God/Terror; Ethics and Aesthetics in Contexts of Conflict and Reconciliation; Küster

Volker Küster [+–]

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

Volker Küster, Rev. Prof. Dr., born 1962, studied theology in Heidelberg and Seoul / South Korea (1982-1990); 1990-1997 lecturer at the Theological Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 1994 Dissertation, 1998 Habilitation, ordained as minister 1999; research fellow Theological University Kampen 1999-2001 and researcher IIMO, University of Utrecht 2001-2002; 2002-2012 Professor of Cross-cultural Theology, Protestant Theological University, Kampen, The Netherlands; since Oct. 2012, Professor of Comparative Religion and Missiology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany.
Prof. Küster explores the interconfessional, intercultural and interreligious dimensions of Christian faith by employing methods such as hermeneutics, aesthetics, communication theory, postcolonial critic and globalization theory. Perspectives of culture, religion, race, class, gender and inclusion intersect in this multi-axial approach. His research in contextual and intercultural theology evolves along two lines: dialog, conflict and reconciliation and visual art and religion.
He is the author of: Theologie im Kontext. Zugleich ein Versuch über die Minjung-Theologie, 1995; Jesus und das Volk im Markusevangelium. Ein Beitrag zum interkulturellen Gespräch in der Exegese, 1996 (Korean 2006); The Many Faces of Jesus Christ, 2001 (German 1999; Dutch 2012; Indonesian 2014); God/Terreur. Een Tweeluik, 2008 (German 2009); A Protestant Theology of Passion. Korean Minjung Theology revisited, 2010; Einleitung in die Interkulturelle Theologie, 2011;Zwischen Pancasila und Fundamentalismus. Christliche Kunst in Indonesien, 2016. Series Editor: contact/zone. Explorations in Intercultural Theology (EVA Leipzig); Theologische Interventionen (Kohlhammer Stuttgart).

In late modernity theology has to perform an aesthetic turn, if it wants to break out of its current isolation. Theologians cannot limit themselves to biblical texts and Christian tradition as a frame of reference but also have to search for traces of God’s presence in cultures and religions. God/Terror addresses the quest for God in the context of oppression, violence and terror from an aesthetic perspective. It looks at how artists and writers approach the relationship between God and Terror. Statements such as that from composer Karl Heinz Stockhausen: “9/11 was the greatest work of art ever” or from South African writer Adam Small: “Only literature can perform the miracle of reconciliation” – are occasions to reflect again about the relationship between ethics and aesthetics, theology and the arts. As in a medieval diptych, the theme is mirroring god talk in memory of 9/11 and in the context of political conflicts in Germany, South Korea and South Africa.

Prelims

List of Illustrations vii

Prologue 1-4

I. Terror, War and Violence: God Talk in Memory of September 11, 2001

1. The Power of Images [+–] 5-22

The first section contrasts works of art that address violence and terror of 9/11 or in the Muslim world with the images of 9/11 itself. Next to the Chilean born Alfredo Jaar and the German of Jewish decent Rebekka Horn with Walid Raad and Shirin Neshat also two artists with Arab Muslim migratory background are introduced. Literary Susan Sontag, Toni Morrison and Arundhati Roy have their say. From this comparative approach three ethical criteria emerge: vision, distance and unscathedness. 9/11 does not mark the beginning of a new era, but has become the symbol of the repercussions of globalization, that has been triggered by the collapse of the bipolar world order, the extension of neo-liberal consumer capitalism and the compression of the world through the new communication technologies. The three criteria also apply to the conflicting images of God. The author points to the justice and compassion of God, in which the victims may feel safe and secure against all ambiguity of human images of God.

2. Apocalypse Now – Does 9/11 Mark an Epochal Boundary? [+–] 22-24

3. Conflicting Images of God [+–] 24-29

II. Guilt, Reconciliation and Grace: God Talk in the Context of Political Conflicts in Germany, S Korea & S Africa

4. The Powerlessness of Images [+–] 31-73

The second section exposes the readers with the vulnerability of paintings and novels that deal with the consequences of terrorism by individuals and the state. The Baader- Meinhof cycle of Gerhard Richter enters a dialog with the wood-prints of the South Korean artist Hong Song-Dam that deal with the Kwangju massacre. The novels of Uwe Timm and Hwang Sok-Yong are read contrapuntally (Edward Said). These German-Korean passions are confronted with works of the South African artists Sue Williamson and Paul Stopforth that address the murder of Steve Biko. As literature Antjie Krog’s opus magnum “Country of my Skull” gets heard. The apocalypse did not take place, as is concluded already in the first chapter. Yet how do we deal with guilt in societal processes of transformation? Five themes that regularly reoccur can be identified: resistance against forgetting, the wish to understand what has happened, the expectation that the perpetrators show repentance, the question whether amnesty or mercy should be granted and the necessity of material reparation. Put in theological language this can lead to a conflict with God. The victims bring their laments in front of God. They even charge God. How can God allow their suffering? At the same time especially, the victims show an unbelievable readiness for forgiveness. They imitate in a certain sense the unconditional grace of God. The perpetrators are disturbed in their relationship with God and rely on the grace of God and the willingness of the victims to reconcile.

5. Beyond Apocalypse – Dealing with Guilt in Societal Transformation Processes [+–] 73-80

6. In Conflict with God [+–] 80-83

Epilogue

Epilogue 85-86

End Matter

Bibliography 87-93

Index 95-98

Reviews

The book not only disturbs our understanding of aesthetics but also raises the question of how we can bring art in dialogue with theology. Küster challenges the boundary between the secular and the sacred and invites us to discern God’s presence in arts and culture. This is because the generative themes of human life, such as birth, violence, hatred, terror as well as love, joy, and friendship, he says, are dealt with by artists and theologians alike.
International Journal of Asian Christianity

This important new book is a creative effort by Volker Küster to reconfigure and transform theology using ethics and aesthetics. The author, Professor of Religion and Intercultural Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, is a well-known contextual theologian. His work on Minjung theology in Korea and in engaging other contextual theologies in intercultural dialogue has been outstanding.
This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in transforming and reformulating theology for the 21st century. It will be useful both in the classroom and in research on evolving contextual theologies.
Mission Studies

A valuable depiction of the importance of art for responding to suffering.
Reading Religion

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God / Terror

Ethics and Aesthetics in Contexts of Conflict and Reconciliation

Volker Küster [+–]

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

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