Unfinished God

Reviews / Votes

No one has done more to transform the contemporary study of religion than Ray L. Hart. Deeply grounded in, but not limited by, the western theological and philosophical tradition, Hart sets the highest standards for mutual understanding and scholarly communication among people holding different worldviews. As this important collection of essays by distinguished scholars makes clear, God Being Nothing represents the culmination of his remarkable spiritual and intellectual journey. By rigorously rethinking the seemingly obsolete tradition of speculative metaphysics, Hart and his commentators create a redemptive vision for today's nihilistic culture. -- Mark C. Taylor, Professor of Religion, Columbia University This is a moving tribute to Ray Hart that exhibits eloquently just how and why he is one of the most challenging as well as original theologians of our time. Eighteen eminent scholars bear out Hart's genius for articulating a meontology in which God is conceived as Nothing in his very transcendence. A must read for anyone who cares about the future of theology in this deeply troubling moment. -- Edward S. Casey, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Stony Brook University Unfinished God is a worthy tribute to Ray Hart, an elder statesman and ground-breaking pioneer of radical theology in the United States. Hart's bold thinking ventures into the Godhead beyond God of Eckhart, the dark powers described by Boehme and Schelling, speculatively exploring the genesis of God, world, and humankind. One after another, the essays in this superb collection show the much-needed shock Hart delivers to orthodoxy and the openings he has created for a theology to come. -- John D. Caputo, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Syracuse University Ray Hart's theology is an underappreciated treasure, which these intrepid editors-Feld and McGrath-tirelessly labour to unearth. Assessing the trajectory of Hart's work from Unfinished Man and the Imagination to God Being Nothing, Unfinished God charts a course for radical renewal of philosophical theology in our post-orthodox and post-secular world. -- Clayton Crockett, University of Central Arkansas and Global Centre for Advanced Studies Unfinished God is a timely critical engagement with the original thought of Ray Hart. The editors, Sean McGrath and Alina Feld, have done a remarkable job in marshalling a robust series of reflections on the vital liaison dangereuse between philosophy and theology. It lights bonfires in the mind. -- Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College From the epistemological problem of revelation in Unfinished Man and the Imagination to the metaphysical theogony of God Being Nothing, Ray Hart has eloquently argued that God is neither fully present nor wholly absent. In this collection of essays his leading interlocutors develop this idea in fascinating ways. -- Andrew Cutrofello, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago