Conceiving the Inconceivable: Paradox in the Thought of Paul Tillich

Abstract

Paradox is a term used repeatedly in Paul Tillich’s thought. This article explores how Tillich uses paradox to present key areas of Christian belief and practice and, in doing so, how he endeavours to liberate Christian theology from the perceived low Christological reductivism of certain expressions of liberal Protestantism and the ostensibly impenetrable supernaturalism of Chalcedon. Further to this a number of contemporary critical assessments of Tillich’s theology are outlined; the author draws upon the concept of paradox to engage with these criticisms and presents his own reflections on how Tillich’s thought might be situated within a pluralist theology.