Thomas Altizer and Radical theology

This thesis explores radical theology—one of the most distinctive and controversial orientations in contemporary theological thought—within its philosophical, historical, and cultural contexts. Emerging prominently in the second half of the 20th century through the discourse of the "death of God," radical theology interprets the dissolution of the traditional concept of God not merely as a crisis of faith but as an opportunity for theological transformation. This approach rejects the notion of God as a transcendent and absolute being, advocating instead for an understanding of the divine as a historically immanent and experientially meaningful reality. The study situates the intellectual foundations of radical theology within the thought of precursor figures such as Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and Rudolf Bultmann. At the core of the thesis are the contributions of foundational radical theologians William Hamilton, Paul Van Buren, and Gabriel Vahanian. The ideas of Thomas J. J. Altizer, the most prominent figure in this tradition, are analyzed in connection with Nietzschean nihilism, and Heideggerian ontology. Furthermore, the study considers how contemporary thinkers like Slavoj Žižek reinterpret radical theology through the lenses of ideological critique. The thesis aims to show that radical theology not only questions theistic belief but also attempts to reconstruct fundamental concepts such as ethics, freedom, responsibility, and meaning in the absence of God. In this respect, radical theology is presented not merely as a religious stance but as a philosophical inquiry into the existential concerns of modern humanity.