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Christianity's Elusive Style: Nietzsche and the Dilemma of Modernity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2014

Frank Schalow
Frank Schalow*
Affiliation:
Loyola University, New Orleans
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Abstract

This paper attempts to elicit a certain sympathy for Nietzsche's view of Christianity by arguing that his critical attitude toward it must be considered more broadly within his quest to diagnose the illness pervading modern culture. Thus, while it has often been believed that Christianity contributes to the decline of modern culture, it is equally plausible that the institutions and language of modernity have become inadequate for the proper expression of the Christian message. The ostensibly “anti-Christian” sentiment in Nietzsche's thought, then, stems from an “anti-modern” stance, or, put more positively, from a vision that points ahead toward “post-modernity.” What becomes decisive for Christianity is not the formulation of any doctrine, but instead the implementation of a kind of “practice” or “style” that seeks as much an affirmation of life (even in view of life's suffering) as an escapist flight to the “other world.”

In defending this thesis, this paper counters a simple association of Nietzsche with atheism that still remains prominent in some theological circles.

Type
Articles
Information
Horizons , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , Spring 1992 , pp. 70 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © The College Theology Society 1992

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References

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59 I wish to express my thanks to my colleague Claude Pavur, S.J. for helping me sift through the wealth of sources in Nietzsche scholarship.