Radical Orthodoxy, Saint Augustine, and the Challenge of Nihilism: A Case Study in Doing Theology Under Adverse Conditions

Abstract

Radical Orthodoxy is a movement in contemporary theology which attempts to answer the challenges that nihilism and modernism pose to the theological endeavor. In doing so it makes extensive use of pre-modern sources, particularly Augustine, to propose an alternative metanarrative. This paper will examine the way in which Radical Orthodoxy uses Augustine, particularly his concept of the “two cities,” to determine whether it is faithfully reflecting Augustine’s thoughts, or simply using his terminology for its own purpose. This paper will seek to accomplish this goal by giving a brief overview of nihilism and Radical Orthodoxy, by examining Augustine’s writings, particularly the City of God, and by evaluating the degree to which Radical Orthodoxy’s conclusions match Augustine’s. This paper will show that Radical Orthodoxy does not faithfully reflect Augustine’s thoughts, and that this leads to a failure to profitably answer nihilism.