D. Stephen Long here addresses a key question in current theological debate: the conditions of the possibility of -God-talk, - along with attending questions about natural theology, fideism, and theological truth-claims. He engages not only the most significant contemporary theologians and philosophers on this score (Denys Turner, Bruce Marshall, John Milbank, Charles Taylor, Fergus Kerr) but also the legacy of twentieth-century theology (Barth, von Balthasar) and the analytic philosophical tradition from Wittgenstein to Davidson. Throughout, Long sustains a careful exegetical engagement with Aquinas, showing that what's at stake in contemporary theology is justhow we inherit St. Thomas. In joining all of these voices into one conversation, Long does a remarkable job of surveying the current theological scene with respect to issues of language and truth, arguing for the need to deal head-on with classical questions of metaphysics. Central to his project is averting the charge of -fideism- so often laid at the feet of -postliberal- approaches (like Long's). To that end Long argues for a (chastened) natural theology, while challenging any simple distinction between -natural- and -confessional- theology.
