Discussing God: An Examination of Theological Language and Logic

Author: (English) John Macquarrie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: The title of this book is Talking about God. Some readers might ask, "Does God really exist? If not, why talk about Him?" Others might ask, "What does it mean to talk about God? Since it's intangible and invisible, isn't it boring?" As a moderate theologian and a clear-minded philosopher, John Macquarrie maintains an open and inclusive attitude toward all theological and philosophical schools of thought. In philosophy, he not only genuinely engages with and expresses the mainstream of Continental philosophy but also with and expresses the mainstream of Anglo-American philosophy, which is evident in this book. On one hand, the book raises and analyzes questions in the style of analytic philosophy and linguistic philosophy, which are generally considered to be in opposition to theology. It seriously discusses general issues of language, examines theological vocabulary and the various types of theological language, and explores myths, symbols, analogies, paradoxes, and experiential language. On the other hand, the book discusses the linguistic views of several representative modern theologians, examines the relationship between theology and logical positivism as well as its connection to Heidegger's hermeneutics, and moves from existential philosophy to phenomenology, proposing the fundamental logic of theology—“the language of existence and existence"—through the integration of the two. This is essentially a positive answer to the aforementioned questions derived from a comprehensive examination of various theological languages from different philosophical standpoints. The content and basis of this answer will become clear to readers through careful reading and reflection on this small book.