Formerly God : Rethinking God after God

Abstract

God is and remains a meaningful term, even after “the death of God,” but its meaning is by no means clear or unambiguous. Clearly and with a broad perspective, this book challenges classical theology with the criticism that “onto-theology” is no longer possible today and shows in what drastically changed way it might “survive.” It shows how the academic theological conversation about God after God has developed over time and in different places. This book begins with the controversial work of Dutch theologian Harry Kuitert, who bid farewell to old representations of God but got stuck finding new ones. It turns back to the important and indispensable insights of Hegel and Heidegger. It presents contemporary post-theistic thinking about God, using German, French, and American thinkers, distinguishing interpretive theologians, deconstructionists, and constructive theologians, finally formulating a new position.