Christianity Without God

by Lloyd Geering

Just as the bible ceased, in the nineteenth century, to be convincing as the repository of divinely revealed knowledge, so the twentieth century witnessed the death of the conventional image of God. Lloyd Geering asks whether this death of God spells the imminent death of the whole Christian tradition or simply means the end of conventional Christian doctrine.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Atheism

157 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Sir Lloyd George Geering ONZ GNZM CBE 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". Geering is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He turned 100 in February 2018.

Reviews

[Timothy Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Second Axial Age?

Well-argued and persuasive book that unfolds with no leaps of logic or continuity. Worth reading by anyone restless within the confines of traditional Christianity. I Was taken with the notion that we are in a second Axial Age. That said, the world of 2001 is not quite that of 2022 and the author may be a bit too optimistic about our capacities to evolve in a truly “humanist” direction.

[Jacob Petrossian · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Lloyd has been a Presbyterian Pastor in the past, he shares his philosophy through a rather scientific point of view through this book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

He starts from a far more orthodox and literal place than I so I found many of his arguments unnecessary. His style is also stuffy and pendantic.

[Gyuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most enlightening book I've ever read. I never was really able to understand what some mean under God, and I had the impression that the religious people have the understanding of God neither. Explaining that the God is just a word, like an empty shell which was refilled by meaning time after time by the church explains the heart of this conflict. Geering described also the dynamics of the meaning of this word over the curse of the history. The book is a deep analysis of Christianity, God and the relation of the two. The proof how Christianity can live and also why it must live without God, or more specifically without theism, is convincing. This book was a refreshing experience for me and I can only recommend it to those who are interested in getting a new perspective about one of our cultural heritages.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book! Especially for someone who wants to know how Christianity does not necessarily need to have a theistic perspective in order to appreciate its impressions in culture, language, classic Western literature, and values.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad to be reading Lloyd Geering again. He makes things so clear and understandable. Good points about how theism must be abandoned.