Gabriel Vahanian
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Vahanian is a French-born Protestant Christian
theologian who is most remembered for his pioneering work in the theology of the "death of God" movement within academic circles in the 1960s, and who taught for some 26 years in the U.S.
, his Master's Degree in Theology in 1950 from Princeton Theological Seminary
, and his Ph.D. in 1958, also from PTS. His dissertation was entitled "Protestantism and the Arts."
and of Karl Barth
, and he translated Barth's The Faith of the Church. He was very distinguished in his interests in the relationship between literature and theology, and between culture and religion. One French Protestant contemporary of his was the lay theologian
and social critic Jacques Ellul
.
Vahanian was a founding member of the first board of directors of the American Academy of Religion
. He is professor emeritus of cultural theology at the Université Marc Bloch (Strasbourg
). Prior to his Strasbourg chair, Vahanian held two different professorial chairs in religion at Syracuse University
, where he founded, and was the first director of, the graduate studies program in religion. He held the Eliphalet Remington chair in Religion from 1967 to 1973, and then the Jeanette Kittredge Watson chair in Religion from 1973-1984.
His first book, entitled The Death of God: The Culture of our Post-Christian Era (1961), was hailed by Rudolf Bultmann
as a landmark of theological criticism. During the 1960s the theological writings of Vahanian, Harvey Cox
, Paul Van Buren
, William Hamilton, Thomas J. J. Altizer
, and Richard Rubenstein
came to be regarded by many observers as a new Christian and Jewish movement advocating the death of God. However, as the conservative evangelical
John Warwick Montgomery
noted, Vahanian's position was deemed to be "hopelessly conservative by the advocates of Christian atheism." (Suicide of Christian Theology, p. 80). Vahanian expressed his understanding of the "death of God" as happening when God is turned into a cultural artifact. Vahanian was alarmed at the objectification of God:
He has contributed articles on wide ranging topics to journals and magazines such as The Nation, The Christian Century and Réforme or Foi et Vie and the Biblioteca dell'Archivio di filosofia. He was the recipient of the ACLS and served as a consulting member of the Presidential Commission on biomedical ethics. He has lectured throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In 2005, he was invited to be the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the Association of Christian Studies, where he lectured on “A Secular Christ: Against the Religious Parochialism of East and West” (forthcoming). His more recent publications include Anonymous God (2003), Tillich and the New Religious Paradigm (2004), and the forthcoming In Praise of the Secular. His personal papers from the period 1945–1971 are held in the archives of Syracuse University.
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...
theologian who is most remembered for his pioneering work in the theology of the "death of God" movement within academic circles in the 1960s, and who taught for some 26 years in the U.S.
Life
Vahanian received his French baccalaureate (baccalauréat) in 1945 from the Lycee of Valence in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, his Master's Degree in Theology in 1950 from Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
, and his Ph.D. in 1958, also from PTS. His dissertation was entitled "Protestantism and the Arts."
Work
Vahanian was educated in the Reformed theological stream of John CalvinJohn Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
and of Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
, and he translated Barth's The Faith of the Church. He was very distinguished in his interests in the relationship between literature and theology, and between culture and religion. One French Protestant contemporary of his was the lay theologian
Lay theologian
A lay theologian is a theologian who is not an ordained clergyman.Among lay theologians are the following:* George Abbot * Thomas J. J. Altizer* Joseph T. Bayly* Edward Musgrave Blaiklock* Nicholas Cabasilas* Chung Hyun Kyung...
and social critic Jacques Ellul
Jacques Ellul
Jacques Ellul was a French philosopher, law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and Christian anarchist. He wrote several books about the "technological society" and the interaction between Christianity and politics....
.
Vahanian was a founding member of the first board of directors of the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
. He is professor emeritus of cultural theology at the Université Marc Bloch (Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
). Prior to his Strasbourg chair, Vahanian held two different professorial chairs in religion at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, where he founded, and was the first director of, the graduate studies program in religion. He held the Eliphalet Remington chair in Religion from 1967 to 1973, and then the Jeanette Kittredge Watson chair in Religion from 1973-1984.
His first book, entitled The Death of God: The Culture of our Post-Christian Era (1961), was hailed by Rudolf Bultmann
Rudolf Bultmann
Rudolf Karl Bultmann was a German theologian of Lutheran background, who was for three decades professor of New Testament studies at the University of Marburg...
as a landmark of theological criticism. During the 1960s the theological writings of Vahanian, Harvey Cox
Harvey Cox
Harvey Gallagher Cox, Jr. is one of the preeminent theologians in the United States and served as Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009...
, Paul Van Buren
Paul van Buren
Paul Matthews van Buren was a Christian theologian and author. An ordained Episcopalian priest he was a Professor of religion at Temple University, Philadelphia for 22 years....
, William Hamilton, Thomas J. J. Altizer
Thomas J. J. Altizer
Thomas Jonathan Jackson Altizer is a radical theologian who incorporated Friedrich Nietzsche's conception of the "death of God" into his teachings.- Education :...
, and Richard Rubenstein
Richard Rubenstein
Richard Lowell Rubenstein is an educator in religion and a major writer in the American Jewish community, noted particularly for his contributions to Holocaust theology...
came to be regarded by many observers as a new Christian and Jewish movement advocating the death of God. However, as the conservative evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery is a noted lawyer, professor, Lutheran theologian, and prolific author living in France. He was born October 18, 1931, in Warsaw, New York, United States. In 2007 he was named "Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought" at Patrick Henry College...
noted, Vahanian's position was deemed to be "hopelessly conservative by the advocates of Christian atheism." (Suicide of Christian Theology, p. 80). Vahanian expressed his understanding of the "death of God" as happening when God is turned into a cultural artifact. Vahanian was alarmed at the objectification of God:
The Christian era has bequeathed us the 'death of God,' but not without teaching us a lesson. God is not necessary; that is to say, he cannot be taken for granted. He cannot be used merely as a hypothesis, whether epistemological, scientific, or existential, unless we should draw the degrading conclusion that 'God is reasons.' On the other hand, if we can no longer assume that God is, we may once again realize that he must be. God is not necessary, but he is inevitable. He is wholly other and wholly present. Faith in him, the conversion of our human reality, both culturally and existentially, is the demand he still makes upon us. (Wait Without Idols, p. 46)
He has contributed articles on wide ranging topics to journals and magazines such as The Nation, The Christian Century and Réforme or Foi et Vie and the Biblioteca dell'Archivio di filosofia. He was the recipient of the ACLS and served as a consulting member of the Presidential Commission on biomedical ethics. He has lectured throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In 2005, he was invited to be the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the Association of Christian Studies, where he lectured on “A Secular Christ: Against the Religious Parochialism of East and West” (forthcoming). His more recent publications include Anonymous God (2003), Tillich and the New Religious Paradigm (2004), and the forthcoming In Praise of the Secular. His personal papers from the period 1945–1971 are held in the archives of Syracuse University.
Critical assessments
- John Warwick Montgomery, The 'Is God Dead?' Controversy, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1966).
- John Warwick Montgomery, The Suicide of Christian Theology, (Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1970). ISBN 0-87123-521-8
- Mack B. Stokes, "The Nontheistic Temper of the Modern Mind," Religion in Life, Vol. 24 (Spring 1965), pp. 245–257.
External links
- Gabriel Vahanian, "The Otherness of Time: Secularisation as Worlding of the Word and the Hallowing of Time," Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory, 1, 1 (December 1999).
- "The 'God is Dead' Movement," Time Magazine, October 22, 1965.
- Thomas J. J. Altizer and William Hamilton, Radical Theology and the Death of God, (Indianapolis: Bobbs–Merrill, 1966).
- E. David Willis, "Iconoclasm in Paperback," Theology Today, 23, 2 (July 1966), p. 275
See also
- Death of God
- DeconstructionDeconstructionDeconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
- Deconstruction-and-religionDeconstruction-and-religionThose that take a deconstructive approach to religion identify closely with the work of Jacques Derrida, especially his work later in life. According to Slavoj Žižek, in the mid-to-late 1980s Derrida's work shifted from constituting a radical negative theology to being a form of Kantian idealism....
- Postmodern ChristianityPostmodern ChristianityPostmodern Christianity is an outlook of Christianity that is closely associated with the body of writings known as postmodern philosophy. Although it is a relatively recent development in the Christian religion, some Christian postmodernists assert that their style of thought has an affinity with...
- Weak theology