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NEW TITLE: ATHEISM IN CHRISTIANITY Ernst Bloch Introduced by Peter Thompson Published 6th July 2009 ------------------------------- WIN: To win a copy of ATHEISM IN CHRISTIANITY, visit Verso's blog. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ernst Bloch is the one mainly responsible for restoring honor to the word 'utopia"' - Theodor Adorno "Bloch is not so much a Marxist philosopher... he is rather a 'theologian of the revolution'" - Fredric Jameson. In the twenty-first century, religion has come under determined attack from secular progressives in documentaries, opinion pieces and international bestsellers. Combative atheists have denounced faiths of every stripe, resulting in a crude intellectual polarization in which religious convictions and heritage must be rejected or accepted wholesale. In the long unavailable Atheism in Christianity, Ernst Bloch provides a way out from this either/or debate. He examines the origins of Christianity in an attempt to find its social roots, pursuing a detailed study of the Bible and its fascination for "ordinary and unimportant" people. In the biblical promise of utopia and the scriptures' antagonism to authority, Bloch locates Christianity's appeal for the oppressed. Through a lyrical yet close and nuanced analysis, he explores the tensions within the Bible that promote atheism as a counter to the authoritarian metaphysical theism imposed by clerical exegesis. At the Bible's heart he finds a heretical core and the concealed message that, paradoxically, a good Christian must necessarily by a good atheist. This new edition includes an introduction by Peter Thompson, the Director of the Centre for Ernst Bloch Studies at the University of Sheffield. ------------------------------- Ernst Bloch (1885-1977) was one of the most important German Marxist thinkers of the twentieth century and one of the great theorists of utopia. An associate of Walter Benjamin, Bertolt Brecht and Theodor Adorno, his works include The Principle of Hope, Spirit of Utopia and Traces. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISBN 9781844673940 £14.99 / $26.95 / Paperback 288 pages Atheism in Christianity is available from all good bookshops and: http://www.versobooks.com/books/ab/b-titles/bloch_ernst_atheism_and_christianity.shtml UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atheism-Christianity-Ernst-Bloch/dp/1844673944 http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781844673940/Atheism-in-Christianity US: http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Christianity-Ernst-Bloch/dp/1844673944/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245682410&sr=1-1 ---------------------------------------- Visit Verso's new blog for information on our upcoming events, new reviews and publications and special offers. http://versouk.wordpress.com/ And get updates on Twitter too! http://twitter.com/VersoBooksUK ----------------------------------------