|
Showing 1 - 16 of
16 matches in All Departments
True theodicy is partly a theoretical corrective to evangelistic
impatience: discounting the distortions arising from over-eager
salesmanship. And partly it is a work of poetic intensification,
dedicated to faith's necessary struggle against resentment. This
book contains a systematic survey of the classic
theoretical-corrective theodicy tradition initiated, in the early
Seventeenth Century, by Jakob Boehme. Two centuries later, Boehme's
lyrical thought is translated into rigorous philosophical terms by
Schelling; and is, then, further, set in context by Hegel's
doctrine of providence at work in world history. The old 'God' of
mere evangelistic impatience is, as Hegel sees things, 'dead'. And
so theodicy is liberated, to play its proper role: illustrated here
with particular reference to the book of Job, the post-Holocaust
poetry of Nelly Sachs, and the thought of Simone Weil. A boldly
polemical study, this book is a bid to re-ignite debate on the
whole topic of theodicy. As such, it will be of great interest to
scholars in religious studies, theology and philosophy.
The thought of G. W. F. Hegel (1770--1831) haunts the world of
theology. Constantly misunderstood, and often maliciously
misrepresented, Hegel nevertheless will not go away. Perhaps no
other thinker in Christian tradition has more radically sought to
think through the requirements of perfect open-mindedness,
identified as the very essence of the truly sacred. This book is
not simply an interpretation of Hegel. Rather, it belongs to an
attempt, so far as possible, to re-do for today something
comparable to what Hegel did for his day. Divine revelation is
on-going: never before has any generation been as well positioned
as we are now, potentially to comprehend the deepest truth of the
gospel. So Hegel argued, of his own day. And so this book also
argues, of today. It is an attempt to indicate, in Trinitarian
form, the most fundamentally significant ways in which that is the
case. Thus, it opens towards a systematic understanding of the
history of Christian truth, essentially as an ever-expanding medium
for the authentic divine spirit of openness.
In a culture where institutional religion is in decline there is a pressing need for new theological strategies. Andrew Shanks argues for a fresh 'theological poetics', providing an eloquent first step towards meeting these needs and an alternative strategy for reconciling Christian theology with poetic truth.
In a culture where institutional religion is in decline there is a pressing need for new theological strategies. Andrew Shanks argues for a fresh 'theological poetics', providing an eloquent first step towards meeting these needs and an alternative strategy for reconciling Christian theology with poetic truth.
For the past four hundred years, theological debate has been dominated by a fundamental divide: between the liberals, with strong loyalties to the secularity of the secular state and university on the one hand, and the neo-orthodox, insisting on the absolute priority of a proper loyalty to the church community itself, on the other. God and Modernity strikes off in a fundamentally new directionAndrew Shanks boldly calls for a new and better way to do theology. Shanks argues that God is most present in a culture where public debate over ethical issues flourishes best. Social movements such as feminist movements, peace movements, and green movements have emerged to challenge both Church and State. These new movements are no longer confined to a particular confessional religious identity and are independent of state sponsorship. These social movements already made an individual impact on theology. What would a theology look like, systematically trying to reconcile older divisions in the theological debate with a new loyalty to such movements common ethos? Anyone wishing to gain a refreshing insight into a new way of understanding theology and politics will welcome this ground-breaking book.
The thought of G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) haunts the world of
theology. Constantly misunderstood, and often maliciously
misrepresented, Hegel nevertheless will not go away. Perhaps no
other thinker in Christian tradition has more radically sought to
think through the requirements of perfect open-mindedness,
identified as the very essence of the truly sacred. This book is
not simply an interpretation of Hegel. Rather, it belongs to an
attempt, so far as possible, to re-do for today something
comparable to what Hegel did for his day. Divine revelation is
on-going: never before has any generation been as well positioned
as we are now, potentially to comprehend the deepest truth of the
gospel. So Hegel argued, of his own day. And so this book also
argues, of today. It is an attempt to indicate, in Trinitarian
form, the most fundamentally significant ways in which that is the
case. Thus, it opens towards a systematic understanding of the
history of Christian truth, essentially as an ever-expanding medium
for the authentic divine spirit of openness.
How, if at all, is religious faith 'true'? The starting point for
this book is that traditional Christian theology overvalues the
importance of 'correctness'. What really counts far more is
'Honesty'. Not just sincerity or frankness, but Honesty in the
sense of a sheer openness to the other. A set of skills, Andrew
Shanks argues, which the church has very much still to learn. True
faith in God is faith in Honesty. But theological Honesty has three
faces. It stands equally opposed to banality, manipulation, the
mere disowning of history. This book thus presents a whole new
approach to the doctrine of the Trinity. A fresh stimulus to
theological debate at academic, student and more popular levels.
True theodicy is partly a theoretical corrective to evangelistic
impatience: discounting the distortions arising from over-eager
salesmanship. And partly it is a work of poetic intensification,
dedicated to faith's necessary struggle against resentment. This
book contains a systematic survey of the classic
theoretical-corrective theodicy tradition initiated, in the early
Seventeenth Century, by Jakob Boehme. Two centuries later, Boehme's
lyrical thought is translated into rigorous philosophical terms by
Schelling; and is, then, further, set in context by Hegel's
doctrine of providence at work in world history. The old 'God' of
mere evangelistic impatience is, as Hegel sees things, 'dead'. And
so theodicy is liberated, to play its proper role: illustrated here
with particular reference to the book of Job, the post-Holocaust
poetry of Nelly Sachs, and the thought of Simone Weil. A boldly
polemical study, this book is a bid to re-ignite debate on the
whole topic of theodicy. As such, it will be of great interest to
scholars in religious studies, theology and philosophy.
In Anglicanism Reimagined Andrew Shanks challenges all who are
tempted to erect boundaries around their faith. Far more important
than dogma and metaphysics, he argues, is the need to be open to
all, and to engage with people who hold views at odds with our own.
He shows how a commitment to this ideal can create fresh energy and
new ways forward for the Church.
The Jewish poet Nelly Sachs (1891–1970) writes in direct response
to the Holocaust. She is uniquely a 'prophetic' poet, one of the
greatest of that species in twentieth century. Her first book
appeared in the immediate wake of the Second World War, in 1946.
Since that time, Hans Magnus Enzensberger declared, 'she has been
writing fundamentally a single book'. That book is represented in
this volume which reveals her whole progression rendered into
English. Unlike earlier translators, Andrew Shanks calls his
versions 'translations/imitations', moving away from the doggedly
literal to render more faithfully the sense and intention of the
originals. Sachs escaped Berlin in May 1940. She found refuge in
Sweden. Her major work is an evolving response to the trauma of the
Holocaust. In 1966 she received the Nobel Prize for Literature.
This book includes all the lyric poetry Sachs published in her
lifetime and adds the posthumous collection Teile dich Nacht, an
introductory essay, and notes. Her poetry begins as a monumental
lament for the victims of the Holocaust. Other themes develop:
biblical, Kabbalist and religious allusions, personal bereavement,
mental breakdown. And there are reflections on poetic vocation in
the darkness of recent history.
Gillian Rose (1947-95) was arguably the most original and
significant recent philosopher of the Continental tradition in the
English-speaking world. Originally from a secular Jewish
background, her thought evolved towards deeper sympathy for both
Jewish and Christian religious tradition. And she chose to be
baptized on her deathbed. Struck down by cancer in the prime of her
career, she is known for her lyrical memoir Love's Work, written
during her final illness. But she was also a notable critic of
prevalent philosophic and theological fashions: postmodernism,
'Holocaust piety', Radical Orthodoxy. This is the first systematic
study of Rose's profound, often difficult, but always
thought-provoking work as a whole. Starting from her baptism, it is
an attempt to interpret that final commitment of faith in the light
of her earlier thought. Above all: her testimony to the demands of
the 'broken middle', where thinking is most pulled apart but also
most alive. Andrew Shanks is the Canon Theologian of Manchester
Cathedral.Amongst his previous works are Faith in Honesty (2005)
and The Other Calling (2007). 'This book offers its readers
something that is urgently needed, a clear, lively and readable
'way in' to the difficult, but fascinating writings of Gillian
Rose, one of the most dauntingly original and significant social
critics and thinkers of our time. Her seemingly unaccountable and
yet, at a deeper level, profoundly consistent spiritual and
intellectual journey now appears to be of the greatest importance
to all of us.' The Rt Revd Simon Barrington-Ward, former Bishop of
Coventry 'Gillian Rose admired 'Miss Marple' amongst a multitude of
thinkers from an astonishing range of sources. Her own truly
formidable intelligence displayed itself in writings which Andrew
Shanks splendidly makes it possible for us to 'read'. He is rightly
concerned with her passion for sustaining long-term institutions
for those of profoundly different mind, more or less free of
delusions of innocence, and capable of negotiating unspeakable
memories. The very intensity of her thinking brought her to 'hope
out of hell', to Christian faith, and to baptism on her death bed
from cancer in mid-career. Andrew Shanks shows us why we should
take her very seriously indeed.' Ann Loades, CBE, Professorial
Fellow St Chad's College, and Professor Emerita of Divinity,
University of Durham,
The term 'inter-faith' is a recent innovation in English that has
gained significant traction in the discussion of religious
diversity. This volume argues that the concept of faiths in the
plural is deeply problematic for Christian theology and proposes a
Hegelian alternative to the conventional bureaucratic notion of
inter-faith dialogue. Hegel pioneered the systematic study of
comparative religion. In line with Hegelian principle, Andrew
Shanks identifies faith as an inflection of the will towards
perfect truth-as-openness. In relation to other religious
traditions, this must involve the practice of a maximum xenophilia,
or love for the unfamiliar, understood as a core Christian virtue.
Shanks's neo-Hegelian theory recognises the potential for God's
work in all religious traditions, which may be seen as divine
experiments with human nature. This timely book discusses a wide
range of interreligious encounters and will be an essential
resource for studies in comparative theology and philosophy of
religion.
Hegel is a thinker who haunts modern Christian theology. Although
forever being refuted and rejected, he is also forever resurgent as
an influence. Andrew Shanks diagnoses that rejection, very largely,
as a defensive reaction against the sheer, troubling, prophetic
open-mindedness of his thought.
Hegel is a thinker who haunts modern Christian theology. Although
forever being refuted and rejected, he is also forever resurgent as
an influence. Here Andrew Shanks diagnoses that rejection, very
largely, as a defensive reaction against the sheer, troubling,
prophetic open-mindedness of his thought. No doubt there is some
justice to the charge that Hegel is religiously one-sided; in
particular, as this criticism has been developed by Kierkegaard
and, more recently, William Desmond. Against Desmond, however,
Shanks argues that the critique itself is no less one-sided. The
argument focuses especially on the dialectic of the Unhappy
Consciousness in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, seeking to open
up its relationship to recent developments in neuropsychology. Key
Hegelian terms are also retranslated, in a bid to minimise the
off-putting awkwardness of Hegel's jargon. What is at issue here
is, surely, the most explosive element in Hegel's thought as a
whole. And this is discussed not just as an item of intellectual
history, but, rather, very much as a still-living option.
This study begins with an examination of Milan Kundera's concept of
'kitsch', which is defined and investigated in his novel The
Unbearable Lightness of Being. The author here describes this
concept as 'the cliche which bonds the crowd together - the means
by which the thought control of the hierarchy or peer group is
dressed up, internalised, and rendered seductive'. Dr Shanks
relates kitsch and its dangers to the thought of Hegel, whom he
regards as a religious reformer wrestling with the issue at the
deepest level. What, he asks, is required to rescue the Christian
gospel from its pervasive corruption, which takes the form either
of ecclesiastical authoritarianism, or else a privatized,
'atomistic' spirituality? The author shows Hegel's answer to be
twofold. It involves, on the one hand, a decisive theological
re-evaluation of the secular political realm; and on the other, a
philosophical clarification of the inner truth of the Incarnation -
a strictly 'inclusive' christology. This book sets out to show the
centrality of such a practical concern to Hegel's systematic
theoretical enterprise as a whole.
This study attempts to grasp the continuing contemporary relevance of Hegel's political theology, which the author interprets as a uniquely radical critique of every sort of religious authoritarianism. By relating Milan Kundera's concept of "kitsch" to Hegel's thought, Dr. Shanks shows that Hegel's philosophy has important implications, and that it is still able to serve as a resource and an inspiration in modern times, an age in which "kitsch" is pervasive and damaging.
|
You may like...
Morbius
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, …
DVD
R179
Discovery Miles 1 790
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|