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A militant [[Marxist ]] [[atheist ]] and a “Radical Orthodox” [[Christian ]] theologian square off on everything from the [[meaning ]] of [[theology ]] and [[Christ ]] to the war [[machine ]] of corporate mafia.

“What matters is not so much that Žižek is endorsing a demythologized, disenchanted [[Christianity ]] without transcendence, as that he is offering in the end (despite what he sometimes claims) a heterodox version of Christian [[belief]].”—John Milbank

“To put it even more bluntly, my [[claim ]] is that it is Milbank who is effectively [[guilty ]] of heterodoxy, ultimately of a [[regression ]] to [[paganism]]: in my [[atheism]], I am more Christian than Milbank.”—Slavoj ”—[[Slavoj Žižek]]

In this corner, [[philosopher ]] Slavoj Žižek, a militant atheist who represents the critical-[[materialist ]] stance against religion’s illusions; in the [[other ]] corner, “Radical Orthodox” theologian John Milbank, an influential and provocative thinker who argues that theology is the only foundation upon which [[knowledge]], [[politics]], and [[ethics ]] can stand. In The Monstrosity of Christ, Žižek and Milbank go head to head for [[three ]] rounds, employing an impressive arsenal of moves to advance their positions and press their respective advantages. By the closing bell, they have not only proven themselves worthy adversaries, they have shown that [[faith ]] and [[reason ]] are not simply and intractably opposed. Žižek has long been interested in the emancipatory potential offered by Christian theology. And Milbank, [[seeing ]] [[global ]] [[capitalism ]] as the new century’s greatest [[ethical ]] challenge, has pushed his own [[ontology ]] in more [[political ]] and materialist directions. Their debate in The Monstrosity of Christ concerns the [[future ]] of [[religion]], secularity, and political hope in light of a monsterful event—God becoming [[human]]. For the first [[time ]] since Žižek’s turn toward theology, we have a [[true ]] debate between an atheist and a theologian [[about ]] the very meaning of theology, Christ, the [[Church]], the Holy [[Ghost]], [[Universality]], and the foundations of [[logic]]. The result goes far beyond the popularized atheist/theist point/counterpoint of [[recent ]] books by [[Christopher Hitchens]], Richard Dawkins, and [[others]]. Žižek begins, and Milbank answers, countering dialectics with “paradox“[[paradox]].” The debate centers on the [[nature ]] of and relation between paradox and [[parallax]], between analogy and dialectics, between transcendent glory and liberation. Slavoj Žižek is a philosopher and [[cultural ]] critic. He has published over thirty books, including [[Looking ]] Awry, The [[Puppet and the Dwarf]], and The [[Parallax View ]] (these three published by the MIT Press). John Milbank is an influential Christian theologian and the [[author ]] of Theology and [[Social ]] [[Theory]]: Beyond Secular Reason and other books. Creston Davis, who conceived of this [[encounter]], studied under both Žižek and Milbank.