course outline
The Circle of Reality
Crucifixion and the Absurd
The Gospel and the Gospels
God: Concept or Confrontation
Guilt, Innocence and Grace
Freedom From Guilt
Resurrection Life
Escaping the Body of Death
Hoping for What we Have
Beyond Belief | Christ and the End of Meaning
One of my favorite theological texts is a little known, hard to find, book called Christ and the End of Meaning by Paul Hessert. In contrast to the idea of Christianity as that which offers meaning, Hessert argues that Christianity invites us into an experience where we lose meaning and embrace the absurd. In contrast to an understanding of faith as that which justifies our world, Hessert powerfully outlines how the idea of salvation involves plunging into a type of theological nihilism. A theological nihilism that opens up a new form of life.
The book touches on many of the themes that I explore in my own work and articulates a reading of Christianity that compliments the project of pyrotheology.
With this course you get over ten hours of material split over nine modules, in both video and audio-only formats. The text itself is hard to get, and often very expensive, so you also get a PDF of the book when you sign up. You don't need to read the book to follow the course.