The Critique of Theological Reason

This book outlines a philosophically viable theology for the postmodern age.

James P. Mackey (Author)

9780521169233, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 3 March 2011

340 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.5 kg

Review of the hardback: 'Mackey paints on a large canvas with a rich and varied palette. If mind and reality have indeed gone missing from recent philosophy, Mackey's application of theological reason offers beguiling pointers to their restoration.' John Saxbee, Church Times

Far from merely reinvigorating relativism, postmodernism has detected and expressed in our time a powerful nihilating process of which truth and reality itself are the final casualties; and with these morality and religion. Beginning from the theological reaches of philosophy, this book argues that gods played a crucial part in modern philosophy, even when it was most critical of them; that the dominant nihilism of Derrida is really an excessive and misleading outcome of a contemporary philosophy which could otherwise resonate with all that is best in our evolutionary image of the universe; that moralists who turn to art in order to overcome the fact–value version of this deadly dualism do not thereby rule out religion; and that a Christian theology which recognises the evolutionary and historical conditions of faith and revelation is once again producing a theology that builds upon the best of contemporary philosophy and science.

Part I. Historical-Critical: Prologue
1. The status quo: genesis
2. The status quo: current affairs
3. Beginnings: old and new
Part II. Critical-Constructive: Prologue
4. Morality and metaphysics
5. Art and the role of revelation
6. Revelation, religion and theology
Epilogue
Index.

Subject Areas: Christian theology [HRCM]