If a person was looking for a real theological reading challenge, George A. Lindbeck's The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Post-Liberal Age (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1984) is certainly a good starting place. In less than 150 pages, he has managed to cram in some nearly indigestible concepts as well as a number of provocative thoughts which should provide the inspiration to examine (or re-examine) many doctrinal positions we often take for granted.
At the center of Lindbeck's work is a desire to strive for greater intra-Christian ecumenism. This is a laudable position to stake out as we approach the threshold of Christianity's third millennium. The last four hundred years or so, in particular, have been fraught with ecclesiastical animosity, due principally to the assorted doctrinal dogmas adhered to in the splintered branches of the Church. Lindbeck's chief dissatisfaction with the practices observed across the Christian denominations is the influence that the liberal theology of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries seems to wield. But he neither argues for a return to "preliberal orthodoxy" nor does he believe that any help will be found in "the standard theological approaches"; instead, he posits, there is a need to develop a "postliberal" method for understanding religion and religious doctrine (p. 7).
Lindbeck makes a credible attempt at doctrinal neutrality as he tries to work out his "cultural-linguistic" method for creating, defining, and practicing Christian (or other religious) doctrines. And although he surmises that his inquiry is "strictly theoretical," he cautions the reader to understand that his work is not theologically neutral. He expects that his effort "is of service to the church and to the glory of God" (p. 10).
Lindbeck identifies three distinct theories of religion and/or doctrine: cognitive (or, propositional), experiential-expressive, and regulative ...