Book: Allah: A Christian Response

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Book: Allah: A Christian Response

Although not mentioned in the publisher's description (and only briefly in the text itself), Miroslav Volf (Yale), a student of Jürgen Moltmann's, situates his recent book, "Allah: A Christian Response" (HarperOne, February 2011), in the context of political theology.

In an interview this week, he said: "If Muslims and Christians cannot meaningfully engage each other on a moral plane, they will fight. That's at the heart of my exploration in Allah - a book of political theology - of the question of whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Given that moral qualities are inseparable from God's being, if God is the same, the moral universe will be the same; if Gods are incompatible, two moral universes exist."

Source: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Deeply-Unchristian-Patton-Dodd-08-29-2011.html

Allah: A Christian Response by Miroslav Volf

Article: On the United States' Political Theology of "Absolute Security" and Obama's "Nuclear-free World"

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Article: On the United States' Political Theology of "Absolute Security" and Obama's "Nuclear-free World"

Published in a Chinese journal: Wang Zhijun (Nanjing Army Command College), "On the United States' Political Theology of 'Absolute Security' and Obama's 'Nuclear-free World" ("International Forum", 1, 2010: pp. 14-20, 79).

Quote: "Obama's 'nuclear-free world' proposal, objectively speaking, has certain positive and progressive meaning but in essence, [sic] is the continuation of the U.S. pursuit of 'absolute security'[,] a concep[t] in political theology."

I gather this may be an online journal, but it certainly is not open access. Try your luck buying the article if you speak Chinese.

Although title and abstract are provided in English, the full text may be in Chinese too, which is mentioned as the language of publication of the journal. (Strangely, though, the journal "Deutschland-studien" ["Germany-studies"; my translation] is said to be published in English, when titles and abstracts are in German ...)

On the United States' Political Theology of "Absolute Security" and Obama's "Nuclear-free World"--《International Forum》2010年01期

Article: Post-Enlightenment sources of political authority: Biblical atheism, political theology and the Schmitt-Strauss exchange

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Article: Post-Enlightenment sources of political authority: Biblical atheism, political theology and the Schmitt-Strauss exchange

Presented at a conference, "Political Theology as the Problem", in Poland in 2010, and now available in print as part of a journal special issue on "Carl Schmitt, Humanity and Rights: Early Modern Readings, Contemporary Appraisals": John P. McCormick (University of Chicago), "Post-Enlightenment sources of political authority: Biblical atheism, political theology and the Schmitt-Strauss exchange" ("History of European Ideas", 37 [2], June 2011: pp. 175-80).

Quote: "This essay reevaluates the Weimar writings of Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss, specifically, their intellectual efforts to replace the political authority of Kantian liberalism with, respectively, a 'political theology' and 'Biblical atheism' ... They considered Kantian reason and liberal politics ... as dangerous obfuscations of the necessity of political order - of the brute fact that human beings stand in need of 'being ruled,' as such."

For more on the conference the paper was presented at last year, refer back to: http://political-theology-agenda.blogspot.com/2010/06/political-theology-as-problem.html

ScienceDirect - History of European Ideas : Post-Enlightenment sources of political authority: Biblical atheism, political theology and the Schmitt–Strauss exchange

CONF: Continental Congress of Theology

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CONF: Continental Congress of Theology

A year before the Catholic World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro - and on occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the fortieth (actually forty-first) anniversary of the publication of Gustavo Gutiérrez's book, "A Theology of Liberation" -, Jesuits in Brazil will be holding a Continental Congress of Theology, taking place from 8-11 October 2012 at the University of the Sinos Valley (Unisinos) in São Leopoldo.

Many prominent liberation theologians (including Gutiérrez, Leonardo Boff, and Jon Sobrino) are expected to attend this event, which is supported by theological societies from all over Latin America and the Caribbean and, strangely for a conference promoting liberation theology, even a Pontifical University.

Various regional meetings will be held in preparation.

While the conference website is currently only available in Portuguese, Spanish and English pages should be added shortly.

Registration will open in March 2012.

Congresso de Teologia - Unisinos Eventos

Article: Ambiguous Messianism: The Political Theology of Martin Buber

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Article: Ambiguous Messianism: The Political Theology of Martin Buber

Too little on Jewish political theology gets published in English (rather than Hebrew), but here's a short recent piece: David Ohana (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev/Berkeley), "Ambiguous Messianism: The Political Theology of Martin Buber" ("Religion Compass", 5 [1], January 2011: pp. 50-60).

Quote: "In this article I will exmine [sic] the complex attitude of Martin Buber ... to Messianism in the prism of political theology in Israel. Buber's intellectual and scholarly interest in Messianism was ... the very foundation of his thought. His methodical treatment of Messianism encouraged the idea that his dialogic approach to philosophical enquiry was an authentic philosophical method."

Ambiguous Messianism: The Political Theology of Martin Buber1 - Ohana - 2011 - Religion Compass - Wiley Online Library

Article: Hecuba against Hamlet: Carl Schmitt, Political Theology, and the Stake of Modern Tragedy

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Article: Hecuba against Hamlet: Carl Schmitt, Political Theology, and the Stake of Modern Tragedy

From the "Telos" special issue on "Carl Schmitt's Hamlet or Hecuba": Katrin Trüstedt (University of Erfurt), "Hecuba against Hamlet: Carl Schmitt, Political Theology, and the Stake of Modern Tragedy" (153, winter 2010: pp. 94-112).

Excerpt: "In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in political theology that is not restricted to certain strands of political philosophy but concerns the humanities as a whole. Conferences and collections put to the fore the question of if and how our modern culture is to be understood in terms - however modified or displaced - of political theology. Some of the authors pursuing this question try to define new directions ... and more positive notions of political theology than those that had previously been discussed with respect to Carl Schmitt".

No abstract provided.

Hecuba against Hamlet: Carl Schmitt, Political Theology, and the Stake of Modern Tragedy -- Trüstedt 2010 (153): 94 -- Telos

Article: Agonistic intimacy and moral aspiration in popular Hinduism: A study in the political theology of the neighbor

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Article: Agonistic intimacy and moral aspiration in popular Hinduism: A study in the political theology of the neighbor

The old question whether there can be political theology in non-monotheistic religions continues to be explored - and articles continue to be published in the most unexpected places: Bhrigupati Singh (Harvard), "Agonistic intimacy and moral aspiration in popular Hinduism: A study in the political theology of the neighbor" ("American Ethnologist", 38 [3], August 2011: pp. 430-50).

Quote: "I analyze the arrival of a 'new' god, the oral-epic deity Tejaji, in the villages of Shahbad (Rajasthan, India) and the modes of relatedness this divine migration expresses between neighboring castes and tribes. ... I locate spiritual-moral aspirations not necessarily in 'otherworldliness' but as a political theology of the neighbor, conceiving of the neighbor as human and nonhuman (as deity, spirit, and animal), in ways that widen the definition of “the political” and of 'theos.'"

Agonistic intimacy and moral aspiration in popular Hinduism: A study in the political theology of the neighbor - SINGH - 2011 - American Ethnologist - Wiley Online Library

Article: Critique and Promise in Paul Tillich's Political Theology: Engaging Giorgio Agamben on Sovereignty and Possibility

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Article: Critique and Promise in Paul Tillich's Political Theology: Engaging Giorgio Agamben on Sovereignty and Possibility

Here goes again: Gregory Walter (St. Olaf College), "Critique and Promise in Paul Tillich's Political Theology: Engaging Giorgio Agamben on Sovereignty and Possibility" ("The Journal of Religion", 90 [4], October 2010: 453-74).

Excerpt: "Theologians who seek a firm pact (ewiger Vertrag) between themselves and another domain have much at stake in the well-being of that non-theological partner, especially when it seems that the other sphere has significant difficulties of its own. Giorgio Agamben has called attention to problems with the definition of the nature of the political itself. It seems ... that the very idea of sovereignty can turn everything into the political. There would in this sense be nothing apolitical, nothing transcending the political sphere in any sense in order to critique or modify it."

Google+ continues to have problems with certain links. I'm not sure why, but I can, for example, not link to any Equinox journals (including "Political Theology"). In this case, I could link to the journal's table of contents, but not to the actual article, which can be found here: http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1086/654823

No abstract provided.

JSTOR: The Journal of Religion, Vol. 90, No. 4, October 2010

Article: Radical Muslim Politics from Comparative Perspective: Theological Deprivation as the Major Source of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Influence

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Article: Radical Muslim Politics from Comparative Perspective: Theological Deprivation as the Major Source of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Influence

Another recent article bridging the research agendas on political theology and anti-democracy: Ihsan Yilmaz (Fatih University), "Radical Muslim Politics from Comparative Perspective: Theological Deprivation as the Major Source of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Influence" ("Uluslararası Hukuk ve Politika: Review of International Law and Politics", 6 [23], 2010: pp. 99-117).

Quote: "This study is a comparative qualitative analysis of radical Muslim politics. It focuses on the transnational anti-systemic and anti-democracy Hizb ut-Tahrir (hereinafter referred to as HT) that aims to establish a global Muslim state called Caliphate by non-violence means. ... [O]ur analysis of three countries (Britain, Uzbekistan and Egypt) ... suggests that theological deprivation is the major factor that paves the way for radicalization of the Muslim youth when socio-economic and political deprivations already exist."

The link provided is to the full text version.

http://www.usak.org.tr/dosyalar/dergi/KJxgrD1BnkL6S2ed9x7HCOrdE3VzBB.pdf

Chapter: The Political Theology of Trade Law: The Scholastic Contribution

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Chapter: The Political Theology of Trade Law: The Scholastic Contribution

The chapter, "The Political Theology of Trade Law: The Scholastic Contribution", by Martti Koskenniemi (University of Helsinki) was published in the "festschrift", "From Bilateralism to Community Interest: Essays in Honour of Bruno Simma", eds. Ulrich Fastenrath, Rudolf Geiger, Daniel-Erasmus Khan, Andreas Paulus, Sabine von Schorlemer, and Christoph Vedder (Oxford University Press, March 2011: pp. 90-113).

Quote: "In his massive opus on legal and political theory, the Jesuit Francisco Suárez (1548-1617) addresses at great length the distinction between natural law and the jus gentium (law of nations). ... Among institutions of jus gentium, Suárez lists the freedom of trade. This chapter revisits the ideological ancestry of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the Christian narrative of the power of humans over things (and thus on each other) through the worldwide application of dominium proprietatis - the right of free use and exchange of private property."

Oxford Scholarship Online: From Bilateralism to Community Interest

Article: On the Political in the Wake: Carl Schmitt and James Joyce's Political Theologies

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Article: On the Political in the Wake: Carl Schmitt and James Joyce's Political Theologies

Just published: Kieran Keohane (University College Cork), "On the Political in the Wake: Carl Schmitt and James Joyce's Political Theologies" ("Cultural Politics: an International Journal", 7 [2], July 2011: pp. 249-64).

Quote: "Parallels as well as differences in these authors' works are examined to illuminate the figure of the dictator and the theme of political theology, and to reveal the deep affinity between Schmitt and totalitarianism on the one hand and Joyce and radical and plural democracy on the other."

ingentaconnect On the Political in the Wake: Carl Schmitt and James Joyce's Poli...

Article: Secularization, History, and Political Theology: The Hans Blumenberg and Carl Schmitt Debate

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Article: Secularization, History, and Political Theology: The Hans Blumenberg and Carl Schmitt Debate

Another article on Schmitt/Blumenberg: Celina María Bragagnolo (SUNY, Stony Brook), "Secularization, History, and Political Theology: The Hans Blumenberg and Carl Schmitt Debate" ("Journal of the Philosophy of History", 5 [1], 2011: pp. 84-104).

Quote: "Considering the enormous outpouring of scholarly work on Schmitt over the last two decades, the absence of an adequate treatment in English of Schmitt's concept of history and the problem of secularization is quite surprising. ... This article is an attempt to address this problem by means of his exchange with Hans Blumenberg who, more than any other critic of Schmitt, was privy to the political intentions behind Schmitt's metaphorical use of theology."

ingentaconnect Secularization, History, and Political Theology: The Hans Blumenb...

Article: The Site of Mormon Political Theology

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Article: The Site of Mormon Political Theology

Increasingly, we see attempts in the US to come up with political theologies for particular (Christian) denominations. Here's the latest article of that kind: Jeremiah John (Southern Virginia University), "The Site of Mormon Political Theology" ("Perspectives on Political Science", 40 [2], April 2011: pp. 87-96).

Quote: "Mormon political theology must reconcile two distinct projects: the care for the Church's concrete, temporal existence in the World, and the welcoming of the future Kingdom of God on earth. ... These two sides, apologetic and prophetic political theology, are distinguished not by their political content, but rather by their particular kinds of political rhetoric."

Taylor & Francis Online :: The Site of Mormon Political Theology 1 - Perspectives on Political Science - Volume 40,
Issue 2

Article: On political theology and the possibility of superseding it

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Article: On political theology and the possibility of superseding it

I don't post notes on the many (work-in-progress) papers on political theology that are around online (mostly conference presentations).

Here's a paper, though, of which an online version has been available for some years, but that ultimately got published in a journal: Paulina Echoa Espejo (Yale), "On political theology and the possibility of superseding it" ("Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy", 13 [4], November 2010: pp. 475-94).

Quote: "The analogies between religious and secular juridical arguments interest political theorists because they suggest a hidden link between religion and politics. ... This thesis - political theology - has become associated with Carl Schmitt, but the argument in this paper differs importantly from his. Unlike Schmitt, this paper claims that in the contemporary state political theology can be superseded."

Taylor & Francis Online :: On political theology and the possibility of superseding it - Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy - Volume 13,
Issue 4

Book: The Pretenses of Loyalty: Locke, Liberal Theory, and American Political Theology

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Book: The Pretenses of Loyalty: Locke, Liberal Theory, and American Political Theology

Just published: John Perry (Oxford), "The Pretenses of Loyalty: Locke, Liberal Theory, and American Political Theology" (Oxford University Press, June 2011).

Quote: "[I]t is clear that liberalism's promise to solve all theo-political conflict is a false hope. The philosophy connecting John Locke to John Rawls seeks a world free of tragic dilemmas, where there can be no Antigones. Perry rejects this as an illusion. ... The Pretenses of Loyalty offers groundbreaking analysis of the overlooked early work of Locke, where liberalism's founder himself opposed toleration. ... Liberal toleration is thus more sophisticated, more theologically subtle, and ultimately more problematic than has been supposed. It demands not only governmental neutrality (as Rawls believed) but also a reworked political theology."Edit

Oxford University Press: The Pretenses of Loyalty: John Perry

Book: Radical Democracy and Political Theology

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Book: Radical Democracy and Political Theology

And yet another book on political theology from the same publisher: Jeffrey W. Robbins (Lebanon Valley College), "Radical Democracy and Political Theology" (Columbia University Press, March 2011).

Quote: "By linking radical democratic theory to a contemporary fascination with political theology, Robbins envisions the modern experience of democracy as a social, cultural, and political force transforming the nature of sovereign power and political authority. Robbins joins his work with Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's radical conception of 'network power,' as well as Sheldon Wolin's notion of 'fugitive democracy,' to fashion a political theology that captures modern democracy's social and cultural torment. ... While effectively recasting the tradition of radical theology as a political theology, this book also develops a comprehensive critique of the political theology bequeathed by Carl Schmitt."

Who, I wonder, makes up CUP's titles? "Political Theology" (Kahn), "Radical Political Theology" (Crockett), and "Radical Democracy and Political Theology" (Robbins) ... sounds to me like search engine optimization.

Radical Democracy and Political Theology

Book: Radical Political Theology: Religion and Politics after Liberalism

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Book: Radical Political Theology: Religion and Politics after Liberalism

A book, it would appear, on the inherently anti-liberal nature of political theologies: Clayton Crockett (University of Central Arkansas), "Radical Political Theology: Religion and Politics after Liberalism" (Columbia University Press, January 2011).

Quote: "Clayton Crockett conceives of the postmodern convergence of the secular and the religious as a basis for emancipatory political thought. Engaging themes of sovereignty, democracy, potentiality, law, and event from a religious and political point of view, Crockett articulates a theological vision that responds to our contemporary world and its theo-political realities. Specifically, he claims we should think about God and the state in terms of potentiality rather than sovereign power."

Radical Political Theology

Book: Constitutional Theocracy

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Book: Constitutional Theocracy

Here is a book that shows why it makes sense that I blog about political theology and anti-democracy in the same place now: Ran Hirschl (University of Toronto), "Constitutional Theocracy" (Cambridge University Press, November 2010).

Quote: "At the intersection of two sweeping global trends - the rise of popular support for principles of theocratic governance and the spread of constitutionalism and judicial review - a new legal order has emerged: constitutional theocracy. ... In this book, Ran Hirschl undertakes a rigorous comparative analysis of religion-and-state jurisprudence from dozens of countries worldwide to explore the evolving role of constitutional law and courts in a non-secularist world."

Constitutional Theocracy - Ran Hirschl - Harvard University Press

CONF: Derrida and the Theologico-Political: From Sovereignty to the Death Penalty

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CONF: Derrida and the Theologico-Political: From Sovereignty to the Death Penalty

The topic of the 30th Annual Spindel Conference at the University of Memphis, Department of Philosophy, is "Derrida and the Theologico-Political: From Sovereignty to the Death Penalty". It will take place from 29 September-1 October 2011.

The conference is open to the public.

philosophy :: Spindel Conference 2011 :: University of Memphis

Article: A Heretical Political Theology: Carl Schmitt and the Hobbesian Concept of Representation

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Article: A Heretical Political Theology: Carl Schmitt and the Hobbesian Concept of Representation

Published 2009 or later, but no year given: Ionut Untea (EHESS), "A Heretical Political Theology: Carl Schmitt and the Hobbesian Concept of Representation" ("The International Journal of the Humanities", 6 [12]: pp. 93-100).

Quote: "As the pope represents God, because he is infallible, the Sovereign must represent the 'people': he (or she) always knows what the people want. This is why he emphasizes the unity of the people and its substantial homogeneity. The substantial homogeneity becomes in Carl Schmitt’s view the argument for sustaining that a democracy must be opposed to the liberal ideas of universal liberty and equality."

The International Journal of the Humanities » A Heretical Political Theology: Carl Schmitt and the Hobbesian Concept of Representation

Article: Political Theology

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Article: Political Theology

Short paper, snappy title: Tim Gorringe (University of Exeter), "Political Theology" ("The Expository Times", 122 [9], June 2011: pp. 417-24).

Abstract: "Christian political theology is rooted in Scripture, but this must be read as an ongoing debate rather than a set of revealed terms or order. Within that debate freedom, shalom and justice are singled out as key markers in any political theology and the paper argues that consensus decision making represents a more adequate response to Scripture than representative democracy."

Political Theology

Article: Mujerista Theology: Biblical Interpretation and Political Theology

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Article: Mujerista Theology: Biblical Interpretation and Political Theology

Just published: Fernando F. Segovia (Vanderbilt University), "Mujerista Theology: Biblical Interpretation and Political Theology" ("Feminist Theology", 20 [1], September 2011: pp. 21-7).

Quote: "This piece highlights the important contribution of the historical project of Mujerista Theology, as conceptualized and formulated by Ada María Isasi-Díaz, to the discourses of biblical criticism and Political Theology. [...] Mujerista Theology represents an excellent example of Political Theology (focus on Cuba as political imaginary and as grounds for theological reflection and action)."

Mujerista Theology: Biblical Interpretation and Political Theology

Article: The Political Theology of Consumer Sovereignty: Towards an Ontology of Consumer Society

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Article: The Political Theology of Consumer Sovereignty: Towards an Ontology of Consumer Society

Another one from a rather unexpected corner: Stephan Schwarzkopf (Copenhagen Business School), "The Political Theology of Consumer Sovereignty: Towards an Ontology of Consumer Society" ("Theory, Culture & Society", 28 [3], May 2011: pp. 106-29).

Quote: "Just as in the political philosophy of the constitutional structure of the democratic state, the question of who is sovereign is key to understanding the ontology of consumer society. But rather than simply placing sovereignty into the hands of the independent, self-determined consumer, the earliest ontologists of the consumer society took recourse to medieval political theology and presented the consumer market as a new corpus mysticum. Thus, it is medieval political theology, not modern liberal thought, which provided for an ontologization of the consumer."

The Political Theology of Consumer Sovereignty

Book: Thinking with Shakespeare: Essays on Politics and Life

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Book: Thinking with Shakespeare: Essays on Politics and Life

Having run a website of the same name for some years, Julia Reinhard Lupton (University of California, Irvine) now had a book published under the title "Thinking with Shakespeare: Essays on Politics and Life" (University of Chicago Press, May 2011).

Quote: "Taking her cue from Hannah Arendt, Lupton reads Shakespeare for fresh insights into everything from housekeeping and animal husbandry to biopower and political theology."

Thinking with Shakespeare: Essays on Politics and Life, Lupton

Book: A Judeo-Islamic Nation: The Evolution of America's Political Theology

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Book: A Judeo-Islamic Nation: The Evolution of America's Political Theology

Once more the question: What does it say about the conceptual state of political theology (particularly in the US, where the term seems to be used inflationary and mostly in a hostile manner in the public discourse these days), when this, admittedly interdisciplinary, field now attracts book-length contributions from materials scientists?

Thomas Mates (University of California, Santa Barbara) is the author of "A Judeo-Islamic Nation: The Evolution of America's Political Theology" (Mill City Press, August 2011).

Amazon.com: A Judeo-Islamic Nation: The Evolution of America's Political Theology (9781936780761): Thomas Mates: Books

Research: Centro di studi e iniziativa per la riforma dello Stato

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Research: Centro di studi e iniziativa per la riforma dello Stato

Last year, I made a post on an extremely insightful text by the influential Italian left-wing philosopher Mario Tronti, "Towards a Critique of Political Democracy": http://anti-democracy-agenda.blogspot.com/2010/01/article-towards-critique-of-political.html

Today, I found out that the research centre Tronti is heading these days, the Centro di studi e iniziativa per la riforma dello Stato (CRS) in Rome, also takes an interest in political theology and has organized events in that area in the recent past.

Unfortunately, I've been told Tronti does not speak English. But if you speak Italian and seek collaboration, why not check it out?

Centro per la Riforma dello Stato

Book: The Origins of War: A Catholic Perspective

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Book: The Origins of War: A Catholic Perspective

To announce or not to announce - that is the question when it comes to books like the one by Matthew A. Shadle (Loras College), "The Origins of War: A Catholic Perspective" (Georgetown University Press, March 2011).

In making a post, I rely on the endorsement by Daniel Bell, Jr. (Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary): "Shadle's study of the origins of war in Catholic thought is an important contribution to political theology and social ethics not only because it calls attention to a frequently overlooked aspect of the moral assessment of war but also because it provides a helpful introduction for theologians to contemporary theories of international relations."

The Origins of War | Georgetown University Press

Book: The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World

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Book: The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World

"The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World" by Mark Lewis Taylor (Princeton Theological Seminary) was published in January 2011 by Fortress Press.

While the Library of Congress catalogued the book, unequivocally, as "Political theology", the author writes: "This book's argument for the theological is not so much a political theology, as it is a political theorization of the theological."

The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World from Fortress Press

Book: Ascension Theology

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Book: Ascension Theology

"Ascension Theology" by Douglas Farrow (McGill University), published in May 2011 by Continuum, is another one of those books that are initially announced as being closely linked to the political theology agenda, but once published all references to political theology have been omitted from promotional materials.

Here are the parts of the endorsements that the publisher's website leaves out: "In Ascension Theology, Douglas Farrow tackles THE fundamental question of political theology: How does the risen and ascended Christ exercise his life-giving lordship?" (R.R. Reno, Creighton University)

"Definitely defying the dated divisions between biblical, historical, and systematic theology, Douglas Farrow has succeeded in writing a most remarkable theological book that is simultaneously an essay in biblical, dogmatic, and political theology. ... Ascension Theology displays forcefully the old truth that a genuinely orthodox theology is at the same time the most provocative and salutary theology available" (Reinhard Hutter, Duke Divinity School)

Ascension Theology - Continuum

Chapter: "The Political": The Rational Meaning of a Questionable Inheritance of Political Theology

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Chapter: "The Political": The Rational Meaning of a Questionable Inheritance of Political Theology

Jürgen Habermas' text "'The Political': The Rational Meaning of a Questionable Inheritance of Political Theology" has been published as a chapter in "The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere", eds. Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Columbia University Press, February 2011; pp. 15-33).

The book also includes contributions by Judith Butler, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West, all of them presented at a symposium that took place in October 2009 at New York University: http://political-theology-agenda.blogspot.com/2009/11/habermas-on-political-theology-audio.html

The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere

Article: The Political Theology of Red Toryism

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Article: The Political Theology of Red Toryism

Nathan Coombs (Royal Holloway, University of London) is the author of an article, "The Political Theology of Red Toryism" ("Journal of Political Ideologies", 16 [1], 2011: pp. 79-96).

Abstract:"Phillip Blond's British red Toryism is vying to influence the direction of modern conservatism. Yet its dependence on the ideas of the theological school, radical orthodoxy, has been hitherto inadequately explored. Examining both the ideological make-up of red Toryism and noting its insufficiencies on its own terms, in this paper demonstrate [sic] the necessity of the ontological grounding of radical orthodoxy to make sense of Blond's ideas. It will be further argued that this reciprocal dependence should not imply that red Toryism and radical orthodoxy are one and the same thing, but rather that their separation is indicative of the strategically esoteric political theology they are forwarding."

The full text of the article is available free of charge at the link.

Taylor & Francis Online :: The political theology of red Toryism - Journal of Political Ideologies - Volume 16,
Issue 1

Book: The Problem with Grace: Reconfiguring Political Theology

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Book: The Problem with Grace: Reconfiguring Political Theology

Vincent W. Lloyd (Syracuse University) is the author of "The Problem with Grace: Reconfiguring Political Theology", published in April 2011 by Stanford University Press.

According to the publisher, the book "develops a post-secular, post-sectarian political theology, taking that burgeoning field in a new direction." It suggests no less than " that political philosophy must begin with political theology".

Says Victor Anderson (Vanderbilt): "This book will deepen post-modern/post-liberal discussions of religion and public life, public theology, and political theology."

Yet another recent publication, it seems, with an uncommonly ambitious remit. (Think Daniel Schultz, "Changing the Script", or Paul Kahn, "Four New Chapters" ...) What does the "onslaught" of such books say about the conceptual state of political theology, I wonder?

The Problem with Grace: Reconfiguring Political Theology - Vincent W. Lloyd

Book: Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere

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Book: Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere

Edited by Celia Deane-Drummond (University of Chester) and Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (University of Bamberg), the essay collection "Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere" (T & T Clark International, April 2011) includes many contributions both on public theology and liberation theology.

Quote: "A core issue addressed here is how contemporary theology might become public theology, one that is deeply relevant to the particular problems and issues of today. This then raises important theoretical questions about how theology might engage with politics."

Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere - Continuum

Book: Morals and Fear: Insights from Moral Psychology and Political Theology (in German)

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Book: Morals and Fear: Insights from Moral Psychology and Political Theology (in German)

The contributed volume "Moral und Angst: Erkenntnisse aus Moralpsychologie und politischer Theologie" ("Morals and Fear: Insights from Moral Psychology and Political Theology"; my translation), edited by Philipp Aerni (University of Bern/ETH Zurich) and Klaus-Jürgen Grün (Goethe-University Frankfurt), was published in May 2011 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

The book is the result of a symposium on the same topic that took place at the Collegium Helveticum of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and the University of Zurich in May 2010: http://political-theology-agenda.blogspot.com/2010/05/morals-and-fear-new-insights-from-moral.html

Although listed as contributors on the publisher's website, it appears that the English contributions to the symposium have been omitted from the final volume.

Moral und Angst - Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Book: Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty

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Book: Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty

Columbia University Press asked me to circulate an announcement of this recently published monograph by Paul W. Kahn (Yale), "Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty" (CUP, February 2011), which they call "a decisive break with dominant political theory and a reinvention of political theology".

The book appears to be mainly concerned with American political theology, but may be of interest to scholars outside the States too. After all, both its title and structure are clearly a play on that (in)famous German, Carl Schmitt.

If you've read it, please leave a comment.

Political Theology

CFP: Political Theology: Between East & West

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CFP: Political Theology: Between East & West

A secretive conference on political theology will take place next month in Taiwan. Apart from one notice on a university website in Australia, the call for papers has only been circulated through personal contacts of the organizers, it appears.

The theme "Political Theology: Between East & West" and the location suggest that this conference will continue the eastward movement of political theology that was to be observed in both political theology symposia I organized in Geneva over the past year, the Political Theology Agenda Symposium 2010 and 2011.

Here's the call for papers:

"'Political Theology: Between East & West'
Taipei: 23-26 September
With a seminar in Shanghai, 21 September.

"This conference seeks to open up a dialogue between East and West concerning the intersections between religion and politics. The enabling conditions for the conference include the overt ‘return’ of religion to geopolitical realities and debate, the rise of interest in 'political theology' by secular philosophers, the polemic of the 'new atheists', the thorough questioning of the givens of secularism, and the reassessments of the relation between 'religion' and 'politics'. We seek paper proposals that address such issues.

"Papers may also focus on:
· The 'translatability' of debates between East and West.
· Intersections/translations between religions on the question of politics.
· Genealogies of debates in religion and politics.
· Gender/ethnicity/sexuality/class and political theology.
· The specific features of the intersection between religion and politics in a particular location.
· Secularisms, post-secularisms, new secularisms.
· Biblical engagements.

"Please send paper titles and proposals to Kenpa Chin, Philip Chia and Roland Boer at:
"曾慶豹" <chinkenpa@gmail.com>,
"Philip Chia" <ppchia050@gmail.com>,
"Roland Boer" <roland.t.boer@gmail.com>"

Presumably the deadline has passed. Still, if you're interested in participating, why not contact the organizers and ask if they will make an exception? I was told by an accepted participant that the organizers pay for accommodation.