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Being of God: a Trinitarian Critique of Postmodern A/Theology

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Being of God: a Trinitarian Critique of Postmodern A/Theology RICE UNIVERSITY (DE)CONSTRUCTING THE (NON)BEING OF GHD: A TRINITARIAN CRITIQUE OF POSTMODERN A/THEOLOGY by B. KEITH PUTT A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY APPROVED, THESIS COMMITTEE Niels C. Nielsen, Jr.,Director Professor Emeritus of Philoso¬ phy and Religious Thought Werner H. Kelber Isla Carroll Turner and Percy E. Turner Professor of Reli¬ gious Studies Stjeven G. Crowell Associate Professor of Philoso¬ phy Houston, Texas May, 1995 Copyright B. Keith Putt 1995 ABSTRACT (DE) CONSTRUCTING THE (NON) BEING OF G8D: A TRINITARIAN CRITIQUE OF POSTMODERN A/THEOLOGY by B. KEITH PUTT Langdon Gilkey maintained in 1969 that theological language was in "ferment" over whether "God" could be ex¬ pressed in language. He argued that "radical theology," specifically the kenotic christology in Altizer's "death of God" theology, best represented that ferment. Some twenty- five years later, in the postmodern context of the 1990's, whether one can speak of God and, if so, how remain promi¬ nent issues for philosophers of religion and theologians. One of the most provocative contemporary approaches to these questions continues to focus on the "death of God." Mark Taylor's a/theology attempts to "do" theology after the divine demise by thinking the end of theology without ending theological thinking. Taylor's primary thesis, predicated upon his reading of Jacques Derrida's deconstruetive philos¬ ophy, is that God gives way to the sacred and the sacred may be encountered only within the "divine milieu" of writing. God is dead, the self is dead, history has no structure, and language cannot be totalized in books; consequently, theo¬ logy must be errant and textually disseminative. Unfortunately, Taylor's a/theology as a hermeneutic of the "death of God" fails to leave God's existence undecid- able and also fails to address substantively the ethical Ill implications of postmodernism. The radical hermeneutics of John Caputo offers a significant supplement to Taylor's thought and a critical reconstruction of alternative post¬ modern models for God. Caputo's "armed neutrality" con¬ cerning the being of God and his insistence on the ines- capability of ethical obligation allow for a deconstruction of ontotheology and the reconstruction of a "biblical" para¬ digm of a suffering God. Caputo's focus on the ethico-religious dynamic of alterity and difference suggests a postmodern christology, since he believes that Jesus exemplifies the poetics of obligation that seeks to heal wounded flesh. Yet, scripture presents Jesus as the revelation of a suffering, hetero- philic God. Contaminating Caputo's poetics of obligation with Jürgen Moltmann's theology of the crucified God results in the repetition of a "biblical" theopassional theology that accepts the undecidability inherent within history and language, but which, through fear and trembling, acknowledg¬ es that God loves alterity and difference and desires that human beings do also. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One of the recurring issues in the following disserta¬ tion is the notion of the "self" as a communal entity. The Enlightenment idea of an autonomous cocrito--one of the defining dogmas of modernity--has been seriously questioned by postmodern theorists, who recognize that no one lives in vacuo. but that human existence occurs within the context of a Mitwelt in which the "I" reciprocates with the "we" and the "them" and the "other." This central notion of alterity may well broach the corollary theme of gratitude, the real¬ ization that whatever "I" have accomplished depends upon the contributions, that is, the gifts, of others who have par¬ ticipated in the accomplishment. Of course, Derrida maintains that a gift should never be acknowledged, since such acknowledgement diminishes the unconditionality of the giving; however, "I" have a differ¬ ent understanding of the structure of giving. "I" think that a gift does indeed obligate the gifted to reciprocate to the giver a "word of thanks." Such a "word" is not, however, an expression of a quid pro quo economic system, but is, instead, an affirmation of the other's gracious alterity and simply a matter of good manners. Consequently, "I" wish to include as an element of this work's hors-texte an enumeration of proper names, which signify the signifi¬ cant others who have made this dissertation a reality. V First, "I" would not be a graduate student at Rice University were it not for Drs. John Newport and Niels Nielsen. Dr. Newport, one of my mentors and colleagues at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, first encouraged me to pursue graduate work at Rice and made the initial contacts for me to begin that pursuit. He is the epitome of a Christian scholar and gentleman, and my life has been enriched intellectually and spiritually by his friendship. Dr. Nielsen, too, has been both teacher and friend for over a decade. As my major professor, he has shared his knowl¬ edge and his wisdom with me, and as my friend, he has been a model of professional dignity and Christian integrity. "I” wish to thank Drs. James Sellers, Werner Kelber, Hans Kting, and the late Clyde Manschreck for their dedica¬ tion to scholarship and their willingness to share their genius with me in doctoral seminars. "I" particularly want to thank Dr. Kelber and Dr. Steven Crowell, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rice, who served on my thesis committee and who affirmed my work by giving it a careful and critical reading. All of these men represent the aca¬ demic excellence that distinguishes Rice University as one of the nation's finest institutions. Dr. David Klemm, at the University of Iowa, also read the dissertation, and his positive responses have been professionally and psychologi¬ cally affirming. vi Drs. William David Kirkpatrick, Bert Dominy, and Jeff Pool have been the three faculty colleagues at Southwestern who have most directly stimulated the completion of this degree. They have engaged me in critical discussions of the content of this thesis, and they have forced me to be far more disciplined in my work than "I" would have been without their constant pestering! They can never know how necessary their friendship is for me. The research for this project would have been a night¬ mare had it not been for the clerical skills and the person¬ al commitments made by Pat Slaten, Jennifer Hood, Maureen Groebner, Kathy Lee, and Susan Regan. They adopted the thesis as their own personal project and invested themselves in its successful completion. "I" must also thank Andy Adams and Christina Tomczak, two of my research assistants at Southwestern, for their meticulous editing of the thesis, and Debra Young for her invaluable computer knowledge. "I" thank the administrative officials at Houston Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for their willingness to allow me to be both a full-time student and a full-time faculty member. Without their support, this work would have been impossible. My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. John Caputo at Villa- nova University. Dr. Caputo has become a valued friend over the past five years, as well as a significant influence on my philosophy and theology. He has provided me with numer vii ous copies of his works, both published and unpublished. He has discussed my thesis with me during countless conversa¬ tions in person and by telephone. He has read and critiqued the entire thesis, offering me insights into his work that have made this project decisively better than it would have been. My "Southern Baptist" scholarship has certainly benefitted from the contamination by Caputo's "Postmodern Catholicism." "I" intend for that philosophical ecumenism to continue. "I" cannot express in words my adoration for my family. My wife married me decades ago knowing that "I" intended to do one Ph.D.; however, she did not sign up for two. Yet, she has patiently (most of the time !) gone through the process twice, and "I" appreciate her loyalty. My sons, Jonathan and Christopher, have never had a dad who was not a student. They have accepted that reality, supported me, and periodically interrupted my studies with a hug and an "I love you, Dad," which constantly reminded me of what is truly most important in life. My mother, Era Mae, has sustained me financially and emotionally throughout the process. "I" thank her for her love and her confidence in me; she never doubted that "I" would complete this work. My dad, Billy, died at the beginning of this thesis on 7 December 1991. He made me promise that "I" would finish, although he knew that he would not be present at the end, viii and, in so doing, obligated me to him. The past three years have been very difficult. "I" miss my dad every second of every day. Sitting down to research and write on divine suffering, death, and the uncertainty of the flux has cer¬ tainly not been easy, since these issues have not been merely academic but painfully existential. Yet, throughout it all, my dad has been the absent other, calling me to the responsibility of fidelity to my commitment. Dad, "I" have kept my promise--but the abyss remains. Finally, "I" wish to express in written form my praise for the holy Trinity. Without the Father's, Son's, and Spirit's grace, there would be no "I," there would be no hope, and there would be no raison d'etre. Because "I" sit writing this paragraph on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, "I" am acutely aware of the sacrificial love that the cross event reveals. My prayer is that this thesis has been a source of motivation for me to become more like Yeshua, the empathetic and self-giving poet of obliga¬ tion.
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