John Paul II’s Faith and Reason was written against a background of Catholic scholarship focusing notably on the New Testament, St. Augustine’s Confessions, St. Thomas’s De Veritate, and the encyclicals of various pre-Vatican II popes. A detailed, textually based critique of these early sources reveals inconsistencies and conceptual errors that are shown to carry over into Faith and Reason. John Paul II’s treatment of reason, in particular, turns out to be aberrant to the point of incoherence. It is inconceivable how this reason could join with faith in a way that lifts the human spirit to a contemplation of truth, as stated in the Preface of the encyclical. There is another sense of reason, however, which demonstrably is capable of cooperating with faith to achieve this effect. This reason is free from the fetters of Neo-Scholasticism that keep John Paul II’s reason grounded. The present study joins forces with the encyclical with a detailed example of this other sense of reason in action. In this example, new truths come to light regarding the complex relation between the first and the second great commandments.

Have you ever wondered where religion is concerned, what you really believe? In FAITH, REASON & COMMON SENSE the interdependence of religion and culture is examined with care and insight. Readers with strong religious convictions may be surprised to discover that the history of religion - every religion - is both a chronicle of heresy and a reconfiguration of belief. In his examination of the relationship between Faith and Reason, the author rejects the familiar premise that a life guided by one must exclude the other. Although he stresses the importance of examining `the faith of our fathers' he is respectful of those who, in a world dominated by science, find guidance and reassurance in their religion. Far ranging and insightful, drawing on a wealth of sources and opinions, there is something for everyone in this challenging and though-provoking study.

First Published in 1999. For This Land, edited and with an introduction by James Treat, brings together over thirty years of the work of Vine Deloria, Jr., regarded as one of the most important living Native American figures. For three decades, Deloria has offered substantive and persistent contributions to understanding the complexity of religion in America. In uis writings he recognizes the spiritual desperation and religious breakdown in the contemporary situation, and provides the groundwork to get people to examine what they actually believe and how they must put those beliefs into practice. The essays in this collection express Deloria's concern for the religious dimensions and implications of human existence. His writings are engaged within a theoretical system of physical, not ideological, space, and ultimately give voice to this intellectual passion by calling into question our controversial religious institutions, commitments, worldviews, freedoms and experiences. For This Land offers a distinctive approach to comprehending human existence from one of the leading critics of mainstream American thought.

In this exciting new book, renowned ethicist Richard Spinello offers the first comprehensive presentation of the late John Paul II's great moral vision. Here admirers may read and understand the essential teachings of the pope in his own words as Spinello draws on his extensive research into John Paul II's writings and talks. Subjects covered include reverence for life, concern for the poor and suffering, moral law, conscience, moral choice, intrinsically evil acts, freedom, and goodness. The purpose of this book is two-fold: it not only persuasively presents the late pope's vital teachings, but also defends them against his critics. This important new work preserves and promotes the extraordinary legacy of John Paul II by focusing on his championing of universal human dignity and objective moral truths.

Christianity is unique in both the evidence upon which it rests & the doctrines it teaches. This book gives quick information on major biblical doctrinal themes. It offers comparisons & contrasts to any group's teachings on important subjects. All cults & new religions deny key biblical doctrines so whatever theology you are studying you can know that a biblical corrective is supplied.

This study intends to show that the answer to the question whether faith can be justified without proofs can be resolved by importing ideas from Søren Kierkegaard’s and Alvin Plantinga’s affirmative take on the matter. There is a deep similarity between the way they understand belief in God and belief in Christianity. The authors share the modern idea that there is an objective truth, combining it with the postmodern stance that no method exists which would guarantee access to it. One can see at both authors not only a deep commonality of ideas, but also a remarkable way in which their understandings augment each other. Whereas Kierkegaard comes to the provocative conclusion that, if a person wants to live authentically, she will meet Christ on her life’s journey without needing any proof, Plantinga’s inquiry contributes to the rational plausibility of this „Justified Faith without Reasons" project.

The relationship between faith and reason is multifaceted. Faith transcends reason in that it is more than reason alone can contain or fully guarantee, yet it is neither unreasonable nor something to which reason is irrelevant—and reason says some pretty fine things about it! This volume updates nine previously published articles on faith and reason by a Christian philosopher who has been studying these matters for two decades, alongside one new essay and a philosophical dialogue. These articles explain and integrate key ideas on faith and reason, including Alvin Plantinga’s account of how Christian belief can be knowledge even without evidence; defenses of faith from Augustine and William James; accounts of empirical evidence for faith from different world religions; the distinction between faith and sight in the New Testament; the structure of the evidence for the authority of the Bible; the idea that faith transcends reason because some articles of faith are beyond human comprehension, even if we have evidence that they are true; and the nature of faith as a total commitment beyond what the evidence alone can guarantee.