Graven Ideologies: Nietzsche, Derrida & Marion on Modern Idolatry

by Bruce Ellis Benson

What do the philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion have in common with Christianity? Surprisingly, they are all concerned about idolatry, about the tendency we have to create God in our own image and about what we can do about it. Can we faithfully speak of God at all without interposing ourselves? If so, how? Bruce Ellis Benson explores this common concern by clearly laying out the thought of each of these postmodern thinkers against the background of modern philosophers such as Descartes, Locke and Hume and in light of the rise of phenomenology as developed by Husserl and Heidegger. All these thinkers he brings into conversation with a full range of biblical teaching. The result is an illuminating survey of some key postmodern thinkers and profound insight into the nature of conceptual idolatry. Benson also exposes some of the limitations inherent in postmodern attempts to provide a purely philosophical solution to the problem of ideological idolatry. Ultimately, he argues, there is a need for something greater than human philosophy, religion or theology--namely, the biblical revelation of God in Jesus Christ.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian

243 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Dr. Benson has been a visiting scholar at the New School and a guest lecturer in philosophy of religion at Union Theological Seminary. He is currently the chair of the philosophy department at Wheaton College (IL).

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a critical milestone on my turn back to Christianity. It was an excellent interaction with the Religionskritik coming from a rather perspectivalist view.

In reality, the common Christian tendency to reduce the Postmodern critique of knowledge to the claim that "there is no such thing as absolute truth" is deeply mislead. Because it fails to recognise the distinction between truth and reality; the distinction between the perception and the perceived.

It is common sense to us that the doer of a task must be suited towards its execution. We don't hand machine guns and battle armor to toddlers and ask them to fight our wars for us. They aren't up to this task because their nature is not (yet) suited to it- if humans ever are holistically suited for such a thing. But are we humans suited to the task of grasping ultimate, metaphysical realities?

While the perceived (in its own existence) may be perfectly objective, the perceiver does not have an objective perception of it. But humans have no access to reality outside of our deeply limited perception. Is religious belief and practice a reflection primarily of man, or primarily of God? (Or both?)

The question as to whether humanity has the ability to truly interact with metaphysical reality is a very serious one which deserves a thoughtful treatment from Christian philosophers. I found this book to meet that criterion.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a philosophical book, so if you don't like philosophy, don't read it. But as far as philosophy goes, this books is a great study on idolatry. Benson's premise is that, try as we might, it is nearly impossible to avoid idolatry. Using philosophers such as Nietzsche, Levinas, and Marion, he does a great job of summarizing the idolatry of each, many who were passionately opposed to and trying to flee from idolatry themselves. It does get rather heavy toward the middle (read: boring), but it's a superb read nonetheless.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like Continental Philosophy, but Benson helped me to see its relevance for theology. I'm not convinced that Derrida and Husserl have as much value as the author suggests, but still worth a read (Nietzsche is worth reading).

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philosophers are maniacs.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive analysis of idolatry and ideology--philosophy that is both critically informed and relevant.