The death of God, and the birth of Christian atheism.

Those of the readers who are a bit older will remember the death of God debates that raged among theologians in the late 1960's and early 1970's - it is likely that the thoughts started much earlier (I was a toddler reading Hegel and Nietzsche at that stage... but that's another matter altogether ;-)

Well, I came across this interesting picture of a person who seems to have picked up on the 'God is dead' theology and is using the famous London Speakers Corner, in Hyde Park, to proclaim his message with slogans: "To follow Jesus reject God", "Christian atheism" etc.

He refers to himself as a 'Christian atheist', a term that was coined by one of the leading proponents of the God is dead debate Professor J.J. Altizer (formerly a Professor of Bible and Theology at Emory and New York Universities).

Central to Christian atheism is a fascinating idea... The reasoning, if I have understood it correctly, is that the incarnation, and death of Christ, leads to the death of God since Jesus is God. Thus, when you believe in the Jesus who died, you also believe that God died (since Jesus is God), and so there is longer any God to believe in - that makes you a Christian Atheist....

Of course this Gospel has a high view of the incarnation, and is completely lacking in resurrection theology!

You see, I not only believe in the God who died, but in the God who overcame death and lives eternally.

Another central belief among Christian atheists is that while they cannot believe in 'God', they do find value in the moral and social teachings of Jesus... CS Lewis answered this claim quite clearly when he wrote in his book Mere Christianity:

Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.

You see the point is, that we cannot deny the claims that Jesus made about himself (i.e., that he is God!) So, you either accept the teachings WITH the teacher, or you reject the teacher and his teachings as simply being the ramblings of a mad man.

Indeed, the power of Jesus is not be understood either in history or in philosophy. Rather, it is to be grasped in life. I know that Jesus is alive, that he is God, and that his teachings are good, because they have radically changed my life. Jesus gives me hope, files my life with meaning, and is my reason to live. That is a mystery, more pointedly, it is a 'mystical' reality - an experience of the truth that is spoken of in philosophy and history.

So, I am a Christian believer, not a Christian atheist...

For anyone who is interested to read JJ Altizer's book "The Gospel of Christian atheism" simply follow the link.

Technorati tags: God is dead, Christian Atheism, Speakers Corner, JJ Altizer