| After God Contributor(s): Taylor, Mark C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0226791696 ISBN-13: 9780226791692 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $98.01 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: October 2007 Annotation: With fundamentalists dominating the headlines and scientists arguing about the biological and neurological basis of faith, religion is "the" topic of the day. But religion, Mark C. Taylor shows, is more complicated than either its defenders or critics think and, indeed, is much more influential than any of us realize. Our world, Taylor maintains, is shaped by religion even when it is least obvious. Faith and value, he insists, are unavoidable and inextricably interrelated for believers and nonbelievers alike. Using scientific theories of dynamical systems and complex adaptive networks for cultural and theological analysis, "After God "redefines religion for our contemporary age. Taylor begins by asking a critical question: What is religion? He then proceeds to explain how Protestant ideas in particular undergird the character and structure of our global information society--the Reformation, Taylor argues, was an information and communications revolution that effectively prepared the way for the media revolution at the end of the twentieth century. Taylor's breathtaking account of religious ideas allows us to understand for the first time that contemporary notions of atheism and the secular are already implicit in classical Christology and Trinitarian theology. Weaving together theoretical analysis and historical interpretation, Taylor demonstrates the codependence and coevolution of traditional religious beliefs and practices with modern literature, art, architecture, information technologies, media, financial markets, and theoretical biology. "After God "concludes with prescriptions for new ways of thinking and acting. If we are to negotiate the perils of the twenty-first century, Taylor contends, we must refigure the symbolic networks that inform our policies and guide our actions. A religion without God creates the possibility of an ethics without absolutes that leads to the promotion of creativity and life in an ever more fragile world. The first comprehensive theology of culture since the pioneering work of Paul Tillich, "After God "is a radical reconceptualization of religion and Taylor's most pathbreaking work yet, bringing together various strands of theological argument and cultural analysis four decades in the making. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Philosophy | Religious - Religion | Philosophy - Religion | Theology |
| Dewey: 200.903 |
| LCCN: 2007005015 |
| Series: Religion & Postmodernism (Hardcover) |
| Physical Information: 1.3" H x 6.29" W x 9.3" (1.73 lbs) 416 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Religion, Mark C. Taylor argues in After God, is more complicated than either its defenders or critics think and, indeed, is much more influential than any of us realize. Our world, Taylor maintains, is shaped by religion even when it is least obvious. Faith and value, he insists, are unavoidable and inextricably interrelated for believers and nonbelievers alike. The first comprehensive theology of culture since the pioneering work of Paul Tillich, After God redefines religion for our contemporary age. This volumeis a radical reconceptualization of religion and Taylor's most pathbreaking work yet, bringing together various strands of theological argument and cultural analysis four decades in the making. Praise for Mark C. Taylor
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Contributor Bio(s): Taylor, Mark C.: - Mark C. Taylor is professor of religion at Columbia University and is the founding editor of the Religion and Postmodernism series published by the University of Chicago Press. He is the author of over two dozen books, including Speed Limits: Where Time Went and Why We Have So Little Left and Abiding Grace: Time, Modernity, Death. |