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Article: 'Radical' theologian Paul van Buren dies.(Obituary)
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- July 15, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Paul van Buren, a leading figure associated with the controversial "death of God" school of theology of the 1960s, died June 18 of cancer. He was 74. Van Buren, a retired religion professor, was one of three principal Christian theologians identified with the "death of God" movement, although he rejected the term.
"The so-called death-of-God movement is a journalistic invention," he said in a 1974 interview. "It missed the serious questions that needed to be discussed at the time, such as whether the Christian message can make sense in the world we're living in today." Trained in the philosophical method of linguistic analysis, van Buren said it was problematic ...