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 M. CHRISTOPHER WHITE SCHOOL OF DIVINITYCHRIST AS THE TOMB OF GOD:AN EXAMINATION OF THE SUPERSESSIONIST NATURE OFCHRISTIAN DEATH OF GOD THEOLOGIESSUBMITTED TO DR. KENT BLEVINSIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OFRELI640A: THEOLOGICAL STUDIES SEMINARBYTHOMAS J. WHITLEY10 NOVEMBER 2008
 
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1
 
PHILOSOPHY AND THE DEATH OF GOD………………………………………………………………………………………
3
THEODICY AND THE DEATH OF GOD……….…………………………………………………………………………………
7
JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGIES OF THE DEATH OF GOD…………………………………………………
10Secularization as Starting Point 10A Christian Theology of the Death of God 12A Jewish Theology of the Death of God 15
CHRISTIAN DEATH OF GOD THEOLOGY AS SUPERSESSIONISM…………………………………………………18
 LOOKING AHEAD: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?....................................................................22BIBLIOGRAPHY
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………27
 
 
 1
INTRODUCTIONWhy now? Why write a paper on death of God theology now when it was at its apexover forty years ago? Why is there suddenly an interest once again in this form of radicaltheology?
1
Moreover, one might also be justified in saying that this theology was rightly thrownout long ago and, thus, interest need not be stirred about it anymore. Not being interested inthis theology, though, seems to be quite a difficult task. For, I have been drawn to death of Godtheology from at least three different avenues. Because of this I am approaching death of Godtheology from these three different avenues: philosophy (most notably affected by the worksof Friedrich Nietzsche), theodicy (think of John K. Roth and his theodicy of protest), and mostimportantly my work in the area of Jewish-Christian relations/dialogue.My first encounter with death of God theology was from the Jewish perspective in thework of Richard L. Rubenstein. I wa
s struck by his statement that “
we live in the time of thedeath of God.
”
2
Due to the resonance of this statement, I decided to see what Christians weresaying about this radical theology. What I found in Christian death of God theology
 –
aspresented by Thomas J. J. Altizer, William Mallard, William Hamilton, Gabriel Vahanian and Paulvan Buren, who can only be loosely associated with this movement
 –
was a striking andprevailing theme woven through the very framework of the theology that left me disappointed
1
I use this term not only because it was used of this movement, but also because it was used byproponents of this theology to describe themselves.
2
Richard L. Rubenstein,
 After Auschwitz: Radical Theology and Contemporary Judaism
. (Indianapolis: TheBobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1966), 246.
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