Christianity without God : moving beyond the dogmas and retrieving the epic moral narrative

236 Pages·2014·4.45 MB·English

by  Maguire

CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT GOD
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CHRISTIANITY
WITHOUT GOD
Moving beyond the Dogmas and
Retrieving the Epic Moral Narrative
DANIEL C. MAGUIRE
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Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2014 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic,
electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise
without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production by Diane Ganeles
Marketing by Fran Keneston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maguire, Daniel C., author.
Christianity without God : moving beyond the dogmas and retrieving the
epic moral narrative / Daniel C. Maguire.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5405-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-5404-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Jesus Christ—
Rationalistic interpretations. 2. Christianity—Controversial literature.
I. Title.
BT304.95.M34 2014
230—dc23
2014002127
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To the American Association of University Professors
which stands tall as the defender of academic freedom and integrity.
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CONTENTS
Part I. God
Chapter 1. Overture 3
Chapter 2. Deification 15
Chapter 3. Proliferation 33
Chapter 4. The Beginning That Wasn’t 43
Part II. The Divinity of Jesus
Chapter 5. The Greatest Story Never Told 59
Chapter 6. From Jesus to Christ 75
Chapter 7. From Christianity to Cross-tianity 91
Part III. The Living Dead
Chapter 8. From Hell to Jiggledeegreen 107
Part IV. The Quest for a Global Ethic
Chapter 9. When We Are as Remote as Charlemagne 129
Chapter 10. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby? 141
vii
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viii CONTENTS
Chapter 11. From Prose to Poetry 151
Chapter 12. When History Turned a Corner 163
Epilogue: The God Loss 181
Notes 185
Select Annotated Bibliography 207
Index 217
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PART I
GOD
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