Deconstruction and Theology

200 Pages·1982·13.593 MB·English

by  Thomas J. J. Altizer

De-
construction
^Theology
Thomas
J.J. Altizer
Max A. Myers
Carl A. Raschke
Robert R Scharlemann
Mark C. Taylor
Charles E. Winquist
DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY
RD1130 7S3Sfl
construction
&Tlieology
"Deconstruction" is an intellectual
movement which, having caused
widespread upheavals in the world of
philosophy and literary criticism, now
promises to set offthe mostvigorous
debate among theologians since the
death-of-God controversy in the mid-
Sixties. In fact, deconstruction shares
with the earlier "Cod is dead" move-
ment the same sourceofinspiration in
the thought and style of Friedrich
Nietzsche. As Carl A. Raschke in his
introduction to this book succinctly
states it. "Deconstruction is the death
ofCod put into writing." Thus decon-
struction does not represent simply
another theological fad comparable
to those which have so promis-
cuously and uncritically cropped up
during the past two decades. Decon-
struction, the present book contends,
amounts to "the end of theology." It
is an apocalyptic closure to an epoch
of familiar pieties and conventional
theological undertakings.
The present-day movement of
deconstruction stems from the chal-
lenging and polyvalent philosophic
achievement of )acques Derrida: it
draws heavily on the interpretations
of history and society of Michel Fou-
cault: and lastly, it is indebted to the
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230 D358
Deconstructi
°" and theology
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DENVER
PUBLIC LIBRARY
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Dei nstruction
Iheology
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Deconstruction
and Theolo
gy
THOMAS ALTIZER. MAX MYERS
A.
J. J.
CARL A.RASCHKE ROBERT SCHARLEMANN
• P.
MARK C TAYLOR CHARLES WINQUIST
• E.
DENVER
i^SLIC LIBRARY
FEB
1983
CROSSROAD NEW YORK
.
RQ1130 75356
To Yog Satoth
230 D358
^^^^"st'^^ction and theology
1982
The Crossroad Publishing Company
575 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Copyright © 1982 by The Crossroad Publishing Company
Allrights reserved. Nopartofthis bookmay bereproduced,
stored inaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted, in any form orby
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without the written permission ofThe Cross-
road PublishingCompany.
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGINGIN PUBLICATIONDATA
Main entry under title:
Deconstruction and theology.
— —
1. Theology 20th century Addresses, essays,
lectures. I. Altizer, ThomasJ.J.
BT28.D38 230 82-1377
ISBN 0-8245-0475-5 AACR2
ISBN 0-8245-0412-7 (pbk.)
Contents
Preface / CARL A. RASCHKE vii
1 The Deconstruction ofGod 1
Carl A. Raschke
2 Body, Text, and Imagination 34
Charles E. Winquist
3 Text as Victim 58
Mark C. Taylor
4 The Being ofGod When God Is Not Being God:
Deconstructing the History ofTheism 79
Robert P. Scharlemann
5 Toward What Is Religious Thinking Underway? 109
Max a. Myers
6 History as Apocalypse 147
Thomas Altizer
J. J.
Contributors 178
We knowers are unknown to ourselves, and for agood
reason: how can we ever hope to find what we have
never looked for?
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE