Jean-Luc Nancy’s differently different concept of autodeconstruction invites us to deconstructively rethink God and our thinking of God. In this paper, I will first and briefly set the framework for classifying Nancy within different ways of doing theology. I will then describe his guiding thesis of the autodeconstruction of Christianity by responding with possible answers, followed by an attempt to analyze and in some way deconstruct his idea of deconstruction.

For all five points of the autodeconstruction, I hope it will become noticeable that something is not only described, but deconstructively rewritten and perpetuated—operated. Nancy’s autodeconstruction therefore condenses in Christianity: which leads to the consequence that Christianity can never simply be and remain what it was or meant to be. Does this mean that Christianity is the epitome of deconstruction—and deconstruction is essentially Christian? In any case, Nancy indirectly indicates his point of view and his perspective: to neither negate Christianity, nor return to it.

With this book, we would like to resume the passionate conversation that Jean-Luc Nancy was engaged in throughout his life, with philosophers and artists from all over the world. Now that he has passed away, it is not enough for us to simply reflect on his work: we would like to stay true to the stance to which his thought invites us, in a pluralistic and communal way. Jean-Luc Nancy takes up the old philosophical question of truth as a praxis of a with — understanding truth without any given measure or comparison as an articulation of a with. It is a thinking responsible for the world from within the world, a language that seeks to respond to the ongoing mutation of our civilization.

With contributions by Jean-Christophe Bailly, Rodolphe Burger, Marcia Sá Calvacante Schuback, Marcus Coelen, Alexander García Düttmann, Juan-Manuel Garrido, Martta Heikkilä, Erich Hörl, Valentin Husson, Sandrine Israel-Jost, Ian James, Apostolos Lampropoulos, Nidesh Lawtoo, Jérôme Lèbre, Susanna Lindberg, Michael Marder, Artemy Magun, Boyan Manchev, Dieter Mersch, Hélène Nancy, Jean-Luc Nancy, Aïcha Liviana Messina, Ginette Michaud, Helen Petrovsky, Jacob Rogozinski, Philipp Stoellger, Peter Szendy, Georgios Tsagdis, Marita Tatari, Gert-Jan van der Heiden, Aukje van Rooden.