Description: Theopoetics is radical theology. By this I mean not that it is a theology of the death of God but that it is a radicalization of the event that is going on in the name of God. Theopoetics is the radicalization, weakening, or reduction of theology to theopoetics—of the logos of theology to a poiēsis and of the theos of theology to a poiēma. Theopoetics is not theo–poetry; it is an account of the genesis or constitution of the name of God, where the name of God is an icon or a symbol of the unconditional. Theology is commissioned to show that and how God and religion make sense (= a logos). I am arguing that (1) theology is only possible as theopoetics, lest theology fall into supernaturalism, mystification, reification, and literalization. (2) Theopoetics is only possible as phenomenology, lest theopoetics fall into aestheticism, subjectivism, or self–deception (= a phenomenology). The way that God and religion can make sense is theopoetics and the way theopoetics makes sense is phenomenology. Perhaps the words religion, God and theology are beyond repair. If they are not, this is how to repair them. Either way, reparable or not, theopoetics is what we will require under this or some other name.
I will work this argument out in four steps each one being a class session in April.
Schedule: Saturdays in April. April 5, 12, 19, 26 at 10am New York Time
Format: Once you enroll you will be sent a syllabus and course materials.
The class meet on the GCAS-Zoom platform.