Political theology; a critical introduction

My general thesis in this book is that political theology is not about the problem of religion in modern societies as much as it is a problem of authority — and as we will see, the problem of authority is embodied not only in the concept of sovereignty but also in the modern forms of governance, economy, and technology that emerged with the appearance of the modern state. So, religion in its absence in modern societies creates a space of transcendence in which new forms of authority appear and multiply. And this space, left by its absence from the public political sphere, is what modern forms of authority seek to fill and re-occupy, especially the sites of transgression. The recent "return" of religion to the public domain is evidence of a collapse or contradiction in the symbolic order of society — a contradiction that authority tries to resolve or conceal by monopolizing the imaginary transgression that religion provides. This does not mean that authority does not sometimes blatantly invoke religious ideology; it always does so. But political theology refers to a clever way in which authority fills the void left by religion, thereby claiming for itself and its structures and legitimized discourses and systems the transcendent and surpassing dimension of truth beyond religion. Therefore, we must understand authority as a form of transcendence and surpassing, or rather, as the form of transcendence and surpassing in modern societies. Instead of religion being authority, authority has become religion. And if that is the case, we will not resolve the crisis of political theology — the apparent inseparability between theology and politics — until we find ways to displace the forms of authority that govern our modern societies and constantly call us to obedience and sacrifice, and to escape from and transcend them.