What do Christians mean when they talk about revelation? What sort of truth do Jesus and the Bible disclose? Knowledge or doctrine, required beliefs or a moral code, the answers Christians give to these questions tend to be objective in form: something they "have" that others lack. In Clouds of the Cross in Luther and Kierkegaard: Revelation as Unknowing, Carl S. Hughes draws on Martin Luther and Soren Kierkegaard-two of the most Christocentric and biblically oriented theologians in history-to suggest a much-needed alternative. Hughes blends historical, philosophical, and constructive approaches to theology in lively and engaging prose. He spotlights the objectifying tendencies in Luther's thought that become so influential in modernity, while also finding resources in Luther's own theology for a very different approach. Then, Hughes turns to Soren Kierkegaard-one of Luther's fiercest critics and, at the same time, most faithful inheritors. Hughes argues that Kierkegaard carries some of Luther's most provocative themes further than Luther himself ever dares. The result is a "Kierkegaardian-Lutheran" theology of revelation that resonates with mystical and apophatic theology, resembles art more than information, and transforms lives to incarnate the love of Christ in diverse and ever-changing ways.
Carl S. Hughes is associate professor of theology at Texas Lutheran University.
Acknowledgments A Note on References Prologue Introduction: A Kierkegaardian-Lutheran Theology of Revelation I. Revelatory Darkness: Luther on Christ and the Cross II. The Light of Revelation? The Peril and Promise of Luther on the Bible III. In a Mirror Dimly: Kierkegaard on Christ and the Cross IV. Mirrors without End: Kierkegaard on the Bible, Luther, and the Task of Theology V. In the Whirlwind: Kierkegaard's Theologies of Suffering Conclusion Bibliography
Carl Hughes's book, Clouds of the Cross in Luther and Kierkegaard: Revelation as Unknowing, is a timely corrective to contemporary Christianity polarized between sides that each insist on being right. Christians must opt for love, as Hughes explains on the grounds of a Lutheran theological emphasis on Christ as gift "for you." The Bible "tells me so!" Hughes weaves biblical interpretation, mysticism, and constructive theology into a powerful theological case for the Beloved Community in which Christians who disagree with each other can work towards being reconciled to each other. -- Christine Helmer, Northwestern University
