Postmodern Christianity 1140478 223568650 2008-07-04T17:38:53Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{portal|Christianity}} {{Unreferenced|date=May 2008}} '''Postmodern Christianity''' is an outlook of Christianity that is closely associated with the body of writings known as [[postmodern philosophy]]. Although it is a relatively recent development in the [[Christian]] [[religion]], many Christian postmodernists assert that their style of thought has an affinity with foundational Christian thinkers such as [[Augustine of Hippo]] and [[Thomas Aquinas]], and famed Christian [[mysticism|mystics]] such as [[Meister Eckhart]] and [[Angelus Silesius]]. ==Introduction== In addition to [[Christian theology]], postmodern Christianity has its roots in post-Heideggerian [[continental philosophy]]. Many people eschew the label "postmodern Christianity" because the idea of postmodernity has almost no determinate meaning and, in the [[United States]], serves largely to symbolize an emotionally charged battle of [[ideologies]]. Moreover, such alleged postmodern heavyweights as [[Jacques Derrida]] and [[Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe]] have refused to operate under a so-called postmodern rubric, preferring instead to specifically embrace a single project stemming from the [[Europe]]an [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] and its precursors. Nevertheless, postmodern Christianity and its constituent schools of thought continue to be relevant. ==Liberal Christianity== {{Main|Liberal Christianity}} [[Liberal Christianity]]—sometimes called '''liberal theology'''—has an affinity with certain current forms of postmodern Christianity, although postmodern thought was originally a reaction against mainstream Protestant liberalism. [[Liberal Christianity]] is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically informed movements and moods within 19th and 20th century Christianity. Despite its name, liberal Christianity has always been thoroughly [[protean]]. The word "liberal" in liberal Christianity does not refer to a [[leftist]] political agenda but rather to insights developed during the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]]. Generally speaking, [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]]-era [[liberalism]] held that man is a political creature and that [[liberty]] of thought and expression should be his highest value. The development of liberal Christianity owes much to the works of philosophers [[Immanuel Kant]] and [[Friedrich Schleiermacher]]. As a whole, liberal Christianity is a product of a continuing philosophical dialogue. Many 20th century liberal Christians have been influenced by philosophers [[Edmund Husserl]] and [[Martin Heidegger]]. Examples of important liberal Christian thinkers are [[Rudolf Bultmann]] and [[John A.T. Robinson]]. ==Christian existentialism== [[Image:Kierkegaard.jpg|thumb|160px|Søren Kierkegaard]] {{Main|Christian existentialism}} [[Christian existentialism]] is a form of Christianity that draws extensively from the writings of [[Søren Kierkegaard]]. Kierkegaard initiated the school of thought when he reacted against [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]]'s claims of universal knowledge and what he deemed to be the empty formalities of the 19th century church. [[Christian existentialism]] places an emphasis on the undecidability of faith, individual passion, and the subjectivity of knowledge. Although Kierkegaard's writings weren't initially embraced, they became widely known at the beginning of the 20th century. Later Christian existentialists synthesized Kierkegaardian themes with the works of thinkers such as [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Walter Benjamin]], and [[Martin Buber]]. [[Paul Tillich]], Lincoln Swain, [[Gabriel Marcel]], and [[John Macquarrie]] are examples of leading Christian existentialist writers. ==Continental philosophical theology== '''Continental philosophical theology''' is the most recent form of postmodern Christianity. The movement was fueled heavily by the slew of notable post-[[Heidegger]]ian philosophers that appeared on the continent in the 1970s and 1980s. Groundbreaking works such as [[Jean-Luc Marion]]'s ''God Without Being'' and [[John D. Caputo]]'s ''The Prayers and Tears of Jacques Derrida'' ushered in the era of continental philosophical theology. ===Radical orthodoxy=== {{Main|Radical orthodoxy}} [[Radical orthodoxy]] is a form of continental philosophical theology that has been influenced by the [[phenomenological]] writings of [[Jean-Luc Marion]]. Radical orthodoxy is a style of theology that seeks to examine classic Christian writings and related [[Neoplatonic]] texts from a contemporary, [[continental philosophy|philosophically continental]] perspective. The movement finds in writers such as [[Augustine of Hippo]] and [[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite]] valuable sources of insight and meaning relevant to modern society and Christianity at large. [[John Milbank]] and [[James K.A. Smith]] are leading proponents of radical orthodoxy. ===Hermeneutics of religion=== The '''hermeneutics of religion''' is another form of continental philosophical theology. The system of [[hermeneutic]] interpretation developed by [[Paul Ricœur]] has heavily influenced the school of thought. A central theme in the hermeneutics of religion is that [[God]] exists outside the confines of the human imagination. [[Richard Kearney]] is a prominent advocate of the movement. ===Non-dogmatic theology (also known as Weak theology)=== {{main|Weak theology#John D. Caputo on weak theology|l1=Weak theology}} '''Weak theology''' is a manner of thinking about theology from a [[deconstructive]] point of view. The style of thought owes a debt to [[Jacques Derrida]], especially in light of his idea of a "weak force." Weak theology is weak because it takes a non-[[dogma]]tic, perspectival approach to theology. Proponents of weak theology believe that dominant contemporary explications of theology are inherently ideological, totalizing, and militant. In response, weak theology expresses itself through acts of interpretation. According to [[John D. Caputo|Caputo]], the distinctive reinterpretive act of weak theology has resulted in the notion of the weakness of God. In the body of thought, the paradigm of God as an overwhelming physical or [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] force is regarded as mistaken. The old God-of-power is displaced with the idea of God as an unconditional claim without force. As a claim without force, the God of weak theology does not physically or metaphysically intervene in nature. Weak theology emphasizes the responsibility of humans to act in this world here and now. Because God is thought of as weak and as a call, weak theology places an emphasis on the "weak" human virtues of [[forgiveness]], [[hospitality]], [[openness]], and receptivity. In each of these virtues, a [[metaphoric]] "power of powerlessness" is at work. [[Gianni Vattimo]], [[John D. Caputo]], and [[Jeffrey W. Robbins]] have recently completed works that further develop the idea of a weak theology. ==Leading thinkers== {|width=100% |-valign=top |width=50%| *[[Rudolf Bultmann]] *[[John D. Caputo]] *[[Richard Kearney]] *[[Jean-Luc Marion]] *[[François Meltzer]] *[[John Milbank]] *[[James Olthuis]] *[[Carl Raschke]] *[[Jeffrey W. Robbins]] |width=50%| *[[John A.T. Robinson]] *[[Robert P. Scharlemann]] *[[James K.A. Smith]] *[[Mark C. Taylor]] *[[Paul Tillich]] *[[Gabriel Vahanian]] *[[Gianni Vattimo]] *[[Charles Winquist]] *[[Stanley Grenz]] |} ===Important influences=== {|width=100% |-valign=top |width=50%| *[[Michel de Certeau]] *[[Jacques Derrida]] *[[Hans-Georg Gadamer]] *[[Martin Heidegger]] *[[Søren Kierkegaard]] |width=50%| *[[Emmanuel Lévinas]] *[[Jean-Luc Marion]] *[[Friedrich Nietzsche]] *[[Paul Ricœur]] *[[Martin Buber]] |} ==See also== *[[Biblical hermeneutics]] *[[Feminist theology]] *[[Liberation theology]] *[[Peace churches]] *[[Theopoetics]] ===Key concepts=== {|width=100% |-valign=top |width=50%| *[[Continental philosophy]] *[[Deconstruction]] *[[Hermeneutics]] |width=50%| *[[Other]] *[[Phenomenology]] *[[Post-structuralism]] |} ==External links== ===Online reading=== *[http://www.jcrt.org/archives/06.1/caputo.pdf "Jacques Derrida (1930–2004)"] (pdf), by John D. Caputo *[http://www.espaces.info/deutsch/artikel/januar/ReligionVilolenceenglish.pdf "Religion and Violence: Plea for a 'Weak' Theology in Tempore Belli"] (pdf), by Ulrich Engel OP *[http://www.jcrt.org/archives/08.1/raschke.pdf "The Weakness of God ... and of Theological Thought for that Matter"] (pdf), by Carl Raschke *[http://www.jcrt.org/archives/07.2/heltzel.pdf "The Weakness of God: A Review of John D. Caputo's 'The Weakness of God: A Theology of the Event'"] (pdf), by Peter G. Heltzel ===Academic homepages=== *[http://religion.syr.edu/caputo.html Homepage of John D. Caputo, Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Humanities at Syracuse University] *[http://fmwww.bc.edu/Pl/fac/kearney.fac.html Homepage of Richard Kearney, the Charles Seelig Professor in Philosophy at Boston College] *[http://divinity.uchicago.edu/faculty/marion.shtml Homepage of Jean-Luc Marion, Professor of the Philosophy of Religion and Theology at the University of Chicago] *[http://personal-pages.lvc.edu/~robbins/ Homepage of Jeffrey W. Robbins, Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Lebanon Valley College] *[http://www.calvin.edu/~jks4/ Homepage of James K.A. Smith, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College] [[Category:Christian theological movements]] [[Category:Christian philosophy]] [[Category:Existentialism]] [[Category:Postmodern theory]]