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Title: Rahner in the Mirror of Poststructuralism: The Practice of Theology as the Venture of Thought
Author(s): McSWEENEY, J.
Journal: Louvain Studies
Volume: 29    Issue: 1-2   Date: Spring-Summer 2004   
Pages: 187-208
DOI: 10.2143/LS.29.1.505254

Abstract :
In light of the postmodern turn, this paper proposes an unsystematic reading of Karl Rahner’s ostensibly modern theological project. Parallels are demonstrated between Rahner’s conception and practice of theology and the poststructuralist practice and conception of thought, especially those of French historian philosopher, Michel Foucault. In particular, it is argued that Foucault’s concern with provoking a transformative experience of thought, his understanding of the role of the self, and his strategic use of local researches, find echoes in Rahner’s understanding that theology today needs to be a ‘mystagogy.’ Rahner’s mystagogic theology undermines the view of his thought as characteristically modern. Ultimately, it is argued that Rahner invites us to the venture of theology, a vision of the theological task resonant with postmodern concerns.

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