Theology of the Presence and Absence of God

Anthony J. Godzieba is professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University and former editor of Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society. His work in systematic, foundational, and philosophical theologies is published widely in various collections and in journals such as Theological Studies, Louvain Studies, and The Heythrop Journal.  Most recently he has co-edited (with Bradford Hinze) Beyond Dogmatism and Innocence: Hermeneutics, Critique, and Catholic Theology (Liturgical Press, 2017).

"Clear, very well informed, and admirably argued, this book shows how, after all the changes in Western thought, we are still justified in holding that God is simultaneously present (available and knowable) and absent (mysterious and uncontrollable). God's love answers the deepest human longings. This work is a splendid example of authentic natural theology."Gerald O'Collins, SJ, Jesuit Theological College, Australia"Highly recommended for graduate classes on God and theologians wanting a refreshing and rather comprehensive exploration of territory mapped all too flatly in much modern theology."Horizons"A recapitulation of the work of a lifetime in academic theology."Catholic Book Review"An excellent, clearly written book. Godzieba reapplies traditional Christian thought on the knowledge of God to the contemporary debates on the presence and absence of God in a creative and engaging manner. The book is interesting both for more advanced scholars working on fundamental theology and the doctrine of God, and for teaching purposes, since it combines a lucid discussion of many traditional and contemporary theologians on knowledge of God with an interesting own argument."Louvain Studies

• Contents  Preface Chapter 1 God—Believers—Questions 1. Questions and Their Discontents2. Asking Carefully3. A More Humble Questioning4. The Context of Our QuestioningChapter 2 How God Became a Problem in Western Culture 1. The Dialectical View2. The Rise of the Extrinsic View3. The Nineteenth-Century Critique of ReligionChapter 3 The Christian Response, I: Natural Theology 1. The Meaning and Necessity of Natural Theology2. Some Classical and Contemporary God-Arguments3. The Consistency and Cogency of Natural TheologyChapter 4 The Christian Response, II: Theological Theology 1. The Link between Natural and Theological Theology2. The Revelation of the Triune God3. The Trinitarian Rule of Faith and its Interpretation4. The Doctrine of the Trinity in a Contemporary Context5. Ongoing Points of DiscussionChapter 5 The Presence and Absence of God 1. Paradox2. Phenomenality3. Performance4. The Presence and Absence of GodSelected Bibliography Index