God and Modernity: A New and Better Way to Do Theology

Andrew Shanks

Psychology Press, 2000 - Religion - 187 pages

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.

Contents

• The promise of new social movements: 1
• Theology: 14
• Three stages of modernity?: 18
• A second Axial Period?: 25
• Arguments for calendarreform: 29
• Beyond metaphysics: 34
• Postmetaphysical faith: 42
• Expressivism and individuality in new social movements: 65
• do the failures of second modernity really compel us to go backwards?: 90
• against a theology without absolutes: 108
• A new covenant?: 118
• Islamic civil society: 129
• Holy Catholic and Apostolic: 140
• Discourse ethics and religion: 147

About the author

Andrew Shanks is a priest in the Church of England, currently working for the diocese of York. He is also the author of Hegel's Political Theology and Civil Society, Civil Religion.

Bibliographic information

• Title: God and Modernity: A New and Better Way to Do Theology; God and Modernity: A New and Better Way to Do Theology, Andrew Shanks
• Author: Andrew Shanks
• Publisher: Psychology Press, 2000
• ISBN: 0415221889, 9780415221887
• Length: 187 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Christian Theology / General; Religion / Christianity / General; Religion / General; Religion / Theology