Peter Rollins’s Followers (299)

Peter Rollins

Born

in Belfast, Northern Ireland, The United Kingdom

March 31, 1973

Website

http://www.peterrollins.net

Genre

Christian, Philosophy, Psychology

Influences

Slavoj Žižek, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Emmanuel Lévinas, Jacques Lacan, Si ...more

edit data

Peter Rollins is a Northern Irish writer, public speaker, philosopher and theologian who is a prominent figure in Postmodern Christianity.

Drawing largely from various strands of Continental Philosophy, Rollins' early work operated broadly from within the tradition of Apophatic Theology, while his more recent books have signaled a move toward the theory and practice of Radical Theology. In these books Rollins develops a "religionless" interpretation of Christianity called Pyrotheology, an interpretation that views faith as a particular way of engaging with the world rather than a way of believing things about the world.

In contrast to the dominant reading of Christianity, this more existential approach argues that faith has nothing to do with Peter Rollins is a Northern Irish writer, public speaker, philosopher and theologian who is a prominent figure in Postmodern Christianity.

Drawing largely from various strands of Continental Philosophy, Rollins' early work operated broadly from within the tradition of Apophatic Theology, while his more recent books have signaled a move toward the theory and practice of Radical Theology. In these books Rollins develops a "religionless" interpretation of Christianity called Pyrotheology, an interpretation that views faith as a particular way of engaging with the world rather than a way of believing things about the world.

In contrast to the dominant reading of Christianity, this more existential approach argues that faith has nothing to do with upholding a religious identity, affirming a particular set of beliefs or gaining wholeness through conversion. Instead he has developed an approach that sees Christianity as a critique of these very things. This anti-religious reading stands against the actual existing church and lays the groundwork for an understanding of faith as a type of life in which one is able to celebrate doubt, ambiguity and complexity while deepening ones care and concern for the world. As an outspoken critic of “worldview Christianity” he argues that the event which gave rise to the Christian tradition cannot itself be reduced to a tradition, but is rather a way of challenging traditions, rendering them fluid and opening them up to the new. This event cannot then be understood as a religious, cultural or political system, but is a way of life that operates within such systems.

In order to explore and promote these themes Rollins has founded a number of experimental communities such as ikon and ikonNYC. These groups describe themselves as iconic, apocalyptic, heretical, emerging and failing and engage in the performance of what they call 'transformance art' and the creation of "suspended space." Because of their rejection of "worldview Christianity" and embrace of suspended space these groups purposelessly attempt to attract people with different political perspectives and opposing views concerning the existence of God and the nature of the world.

Although Rollins does not directly identify with the emerging church movement,he has been a significant influence on the movement's development. As a freelance speaker and popular writer, Rollins operates broadly outside the walls of an academic institution, and currently lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. His most influential book to date is How (Not) To Speak Of God (2006).
...more

611 posts
Peter Rollins's Blog

Peter Rollins isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.

Enduring Love, online

It would be difficult to find anyone who seriously questions the power and wonder of love. Yet the work of love is far from easy and oceans of blood have been spilt in its name. Love may motivate people to do wonderful, truly sacrificial things, but the crime scenes of depression, suicide, murder and wars all show evidence of its involvement. Love is heaven as well as hell. Love is a p

Combine Editions
Peter Rollins’s books

Average rating: 4.11 · 6,541 ratings · 653 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Orthodox Heretic And Other Impossible Tales 4.23 avg rating — 1,495 ratings — published 2009 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How (Not) to Speak of God: Marks of the Emerging Church 4.12 avg rating — 1,500 ratings — published 2006 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Insurrection: To Believe Is Human To Doubt, Divine 4.11 avg rating — 1,291 ratings — published 2011 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction 3.96 avg rating — 1,096 ratings — published 2015 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Divine Magician: The Disappearance of Religion and the Discovery of Faith 4.02 avg rating — 570 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fidelity of Betrayal: Towards a Church Beyond Belief 4.16 avg rating — 393 ratings — published 2008 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Enduring Love by Peter Rollins, Naters (Illustrator) 4.62 avg rating — 39 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Speak of God by Rollins, Peter [Paraclete Press,2006] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Insurrection: To Believe Is Human To Doubt, Divine by Peter Rollins (October 04,2011) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Der orthodoxe Häretiker und andere unglaubliche Geschichten 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Peter Rollins…

Quotes by Peter Rollins (?)

“That which we cannot speak of is the one thing about whom and to whom we must never stop speaking.”
― Peter Rollins

tags: mysticism, religion, spirituality

41 likes

“There is a deep sense in which we are all ghost towns. We are all haunted by the memory of those we love, those with whom we feel we have unfinished business. While they may no longer be with us, a faint aroma of their presence remains, a presence that haunts us until we make our peace with them and let them go. The problem, however, is that we tend to spend a great deal of energy in attempting to avoid the truth. We construct an image of ourselves that seeks to shield us from a confrontation with our ghosts. Hence we often encounter them only late at night, in the corridors of our dreams.”
― Peter Rollins, The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction

tags: death-of-a-loved-one, loss

30 likes

“The argument is made that naming God is never really naming God but only naming our understanding of God. To take our ideas of the divine and hold them as if they correspond to the reality of God is thus to construct a conceptual idol built from the materials of our mind.”
― Peter Rollins

tags: mysticism, religion, spirituality

29 likes

See all Peter Rollins's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge: 50 Books: Bryan's Challenge List for 2014	39	128	Dec 27, 2014 07:56PM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	4153	359	Nov 30, 2018 09:27PM
Never too Late to...: Title Game	13510	1294	Feb 14, 2023 12:59AM

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Peter to Goodreads.