Convinced Concise and Christian: The Thought of Huw Parri Owen

Description: This is the first comprehensive study of the thought of the Welsh theologian-philosopher Huw Parri Owen (1926-1996). Indebted to the heritage of Christian thought and not bewitched by Barth bothered by Flew or bewildered by Bultmann Owen brought considerable biblical philosophical and theological acumen to the articulation of a reasonable experientially grounded faith. A sharp-minded Christian thinker--a number of whose discussions of philosophico-theological themes remain pertinent to current scholarly debate--is here rescued from unjustified neglect. Endorsements: Some theologians trumpet their arguments; others with much less fanfare simply get on with the dogmatic task. Huw Parri Owen was of the latter breed. His work continues to repay careful study as a model of clear reasoned careful theology informed by the Christian tradition and the biblical witness. So it is a delight to commend this study of Owens thought by Professor Alan Sell. It offers a fair balanced yet critical account of some of the central themes in Owens work with an eye to the interlocutors and movements to which Owen addressed himself. I hope it will commend Owen to a new generation of readers as a twentieth-century theologian worthy of serious intellectual engagement. -Oliver D. Crisp Professor of Systematic Theology Fuller Theological Seminary Sell here retrieves the thought of an under-known undervalued Welsh theologian-philosopher who made some significant contributions toward a reasonable experientially grounded Christian faith. Sells treatment is as ever evenhanded. He recognizes Owens desire to be reasonable without being a rationalist in faith while also insisting on the prime reality of experience which tempers all else in his overall theology. Owens thought is instructive; and this fine work makes it accessible to a new generation. -Donald K. McKim Executive Editor for Theology and Reference Westminster John Knox Press About the Contributor(s): Alan P. F. Sell a philosopher-theologian and ecumenist is employed in research writing and lecturing in the United Kingdom and abroad. He has held academic positions in England Canada and Wales and ecclesiastical posts in England and Geneva. He is the author or editor of over thirty books including Confessing and Commending the Faith (Wipf & Stock 2006) and Hinterland Theology (Wipf & Stock 2008).