Don Cupitt
Encyclopedia
Don Cupitt is an English philosopher of religion and scholar of Christian theology. He is an Anglican priest, heretic and an emeritus professor of the University of Cambridge
, though is better known as a popular writer, broadcaster and commentator. He has been described as a radical theologian, noted for his ideas about non-realist philosophy of religion.
in Godalming
, Surrey
, Trinity Hall, Cambridge
, and Westcott House Cambridge. He studied, successively, Natural Sciences, Theology and the Philosophy of Religion. In 1959 he was ordained deacon
in the Church of England
, becoming a priest in 1960. After short periods as a curate
in the North of England, and as Vice-Principal of Westcott House, Cupitt was elected to a Fellowship and appointed Dean at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
late in 1965. Since then he has remained at the College. In 1968 he was appointed to a University teaching post in the Philosophy of Religion, a job in which he continued until his retirement for health reasons in 1996. At that time he proceeded to a Life Fellowship at Emmanuel College, which remains his base today. In the early 1990s he stopped officiating at public worship, and in 2008 he finally ceased to be a communicant member of the church. Although still a priest, he is better known today as a writer, broadcaster and populariser of innovative theological ideas. He has written forty books – which have been translated into Dutch, Persian, Polish, Korean, Portuguese, Danish, German and Chinese – as well as chapters in more than thirty multi-authored volumes.
He came to the British public's attention in 1984 with his BBC television
series The Sea of Faith
, in which orthodox
Christian beliefs were challenged. He is currently a key figure in the Sea of Faith Network
, a group of spiritual "explorers" (based in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia) who share Cupitt's concerns.
In his writings Cupitt sometimes describes himself as Christian
non-realist, by which he means that he follows certain spiritual practices and attempts to live by ethical standards traditionally associated with Christianity but without believing in the actual existence of the underlying metaphysical entities (such as "Christ
" and "God
").
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, though is better known as a popular writer, broadcaster and commentator. He has been described as a radical theologian, noted for his ideas about non-realist philosophy of religion.
Career
Cupitt was educated at Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
in Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, and Westcott House Cambridge. He studied, successively, Natural Sciences, Theology and the Philosophy of Religion. In 1959 he was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, becoming a priest in 1960. After short periods as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
in the North of England, and as Vice-Principal of Westcott House, Cupitt was elected to a Fellowship and appointed Dean at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
late in 1965. Since then he has remained at the College. In 1968 he was appointed to a University teaching post in the Philosophy of Religion, a job in which he continued until his retirement for health reasons in 1996. At that time he proceeded to a Life Fellowship at Emmanuel College, which remains his base today. In the early 1990s he stopped officiating at public worship, and in 2008 he finally ceased to be a communicant member of the church. Although still a priest, he is better known today as a writer, broadcaster and populariser of innovative theological ideas. He has written forty books – which have been translated into Dutch, Persian, Polish, Korean, Portuguese, Danish, German and Chinese – as well as chapters in more than thirty multi-authored volumes.
He came to the British public's attention in 1984 with his BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series The Sea of Faith
Sea of Faith (TV series)
Sea of Faith was a six-part documentary television series, presented on BBC television in 1984 by Don Cupitt. The programme dealt with the history of Christianity in the modern world, focussing especially on how Christianity has responded to challenges such as scientific advances, political atheism...
, in which orthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
Christian beliefs were challenged. He is currently a key figure in the Sea of Faith Network
Sea of Faith
The Sea of Faith Network aims to explore and promote religious faith as a human creation.-History:The SoF movement started in 1984 as a response to Don Cupitt's book and television series, both titled Sea of Faith...
, a group of spiritual "explorers" (based in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia) who share Cupitt's concerns.
In his writings Cupitt sometimes describes himself as Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
non-realist, by which he means that he follows certain spiritual practices and attempts to live by ethical standards traditionally associated with Christianity but without believing in the actual existence of the underlying metaphysical entities (such as "Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
" and "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
").
Personal Life
He is married, with three children who all now live and work in London, and two grandchildren.By Cupitt
(partial list)- Crisis of Moral Authority: The Dethronement of Christianity, Lutterworth Press, 1972, ISBN 0-7188-1924-1
- Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 1980, 2001 edition: ISBN 0-334-02840-X
- Who was Jesus? (London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1977). With Peter Armstrong.
- The Sea of Faith, BBC Books, 1984, Cambridge University Press 1988 edition: ISBN 0-521-34420-4
- After All: Religion Without Alienation, SCM Press, 1994, ISBN 0-334-00036-X
- After God: The Future of Religion, Basic Books, 1997, ISBN 0-465-04514-6
- Mysticism After Modernity, Blackwell Publishers, 1998, ISBN 0-631-20763-5
- The New Religion of Life in Everyday Speech, SCM Press, 1999, ISBN 0-334-02763-2
- Reforming Christianity, Polebridge Press, 2001, ISBN 0-944344-82-8
- Is Nothing Sacred?: The Non-Realist Philosophy of Religion (selected essays), Fordham University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8232-2203-9
- The Way To Happiness: A Theory Of Religion, Polebridge Press, 2005, ISBN 0-944344-53-4
- The Old Creed and the New, SCM Press, 2006, ISBN 0-334-04053-1
- Radical Theology, Polebridge Press, 2006: ISBN 0-0944344-97-2
- Impossible Loves, Polebridge Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59815-001-8
- Above Us Only Sky, Polebridge Press, 2008, ISBN 1-598-15011-1
- The Meaning of the West, SCM Press, 2008, ISBN 0-334-04202-X
- Jesus and Philosophy , SCM Press, 2009, ISBN 0-334-043387
About Cupitt
- Holding Fast to God: A Reply to Don Cupitt, Keith WardKeith WardKeith Ward is a British cleric, philosopher, theologian and scholar. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and an ordained priest of the Church of England. He was a canon of Christ Church, Oxford until 2003...
, Abingdon Press, 1990, ISBN 0-687-85476-8 - The Predicament of Postmodern Theology: Radical Orthodoxy or Nihilist Textualism?, Gavin Hyman, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001
- Odyssey on the Sea of Faith: The Life and Writings of Don Cupitt, Nigel Leaves, Polebridge Press, 2004, ISBN 0-944344-62-3
- Surfing on the Sea of Faith: The Ethics and Religion of Don Cupitt, Nigel Leaves, Polebridge Press, 2005, ISBN 0-944344-63-1
- New Directions In Philosophical Theology: Essays In Honour Of Don Cupitt, Gavin Hyman (editor), Ashgate Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0-7546-5061-8
See also
- Christian atheism
- Lloyd GeeringLloyd GeeringSir Lloyd George Geering, ONZ, GNZM, CBE, born 26 February 1918, is a New Zealand theologian, who faced charges of heresy in 1967 for his controversial views. He considers Christian and Muslim fundamentalism to be "social evils"...
- The Sea of Faith (documentary television series)Sea of Faith (TV series)Sea of Faith was a six-part documentary television series, presented on BBC television in 1984 by Don Cupitt. The programme dealt with the history of Christianity in the modern world, focussing especially on how Christianity has responded to challenges such as scientific advances, political atheism...
- Sea of Faith NetworkSea of FaithThe Sea of Faith Network aims to explore and promote religious faith as a human creation.-History:The SoF movement started in 1984 as a response to Don Cupitt's book and television series, both titled Sea of Faith...
- "Dover BeachDover Beach"Dover Beach" is a short lyric poem by the English poet Matthew Arnold. It was first published in 1867 in the collection New Poems, but surviving notes indicate its composition may have begun as early as 1849...
", a 19th-century poem by Matthew ArnoldMatthew ArnoldMatthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator...
which includes the metaphor of "the Sea of Faith" - Death of God
- NontheismNontheismNontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of — or the rejection of — theism or any belief in a personal god or gods...
- Oolon Colluphid
External links
- Don Cupitt's website
- Sea of Faith Network
- "Don Cupitt: Taking leave of God (and everything else!)" on That Religious Studies Website
- Review of Mysticism After Modernity
- Audio interview with Don Cupitt on Philosophy Bites podcast