Intersections in Christianity and Critical Theory

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Introduction

   1. Introduction

      • Cassandra Falke

      Pages 1-8

3. Theory

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9

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   2. Reading Theologically: Reduction and Reductio

      • Kevin Hart

      Pages 11-22

   3. After Theory, After Modernity: Reading Humbly

      • Jessica Hooten

      Pages 23-32

   4. An Ache in the Missing Limb: Biblical Origins of English Literary Criticism

      • Stephen Prickett

      Pages 33-45

   5. Good Reading: The Ethics of Christian Literary Theory

      • Cassandra Falke

      Pages 46-56

   6. Sites of Resistance: Christ and Materiality after the New Historicism

      • Mitchell M. Harris

      Pages 57-69

   7. Post-Secular Queer: Christianity, Queer Theory, and the Unsolvable Mysteries of Sexual Desire

      • Norman W. Jones

      Pages 70-85

4. Applications

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 87-87

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   2. Dil Ulenspiegel: The Inverted Gospel and an Early Modern Clown

      • Thomas Lederer

      Pages 89-105

   3. Take and Eat: Eve, Mary, and Feminist Christianity

      • Martha Kalnin Diede

      Pages 106-119

   4. Humans, Animals, and Others

      • Philip Sampson

      Pages 120-134

   5. Theologizing Horror: Spirituality and the Gothic

      • Andrew Ng

      Pages 135-147

   6. The Secular Dream of a Christian Utopia: American Studies and Political Theology

      • Işıl Özcan

      Pages 148-161

   7. Heaven Came Down: Deconstruction, Christianity, and George Herbert’s ‘The Collar’

      • Michael Mattek

      Pages 162-174

5. Back Matter

   Pages 175-196

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Dealing with the historical and thematic intersections of Christianity and critical theory, this collection brings together a diversity of specialist scholars in the area. Building on recent discourses in theology as well as their knowledge of hermeneutic and critical traditions, they examine major themes in contemporary critical theory.

• American studies
• Christianity
• critical theory
• literary theory
• New Historicism
• theology
• Tradition

'This book is a timely and much-needed intervention in the study of Christian theology and critical theory. It represents the best of Christian reflection on contemporary movements in critical theory, as well as on the roots of the discipline itself in theological tradition. The contributors analyse ethical criticism, animal rights discourse, queer theory, postfeminism, and the 'return to religion' of Badiou and i ek, among others, in the light of Christian theology, and suggest new ways of reading literary and cultural texts on the basis of these exchanges. Essential reading for scholars of contemporary culture, theory and religion.'

- Luke Ferretter, Assistant Professor of English, Baylor University, USA

• East Texas Baptist University, USA

  Cassandra Falke

MARTHA DIEDE Associate Professor of English, Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, USA MITCHELL M. HARRIS Assistant Professor of English, Augustana College, USA KEVIN HART Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies, University of Virginia, USA NORMAN JONES Associate Professor of English, Ohio State University, USA THOMAS LEDERER Independent Scholar JESSICA LYNICE HOOTEN Assistant Professor, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, USA MIKE MATTEK Assistant Professor of English, University of Wisconsin, USA ANDREW NG Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies, Monash University, Malaysia ISIL OZCAN Research Assistant, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey STEPHEN PRICKETT Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, Australia PHILIP SAMPSON Independent Scholar

Policies and ethics