Beyond Finitude: God's Transcendence and the Meaning of Life

ISBN-13: 9783631531303 / Angielski / Miękka / 2004 / 429 str.

Sarot, Marcel

Opis

In contemporary discussions, discovering meaning in life is often connected with secular or religious ideas of 'transcendence'. This book deals with the question whether a conception of God's transcendence as part of a Christian view of life can offer adequate help in living a meaningful life. After discussing Greek, biblical and Christian conceptions of divine transcendence, the process of ascribing meaning is analysed and its requirements for views of life are spelled out. In dialogue with classical theism, process theism and negative theology, the author proposes a conception of God's transcendence that can function adequately in living meaningfully in a Christian way. The author also tries to show that this conception has advantages over atheist views in enabling people to find meaning in life. This study makes a distinctive contribution to the doctrine of God, not only by offering a full-blown conception of God's transcendence, but also through its specific focus on the kind of functionality required by the practice of finding meaning in life.

Spis treści

Contents: Conceptions of God's transcendence - The process of ascribing meaning to life - The doctrine of God - Attributes of God - Criteria for views of life - Functionality of conceptions of God's transcendence for the ascription of meaning to life - Christian view of life - Atheist view of life.

O autorze

The Author: Arjan Markus, born in 1971, was until recently a research associate in the Philosophy of Religion at Utrecht University. At present he works in Utrecht as a minister of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.