Introduction to Political Theology

Editorial

religions

IntroductiontoPoliticalTheology:TheNextGeneration

EminPoljarevic

DepartmentofTheology,UppsalaUniversity,75236Uppsala,Sweden;emin.poljarevic@teol.uu.se

Citation: Poljarevic,Emin.2023. IntroductiontoPoliticalTheology: TheNextGeneration. Religions 14:9. https://doi.org/10.3390/ rel14010009

Received:6December2022

Revised:10December2022

Accepted:14December2022

Published:21December2022

Copyright: ©2022bytheauthor. LicenseeMDPI,Basel,Switzerland. Thisarticleisanopenaccessarticle distributedunderthetermsand conditionsoftheCreativeCommons Attribution(CCBY)license(https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

Theonsetofthe2020shaspresentedhumanitywithamultitudeofglobalpredicaments. Somearemarkedbyethical,ideological,socio-political,andeconomicinstabilities;others areviewedasthreats(e.g.,pandemics,climateandwatercrises,theriseofantiglobalization, nationalist,andnativistmovements),withsomeevenconsidered“elevated”threats(e.g., large-scalewarsbetweendominantandemergingmilitarypowers).Onasocietallevel,we haveseenanever-increasingnumberofpeoplebecoming“unsettled”,physically,morally, andethically.Thisisperhapsabyproductofwhathassometimesbeendescribedas“liquid modernity”(Bauman 2000).

Theseandotherexpandingthreatsseemubiquitous,having,forthemostpart,revealedtheinadequaciesofsuchtraditionalsolutions,includingdemocraticdeliberations, wide-scalepublicreasoning,thebalanceofpoweranddeterrence,large-scaletransnationalnegotiationsbetween/amongsovereignnationsandtransnationalorganizations, andsigningtreatiesandcooperationdeals.Modernization,whichincludesarangeof secularizationprocessesworldwide,seemsincapableoffulfillingsomeofits(intended) coremissions,suchasestablishingthecontentsofhumanmoralprogressandemancipation frominauthenticwaysoflife.

Ifweweretoallowourselvestoperceivethisgloomypictureasbeingpregnantwith anovelsetofimaginariesandpoliticalopportunities,wecouldalsoallowsomeliberties inpresentinghowtheycanbeunderstoodfromavarietyofperspectives.Thewidelens ofpoliticaltheologycanprovidearangeofimaginariesthatcouldhelpusconsiderand perhapsevenstartto,atleasttheoretically,resolvesomeoftheseemergencies–onglobal, regional,andlocallevels.

Theaimistoreviewthespanofarangeofpoliticaltheologicalimaginaries,someof whichcouldevenhelpusincorporatetheoriesofauthenticity,highlightthehumanpotential todo“good,”andofferinsightsinhowtosustainlifeonEarthasweknowit.Theeffort hereisdirectedtowarddevelopingpotentialitiesforlarge-scalejustice,freedom,andother valueswithaplaceintheultimatehorizonofhumanlife.Thisproverbialhorizonstretches beyondourtimeandspace,and,perhaps,transcendshumanlife’sphysicalcomponents.In thisAnthropoceneepochanditspostsecularand,arguably,postliberalmoment,humanity isengagedindiscussing(co)existentialpossibilitiesandalternativemodesofpoliticallife, perhapsevenradicalmodesofpoliticallifecenteredonpotentialitiesanddeliberationsof howtolivewelltogetherwithpeoplewithwhomwemaydisagree(Arendt 1994).

TheAbrahamicreligiousandothertraditionshavethepotentialtoofferthoughtprovokingdeparturepointsinthisregard.Theirinterpreterscanpontetiallyofferan explorationofthecontentsandconsequencesoftheultimatehorizonofthehumanlife.For instance,whichpoliticaltheologiesrootedintheseandotherreligioustraditionspropose alternativecriticalimaginariesandpoliticalopportunitiesforanauthenticandsustainable future?Assume,foramoment,thatthesetraditionscouldenableustoimaginepoliticsasa secondaryorevenapenultimateactivity,anundertakingthatcallsforcriticalanalysesthat traversebeyond(neo)liberalandsecularistconceptionsofpoliticsandeconomics.Some considerthesetobetheonlyhorizonsthroughwhichhumansfindpurposeandmeaning; othersdisagree(Hallaq 2019).

Sucharguments,however(un)convincinglyoutlined,aretoofatalisticinlightofthe manybubblingimaginarieswithinandbeyondtheAbrahamicfaithtraditions(DeVries

andSullivan 2006).Therefore,itisimperativethatweinclude,develop,andevenriseabove theevolvingnarrativesfoundwithinliberationtheology,Western-centeredpublictheology, traditionalreligiousandneoliberaldogmatics,includingracialsupremacistpolitics,and engagewiththecoreexistentialissuesthatimpacthumansurvival(see Rabaka 2009).

Howcanhumanslivebeyondtheseneoliberalandsecularisthorizons,commonly assertedtobethe only waystorealizeallpoliticalventuresas“salvation”projects?Isiteven possibletoimaginehumanexistencebeyondtheeconomichorizonandthecalculationsof mutualinterestsandcapitalistzero-sumoutcomes?Ifso,thenitisalsopossibletoprobe deeperintoassumptionsofthepossibilityofredemptionwithintheframeworkofmodern politicsandeconomics.Thisprobingintonewmodesofpoliticaltheologytakesheedof humanpoliticalexperiencesandethicalsystemsincorporatinghumanauthenticity,dignity, coexistence,andeventruthasimportantelementsoftheAbrahamicpoliticalimaginaries anditspotentialtogeneratesustainablelivingconditionsforall.

Ontheonehand,Christian,Islamic,andJewishpoliticaltheologiescenteredonimaginariesthatprioritizedeterminingthetruth,maintainingfaith,andconsideringsacrifice mightofferconstructiveandperhapsevenfruitfulwaysofrethinking,reconceptualizing, andevenrevolutionizinghowweunderstandhumanconditionswithinorbeyondthe broadprojectofmodernity.Theprojectthatseemstobenarrowlyconstrainedbypolitical andeconomiciterationsof(neo)liberalismandsecularism.Ontheotherhand,thesesame traditionshavedemonstratedtendenciestogeneratemimeticformsofSchmittianconceptionsofliberalandsecular(ized)politicaltheologiesthathavepotentialtobesimilarly inhibitingandauthoritarian.

ThisSpecialIssueaimsatpresentingarangeof(re)considerationsandexplorations ofwhich,how,andwherepoliticaltheologies,internalandexternaltotheAbrahamic traditions,cansupportthequestforattainingdeeperunderstandingsofthepotentialsin strugglestoimprovethehumancondition.Hereinwecanperhapsrecognizesomeofthe prospectsforgeneratingsustainabilityofdignifiedhumanandanimallifeonEarththrough criticalengagementwithtoday’sglobalpredicaments.Thegoalhereistopresentavariety ofpoliticaltheologicalconceptionsandimaginationsoftheultimatehorizonofhuman lifeinapostliberalandpostsecularworld.Inotherwords,whatworldispossiblebeyond theEnlightenmentconceptionsofhumancoexistence,authenticity,truth,religiousethics, andliberty?

Funding: Thisresearchreceivednoexternalfunding. ConflictsofInterest: Theauthordeclaresnoconflictofinterest.

References

Arendt,Hannah.1994.ConcernwithPoliticsinRecentEuropeanPhilosophicalThought.In EssaysinUnderstanding:Formation,Exile, andTotalitarianism.EditedbyJeromeKohn.NewYork:SchockenBooks. Bauman,Zygmunt.2000. LiquidModernity.Cambridge:PolityPress.

DeVries,Hent,andLawrenceSullivan,eds.2006. PublicReligionsinaPost-SecularWorld.NewYork:FordhamUniversityPress. Hallaq,Wael.2019. ReformingModernity:EthicsandtheNewHumaninthePhilosophyofAbdurrahmanTaha.NewYork:Columbia UniversityPress. Rabaka,Reiland.2009. AfricanaCriticalTheory:ReconstructingtheBlackRadicalTradition,fromW.E.B.DuBoisandC.L.R.JamestoFrantz FanonandAmilcarCabral.Lanham:LexingtonBooks.

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