Gods after God

An Introduction to Contemporary Radical Theologies

By Richard Grigg

Subjects: Religion
Paperback : 9780791466407, 186 pages, June 2006
Hardcover : 9780791466391, 186 pages, January 2006

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Table of contents

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Immanent Be-ing: Mary Daly and Radical Feminist Theology
3. Language as Divine Milieu: Mark Taylor and Deconstruction
4. Sacred Nature: Ursula Goodenough, Donald Crosby, and Religious Naturalism
5. God and Pragmatism I: Sallie McFague’s Metaphorical Theology
6. God and Pragmatism II: Gordon Kaufman’s Project of Theological Construction
7. Christ and the Tao: Stephen Mitchell on Jesus as Zen Master
8. Gods and Goddesses: Naomi Goldenberg and a New Polytheism
9. The Future of Radical Theology
Notes
Bibliography
Index

An erudite but eminently readable guide to contemporary radical theologies.

Description

Gods after God provides an accessible introduction to a wide range of contemporary radical theologies. Radical theology can be defined as talk about the divine that rejects the notion of God as a supernatural personal consciousness who created the world and who intervenes in it to accomplish his purposes. In addition, radical theologies tend to reject the absolute authority of traditional sources of guidance such as the Bible and the tradition of a church. Richard Grigg demonstrates that there is a discernible stream of radical theologies beginning in the seventeenth century and continuing to the present. He explores a host of rich and lively contemporary radical religious positions, including the radical feminist theology of Mary Daly, the deconstructive theology of Mark C. Taylor, the religious naturalism of Ursula Goodenough and Donald Crosby, the pragmatist approaches of Sallie McFague and Gordon Kaufman, the Taoist interpretation of Jesus of Stephen Mitchell, and the feminist polytheism of Naomi Goldenberg. This in-depth examination asks, in unflinching terms, what challenges radical theologies face and whether they have a realistic chance of surviving in American society.

Richard Grigg is Professor and Department Chair of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Sacred Heart University. He is the author of many books, including Imaginary Christs: The Challenge of Christological Pluralism, also published by SUNY Press.