neuroscientific findings. My research considers the
prospects for these varieties of ‘neurotheology’ to make a real
contribution to the development of scientifically informed
theological reflection.
Paul Tillich
My research on Tillich’s theology continues, especially focusing
on his treatment of art and its place within his theological
system. A further area of research lies in articulating the
prospects for a Tillichian theology of mediation within the
framework of contemporary postmodern theology.
Select Publications
Theology at the End of Culture. Paul Tillich's Theology of
Culture and Art (=Studies in Philosophical Theology 27)
(Leuven: Peeters Press, 2005).
The Oxford Handbook of Natural Theology, ed. Russell Re
Manning with consultant editors John Hedley Brooke & Fraser
Watts (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
The Cambridge Companion to Paul Tillich, ed. Russell Re
Manning (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Religion, Aesthetics, and the Concept of the Imagination,
eds. Russell Manning & Maarten Wisse (Cambridge: CRASSH, 2002).
'Natural Religion and Unnatural Theology. Some Reflections on
the Limits of Evolutionary Explanations of Religion' in
Darwin, Evolution, and Religion, eds. Fraser Watts and Léon
Turner (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011).
'Histories of Natural Theology' in
The Oxford Handbook of Natural Theology, ed. Russell Re
Manning (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
'Perspectives on Natural Theology from Continental
Philosophy' in
The Oxford Handbook of Natural Theology, ed. Russell Re
Manning (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
'Tillich' in
The Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine,
ed. Karla Pollmann (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).
'Tillich and Barth in Britain' in
Paul Tillich et Karl Barth: Antagonismes et accords
théologiques, eds. Marc Dumas & Anne Marie Reijnen
(Münster: LIT Verlag., 2010).
'Tillich's Theology of Art' in
The Cambridge Companion to Paul Tillich, ed. Russell Re
Manning (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
'The Place of Christ in Tillich's Theology of Culture' in
Jesus der Christus - „Mitte der Geschichte”!? Zu Paul Tillichs
Christologie, eds. Peter Haigis, Gert Hümmel (†) & Doris
Lax ( Münster: LIT Verlag., 2005).
'The Trinitarian Background to Tillich's Theology of Culture'
in
Trinität und/oder Quaternität. Paul Tillichs Neuerschliessung
der trinitarischen Problematik, eds. Gert Hümmel & Doris
Lax (Münster: LIT Verlag., 2004).
'Mere Summing Up? Some Considerations on the History of the
Concept of Emergence and its Significance for Science and Religion'
in
Science and Christian Belief 19.1 (2007).
'Towards a Critical Reconstruction and Defence of Tillich's
Theology of Art' in
ARTS:The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies 16.2
(2005).
'Tillich's Theology of Culture After Postcolonialism' in
The Bulletin of the North American Paul Tillich Society 28.2
(2002).
