Books by Stephen Backhouse
Chapter “Kierkegaard and Politics in Golden Age Denmark”
The book draws out the critique of Christian nationalism that is implicit throughout the thought ... more The book draws out the critique of Christian nationalism that is implicit throughout the thought of Søren Kierkegaard, an analysis that is inseparable from his wider aim of reintroducing Christianity into Christendom. ‘Christian nationalism’ refers to the set of ideas in which belief in the development and superiority of one’s national group is combined with, or underwritten by, Christian theology and practice. The book examines the nationalist theologies of H.L. Martensen and N.F.S. Grundtvig, important cultural leaders and contemporaries of Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard’s response to their thought forms the backbone of his own philosophical and theological project, namely his attempt to form authentic Christian individuals through the use of ‘the moment’, ‘the leap’ and ‘contemporaneity’. This Kierkegaardian critique is brought into conversation with current political science theories of religious nationalism, and is expanded to address movements and theologies beyond the historical context of Kierkegaard’s Golden Age Denmark. The implications of Kierkegaard’s approach are undoubtedly radical and unsettling to politicians and church leaders alike, yet there is much to commend it to the reality of modern religious and social life. As a theological thinker keenly aware of the unique problems posed by Christendom, Kierkegaard’s critique is timely for any Christian culture that is tempted to confuse its faith with patriotism or national affiliation.
"It is no mean feat to condense 2,000 years of universal Christian history into 200 pages, but St... more "It is no mean feat to condense 2,000 years of universal Christian history into 200 pages, but Stephen Backhouse has impressively achieved just that. This boasts genuinely worldwide coverage, introducing the reader with clarity and concision to a rich variety of Christianities that modern Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox often ignore, as well as providing a vigorous guide through these three great traditions in their travels across the globe."
- Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, St Cross College, University of Oxford
Papers by Stephen Backhouse
The Journal of Theological Studies, 2016
Although he has long been known primarily as the object of Soren Kierkegaard's disdain, Hans ... more Although he has long been known primarily as the object of Soren Kierkegaard's disdain, Hans Lassen Martensen (1808-84) was a celebrated figure in his own time. Recognised as a brilliant scholar and highly successful churchman, Martensen worked in a number of different areas of theology and philosophy, producing an impressive literary corpus over a period of several decades. His authorship is remarkably varied, including philosophical treatises, theological tracts, sermons, eulogies, book and theatre reviews, as well as polemical and occasional pieces. During his lifetime, he saw his works translated into German, Swedish, English, French, Hungarian and Dutch. These works were widely read and frequently reprinted in numerous editions throughout the second half of the century. It is unfortunate that to international research he was known for many years only as a central figure in Kierkegaard's attack on the Danish State Church. In the past few decades there has, however, been a renewed appreciation for Martensen as an important thinker in his own right. The present anthology attempts to bring together the works of the leading Danish and international scholars responsible for this recent surge of interest. In order to capture the different aspects of Martensen's thought, the volume has been organised into three main rubrics: I. Theology, II. Philosophy, and III. Politics and Social Theory. Collectively, the articles featured here treat Martensen's main works from his dissertation, On the Autonomy of Human Self-Consciousness in 1837 to his monumental, three-volume Christian Ethics from the 1870s. The authors demonstrate that the problems critically addressed by Martensen in the Danish Golden Age are still very much with us today in the twenty-first century.
Modern Believing, 2012
Patriotic theologians often extol the virtues of national affiliation as creaturely and Incarnati... more Patriotic theologians often extol the virtues of national affiliation as creaturely and Incarnational in contrast with alternative and intangible accounts of Christian love such cosmopolitanism. Instead, against the likes of Nigel Biggar and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this paper argues that both cosmopolitanism and patriotism are abstractions. Nations are not persons, places or communities: they are ever changing, multivalent narratives. As such, national allegiance makes a poor foundation for Christian love for real people. With reference to Kierkegaard, the paper suggests that it is local and tangible neighbourhoods, and not abstract nationhoods, which properly attract the Christian duty to love.
British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 2014
""Modern European thought' describes a wide range of philo... more ""Modern European thought' describes a wide range of philosophies, cultural programmes, and political arguments developed in Europe in the period following the French Revolution. Throughout this period, many of the wide range of 'modernisms' (and anti-modernisms) had a distinctly religious and even theological character-not least when religion was subjected to the harshest criticism. Yet for all the breadth and complexity of modern European thought and, in particular, its relations to theology, a distinct body of themes and approaches recurred in each generation. Moreover, many of the issues that took intellectual shape in Europe are now global, rather than narrowly European, and, for good or ill, they form part of Europe's bequest to the world-from colonialism and the economic theories behind globalisation through to democracy to terrorism. This volume attempts to identify and comment on some of the most important of these. The thirty chapters are grouped into six thematic parts, moving from questions of identity and the self, through discussions of the human condition, the age of revolution, the world (both natural and technological), and knowledge methodologies, concluding with a section looking explicitly at how major theological themes have developed in modern European thought. The chapters engage with major thinkers including Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Schleiermacher, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Barth, Rahner, Tillich, Bonhoeffer, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Wittgenstein, and Derrida, amongst many others. Taken together, these new essays provide a rich and reflective overview of the interchange between theology, philosophy and critical thought in Europe, over the past two hundred years. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Part I: Identity 1: Clare Carlisle: The Self and the Good life 2: Stephen Backhouse: Community (1) The Nation 3: Graham Ward: Community (2): The City 4: Pamela Anderson: The Other 5: Steven Shakespeare: Language 6: Daphne Hampson: Freedom Part II: The Human Condition 7: John Hughes: Work and Labour 8: Paul Fiddes: Suffering 9: George Pattison: Death 10: Jennifer Geddes: Evil 11: Werner Jeanrond: Love Part III: The Age of Revolution 12: Luke Brotherton: Sovereignty 13: Tracey Rowland: Tradition 14: Judith Wolfe: Messianism 15: Connor Cunningham: Nihilism 16: Douglas Hedley: Sacrifice 17: Stanley Hauerwas: War and Peace Part IV: The World 18: Michael Gillespie: Radical Philosophy and Political Theology 19: Gordon Graham: Nature 20: Ross Wilson: The Sublime and the Beautiful 21: Arne Grøn: Time and History 22: David Lewin: Technology Part V: Ways of Knowing 23: Johannes Zachhuber: Wissenschaft 24: Jim Fodor: Hermeneutics 25: Merold Westphal: Phenomenology 26: William Desmond: The Metaphysics of Modernity Part VI: Theology 27: Nicholas Adams: The Bible 28: David Law: Incarnation 29: David Brown: Sacramentality 30: Simeon Zahl: Atonement 31: David Fergusson: Eschatology and Providence""
Notice. Imprimer la notice. Kierkegaard's critique of christian nationalism (hardback) (... more Notice. Imprimer la notice. Kierkegaard's critique of christian nationalism (hardback) (series: oxford theological monographs). Auteur : BACKHOUSE Stephen. 87,74 Ajouter au panier le livre deBACKHOUSE Stephen. Date de parution : 06-2011 Langue : ANGLAIS 272p. ...
Stewart/A Companion to Kierkegaard, 2015
Kierkegaard's Critique of Christian Nationalism, 2011
Kierkegaard's Critique of Christian Nationalism, 2011
Kierkegaard's Critique of Christian Nationalism, 2011
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Books by Stephen Backhouse
- Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, St Cross College, University of Oxford
Papers by Stephen Backhouse
- Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, St Cross College, University of Oxford