Theology after the Birth of God.. Atheist Conceptions in Cognition and Culture

This monograph examines how contemporary cognitive and evolutionary sciences reshape theological discourse by providing naturalistic explanations for religious belief formation. Shults argues that insights from these scientific fields effectively undermine traditional theistic claims by demonstrating that god-concepts emerge from ordinary cognitive and cultural mechanisms rather than divine revelation or metaphysical necessity.

The work engages primarily with the cognitive science of religion (CSR), drawing on research showing how human minds naturally generate supernatural agent concepts through hyperactive agency detection, theory of mind capabilities, and coalitional instincts. Shults contends that understanding these mechanisms reveals theology as a human construction responding to evolved psychological tendencies rather than a discipline investigating transcendent realities. He positions this argument against both classical theological traditions that assume divine existence and contemporary theologians who attempt to accommodate scientific findings while maintaining theistic commitments.

Methodologically, Shults employs intellectual history to trace how theological responses to scientific challenges have evolved, particularly examining post-Enlightenment attempts to preserve religious belief despite mounting naturalistic explanations. He analyzes various theological strategies—from liberal accommodationism to postmodern evasions—arguing that each fails to adequately address the fundamental challenge posed by cognitive and evolutionary accounts of religion. The work particularly critiques theologians who acknowledge naturalistic origins of religious belief while maintaining that such origins do not invalidate theological truth claims.

The monograph's significance lies in its systematic application of CSR findings to theological methodology itself. Rather than merely explaining why people believe in gods, Shults examines what happens to theology as an academic discipline once these explanations gain widespread acceptance. He argues that theology faces an existential crisis: either it must abandon its traditional subject matter (God) or continue operating under increasingly implausible assumptions about human cognition and cultural evolution.

Shults ultimately advocates for a "theology after the birth of God"—an intellectual project that acknowledges the human construction of divine concepts while exploring the psychological and social functions these constructions serve. This represents not reformed theology but rather a naturalistic study of theological thinking itself. The work thus contributes to atheistic philosophy of religion by demonstrating how scientific understanding of belief formation undermines not just particular religious claims but the entire theological enterprise as traditionally conceived.