In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent PDF
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In a Post-H egelian Spirit This page intentionally left blank In a Post-H egelian Spirit Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent Gary Dorrien BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS © 2020 by Baylor University Press Waco, Texas 76798 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Baylor University Press. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Cover Design by Savanah N. Landerholm Cover image: Photo by Zbysiu Rodak on Unsplash The Library of Congress has cataloged this book under ISBN 978- 1- 4813- 1159- 5. Web PDF ISBN: 978-1-4813-1163-2 This ebook was converted from the original source file. Readers who encounter any issues with formatting, text, linking, or readability are encouraged to notify the publisher at [email protected]. Some font characters may not display on all ereaders. To inquire about permission to use selections from this text, please contact Baylor University Press, One Bear Place, #97363, Waco, Texas 76798. Books by Gary Dorrien Logic and Consciousness The Democratic Socialist Vision Reconstructing the Common Good The Neoconservative Mind: Politics, Culture, and the War of Ideology Soul in Society: The Making and Renewal of Social Christianity The Word as True Myth: Interpreting Modern Theology The Remaking of Evangelical Theology The Barthian Revolt in Modern Theology The Making of American Liberal Theology: Imagining Progressive Religion The Making of American Liberal Theology: Idealism, Realism, and Modernity Imperial Designs: Neoconservatism and the New Pax Americana The Making of American Liberal Theology: Crisis, Irony, and Postmodernity Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition Economy, Difference, Empire: Social Ethics for Social Justice The Obama Question: A Progressive Perspective Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit: The Idealistic Logic of Modern Theology The New Abolition: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Black Social Gospel Breaking White Supremacy: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Social Gospel Social Democracy in the Making: Political and Religious Roots of European Socialism In a Post- Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent For Catherine, Cherished friend and eminent theologian Contents Preface ix 1 Introduction 1 Modern Theology as Religious Philosophy 2 Kantian Foundations 29 Creative Reason and Moral Freedom 3 Post- Kantian Feeling 73 Romantic Idealism as Theology 4 Hegelian Intersubjectivity 113 Dialectics of Spirit 5 Against Hegelian Spirit 165 Marxism, Existentialism, and Wholly Otherness 6 Personal Idealism 205 Why Subjectivity Matters vii viii ContentS 7 Whiteheadian Ordering 267 God and Creativity 8 Neo- Hegelian Theonomy 309 Religious Socialism as Theology 9 Struggling for Liberation 339 Breaking White Supremacy and Sexism 10 Rethinking Relationality 387 Theologies of Becoming 11 In a Post- Hegelian Spirit 443 Divine Becoming and Discontent Notes 505 Index 597 Preface This book builds a post- Hegelian religious philosophy out of my inter- pretation of modern philosophical theology. It has an origin story dating to 2013 and 2014, when I lectured for a week to large ecumenical gath- erings in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. In 2013 I lectured on social ethics and politics alongside biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, who regaled the crowd in customary Brueggemann fashion with torrents of exegesis sprinkled with uproarious humor. The following year I lectured on the- ology and religious philosophy alongside the late biblical scholar Marcus Borg, in his last venue of this kind. Marcus was as sharp and engaging as ever, to the end. Every day, it seemed, there was a book signing before we commenced lecturing; perhaps the trauma magnified my sense of the fre- quency. The line on the left, for Walter and Marcus, was always very long. My line on the right was nearly always a modest affair, and some of my folks lined up just to talk. The second year one skittish soul, having heard me speak at least ten times, wanly observed that my books were awfully large and numerous. Did I have one that conveyed the gist of the others? I began to say that Economy, Difference, Empire1 distills much of my work in social ethics, but he cut me off: “I mean your other books, in theology and philosophy.” One side of my work is theological and philosophical, and the other side explores the intersections of politics, economics, social theory, and social ethics. To my mind, these sides com- plement each other, but I recognize there is a difference in how I come ix
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