Publications

Publication details [#11942]

Masson, Robert. 2014. Without Metaphor, No Saving God: Theology after Cognitive Linguistics (Studies in Philosophical Theology). Leuven, Belgium: Peeters. xvi-331 pp.
Publication type
Book – monograph
Publication language
English
ISBN
9789042930193

Abstract

The research focused on conceptual and neural mapping in cognitive linguistics not only constitutes a significant challenge for religious belief but also determines new approaches for recognizing the ways God is conceptualized and theological inferences are made. Such studies have inspired this work which, while remaining mindful of the distinctive insights of Christian theology, presents an innovative interpretation of God-talk, capable of addressing confusing and controversial issues concerning the academic theology, church and broader culture. In the first half of the book the challenge posed by cognitive linguistics to standard theological representations of figurative, symbolic, literal and analogous language, as well as the discipline's prospect for providing an adequate account, are examined. In the second part six case studies are investigated in order to demonstrate how analyzing the conceptual mapping in theological inferences and in God-talk constitutes an effective tool for improving religious comprehension. The analysis demonstrates the hypothesis defining religion as an epiphenomenon of evolution, as well as disputes between Church authorities and theologians, Black theology and the so-called "new atheism". (Peeters Publishers 2014)