Main topics of slides are: -What is postmodernism? -What is the difference between "modern" and "contemporary"? -When does contemporary history begin? -God's place in the history of 20th century -Main theological ideas after the II World War -The death of God theology -Postmodern theology as the multiplex phenomena

1. POSTMODERN
PHILOSOPHY&THEOL
OGY
Speaker: Anastasia Zubkovskaya

2. What is Postmodern?
ModernismKey tendencies of
postmodern:
1. Frustration with the idea of
progress.
2. Anthropological crisis.
3. Crisis of values and its
relativization: reject of the
absolute truth.
4. The unprecedented
development of mass
media: huge amount of
information.
5. Big role of writing, texts
and visualization
After Modernism =
Post-modernism

3. Non-official start: Rudolf Pannwitz “Die Krisis der
europaeischen Kultur“ (1917)
Official start: 60-70s
When did it start?

4. “Modern Architecture died in St. Louis
Missouri on July 15, 1972 at 3:32 P.M.”
Charles Jencks “The Language of Post-
The Pruitt-Igoe (source)

5. Leslie A. Fielder “Cross the border, close the gap”
(Dec, 1969) (source)

6. Jean-François Lyotard “La condition Postmoderne:
rapport sur le savoir” (1979) (picture sources)

7. French Postmodern Philosophers
Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995)
&
Felix Guattari (1930-1992)Main concepts:
• Rhizome
•Deterritorialization
•Schizoanalysis
•Capitalism
(picture sources)

8. French Postmodern Philosophers
Paul-Michel
Foucault (1926-
1984)
Core ideas:
•“Archaeology”
•“Genealogy”
•Relationship
between power and
knowledge
(picture sources)

9. French Postmodern Philosophers
Jean Baudrillard
(1929-2007)
Core concepts and
ideas:
•Simulacra and
simulation
•Hyperreality
•Sociological and
philosophical reflections
on consumerism,
terrorism, etc.
•Semiotics
(picture
sources)

10. French Postmodern Philosophers
Roland
Barthes (1915-
1980)
Main notions:
•Semiotics and myth
•Writing degree zero
•Death of the author
•Effect of reality
(picture sources)

11. French Postmodern Philosophers
Jacques
Derrida
(1930-2004)
Main ideas:
•Deconstruction
•Grammatology
•DifferAnce
• Writing
(picture sources)

12. Historical preconditions for Postmodern
Theology
•Two World Wars: WHERE IS
GOD? WHY DOESN’T HE HELP?
(The problem of theodicy)
•Social troubles in the whole world
(picture source)
(picture source)
•Scientific skepticism. (The
problem of conflict between
religion and science)
•Secularization

13. Modern and Postmodern
Theology
Main
themes&questi
ons
 Rethinking the metaphysical idea of God
(Is God dead? Is God deconstructed?)
 What is the role of Christianity and Jesus
Christ in secularizated world?
 Ontological location of human and God
(Crisis of Christian consciousness)
 The problem of God as the Word
(Is God the Writing?)

14. Theoretical preconditions of Postmodern Theology
“God is dead”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
(picture source)
(picture source)
“The death of God as
metaphysical crisis”
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)

15. Theoretical preconditions of Postmodern Theology
(sourc
e)
”Religionless
Christianity”Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-
1945)
(Source)
“Demythologization of
the Bible”
Rudolf Bultmann (1884-
1976)
“To be a Christian means not to be
religious, but to be a Human”

16. Theoretical preconditions of Postmodern Theology
(Source)
“Deconstruction of
Logocentrism”
Jacques Derrida (1930-2004)

17. “The new approaches to the problem of God,”
said Time, may (among other possibilities) “lead to a
more realistic, and somewhat more abstract,
conception of God.” Phillip Goldberg
April 8, 1966 The “Time” magazine cover “IS GOD
DEAD?”
(source)

18. Death of God Theology
“Christian atheist “
Thomas J. J. Altizer (1927-…)
Watch documentary “Death of
God” (1982)
(picture source)

19. First reference in 1972: postmodern theology
by Harvey Cox (1929-…)
(picture internet
sources)
“Christ as an Arlekino”

20. Movements within postmodern
theology
from 80-s to nowadays
Deconstructive (eliminated) Mark C. Taylor, Carl Raschke, Charles
Winquist
Constructive or revisionary David Ray Griffin, David Tracy
Liberationist Harvey Cox, Cornel West
Conservative or restorationist John Paul II
A/theological Thomas J. J. Altizer, Mark C. Taylor
Postliberal George Lindbeck
Weak theology John Caputo
Classification based on Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s data
(Vanhoozer, J. Kevin. Theology and the condition of postmodernity: a report on knowledge (of God) // The Cambridge
Companion to Postmodern Theology / Edit. Kevin J. Vanhoozer. – Cambridge University Press, 2003 )

21. Thank you for
attention!