Faith and TheologyFaith and TheologyA blog for theological scholarship and contemporary theological reflection Articles
Theology with Alain Badiou
2007-08-22 11:57:00 At the moment, I?m using every spare moment to read the philosophers Slavoj ?i?ek and Alain Badiou ? and they?re blowing my mind.I really wish I had read Badiou sooner. His little book on Saint Paul is an astonishing tour de force ? an atheist reading of Paul which is far more profound (and far more theological) than most recent theology! In particular, I?m wondering whether Badiou?s conceptions of ?the event? and of ?universal singularity? might provide a useful way of understanding Jesus? resurrection. Is anyone else out there interested in Badiou at the moment? And does anyone know of any contemporary theological work which engages with his thought (apart from Milbank)?Anyway, here?s a quote from Saint Paul ? a critique (spot on, in my view) of the concept of ?mediation?:?With Paul, we notice a complete absence of the theme of mediation. Christ is not a mediation; he is not that through which we know God. Jesus Christ is the pure event, and as such is not a function, even were it... More About: Theology , Ology , Adio , Theo
Slavoj ?i?ek and the loss of faith
2007-08-21 14:04:00 Sorry, I couldn?t resist the temptation to quote ?i?ek once more:?[W]ho, in fact, are fundamentalists? To put it simply, a fundamentalist does not believe in something, but rather knows it directly. In other words, both liberal-sceptical cynicism and fundamentalism share a basic underlying feature: the loss of the ability to believe in the proper sense of the term. For both of them, religious statements are quasi-empirical statements of direct knowledge: fundamentalists accept these statements as such, while sceptics mock them. What is unthinkable for both is the ?absurd? act of a decision which installs every authentic belief, a decision that cannot be grounded in the chain of ?reason?, in positive knowledge.??Slavoj ?i?ek, The Universal Exception, ed. Rex Butler and Scott Stephens (2nd ed.; London: Continuum, 2007), pp. 308-309. More About: Faith , Loss
David Bentley Hart: the importance of being earnest
2007-08-20 09:09:00 In his insightful New Blackfriars article on David Bentley Hart , Gerard Loughlin criticises the ?violence? of Hart?s own polemical rhetoric, and he suggests that such rhetorical practice is in tension with Hart?s proposal of a rhetoric of peace. (Similarly, our friend Patrik has described Hart?s rhetoric as ?the exact equivalent of US foreign policy?!)In his response to Loughlin, Hart clarifies his understanding of rhetoric, and he defends the importance of straight-talking:?I never anywhere argue in The Beauty of the Infinite for a ?peaceful rhetoric?. Quite the contrary?. I argue rather that rhetoric as such is not somehow always implicated in violence, as certain denizens of the world of ?theory? have been heard to opine; and that we are not bound to accept the ontological presuppositions that underlie the belief that it is?. Honestly, I never meant to suggest that we should be more peaceable or inoffensive in the rhetoric we employ. Indeed, the only sort of rhetoric that I grant... More About: David B , Import
David Bentley Hart and the analogia entis
2007-08-19 14:16:00 I mentioned in an earlier post that the analogia entis (formerly banished by Barth) has made a comeback in the brilliant work of David Bentley Hart .And it looks as though the comeback is set to continue. A conference next April will explore this question: ?The Analogy of Being: Invention of the Anti-Christ or the Wisdom of God?? The conference will coincide with the publication of an English edition of Erich Przywara?s famous book, Analogia Entis (translated by John Betz and David B entley Hart, and published by Eerdmans). Speakers will include Hart himself, as well as Reinhard Hütter, Bruce McCormack, Bruce Marshall, John Webster, and several others. It looks like it will be an exciting event ? and it?s good to see Hart?s own work receiving the attention it deserves. In bleaker moments, I sometimes wonder whether theology is even possible anymore (if you?ve never had that feeling, you probably haven?t read enough contemporary theology) ? but Hart?s work encourages me to believe that... More About: Logi
Reading faithfully
2007-08-17 10:50:00 Fidelity is ?not dogmatic allegiance and blind repetitive résumé. Philosophical fidelity is not fidelity to all that an author has written, but fidelity to what is in the author more than the author himself (more than the empirical multitude of his writings), to the impulse that activates the author?s endless work.??Slavoj ?i?ek, ?Hallward?s Fidelity to the Badiou Event,? foreword to Peter Hallward, Badiou: A Subject to Truth (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2003), p. xii. More About: Reading
Kim's recommended reading
2007-08-16 14:01:00 Kim Fabricius has just gotten back from his holiday in Greece ? and here?s his contribution to Aaron?s meme:Douglas Harink, Paul among the Postliberals (Brazos, 2003). Get two books for the price of one, as this study relates the New Perspective Paul to the theology (in particular) of Yoder and Hauerwas.David Bentley Hart, The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami? (Eerdmans, 2005). At just over 100 pages, this little book, which began its life as an article in The Wall Street Journal, is as moving and profound a theological approach to (anti-)theodicy as you are likely to find.Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics (T&T Clark, 1996). Glowing endorsements from (among others) Dunn, Hauerwas, Lindbeck, Ellen Charry, and Luke Timothy Johnson ? enough said for this tour de force, which combines close and imaginative readings of the NT with cogent applications to contemporary ethical issues.Herman Melville... More About: Reading
Books for Joey Dela Paz
2007-08-15 01:06:00 Okay, here?s the list of all the new books that Joey Dela Paz will be receiving in response to our friendly appeal. The generous responses have been quite overwhelming ? and Joey is extremely happy about his new library (over 50 books in total!). A few books were donated anonymously, so I haven?t listed them here; and, in addition, the Theological Book Network (together with Eerdmans) is planning to send a shipment of books to Joey?s Missions Training Center.Anyway, here?s the list of books donated both by readers of F&T and by various publishers ? thanks to everyone who contributed so generously!F&T donationsKarl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An IntroductionJürgen Moltmann, In the End ? The BeginningJürgen Moltmann, Jesus Christ for Today?s WorldDavid Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist SocietyLesslie Newbigin, The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of MissionMiroslav Volf, Free of Charge: Giving a... More About: Books , La Paz
Bob Dylan in Brisbane 2007
2007-08-14 00:33:00 Bob Dylan ?s concert here in Brisbane last night was a revelation, a miracle. With his eyes glistening beneath a white Spanish hat, Dylan conjured up images of a younger self, of that wildly anarchic Bob Dylan of the 1970s? Rolling Thunder Revue. And he performed here with comparable energy and intensity (albeit with greater control), reshaping and transfiguring some of his greatest songs.The song and dance man was in fine form, and he was clearly enjoying himself. He was playful and exuberant in ?Tangled Up in Blue.? He erupted into a raw and piercing harmonica solo in ?Ballad of a Thin Man.? His interpretations of ?Lay, Lady, Lay,? ?When the Deal Goes Down,? and ?The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll? were marked by subtle tenderness and exquisite longing. And his haunting delivery of ?Nettie Moore? was almost overwhelming in its spare intensity ? I couldn?t look, I had to close my eyes, as Dylan evoked his darkly luminous vision of a ?world ? gone black before my eyes.? In all this... More About: Bob Dylan
Recommended reading meme
2007-08-13 00:49:00 Aaron tagged me in his recommended reading meme (and you can see other responses here). The meme asks: ?What books do you find yourself continually recommending?? Here are some of mine:George Herbert, The Temple ? I recommend this whenever possible, since it?s the best devotional work ever writtenJohn Milton, Paradise Lost ? to go through life without having read this book would be a fate worse than celibacyFriedrich Schleiermacher, Brief Outline on the Study of Theology ? I reckon this is still the greatest attempt to define the field of theological studyStanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom ? I always recommend this to people who are interested in Christian ethicsJohn Webster, Barth ? I regularly recommend this to people who are looking for an introduction to Barth?s theologyWolfhart Pannenberg, Jesus ? God and Man ? I always use energetic hyperbole to recommend this book (?the best work on christology ever written,? etc.)John Updike, Roger?s Version ? I always recommend this to... More About: Meme , Reading
On political parties in Australia
2007-08-13 00:13:00 Elwood: What kind of music do you usually have here?Claire: Oh, we got both kinds. We got Country and Western.?from The Blues Brothers (1980) More About: Political , Australia , Parties , Poli , Political Parties
More on Lüdemann and the Pope
2007-08-11 23:50:00 Presterjosh has posted a very interesting critique of my recent review of Lüdemann?s book on Benedict X VI. And Gerd Lüdemann tells me that he?ll also be responding to my review in the forthcoming English edition of the book. More About: Pope
Exegesis with a five-year-old
2007-08-10 12:16:00 A recent conversation with my five-year-old daughter, after I?d been telling the story of Jonah and the whale:??But there wasn?t really a whale, was there, Dad????What do you think????Umm. I think some of God?s stories are really hard to believe.???Well, even if there was never really a whale, it?s still a true story. True like a song or a poem.???Oh, you mean like a rhyme.???Yeah, the story is true like a rhyme ? it?s true because it tells us something important about God.???Oh, I see what you mean. It?s a story about what God is really like.???That?s right.???You know, Dad, I?ve got a big picture Bible with famous paintings of all these stories. We should look at those ? the pictures make it much easier to believe the story.? More About: Scripture , Year , Five , Exegesis
Top ten books on ethics
2007-08-10 09:56:00 Andy lists his 10 indispensable books on Christian ethics. It?s good to see that Bonhoeffer wasn?t forgotten. More About: Books , Ethics
Slavoj ?i?ek and the meaning of freedom
2007-08-10 09:53:00 The new paperback edition of Slavoj ?i?ek?s The Universal Exception has just been released. It includes a new essay with the catchy title, ?Some Politically Incorrect Reflections on the Violence in France and Related Matters.? And it also includes a delightful new preface by ?i?ek, entitled ?The Big Other between Violence and Civility.? Drawing on the notion of civility as a free act which is feigned as an obligation, ?i?ek characterises human freedom as a ?feigned necessity? (p. xii). Belonging to a society ?involves a paradoxical point at which each of us is ordered to embrace freely, as the result of our choice, what is imposed on us anyway? ? this is the ?paradox of choosing freely what is already necessary? (p. xv). More About: Freedom , Meaning
Books for Joey: an update
2007-08-09 05:35:00 In response to our friendly appeal, Joey Dela Paz will be receiving a range of excellent new theology books. I?ll be posting the full details soon.In the meantime, here?s another update: Joey will be receiving book-donations from Eerdmans, Eisenbrauns, T&T Clark, Baker Academic, IVP Academic, Cascade Books , and Hendrickson, and also from the book distributor Koorong.And it looks as though the good people at the Theological Book Network will also be supplying some books to Joey?s Missions Training Center. More About: Update
The Pope's Jesus: Gerd Lüdemann and Benedict XVI
2007-08-07 13:34:00 Gerd Lüdemann, Das Jesu s bild des Papstes: Über Joseph Ratzingers kühnen Umgang mit den Quellen (Springe: zu Klampen Verlag, 2007), 157 pp. (review copy courtesy of zu Klampen)Just months after Benedict X VI released Jesus of Nazareth, the New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann has produced this spirited book-length critique of ?the Pope?s Jesus.? Lüdemann writes both as a post-Christian who is deeply sceptical about the claims of church doctrine, and as a rigorous advocate of the historical-critical method. A central contrast between Benedict and Lüdemann thus lies in their respective attitudes towards the biblical texts: while Benedict approaches the texts with basic trust and theological commitment, Lüdemann insists that it is ?a blind alley? to privilege these texts and to assume that they are historically or theologically trustworthy (p. 23).Indeed, for Lüdemann it is precisely the integrity of the texts that is at stake in all this. For instance, against Benedict?s overtly christol...
More theology of kissing
2007-08-07 00:51:00 Last year, we discussed the theology of kissing. The discussion has recently been revived ? Cynthia offers some classical and jazz variations on the theme, and Sci Fi Catholic offers some kisses from science fiction.So it looks like we should also do a little more kissing around here. I haven?t written any new ones myself, but here are some of the highlights from readers? comments on the original post:Kierkegaard: In a land where everyone kisses, nothing is a kiss.Marcus Borg: I?d like to kiss you again, for the first time.The Anselmian Kiss: The kiss than which none greater can be conceived.Jonathan Edwards: ?Tis nothing but the mere pleasure of God, yea, his mere arbitrary will alone, that alloweth a miserable creature like thee the pleasure of kissing for one moment.Walter Brueggemann: There is the kiss and the counterkiss, and if one wins, we both lose.Gerhard Forde: Before kissing, we must first make a couple of moves.Meister Eckhart: I kiss God and God kisses me. We kiss with ... More About: Theology , Kissing , Ology , Theo
Remembering Jesus: Benedict XVI and James D. G. Dunn
2007-08-05 04:28:00 In his masterful work, Jesus Remembered (Eerdmans, 2003), James D. G. Dunn observes that the Gospels give us access not directly to Jesus himself, but to memories of Jesus. And he suggests that ?it is precisely the process of ?remembering? which fuses the horizons of past and present, by making the past present again? (p. 130).Similarly, Benedict X VI?s new book, Jesus of Nazareth (Doubleday, 2007), emphasises the disciples? remembrance of Jesus. And Benedict rightly notes that this memory is shaped and structured ? or, to be more precise, ?inspired? ? by faith in the resurrection: ?the Evangelist tells us that after the Resurrection the disciples? eyes were opened and they were able to understand what had happened. Now [for the first time!] they ?remember??. The Resurrection teaches us a new way of seeing; it uncovers the connection between the words of the Prophets and the destiny of Jesus. It evokes ?remembrance?, that is, it makes it possible to enter into the interiority of the ... More About: Ames
The impact of a sentence
2007-08-03 09:10:00 Following our discussion of the influence of essays, Aaron reflects on the influence of a sentence. He?s right, too: at times, a single sentence can have a tremendous and lasting impact.For me, the most influential theological sentence is probably this one, by Karl Barth: ?one can not speak of God simply by speaking of man in a loud voice.? More About: Sentence
Theology with J. K. Rowling
2007-08-02 14:09:00 The new Harry Potter novel is not only a damn good story (the best of the series), it?s also a book of extraordinary theological insight. At some points, it almost passes over into theological allegory ? and it?s pretty robust theology, too. (Perhaps the book is itself a divine judgment on all those lunatic Christians who have complained about the ?occultism? of Harry Potter!) Anyway, I?d be interested to know what others think about the book?s theological dimension. Spoiler warning: don?t read these comments if you haven?t finished the book yet! More About: Theology , Rowling , Ology , Theo
The influence of essays
2007-08-01 12:34:00 Sometimes a single essay can change your life. You sit down in a lazy moment to read it ? you?re not expecting much. But half an hour later, your entire world has been altered. You?ve got new eyes, and you?re never able to look at things in quite the same way again.At times, the entire landscape of theological studies can be altered in this way by a single essay. Some examples that spring to mind are:Karl Barth, ?The Word of God and the Task of the Ministry? (1922)Gerhard von Rad, ?The Theological Problem of the Old Testament Doctrine of Creation? (1936)Rudolf Bultmann, ?New Testament and Mythology? (1941)Gerhard Ebeling, ?The Significance of the Critical Historical Method for Church and Theology in Protestantism? (1950)Ernst Käsemann, ?The Problem of the Historical Jesus? (1954)Wolfhart Pannenberg, ?Redemptive Event and History? (1959)Karl Rahner, ?Remarks on the Dogmatic Treatise De Trinitate? (1960)And if you were to look for recent examples, you might think of Rowan Williams, ?T... More About: Essays , Influence
Why I love Schillebeeckx
2007-07-31 09:22:00 Among modern Catholic theologians, there?s no one I like better than Edward Schillebeeckx. I pay visits to Rahner and Balthasar and Ratzinger, but I come home to Schillebeeckx.Why do I love Schillebeeckx? There are many reasons. His whole theology is derived from a direct wrestling with the biblical texts. He has the most extraordinary way of perceiving exactly what Christian faith and practice really mean, what they really demand. In contrast both to unthinking conservatisms and sentimental progressivisms, he develops a profound and unflinching christological revision which issues in a rigorous and tough-minded theology of liberation.Besides that, he also has the most delightfully cumbersome name in the entire history of theology ? his full name is Edward Cornelis Florentius Alfonsus Schillebeeckx (and, as a novice of the Dominican Order, he added Henricus as an additional name). No one with fewer names could have written such enormous books, or written so many.Anyway, here?s a quo... More About: Love
Denkwürdiges Geheimnis: Festschrift for Eberhard Jüngel
2007-07-29 08:13:00 Ingolf U. Dalferth, Johannes Fischer, and Hans-Peter Großhans (eds.), Denkwürdiges Geheimnis: Beiträge zur Gotteslehre: Festschrift für Eberhard Jüngel zum 70. Geburtstag (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2004), 653 pp. (review copy courtesy of Mohr Siebeck)This extraordinary collection of essays was presented to the Tübingen theologian Eberhard Jüngel on his 70th birthday. For the past four decades, Jüngel has distinguished himself as one of the world?s leading dogmatic theologians, and as the most brilliant and creative of all Karl Barth?s pupils.In their foreword, the editors offer a succinct and acute summary of the central themes of Jüngel?s theology. More than any other theologian, Jüngel ?placed God ?s advent at the centre of his thought. Since God comes, we must speak of him and we can think him. Without God?s advent, there would be no faith, the Christian would have nothing to say, and Christian theology could not think any truth? (p. ix).Although God comes always ?from himself, to h...
Update on the friendly appeal
2007-07-28 08:10:00 Thanks to all of you who have contributed to our friendly appeal for Joey. Together, we?ve raised US$152.93, which Joey will use to buy some very nice theology books ? I?ll list the titles here once he has made his order.Meanwhile, it has been a delight to see so many leading publishers getting involved in this appeal. Joey will be receiving some fantastic donations from T&T Clark, Cascade Books, Baker Academic, IVP Academic, and Hendrickson.Within the next few days, I?ll post the details here of all Joey?s new books. In the mean time, just to whet your appetite, here are the works which IVP will be generously donating:Donald Bloesch, Christian Foundations series (7 vols.) Christopher Wright, The Mission of God John Corrie, ed., Dictionary of Mission Theology (this will be sent when it?s released in November)Thanks again to all those who have gotten involved ? stay tuned for the next update! More About: Update , Friendly , Appeal
A very short dogmatics: eight theses
2007-07-27 16:08:00 ?Father!? The whole of Jesus? life, together with his death, is expressed in that one word. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the Father?s reply: ?Son!?The breath by which these words are uttered is the Spirit.The Holy Trinity is the occurrence of this discourse, the history enacted in these utterances.The creation is the free and surprising opening-up of space and time by this divine discourse.The church is the community enfolded in this discourse, swept up in the breath of these utterances.The final consummation is the animation of all creatures by the breath of this discourse.All Christian speech and action therefore begin and end with the same word: ?Father!? More About: Short , Eight , These , Dogma
Slavoj ?i?ek as theologian
2007-07-27 00:25:00 In my struggle to make sense of the entertaining but baffling thinker, Slavoj ?i?ek, I?ve been reading several articles in the new International Journal of ?i?ek Studies.One of the essays by my friend Scott Stephens offers a helpful account of the central theme of ?i?ek?s work. In this essay, ??i?ek, My Neighbour: Regarding Jodi Dean?s ?i?ek's Politics,? International Journal of ?i?ek Studies 1:1 (2007), Scott characterises ?i?ek as the quintessential theologian of global capitalism.?[T]he theological dimension of Capital is the fundamental determinant of ?i?ek?s work, the inert mass around which his entire conceptual apparatus orbits. The planetary metaphor here is not, in fact, entirely inappropriate. For as Jacques Lacan put it, the Real ? the immutable is-ness of reality as such ? is, like the stars, always-in-the-same-position (toujours à la même place). When ?i?ek states unequivocally that Capital is Real, he is making a serious claim about the ontology of our global situatio... More About: Logi , Theo , Theologian
And the winner is...
2007-07-26 09:17:00 The votes are in, and our friend Ann Chapin is the deserving winner of the Barth poetry contest! In second place was David Wright?s beautiful poem on Barth and Bonhoeffer. More About: Winner
A little Spanish theology, anyone?
2007-07-26 09:09:00 I?ve been talking lately with José Luis Avendaño, a Lutheran theologian from Chile who is currently working with Latino immigrants in the United States. As a resource for Hispanic theological education, José is writing a small book (in Span ish ) on Christian doctrine ? and he?s interested in getting some feedback on the work. So if you read Spanish, and if you?d like to see a sample chapter of this book, please email me so that I can put you in touch with José.Meanwhile, here?s an excerpt from an English-language talk which José recently gave on the mission of the church:The church has generally presented two perspectives on the Christian mission: on the one hand, there is a presentation of the gospel which only encompasses the spiritual dimension of the people; and on the other hand, a presentation with an almost exclusive focus on the social dimension. In the first perspective, it is thought that the church?s only mission is to save the individual souls of people and to make them u... More About: Theology , Ology , Litt
More on the friendly appeal
2007-07-26 00:39:00 If you haven?t yet contributed to our friendly appeal for Joey, there are still a few days left ? and every dollar counts! Meanwhile, I?m delighted to say that some leading theology publishers ? T&T Clark, Cascade Books, and Baker Academic ? have also offered to support this appeal by donating books to Joey. If any other publishers or book distributors would like to get involved, just send me an email. More About: Friendly , Appeal
Is God a story?
More articles from this author:2007-07-25 09:11:00 A new book has just landed on my desk, and it looks remarkable: Francesca Aran Murphy, God Is Not a Story : Realism Revisited (Oxford University Press, 2007). The author offers a critique of narrative theology ? especially in the work of Frei, Lindbeck, Herbert McCabe, and Robert W. Jenson ? and she draws on Hegel, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and film theory to present a new ?dramatic? form of Thomist realism. Sounds fantastic! Stay tuned for a review. More About: Tory 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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