The Church, Authority, and Foucault addresses the problem of the Church's enmeshment with sovereign power, which can lead to marginalization. Breaking new ground, Ogden uses Foucault's approach to power and knowledge to interpret the church leader's significance as the guardian of knowledge. This can become privileged knowledge, under the spell of sovereign power, and with the complicity of clergy and laity in search of sovereigns. Inevitably, such a culture leads to a sense of entitlement for leaders and conformity for followers. All in the name of obedience.
The Church needs to change in order to fulfil its vocation. Instead of a monarchy, what about Church as an open space of freedom? This book, then, is a theological enterprise which cultivates practices of freedom for the sake of the other. This involves thinking differently by exploring catalysts for change, which include critique, space, imagination, and wisdom. In the process, Ogden uses a range of sources, analysing discourse, gossip, ritual, territory, masculinity, and pastoral power. In all, the work of Michel Foucault sets the tone for a fresh ecclesiological critique that will appeal to theologians and clergy alike.
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About the Author
Steven Ogden is an adjunct lecturer in theology, and a member of the Center for Public and Contextual Theology (PACT), with Charles Sturt University Australia. He is also the Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Fortitude Valley. Previously, Steven has been the Principal of St Francis Theological College Brisbane, and the Dean of St Peter's Cathedral Adelaide.

motw/The Church, Authority, and Fouc - Steven G. Ogden.epub

motw/The Church, Authority, and Fouc - Steven G. Ogden.pdf

Ogden, Steven G.;

Ashgate Publishing Limited

Taylor & Francis Group

Taylor & Francis Ltd

Gower Publishing Ltd

Taylor and Francis

CRC Press

Routledge new critical thinking in religion, theology, and biblical studies, Basingstoke, 2017

Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies, Florence, 2017

Routledge new critical thinking in religion, theology, and biblical studies, London, 2017

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

1, PT, 2017

producers:
Acrobat Distiller 8.1.0 (Windows)

Memory of the World Librarian: Slowrotation

Cover 1
Half Title 2
Title Page 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
Acknowledgements 7
Abbreviations 8
Reference works 11
1. The Church and the problem of sovereign power 12
Thinking otherwise 12
The problem of sovereign power 15
The marginalization of the other in the life of the Church 17
The child as other: Sovereign power, child abuse, and the Catholic Church 18
The marginalizing effects of untested norms 20
Suspicious minds: on theologians inferring Foucault does not care about truth 22
Practical matters: orientation, major sources, key terms, chapter outline 25
Notes 28
Bibliography 34
2. Under Foucault’s gaze: the subject, freedom, and power-knowledge concept 39
The subject and the possibility of freedom 39
A meta-ethical perspective 40
Foucault’s work 42
Foucault’s subject 45
The mesh of power-relations 47
Power/knowledge: those who are charged with saying what counts as true 48
Truth matters: an epistemological note 51
Notes 54
Bibliography 58
3. The concept of authority: guardians, gossip, and the sovereign exception 62
The aim of the case study 62
Epistemic hubris 64
The bishop as the guardian of knowledge 66
Gossip and the multi-layered nature of discourse 67
Authority, sovereignty, and the sovereign exception 73
Focusing on the diocese 77
Notes 78
Bibliography 86
4. The spell of monarchy and the sacralization of obedience 91
We still have not cut off the head of the king 91
Episcopal vocation: in the shadow of the king 92
Unrestricted unilateral power 97
The drive toward unitary discourse and uniform behaviours 99
Pastoral power and the sacralization of obedience 102
The elephant in the sitting room 106
Notes 109
Bibliography 117
5. The Church as an open space of freedom 121
Introducing a spatial approach 121
Freedom 121
Culture change and new spaces 124
Ekklesia and the ethos of the Christian space 126
Notes 132
Bibliography 137
6. New spaces and the imagination 141
Developing a spatial approach 141
Foucault’s spatial approach and the heterotopic imagination 146
The imagination 149
Imagining new spaces 155
Notes 157
Bibliography 164
7. Bearing the lightning of possible storms: critique, space, imagination, wisdom 168
Possibilities 168
A Foucauldian disruption 171
An open space of freedom 173
Shared wisdom and mutual empowerment 176
Bearing the lightning 178
Notes 180
Bibliography 183
Index 187

The Church, Authority and Foucault" addresses the problem of the Church's enmeshment with sovereign power, which can lead to marginalisation. Breaking new ground, Ogden uses Foucault's approach to power and knowledge to interpret the church leader's significance as the guardian of knowledge. This can become privileged knowledge, under the spell of sovereign power, and with the complicity of clergy and laity in search of sovereigns. Inevitably, such a culture leads to a sense of entitlement for leaders and conformity for followers. All in the name of obedience. The Church needs to change in order to fulfil its vocation. Instead of a monarchy, what about Church as an open space of freedom? This book then is a theological enterprise, which cultivates practices of freedom for the sake of the other. This involves thinking differently by exploring catalysts for change, which include critique, space, imagination, and wisdom. In the process, Ogden uses a range of sources, analysing discourse, gossip, ritual, territory, masculinity, and pastoral power. In all, the work of Michel Foucault sets the tone for a fresh ecclesiological critique that will appeal to theologians and clergy alike

2025-10-27