The Early Heidegger and Medieval Philosophy
The Early Heidegger and Medieval Philosophy: Phenomenology for the Godforsaken is a 2006 book by Sean J. McGrath, in which the author critiques secularization through examining the relationship between Martin Heidegger's thought and late medieval and early Protestant Christianity. Synopsis. Struck by the analogies between the thought of the early Heidegger and late medieval and early Protestant Christianity, McGrath discovered that the similarities were far from accidental. Through careful archival work in Germany, McGrath argued (with Max Scheler and Jacques Derrida), that Heidegger, an ex-seminarian and formerly devout Catholic, had secularized Christian  concepts in "Being and Time". Heidegger's book went on to become a foundational text in 20th century atheist thought, and yet none of its major themes would be possible, according to McGrath, without Christianity. Reception. The book has been reviewed by Philipp Rosemann, James D. Reid, Christian Lotz and Michael L. Raposa. On the strength of this work, the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, the theological think-tank headed by the Anglican theologian John Milbank, commissioned McGrath to write a short critique of Heidegger for theologians.