''The Death of God'' is a 1961 book by
Gabriel Vahanian
Gabriel Vahanian (in Armenian Գաբրիէլ Վահանեան; 24 January 1927 – 30 August 2012) was a French Protestant Christian theologian who was most remembered for his pioneering work in the theology of the "death of God" movement withi ...
, a part of the discussion of
death of God theology
Death of God theology refers to a range of ideas by various theologians and philosophers that try to account for the rise of secularity and abandonment of traditional beliefs in God. They posit that God has either ceased to exist or in some w ...
during the period.
Contents
In the book, Vahanian observes that many people in his era regarded the Christian God to be irrelevant to their situation. He describes that Christianity, and particularly theism, was not resonating with people. One explanation given for this is that the Christian God is too transcendent, whereas people in his day were largely focused on the practical worldly goals.
The book describes the process of
secularization
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
, namely, how society has steadily removed God from its institutions. Vahanian contends that the apparent religiosity of the 1950s obscures many from recognizing this process.
The book criticized efforts to modernize Christianity, such as
Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American Protestant clergyman, and an author best known for popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book ''The Power of Positive ...
's 1952 best-seller, ''
The Power of Positive Thinking
''The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living'' is a 1952 self-help book by American minister Norman Vincent Peale. It provides anecdotal "case histories" of positive thinking using a biblica ...
'', which Vahanian asserted reduced Christianity to "a tool for success." Instead, Vahanian argued that faith was for coping with suffering, developing the conscience, and confronting doubts about God. The book claimed that Peale and
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
had "domesticated" Christianity and its God.
The book includes a religious critique of
existentialism
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Death of God, The
1961 non-fiction books
Death of God theology
Religious studies books