| This thesis is an evaluation of the way Paul Tillich (1886--1965) explained and talked about God, and whether or not this "God-talk" is useful for contemporary Religious Studies. In particular, this analysis identifies key methodological and conceptual influences upon Tillich from the works of G.W.F. Hegel (1770--1831), Soren Kierkegaard (1813--1855) and Martin Heidegger (1889--1976) toward an understanding of one of Tillich's most influential books, The Courage to Be. Courage represents Tillich's attempt to retain the possibility of talking about God during the tumult of the early decades of the twentieth century, and an introduction to his argument for the necessity of God-talk as a part of a consideration of the human situation.;Finally, given the matter of important influences, the importance which Tillich endows the talk about God in culture, and the presence of a basic structure for a new theism, this thesis offers suggestions as to how Tillich's God-talk might be used in contemporary religious studies. It is the contention of this work that there are good reasons to consider the work of Tillich again towards an understanding of the religious history, present and future of humanity.;Thus, given the matter of key influences and of the recognition of the importance with which he handled discussions about God, this thesis attempts to present the structure of a new theism upon which Tillich would build his later work. While he is reticent to offer explicit categories for his theism in Courage, this work of Tillich's does provide insight into his foundational assumptions. This present work seeks to indentify those. |
