Abstract

It has frequently been argued that Marxism is a secular offshoot of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Both traditions share many themes and categories, e.g., alienation, redemption, messianism, prophecy, a “providential” ordering of history, and an eschatological vision. Such thematic similarities provide the organization for Nicholas Lash’s theological reflections on the thought of Karl Marx. Lash, a distinguished theologian and Newman scholar, claims no special competence in Marx’s thought or in the history of the Marxist intellectual tradition. Rather, what he offers is a series of theological reflections on Marx, a comparison and contrast of Marxist and Christian world views, and an assessment of their critiques of each other.