Radical Political Theology: Religion and Politics After Liberalism

Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture

by Clayton Crockett

In the 1960s, the strict opposition between the religious and the secular began to break down, blurring the distinction between political philosophy and political theology. This collapse contributed to the decline of modern liberalism, which supported a neutral, value-free space for capitalism. It also deeply unsettled political, religious, and philosophical realms, forced to confront the conceptual stakes of a return to religion.

Gamely intervening in a contest that defies simple resolutions, Clayton Crockett conceives of the postmodern convergence of the secular and the religious as a basis for emancipatory political thought. Engaging themes of sovereignty, democracy, potentiality, law, and event from a religious and political point of view, Crockett articulates a theological vision that responds to our contemporary world and its theo-political realities. Specifically, he claims we should think about God and the state in terms of potentiality rather than sovereign power. Deploying new concepts, such as Slavoj Žižek's idea of parallax and Catherine Malabou's notion of plasticity, his argument engages with debates over the nature and status of religion, ideology, and messianism. Tangling with the work of Derrida, Deleuze, Spinoza, Antonio Negri, Giorgio Agamben, Alain Badiou, John D. Caputo, and Catherine Keller, Crockett concludes with a reconsideration of democracy as a form of political thought and religious practice, underscoring its ties to modern liberal capitalism while also envisioning a more authentic democracy unconstrained by those ties.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Politics

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Clayton Crockett is Associate Professor and Director of Religious Studies at the University of Central Arkansas. His specialization is postmodern theology and Continental Philosophy of Religion. He lives in Conway, Arkansas with his wife Vicki and two children.

Reviews

[Evan Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly good and important for our current world. In short Crockett looks at the ways that religion has failed our world allowing for the creation of neoliberalism and capitalism, but suggests that a completely new way of thinking by redoing religious application is the only force strong enough to break through our problems. As the world has less and less meaning, Crockett proposes that religion is both the problem and the solution.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in social justice activism then you don't know the territory or stakes in postmodern world without reading this book. It's momumental.

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