- Continental Philosophy, Eschatology and Apocalypticism, Early Christianity, Jacques Derrida, Philosophy Of Religion, Michel Foucault, and 24 moreDionysius the Areopagite, Temporality, Political Theology, History of Sexuality, Biopolitics, Secularization, Secularisms and Secularities, Secularism, Politics of Secularism, Atheism, History of Atheism, Ethics, Normative Ethics, Religious Ethics, Political Philosophy, Political Theory, Moral and Political Philosophy, Derrida, Critical Theory, Philosophy, Religion, The Humanities, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, and Cultural Studiesedit
- My research explores the role of religious traditions in debates over ethics, politics, and culture. To this end, I h... moreMy research explores the role of religious traditions in debates over ethics, politics, and culture. To this end, I have written on topics such as neoliberalism, sexuality, atheism, and the arts. My first book, Hope in a Secular Age, argues that an uncertain hope is required to sustain commitment of any kind: personal, political, or religious. I am working on my second book, which considers the link between miracles and democratic imagination.edit
This book argues that hope is the indispensable precondition of religious practice and secular politics. Against dogmatic complacency and despairing resignation, David Newheiser argues that hope sustains commitments that remain vulnerable... more
This book argues that hope is the indispensable precondition of religious practice and secular politics. Against dogmatic complacency and despairing resignation, David Newheiser argues that hope sustains commitments that remain vulnerable to disappointment. Since the discipline of hope is shared by believers and unbelievers alike, its persistence indicates that faith has a future in a secular age.
Drawing on premodern theology and postmodern theory, Newheiser shows that atheism and Christianity have more in common than they often acknowledge. Writing in a clear and engaging style, he develops a new reading of deconstruction and negative theology, arguing that (despite their differences) they share a self-critical hope. By retrieving texts and traditions that are rarely read together, this book offers a major intervention in debates over the place of religion in public life.
Drawing on premodern theology and postmodern theory, Newheiser shows that atheism and Christianity have more in common than they often acknowledge. Writing in a clear and engaging style, he develops a new reading of deconstruction and negative theology, arguing that (despite their differences) they share a self-critical hope. By retrieving texts and traditions that are rarely read together, this book offers a major intervention in debates over the place of religion in public life.
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The Varieties of Atheism reveals the diverse nonreligious experiences obscured by the combative intellectualism of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. In fact, contributors contend that narrowly defining atheism as the... more
The Varieties of Atheism reveals the diverse nonreligious experiences obscured by the combative intellectualism of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. In fact, contributors contend that narrowly defining atheism as the belief that there is no god misunderstands religious and nonreligious persons altogether. The essays show that, just as religion exceeds doctrine, atheism also encompasses every dimension of human life: from imagination and feeling to community and ethics. Contributors offer new, expansive perspectives on atheism’s diverse history and possible futures. By recovering lines of affinity and tension between particular atheists and particular religious traditions, this book paves the way for fruitful conversation between religious and non-religious people in our secular age.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Secular Humanism, Atheism, Theology, and 15 moreHistory of Religion, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Religion and Politics, Public Theology, Secularization, Political Theology, Politics of Secularism, History of Atheism, Secularisms and Secularities, Religious Studies, Secularism, New Atheism, Atheism/Secular Studies, and Modern Atheism
The essays engage classic Christian thought alongside literary and philosophical sources ranging from Pseudo-Dionysius and Dante to Karl Marx and Jacques Derrida. Building on the work of Denys Turner, they indicate that the boundary... more
The essays engage classic Christian thought alongside literary and philosophical sources ranging from Pseudo-Dionysius and Dante to Karl Marx and Jacques Derrida. Building on the work of Denys Turner, they indicate that the boundary between atheism and Christian thought is productively blurry. Instead of settling the stale dispute over whether religion is rationally justified, their work suggests instead that Christian life is an ethical and political practice impassioned by a God who transcends understanding.
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This introduction argues that Derrida's analysis in “Christianity and Secularization” undercuts two influential interpretations of his work. Some readers assimilate Derrida to an indeterminate “religion without religion” while others... more
This introduction argues that Derrida's analysis in “Christianity and Secularization” undercuts two influential interpretations of his work. Some readers assimilate Derrida to an indeterminate “religion without religion” while others claim that he represents a “radical atheism” that is opposed to religion as such. In contrast to the univocity of these readings, “Christianity and Secularization” clarifies Derrida’s unease and affinity with religious traditions: in the recognition that religion and secularization are unstable categories, Derrida draws constructively on particular religious traditions that he does not claim as his own.
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In this essay Derrida reflects, for the first time at length, on secularization as a historical process. Whereas his earlier writings on religion focus on Jewish and Christian authors who blur the boundaries of religious belonging, this... more
In this essay Derrida reflects, for the first time at length, on secularization as a historical process. Whereas his earlier writings on religion focus on Jewish and Christian authors who blur the boundaries of religious belonging, this essay directly questions the categories of religion and secularization. Against this background, Derrida revisits the work of Kant, Voltaire, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, and he reflects on his own engagement with messianism, negative theology, and the khôra.
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We articulate a holistic understanding of hope, going beyond the common conceptualization of hope in terms of positive affect and cognition by considering what hope means for the underprivileged. In the recognition that hope is always... more
We articulate a holistic understanding of hope, going beyond the common conceptualization of hope in terms of positive affect and cognition by considering what hope means for the underprivileged. In the recognition that hope is always situated in a particular place, we explore the perspective of the privileged and the underprivileged, clarifying how spatial contexts shape their goals for the future and their agency toward attaining these goals. Where some people experience precarity due to their disability, race, gender, sexuality, and social class, others enjoy enhanced agency due to their privilege. In our analysis, this loss of agency does not mean the underprivileged are hopeless; instead, it suggests that hope can incorporate negative affect and cognition. In our view, a spatial understanding acknowledges the power of hope in discouraging situations, and it points to practical measures through which hope can be cultivated by marginalized communities.
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This introduction argues that defining atheism narrowly in terms of belief makes it into an abstraction that misrepresents atheism as it actually exists. To this end, I develop a brief genealogy of atheism - from the premodern period into... more
This introduction argues that defining atheism narrowly in terms of belief makes it into an abstraction that misrepresents atheism as it actually exists. To this end, I develop a brief genealogy of atheism - from the premodern period into the present - which indicates that atheism has encompassed ethical commitments, political aims, and emotional experiences. This expanded understanding opens the possibility of a complex conversation between particular forms of atheism and particular religious traditions - which is the possibility that this collection explores.
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Is hope reasonable or necessary? In my reading, the messianic hope Derrida describes is not antithetical to reason, but it is not constrained by it either. For him, messianism carries the critical force associated with the unforeseeable... more
Is hope reasonable or necessary? In my reading, the messianic hope Derrida describes is not antithetical to reason, but it is not constrained by it either. For him, messianism carries the critical force associated with the unforeseeable future to come, but at the same time it stands in tension with particular hopes for the future (which we can’t do without). This suggests that hope is an extra-rational capacity that concerns the will rather than the intellect or emotion. Hope’s contingency is the source of its power, for it points beyond the limits of what we ourselves can see.
Research Interests: Atheism, Theology, Political Theory, Secularization, Jacques Derrida, and 13 morePolitical Theology, Structuralism/Post-Structuralism, Psychology of Hope, Derridean Deconstruction, Negative Theology, Secularisms and Secularities, Messianism, Jewish Messianism, Derrida, Jacques Derrida & Deconstruction, Trauma, Secularism, and Atheism/Secular Studies
Over the last year, many of us have found our hope to be tested. In this context, I think theoretical reflection can clarify the resilience required to acknowledge and address the challenges we face, both personal and political. Because... more
Over the last year, many of us have found our hope to be tested. In this context, I think theoretical reflection can clarify the resilience required to acknowledge and address the challenges we face, both personal and political. Because that is the aim of my book, I am grateful for these responses from four readers whose work I admire. Although their comments diverge in important ways, they constellate around a question that I see as central: how does hope become concrete?
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Religion and Politics, Continental Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Religious Ethics, and 13 moreJacques Derrida, Politics and Religion, Political Theology, Negative Theology, Pseudo-Dionysius, Derrida, Jacques Derrida & Deconstruction, Dionysius the Areopagite, Religious Studies, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies, Medieval Political Theology, and Theology of Hope
Because there is a lot of myself in this book, I am grateful to receive such thoughtful responses from Victor Emma-Adamah, Joeri Schrijvers, and Calvin Ullrich. Their reflections help me to see what's in the book in a new way, and the... more
Because there is a lot of myself in this book, I am grateful to receive such thoughtful responses from Victor Emma-Adamah, Joeri Schrijvers, and Calvin Ullrich. Their reflections help me to see what's in the book in a new way, and the questions they pose allow me to find a new angle on issues I have been thinking about for some time. I am conscious that this brief response will not do justice to their rich reflections, but I am glad for the chance to think further about questions that we share in common. One of the main aims of my book is to show that religious and irreligious communities share more in common than it might seem. Where some commentators claim that religion and the secular are mutually exclusive, I argue that Jacques Derrida and Dionysius the Areopagite share a hope that is identical in kind (though not in content). Although Derrida is an atheist (of a sort) while Dionysius is a Christian monk, I show that both authors affirm determinate hopes that they see as uncertain. (In this respect, I differ from earlier interpreters of deconstruction and negative theology: in my view, commentators such as John Caputo exaggerate the indeterminacy of Derrida's project and misconstrue Dionysius's negativity.) For this reason, although Derrida and Dionysius hold different commitments, they indicate
Research Interests: Christianity, Theology, Continental Philosophy, Hope, Secularization, and 12 moreJacques Derrida, Political Theology, Politics of Secularism, Negative Theology, Secularisms and Secularities, Apophaticism, Derrida, Jacques Derrida & Deconstruction, Religious Studies, Secularism, Apophatic theology, and Christian Studies
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Some theorists argue that religion relates to politics in one of two ways: either it asserts its authority over the public sphere or it withdraws from the world in preference for spiritual concerns. In response, this special issue offers... more
Some theorists argue that religion relates to politics in one of two ways: either it asserts its authority over the public sphere or it withdraws from the world in preference for spiritual concerns. In response, this special issue offers an expanded vision of what political theology can contribute to public reflection. Against those who appropriate divine authority in support of a given regime, Jewish and Christian negative theology argues that God is radically elusive. Where resistance movements sometimes struggle to transition from opposition to governance, negative theology models a critique that allows for robust affirmation. Although the tradition does not directly address democratic politics, it demonstrates that a commitment to radical transformation does not rule out the compromise required to enact concrete policies. In this way, negative theology offers resources for addressing the crises that currently threaten democratic politics in the West.
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Giorgio Agamben argues that Christian thought provides the paradigm of modern governmental power, which reinforces mundane government by investing it with glory. Agamben claims that Dionysius the Areopagite exemplifies this structure; in... more
Giorgio Agamben argues that Christian thought provides the paradigm of modern governmental power, which reinforces mundane government by investing it with glory. Agamben claims that Dionysius the Areopagite exemplifies this structure; in his view, Dionysian negative theology serves to sacralize ecclesiastical power. In response, I argue that Dionysius desacralizes every authority, affirming that some things are sacred even as he subjects that affirmation to thoroughgoing critique. Against both dogmatic adherence and pure profanation, Dionysius models a politics that draws on the power of the sacred while holding it open to unpredictable development.
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This paper argues that Jacques Derrida provides a compelling rebuttal to a secularism that seeks to exclude religion from the public sphere. Political theorists such as Mark Lilla claim that religion is a source of violence, and so they... more
This paper argues that Jacques Derrida provides a compelling rebuttal to a secularism that seeks to exclude religion from the public sphere. Political theorists such as Mark Lilla claim that religion is a source of violence, and so they conclude that religion and politics should be strictly separated. In my reading, Derrida's work entails that a secularism of this kind is both impossible (because religion remains influential in the wake of secularization) and unnecessary (because religious traditions are diverse and multivalent). Some attempt to contain the disruptive force of religion by excluding it from the public sphere, but Derrida argues that one may endure instability for the sake of something more important than safety. Although Derrida admits that religion is dangerous, he demonstrates that it is nevertheless an indispensable resource for political reflection.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy Of Religion, Atheism, and 14 morePolitical Theory, Religion and Politics, Continental Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Continental Philosophy of Religion (Theology), Secularization, Jacques Derrida, Politics and Religion, Political Theology, Secularisms and Secularities, Derrida, Jacques Derrida & Deconstruction, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, and Secularism
Like Lambert, my instincts are informed by Derrida, but I think Derrida points toward an alternative approach. In my reading, although Derrida complicates the concept of religion in terms that intersect with recent scholarship in... more
Like Lambert, my instincts are informed by Derrida, but I think Derrida points toward an alternative approach. In my reading, although Derrida complicates the concept of religion in terms that intersect with recent scholarship in religious studies. Even though he is not “religious” in any obvious sense, Derrida draws on upon Jewish and Christian texts (among others) in developing his project. In this way, he suggests that the relation between these traditions and modernity is too complex to be captured by the opposition between religion and its other.
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Some theorists are suspicious of normative political theology because they believe it undermines critical rationality. In my view, these theorists neglect theological traditions that resist dogmatism through intensified critique. Because... more
Some theorists are suspicious of normative political theology because they believe it undermines critical rationality. In my view, these theorists neglect theological traditions that resist dogmatism through intensified critique. Because authoritarian dogma is not unique to religion, theology offers sophisticated techniques that may be useful for those who are not themselves religious. A normative theology that intensifies critique represents a valuable resource for political reflection, and not only for the faithful.
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Although Foucault’s 1979 lectures on The Birth of Biopolitics promised to treat the theme of biopolitics, the course deals at length with neoliberalism while mentioning biopolitics hardly at all. Some scholars account for this elision by... more
Although Foucault’s 1979 lectures on The Birth of Biopolitics promised to treat the theme of biopolitics, the course deals at length with neoliberalism while mentioning biopolitics hardly at all. Some scholars account for this elision by claiming that Foucault sympathized with neoliberalism; I argue on the contrary that Foucault develops a penetrating critique of the neoliberal claim to preserve individual liberty. Following Foucault, I show that the Chicago economist Gary Becker exemplifies what Foucault describes elsewhere as biopolitics: a form of power applied to the behavior of a population through the normalizing use of statistics. Although Becker’s preference for indirect intervention might seem to preserve the independence of individuals, Foucault argues that individual liberty is itself the means by which populations are governed indirectly. By describing the history and ambivalence of neoliberal biopolitics, Foucault fosters a critical vigilance that is the precondition for creative political resistance.
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Sarah Coakley’s God, Sexuality, and the Self constitutes a major intervention in the debate over the role of religion in the modern world. Coakley criticizes Christians who reject modernity altogether, arguing that Christian thought... more
Sarah Coakley’s God, Sexuality, and the Self constitutes a major intervention in the debate over the role of religion in the modern world. Coakley criticizes Christians who reject modernity altogether, arguing that Christian thought should remain in conversation with secular sources. At the same time, she claims that only theology can solve difficulties of widespread concern - for instance, concerning gender and sexuality. Where this suggests that theology is still superior, I argue that the strict distinction Coakley draws between theology and the secular is at odds with the momentum of her approach. On Coakley’s own terms, theology cannot claim superiority over the secular because the boundary between them is necessarily blurry.
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This essay aims to clarify the debate over same-sex unions by comparing it to the fourth-century conflict concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. Although some suppose that the council of Nicaea reiterated what Christians had always... more
This essay aims to clarify the debate over same-sex unions by comparing it to the fourth-century conflict concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. Although some suppose that the council of Nicaea reiterated what Christians had always believed, the Nicene theology championed by Athanasius was a dramatic innovation that only won out through protracted struggle. Similarly, despite the widespread assumption that Christian tradition univocally condemns homosexuality, the concept of sexuality is a nineteenth -century invention with no exact analogue in the ancient world. Neither hetero- nor homo- sexuality is addressed directly in Christian tradition; for this reason, the significance of older authorities for the modern debate is necessarily indirect. The dichotomy between progressive and conservative positions is therefore misguided: it is necessary neither to abandon tradition for the sake of progress nor to oppose innovation for the sake of fidelity.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, Ethics, Theology, Patristics, Systematic Theology, and 12 moreTheological Ethics, Gender and Sexuality, Gay And Lesbian Studies, Early Christianity, Religious Ethics, History of Sexuality, Trinity, Debate over Same-Sex Marriage, Trinitarian Theology, Athanasius, Heresy and Orthodoxy, and Council of Nicaea
Research Interests: Medieval Philosophy, Theology, Historical Theology, History of Christianity, Systematic Theology, and 19 morePhilosophical Theology, Christian Mysticism, Deconstruction, Mysticism, Medieval Church History, Postmodernism, Jacques Derrida, Spirituality & Mysticism, Political Theology, Derridean Deconstruction, Negative Theology, Philosophy of Love, Apophaticism, Derrida, Jacques Derrida & Deconstruction, Postmodern Theology, Mystical Theology, Postmodernity, and Apophatic theology
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Gianni Vattimo describes a postmodern Christian faith, centered upon love to the exclusion of dogma, that takes its orientation from Joachim’s practice of spiritual interpretation and his view of historical progress towards the age of the... more
Gianni Vattimo describes a postmodern Christian faith, centered upon love to the exclusion of dogma, that takes its orientation from Joachim’s practice of spiritual interpretation and his view of historical progress towards the age of the Spirit; however, he misconstrues Joachim on both counts. Whereas Vattimo supposes that Joachim's spiritual interpretation of scripture replaces literal readings, Joachim thinks they operate harmoniously together. Likewise, where Vattimo supposes that the Age of the Spirit replaces the ecclesial institutions that preceded it, Joachim is clear that they will persist. Insofar as Joachim insists that profound change is consistent with persistent continuity, I argue that he articulates a relation between time and transformation that directs us beyond Vattimo's postmodern triumphalism, towards the arrival of what still outstrips our imagination.
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Reflection on hope is often confounded by the fact that it sits at the intersection of theology and politics. In keeping with its Jewish roots, Christianity is oriented by divine promises, but their fulfillment remains unrealized.... more
Reflection on hope is often confounded by the fact that it sits at the intersection of theology and politics. In keeping with its Jewish roots, Christianity is oriented by divine promises, but their fulfillment remains unrealized. Although Christians claim that the Christ has come, they await his coming again; although they pursue intimacy with God, its consummation remains to come. This delay inflects Christian practice at every point, and it has shaped the manner in which Christians engage the world. Conversely, the motifs of Christian eschatology frequently echo in worldly politics. To take a recent example, Barack Obama’s politics of hope tapped into a political tradition that is at least as old as Cotton Mather’s Theopolis Americana. But even those who explicitly distance themselves from religious commitment frequently draw upon a theological vocabulary in order to motivate and sustain political transformation: Kant dreamed of perpetual progress, and Marx awaited the advent of revolution; neither, it seems, could do without messianic expectation.
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This book bristles with creativity. It is structured as a careful interpretation of a single work—John Calvin’s Institutio Christianae Religionis—but Sanchez’s ambition is broader. She shows that Calvin is extraordinarily sensitive to the... more
This book bristles with creativity. It is structured as a careful interpretation of a single work—John Calvin’s Institutio Christianae Religionis—but Sanchez’s ambition is broader. She shows that Calvin is extraordinarily sensitive to the power of writing, the wonder of the world, and the danger of sovereign authority. By tracing her own way through the text, Sanchez develops a fresh contribution to debates over religion, politics, and our post-secular age.
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Collection of critical essays reviewing Divine Currency. Introduced by David Newheiser, with reviews by Kwok Pui Lan, Gil Anidjar, Marion Grau, and Erin Runions, and a response by Devin Singh.
Research Interests: Finance, Religion, Sociology of Religion, Economics, Political Economy, and 15 moreEthics, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, Theological Ethics, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Economic Anthropology, Politics, Social Ethics, Political Theology, Money, Anthropology of Money, Religious Studies, Currency, Anthropology of Religion, and Economics and Theology
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By disrupting pernicious claims to transcendence, atheist political theologies can help us redress suffering in particular places while keeping hope for radical transformation.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Secular Humanism, Atheism, Theology, and 13 morePolitical Theory, Philosophical Theology, Religion and Politics, Politics, Political Theology, Politics of Secularism, Secularisms and Secularities, Religious Studies, Secularism, Atheism/Secular Studies, Post-Secular Theory, Religion and secularism, and Post-Secularism
On September 19, 2023, the philosopher Gianni Vattimo died in Turin. A student and translator of Hans-Georg Gadamer whose own writings developed the thought of Nietzsche and Heidegger, Vattimo was a towering figure in European... more
On September 19, 2023, the philosopher Gianni Vattimo died in Turin. A student and translator of Hans-Georg Gadamer whose own writings developed the thought of Nietzsche and Heidegger, Vattimo was a towering figure in European intellectual life. From nihilism to communism, Vattimo wrestled with the entanglement of religious and political ideas. Late in life he was elected to the European Parliament, and he was a steadfast advocate of gay rights and Palestinian liberation. We asked colleagues to reflect on Vattimo’s legacy for political theology.
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Reliance on the support of others after an accident showed philosopher David Newheiser the power of solidarity. We need a similar sense of communal connection in our approach to COVID, he writes.
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Hope is a key site of intersection between religion and politics: despite Karl Marx's complaint that religion pacifies the masses, modern revolutionaries have often drawn upon religious motifs. We will begin by examining political... more
Hope is a key site of intersection between religion and politics: despite Karl Marx's complaint that religion pacifies the masses, modern revolutionaries have often drawn upon religious motifs. We will begin by examining political reflection upon the figure of the messiah, which leads from the Hebrew Scriptures through medieval Judaism to the secularized messianism of Immanuel Kant, Marx, and Jacques Derrida. Second, we will reflect upon important expressions of Christian reflection on the future, from the apocalyptic eschatology of Joachim of Fiore and the Apostle Paul to the ethic of hope described by Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth. Finally, in relation to these diverse sources, we will consider the meaning of hope and its effect on politics, and we will analyze the relation between religion and the politics of hope.
Although religion is often portrayed as a sphere of life that is separate from secular concerns, religious traditions are informed by broader cultural trends, and they influence these trends in turn. In order to explore the dynamic... more
Although religion is often portrayed as a sphere of life that is separate from secular concerns, religious traditions are informed by broader cultural trends, and they influence these trends in turn. In order to explore the dynamic interplay between religion and culture, this course examines the way in which the Bible has been a source of inspiration for Jews, Christians, atheists, and others.
This brilliant book brings John Calvin’s writings into conversation with contemporary debates over power, politics, and the possibility of resistance. Its interpretation of Calvin is meticulous and convincing. More than that, however,... more
This brilliant book brings John Calvin’s writings into conversation with contemporary debates over power, politics, and the possibility of resistance. Its interpretation of Calvin is meticulous and convincing. More than that, however, Sanchez clarifies the significance of his work for ongoing debates. In the process, she develops a compelling vision of Christian thought and its place in the world.
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По утверждению Джорджо Агамбена, парадигма современной государственной власти коренится в христианской мысли и характеризуется укреплением мирской власти через наделение её таким атрибутом, как слава (glory). Для иллюстрации этого факта... more
По утверждению Джорджо Агамбена, парадигма современной государственной власти коренится в христианской мысли и характеризуется укреплением мирской власти через наделение её таким атрибутом, как слава (glory). Для иллюстрации этого факта Агамбен указывает на фигуру Дионисия Ареопагита - по его мнению, негативная теология Дионисия способствовала сакрализации церковной власти. Напротив, я утверждаю, что Дионисий подразумевал возможность десакрализации любой власти - допуская при этом, что какие-то вещи могут оставаться сакральными, хотя и подвергая это допущение беспощадной критике. Отвергая любые формы догматизма и неприкрытой профанации, Дионисий указывает на возможность политики, опирающейся на могущество сакрального и в то же время способной развиваться в неожиданных направлениях.