When God Died

In brief

In the early 1960s, American theology underwent a period of intense intellectual shifts that questioned the role of religion in secular societies, according to Kenneth L. Woodward. During these years, several influential books addressed whether God could be discussed in a world that saw no need for religion.

Anglican bishop John A. T. Robinson published Honest to God in 1963, which explored Christianity without religion, while Paul van Buren proposed a theology without metaphysics in The Secular Meaning of the Gospel that same year. Harvey Cox later wrote The Secular City in 1965, arguing that secularization was the logical result of biblical religion. Cox's book became an international bestseller with over one million copies sold.

Woodward notes that while these works were widely discussed, a small group of theologians also argued that God had literally died. Among these self-styled Christian Atheists, the work of Thomas J. J. Altizer was notable. These theological debates prompted several response volumes, including The Honest to God Debate and The Secular City Debate, the latter of which was edited by Daniel Callahan.