God History And Dialectic

This book argues for an integrative dialectic of faith and history. It is a fresh examination of the problem of faith and history. Instead of being a mere liability, it is argued here that the strength of the Christian faith is its historicity. Although modern thought was not always friendly to Christian faith because of its deeply embedded dualism, it raised the critical intellectual issues that Christian theology needed to address. Advancing a more critical understanding of the nature of history than modern thought was generally able to achieve because of its dualistic thinking, this work argues for an integrative dialectic of historical probability and the certainty of faith. "This book gives a comprehensive and fascinating account of the development of the idea of history in correspondence to changing conceptions of the divine reality, from its origin in Ancient Israel and in Greece all the way to the contemporary discussion. It focuses on the rise of critical historical investigation in modern times and on the struggle of modern theology to come to terms with it. It is an important contribution to this discussion. The split between fact and meaning is persuasively identified as a main obstacle and it is shown to be overcome in the reconstruction of history in the light of the eschatological future. Also very helpful is the final chapter on time (space-time) and eternity with its emphasis on Boethius and with its critical remarks on nontrinitarian theistic notions of a personal God." --Wolfhart Pannenberg, University of Munich

In this challenging work Robert M. Doran explores the basis of systematic theology in consciousness, and goes on to consider the practical role of such theology in establishing and fostering communities with an authentic way of life. This way of life would counteract the distortions and deformations of humanity that are exemplified by both late capitalism and Marxism. Theology positions and interpretations today, argues Doran, must be stated in the categories of a theory of history. The first part of the book outlines the horizon required for such categories. The second,, third, and fourth parts incrementally derive the categories expressing a theory of history in terms of the reciprocal relations among subjects, cultures, and social structures. The final part, on hermeneutics, oresents an argument for the pertinence of what has preceded for interpreting the words and deeds of others. Doran draws extensively on the thought of Bernard Lonergan, and the work develops Lonergan's methodological insights. It issues a call to persona; genuineness and authenticity, informed by religious, moral, intellectual, affective, and psychic 'conversions,' by 'interior' differentiation of one's consciousness, and by Christian faith, on the parts of theologians who aspire to arrest effectively the course of cultural decline.

Doran draws extensively on the thought of Bernard Lonergan, and the work develops Lonergan's methodological insights.

A militant Marxist atheist and a “Radical Orthodox” Christian theologian square off on everything from the meaning of theology and Christ to the war machine of corporate mafia. “What matters is not so much that Žižek is endorsing a demythologized, disenchanted Christianity without transcendence, as that he is offering in the end (despite what he sometimes claims) a heterodox version of Christian belief.”—John Milbank “To put it even more bluntly, my claim is that it is Milbank who is effectively guilty of heterodoxy, ultimately of a regression to paganism: in my atheism, I am more Christian than Milbank.”—Slavoj Žižek In this corner, philosopher Slavoj Žižek, a militant atheist who represents the critical-materialist stance against religion's illusions; in the other corner, “Radical Orthodox” theologian John Milbank, an influential and provocative thinker who argues that theology is the only foundation upon which knowledge, politics, and ethics can stand. In The Monstrosity of Christ, Žižek and Milbank go head to head for three rounds, employing an impressive arsenal of moves to advance their positions and press their respective advantages. By the closing bell, they have not only proven themselves worthy adversaries, they have shown that faith and reason are not simply and intractably opposed. Žižek has long been interested in the emancipatory potential offered by Christian theology. And Milbank, seeing global capitalism as the new century's greatest ethical challenge, has pushed his own ontology in more political and materialist directions. Their debate in The Monstrosity of Christ concerns the future of religion, secularity, and political hope in light of a monsterful event—God becoming human. For the first time since Žižek's turn toward theology, we have a true debate between an atheist and a theologian about the very meaning of theology, Christ, the Church, the Holy Ghost, Universality, and the foundations of logic. The result goes far beyond the popularized atheist/theist point/counterpoint of recent books by Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and others. Žižek begins, and Milbank answers, countering dialectics with “paradox.” The debate centers on the nature of and relation between paradox and parallax, between analogy and dialectics, between transcendent glory and liberation. Slavoj Žižek is a philosopher and cultural critic. He has published over thirty books, including Looking Awry, The Puppet and the Dwarf, and The Parallax View (these three published by the MIT Press). John Milbank is an influential Christian theologian and the author of Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason and other books. Creston Davis, who conceived of this encounter, studied under both Žižek and Milbank.

Parmenides and the History of Dialectic is a study of Greek philosophical method as it affects contemporary philosophical issues. What was distinctive about the method of Parmenides, the inventor of philosophical argument as we know it? How did Parmenides' method affect Plato's dialectic, which was supposed to provide the solution to all ultimate philosophical problems? How, in turn, did Plato influence Hegel and our subsequent tradition?There are many studies of Parmenides' text, its philosophical content, and its influence. This study aims to do something different, to look at the form of the argument, the scope of its positive and negative language, the balanced structure its author generates, and the clear parallels with Plato's Parmenides.