Questions are raised about Christian philosophy and God. Is Christian philosophy truly philosophical? Is it Biblical? Is it capable of addressing God, a profoundly transcendent being? Does appealing to a God's eye point of view make sense? Can Christian philosophy respect religious diversity? While the integrity of Christian philosophy is defended, questions are raised about its relationship to the overall practice of philosophy. Christian philosophers value drawing others to Christian faith. Are Christian apologetics compatible with philosophy? This Element concludes with reflection on when it may be philosophically acceptable to appeal to mystery.

This handbook acquaints readers with philosophy in an introductory and nontechnical way. These materials, first developed for use in classes as a supplement to other formal textbooks, are designed to gain the confidence of students who have no technical level of expertise in the field of philosophy. There is a very useful glossary at the end that will be of help to all readers, listing more than just simple definitions. Often the glossary explanations are like brief essays in themselves. Many significant issues arise in the field, but this book treats three in particular: theistic proofs, evil, and creation. A Handbook for Christian Philosophy offers several contributions that make it unique. First, there is a section on logic that relates the subject of logic to biblical exegesis. Second, the treatment of evil puts special emphasis on the biblical themes that provide practical and theoretical help for people who are experiencing evil and going through suffering. Third, the chapter on creation includes an up-to-date critique of naturalistic evolution and a review of the recurrent Christian principles on this topic. The author provides an excellent worldview evaluation, something that is desperately needed today by all Christians. The chapters include: What is philosophy?; How to study philosophy; Learning to think logically; Recognizing worldviews; Testing worldviews; The existence of God; Creation, the reasonable alternative; and a final chapter on God and evil.

The book is a study of pragmatism and pragmatic pluralism in the philosophy of religion. Through critical examinations of James's, Dewey's, and recent neopragmatists' ideas, it argues that key issues in the field--including the debate between evidentialism and fideism, and the problem of evil--need rearticulation from a pragmatic pluralistic perspective.

Includes: American Institute of Christian Philosophy. Proceedings of the American Institute of Christian Philosophy.

This study of Professor William Rowe’s defense of atheism on the basis of evil assesses the literature that has developed in response to Rowe’s work, closely examining two strategies: mystery – the idea that God may have reasons beyond our comprehension for permitting evil; and theodicy - explanations as to why God allows evil to flourish. The book unearths difficulties in both, concluding that the God of theism must be "beyond belief."

One of the marks of being a philosopher is participating in debates about what counts as "philosophy." Of particular note in such debates is the question of how to distinguish philosophy from theology. Although a variety of answers to this question have been offered in the history of philosophy, in recent decades, the prominence of Christian philosophy has been heralded by many as a genuine triumph over the problematic narrowness of strong foundationalism, positivism, and scientism. For others, however, it signals that philosophy continues to risk being replaced by confessional theology. Wherever one comes down on such issues, and however one interprets recent trends in philosophy of religion, the idea of Christian philosophy continues to present pressing questions for those working in meta-philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, hermeneutics, and value theory. In this volume, established scholars representing a variety of cultural traditions, religious perspectives, and philosophical priorities all wrestle with how the idea of Christian philosophy should be understood, appropriated, and engaged in light of where philosophy is and where it is likely to go. The volume includes classical essays that have deeply marked the field and also new essays that explore the relevance of Christian philosophy to issues in disability studies, engaged pedagogy, lived phenomenology, the academic study of religion, and the workings of social power. Rather than offer a unified view that seeks to settle things, the contributors demonstrate that Christian philosophy remains a topic of lively debate. Wherever one comes down on the issues considered here, this volume shows that Christian philosophy is neither merely of historical interest, nor of interest only to Christians, but instead remains a thoroughly philosophical topic worthy of serious consideration and substantive critique. With a Foreword by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology at Yale University; Senior Research Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia; and Honorary Professor of Australian Catholic University.

Why do bad things happen, even to good people? If there is a God, why aren't God's existence and God's will for humans more apparent? And if God really does miracles for some people, why not for others? This book examines these three problems of evil – suffering, divine hiddenness, and unfairness if miracles happen as believers claim – to explore how different ideas of God's power relate to the problem of evil. Keller argues that as long as God is believed to be all-powerful, there are no adequate answers to these problems, nor is it enough for theists simply to claim that human ignorance makes these problems insoluble. Arguing that there are no good grounds for the belief that God is all-powerful, Keller instead defends the understanding of God and God's power found in process theism and shows how it makes possible an adequate solution to the problems of evil while providing a concept of God that is religiously adequate.

Brings together a lifetime of work on the problems presented by the notion of a Christian philosophy, debates whether a Christian philosophy is possible, and outlines the steps for its development.

This volume offers the most comprehensive survey available of the philosophical background to the works of early Christian writers and the development of early Christian doctrine. It examines how the same philosophical questions were approached by Christian and pagan thinkers; the philosophical element in Christian doctrines; the interaction of particular philosophies with Christian thought; and the constructive use of existing philosophies by all Christian thinkers of late antiquity. While most studies of ancient Christian writers and the development of early Christian doctrine make some reference to the philosophic background, this is often of an anecdotal character, and does not enable the reader to determine whether the likenesses are deep or superficial, or how pervasively one particular philosopher may have influenced Christian thought. This volume is designed to provide not only a body of facts more compendious than can be found elsewhere, but the contextual information which will enable readers to judge or clarify the statements that they encounter in works of more limited scope. With contributions by an international group of experts in both philosophy and Christian thought, this is an invaluable resource for scholars of early Christianity, Late Antiquity and ancient philosophy alike.