Hoping Against Hope: Confessions of a Postmodern Pilgrim

Philosopher Caputo (The Weakness of God) fulfills his duties as a self-appointed benevolent iconoclast by challenging believers about their images of God. Utilizing an interesting rhetorical device whereby he consults versions of his past life (known as Jackie and Brother Paul) Caputo attempts to save religion from itself by inviting the faithful to allow mystery to remain mysterious. Attempts to explain or anthropomorphize God have led some to a destructive theology whereby good deeds and avoiding sins are the only ways to achieve a relationship with the divine. Hospitality and love, he demands, are offered as pure gift; there is no why. These are not earned, nor are they dangled in front of us like a carrot for good behavior. The "nihilism of grace" is a phrase he uses to describe a postmodern sense of the utter gratuity of this gift. Caputo draws upon Christian mystics, such as Meister Eckhart, to aid his argument, and he does so convincingly, utilizing the wisdom of this spiritual tradition to forge new paths. For those not afraid to pause and take stock of their assumptions about religion and God's role in it, this work will greatly satisfy. (Oct.)