The postsecular and systematic theology: reflections on Kearney and Nancy

The concept of the postsecular is a challenge to systematic theological thought, as it points to some context where the opposition between the religious and the secular, or between theism and atheism, is weakened or even surpassed. In this perspective, the postsecular is not about the visibility of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Benjamins, Hendrik S. 1964- (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis [2015]
In: International journal of philosophy and theology
Year: 2015, Volume: 76, Issue: 2, Pages: 116-128
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Post-secularism / Kearney, Richard 1954- / Nancy, Jean-Luc 1940-2021 / Atheism
IxTheo Classification:AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism
NAA Systematic theology
NBE Anthropology
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:The concept of the postsecular is a challenge to systematic theological thought, as it points to some context where the opposition between the religious and the secular, or between theism and atheism, is weakened or even surpassed. In this perspective, the postsecular is not about the visibility of religion in the public sphere, but about the way in which we interpret ourselves in the world in order to find orientation and fulfillment. In a postsecular context, religious perspectives and secularist outlooks are no longer opposed of necessity, but draw on a common religious and secular heritage. In this article, Richard Kearney’s Anatheism and Jean-Luc Nancy’s The Deconstruction of Christianity are presented as exemplifications of postsecular thought that may open up new perspectives to systematic theology. In different ways, Kearney and Nancy reflect on a transcendent dimension in our experience or in the world, which is beyond the secular. Yet they distinguish themselves due to a religious transcendence-oriented approach and a secularist world-oriented approach, which shows that the opposition between the religious and the secular may be weakened, but the demarcations between the two still have their impact.
ISSN:2169-2327
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal of philosophy and theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/21692327.2015.1067828