The End of Theology
by Carl A. Raschke
Book Description:
Publication of The Alchemy of the Word in 1979 brought the deconstructive
philosophy of Jacques Derrida into the arena of theological discourse and marked
the end of theology as it had been understood by many. This work, revised and
reissued as The End of Theology, is an important contribution to
understanding the possibilities of a creative postmodern secular theology.
The first chapter examines the aims and the shortcomings of language analysis as used in the examination of religious and theological statements. The second chapter investigates the broader spectrum of modern theories about the nature of language. The third chapter recapitulates the rudiments of Heidegger's thought. The fourth chapter moves out of Heidegger and toward a resolution of the problems of meaning and interpretation in proposing a "radical hermeneutics." The fifth chapter discusses the way in which a radical hermeneutics must undermine conventional theological procedures and secure a view of religious speech that is prior to "God-language" or to the "Word of God." Such a view is directed to what Heidegger takes as the "originary" logos that is both a pre-Christian and a post-Christian context of "revelation." The final chapter criticizes Heidegger's own "mystifications" about language and endeavors to take his thought one major step beyond.
Author Biography: Carl Raschke is professor of religious studies at the University of Denver and senior editor of the Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory. His major books include The End of Theology, Fire and Roses: Postmod-ernity and the Thought of the Body, The Engendering God, Painted Black, and Theological Thinking.
Editorial Reviews:
 | "Carl Raschke's writings are always
insightful and provocative. His clear understanding of critical
philosophical issues lends his theological reflections and cultural analyses
unusual depth..." -Mark C. Taylor, author of Erring: a Postmodern A/Theology |
| "Raschke's ability to analyze,
interrogate, and interpret complex philosophical thinking opens up theology
to an experience of 'otherness' that is outside and beyond traditional
thinking." -Charles E. Winquist, author of Desiring Theology and Epiphanies of Darkness |
| "Lucid and acute, it is a book that
challenges us to think more deeply and to live a little closer to the
edge." -Kevin Hart, author of Trespass of the Sign: Deconstruction, Theology, and Philosophy |