God, the Gift, and Postmodernism

4. Desire of God

112 Desire of God Richard Kearney In On the Name (1995), Derrida writes: "The desire of God, God as the other name ofdesire, deals in the desert with radical atheism."! In what follows, I wish to tease out some of the issues thrown up by this arresting statement. When we speak of the desire of God, do we mean our desire for God or God's desire for us? Or both? And if, as Derrida suggests, the desire ofGod deals with radical atheism, is it possible to reconcile this desire with theism? I Making the wager that it is possible to speak of a genuinely theistic desire of God, I will suggest that this requires us to distinguish between two different ways of desiring God-namely, onto-theological and eschatological. First, what I refer to as the onto-theological paradigm construes desire as lack-that is, as a striving for fulfillment in a plenitude ofpresence. Here desire expresses itself as a drive to be and to know absolutely. Conatus essendi et cogniscendi. This relates back to the biblical tales ofAdam's Fall and the Tower of Babelwhat Genesis, and later the Talmud, referred to as the "evil drive" (yezer hara) 112 Deslr1\rGod Richard Kearney In Oil the Name (1995), Derrida writes: "The desire of Cod, Cod as the olhername ofdesire, deals in the desert with radical atheism.'" In what follows, I wish 10 lease Ollt some of the issues throWll up by this arresting statement. When we speak of the desire arCad, do we mean our desire for Cod or Cod's desire for us? Or both? And if, as Dcrrida suggests, the desire orCad deals with radical atheism, is il possible to reconcile this desire with theism? I Making the wager that it is possible to speak of a genuinely theistic desire ofGod, Jwill suggest that this requires us to distinguish behvccn two different ways of desiring God-namely, onto-theological and eschatological. First, what I refer to as the onto-theological paradigm COllstrues desire as lack-that is, as a striving for fulfillment in a plenitude ofpresence. Here desire expresses itself as a drive to be and to know absolutely. Corza/us essendi et cogniscendi. This relates back to the biblical tales ofAdam's F