EPS Blog

Enjoy the New Website for the Evangelical Philosophical Society

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 23:42:00 +0000

The website includes

Videos
Web Articles
Web Projects
Featured Books
Interviews
Information about Philosophia Christi, including an updated Submission Form.
Information about the EPS Annual Meeting and other News.

Collection of Essays offers Analysis of "selfhood, the first-person pronoun 'I', and the first-person perspective."

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 16:18:00 +0000

Imprint Academic just released, Selfhood, Autism and Thought Insertion, co-edited by Mihretu P. Guta and Sophie Gibb. Guta is currently teaching philosophy at Biola University, Azusa Pacific University, and Addis Ababa University. He is also working on a manuscript entitled The Metaphysics of Substance and Personhood: A Non-Theory Laden Approach. Sophie Gibb is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy, Durham University. Recent papers are on the ontology of the mental causation debate, the subset account of property realization, and tropes and laws.

From the publisher's description:

This book, a reprint of a special issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, presents engaging and informative analysis of three interrelated notions, namely: selfhood, the first-person pronoun 'I', and the first-person perspective. Philosophers have long debated about these notions on non-empirical grounds, often focusing on the question of whether the first-person pronoun 'I', beyond its role as a grammatical term, has an underlying implication for the ontology of selfhood. Philosophers continuously grapple with whether the first-person pronoun ‘I’ is a referring expression and, if it is, what its referent is or could be. To give an adequate treatment of such questions, philosophers have begun working across the relevant disciplines. This book highlights some excellent examples of the complex nature of first-person thoughts as they figure in linguistics, autism, thought insertion in schizophrenia, and the phenomenon of mental autonomy. In Selfhood, Autism and Thought Insertion, many of the leading philosophers working on this issue, as well as a few emerging scholars, have written 12 new essays addressing questions besetting the ontology of selfhood. The essays address topics as diverse as reflections on E.J. Lowe’s non-Cartesian substance dualism, physical determinism, the metaphysics and anti-metaphysics of the self, animalism, neo-Lockean persons, rationality and the first person, whether the first person is essentially a linguistic concept, first-person and third-person perspectives and autism, consciousness, the first-person perspective and neuro-imaging, thought insertion, and mental autonomy. The contributors to this volume do not agree in all of the details associated with the notion of selfhood, yet they all have a common conviction that the central questions besetting it must be taken seriously.

In 2011, Guta published an article in Philosophia Christi on "Frank Jackson's Location Problem and Argument from the Self" (vol. 13, no. 1).

Participate in the APA's Inaugural Alvin Plantinga Prize

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 22:57:00 +0000

The American Philosophical Association (APA) is currently accepting submissions for "the inaugural Alvin Plantinga Prize."

Submission deadline: March 30, 2021.

From the blog of the APA:

The APA’s newest prize was established in honor of Alvin Plantinga, John A. O’Brien Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and a past president of the APA Central Division. The Alvin Plantinga Prize is funded through the generosity of the Bossenbroek Family Foundation. The prize will recognize original essays that engage philosophical issues about or in substantial ways related to theism. One prize of $10,000 and up to two honorable mention prizes of $5,000 each will be awarded annually. Submissions must be in English, within the range of 6,000–10,000 words. Submissions will be assessed according to canons of excellence for which Alvin Plantinga is eminent: clarity, rigor, and originality.
Any APA member may submit an essay. To submit an essay by March 30, fill out the submission form.

Philosophical Theology Contributions in the Winter 2020 issue of Philosophia Christi

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:34:00 +0000

The Winter 2020 issue, writes Editor Ross Inman, will be "packed with contributions, mostly in the area of philosophical theology, such as God and the nature of time, the causal principle and the kalam cosmological argument, the problem of evil, the metaphysics of the Incarnation, providence, theistic mathematical Platonism, and more."

Enjoy some of the latest articles, philosophical notes, and book reviews from authors like R. T. Mullins, John Jefferson Davis, Robert Larmer, James N. Anderson, K. Lauriston Smith, Rad Miksa, and many others!

For as low as $25/yr, sign-up/renew your subscription today (EPS Membership includes a print subscription to the journal).

Want digital only access to the journal? EPS members get a discounted rate through the Philosophy Documentation Center (includes the entire archive - over 1,000 contributions -since 1999!).

Joshua Farris Remembers Ben Arbour

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:58:00 +0000

With the recent and very tragic death of EPS member, Ben Arbour, and his dear wife, Meg, EPS President, Mike Austin, has invited friends and colleagues of Ben to offer their reflections on Ben's life, his care for philosophy, and his ministry to others.

Ben's friend and colleague, Joshua Farris (Executive Director, Alpine Christian School; Director of Trinity School of Theology), offers this personal reflection:

“Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” (2 Corinthians 1:10)

Ben Arbour, and his wife Meg, passed away on Friday November 6, 2020. Their death seems to have been sudden, and it was certainly tragic. They were the victims of a drag race early in the morning that Friday.

I am still dismayed by Ben’s (and Meg’s, but I will focus on Ben) death. The feeling of shock has stayed with me since I first heard the news early Friday morning shortly after waking up.

Ben, as many have stated already, was an extrovert. He was outgoing and loved a good discussion or a bit of banter. He would call you up randomly and delineate an argument he had been turning over in his head that day. Often the argument had something to do with Higher-Ed, politics, theology, or, his favorite topic—metaphysical idealism.

Ben was an important figure in Christian philosophy. Investing himself primarily in the Evangelical Philosophical Society, he broadened his influence internationally through his writings on Anselmian theism and Open Theism. Both conservative and traditional, Ben was rightly discouraged and critical of the left leaning trend in the world of “Christian Philosophy”—something he saw as ironically the beginning of the end for the community. Ben lived out his convictions and was unafraid to challenge the convictions of others—even when it meant speaking against the trends of our times. Ben, for all the reasons here mentioned, was an important fixture in the Christian philosophy community. He challenged ideas and, most importantly, he brought people together for philosophical discussion (at times those with quite disparate perspectives). He organized several philosophical conferences for EPS and others. For this reason alone, he is a significant figure in our community and his absence will be noticed by all.

More importantly, Ben was a friend. Good friends are hard to find. Ben often challenged me in ways that I found frustrating, but after some time I knew it came from a heart that loved me and my virtue—whether it be intellectual or volitional. His life was instructive in this way in that he prodded his friends toward virtue.

His death has been instructive. When I heard others jump to the hope before properly processing his untimely death, I was discouraged. His death was and is devastating. While I am weary of easy believ-ism, my resolve is to trust that He will deliver us from the grave. He has been faithful in the past, and he will be faithful again. I will see Ben again.

Greg Trickett Remembers Ben Arbour

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 00:21:00 +0000

Ben's friend and colleague, Greg Trickett (Associate Professor of Philosophy at Weatherford College) offers this personal reflection:

On the night of Thursday, November 5th, just after midnight, Ben and Meg Arbour were tragically killed while coming home from a date. They were hit by a street racer less than two blocks from their home. I heard the news of their deaths on Friday morning at around 10am. In that instant, time slowed and my world changed. Those of you who met Ben know that he didn’t know a stranger. You also know that he and Meg touched and positively impacted so many lives. If you didn’t know him, chances are you knew others who did. Within the Christian Philosophical community, there were far fewer than six degrees that separated Ben from any other person. Personally, for me he was one of a handful of my closest friends.

Ben thrived on his friends, they were like oxygen for him, and he was in his element in large crowds where he knew lots of people. I went to several conferences with him and it was typical to find Ben at lunch or dinner trying his best to gather every single one of his friends to go somewhere for a meal. I think he enjoyed those gatherings more than the presentations, and he really enjoyed the presentations.

But I enjoyed the smaller gatherings, especially when just the five of us, Ben and I along with Jay Howell, Brad Palmer, and David Williams, would hang out. The last thing we did was go golfing for Brad’s and my birthdays. Two weeks before that, we’d gathered at my house to play the board game, Pandemic which Ben thoroughly enjoyed.

It hurts. And I know his family is hurting exponentially more. Please pray for Ben and Meg’s four children as they cope and begin to face a life without their parents. (If you are wanting to help, please consider contributing to a fund set up for their kids through Wedgewood Baptist Church at Arbourfund.org. Make sure to designate your donation to “Arbour fund.”) But there is comfort in all this. It is a comfort found in the faith and hope to which Ben and Meg held. Their faith was in Christ who came so that all may be saved and find hope; their hope was in the resurrection. I look forward to seeing Ben again. Much to Ben’s pleasure, it’ll be a bigger group next time, but I know I’ll see him again, because my faith and hope are the same.

Greg and Ben co-authored a 2018 article in Philosophia Christi, "Evil Does Not Pose Any Special Problem for Berkeleyan Idealism: An Idealist Response to John DePoe."

John Gilhooly Remembers Ben Arbour

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 17:19:00 +0000

Ben's friend and colleague, John Gilhooly (Director of Honors Program, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Theology, at Cedarville University), offers this reflection:

Ben was a wonderful, relentless, indefatigable advocate for clarity in our speech about God, purity in our devotion to Christ, and charity in our conduct by the Spirit. He was a loyal friend: equal measures bold and honest. He knew no strangers because he showed no partiality. He argued fiercely because he cared deeply. He took his work seriously but he could laugh at himself. His friends knew that even a causal joke directed his way would provoke a serious response - even as he chuckled at the absurdity.

I realized when I met Ben that I did not love analytic philosophy. I wouldn't do it for free or as a hobby. But, Ben's professional accomplishments were something he happened to do when the more pressing business of his work or family or church was complete. He had a passion in his pursuits that was contagious, even if his grit and tenacity for argument were so surpassing that few could imitate the frenzied pace of his joyous life. Ben was a hurricane that could argue.

I will miss him until the Day, and the academic community is poorer for the vacuum of personality and insight that Ben leaves behind.

For the EPS web project on The Philosophy of Theological Anthropology, Ben and John wrote on "Transgenderism, Human Ontology, and the Metaphysics of Properties."

A Beginner’s Guide to Richard Dawkins and the God Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:13:00 +0000

In 2020, Cascade Books published Outgrowing God? A Beginner's Guide to Richard Dawkins and the God Decade, written by Peter S. Williams. Peter S. Williams is an English philosopher, author, and Assistant Professor in Communication and Worldviews at NLA University College at Gimlekollen in Kristiansand, Norway.

From the publisher's description:

Join a cast of characters, with different perspectives, thinking through some of the biggest questions in life, as they discuss atheist Richard Dawkins’ book Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide. Written in the form of a dialogue between members of a student book club, Outgrowing God? A Beginner’s Guide to Richard Dawkins and the God Debate encourages critical thinking about Professor Dawkins’ arguments concerning God, Jesus and the Bible.

Learn more about the book by visiting PeterSWilliams.com, along with links to supplemental resources, including various videos and papers presented by Williams.

2020 Panel Discussions at EPS-ETS on "The Genealogical Adam and Eve" and “Aquinas, Original Sin, and the Challenge of Evolution”

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 19:48:00 +0000

At the 2020 annual conference of the Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) - which is held in conjunction with the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) - enjoy live virtual discussions (November 16-20) centered around dozens of pre-recorded paper presentations (full schedule).

Additionally, come participate in live panel discussions on Thursday, November 19th, which include EPS and ETS contributors:

1:30 PM – 4:40 PM (Eastern)

Author Meets Critic: Joshua Swamidass’ The Genealogical Adam and Eve.

Moderator: Ken Keathley (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Panelists:

Richard E. Averbeck (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Andrew Loke (Hong Kong Baptist University)
William Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology & Houston Baptist University)
Ken Keathley (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Joshua Swamidass (Washington University)

Enjoy further discussion on this topic at an EPS session at AAR/SBL on December 1st.

1:30 PM – 4:40 PM (Eastern)

Analytic Theology: “Aquinas, Original Sin, and the Challenge of Evolution”

Daniel Houck (John Leland Center for Theological Studies): “Aquinas, Original Sin, and the Challenge of Evolution: The Proposal Summarized.”

Respondents:

Deborah Haarsma* (BioLogos)
Hans Madueme (Covenant College)
Fellipe do Vale (Southern Methodist University)
Daniel Houck (John Leland Center for Theological Studies): A Rejoinder to My Critics

* Invited Guest of ETS

Important Conference and Registration Information

All updates for conference sessions can be found in the virtual schedule managed by the ETS.
All presenters and participants must register for the conference via the ETS website. If you need assistance or have questions about conference registration, please email meeting@etsjets.org.
You must be a current member to register for the EPS conference. Please sign-up/renew for EPS OR ETS annual membership. EPS membership includes a print subscription to Philosophia Christi (preview the Current Issue of the journal).

Reminder: Five EPS Panel Sessions are being hosted in light of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature annual conference. EPS sessions are November 30-December 2! Session themes include: "Modernizing the Beatific Vision: Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives on the Visio Dei”; "Analyzing Doctrine: Book Panel"; "Author Meets Critics: Science and Religion in The Genealogical Adam and Eve, by S. Joshua Swamidass”; "Christian Philosophical Theology and the Church"; and "Author Meets Critics: God and Ultimate Origins: A Novel Cosmological Argument, by Andrew Ter Ern Loke" (registration info at the links).

2020 Panel Discussions at EPS-ETS on "God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology”

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 19:41:00 +0000

Additionally, come participate in live panel discussions on Thursday, November 19th, which include EPS and ETS contributors:

8:30 AM – 11:40 AM (Eastern)

“God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology”

Moderator: Alden McCray (Oak Hill College) Introduction

Respondents:

Scott R. Swain (Reformed Theological Seminary)
Jonathan T. Pennington (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Nathaniel Gray Sutanto (Reformed Theological Seminary)
Dolf te Velde (Theological University Kampen / ETF Leuven)
Steven J. Duby (Grand Canyon University)

Important Conference and Registration Information

All updates for conference sessions can be found in the virtual schedule managed by the ETS.
All presenters and participants must register for the conference via the ETS website. If you need assistance or have questions about conference registration, please email meeting@etsjets.org.
You must be a current member to register for the EPS conference. Please sign-up/renew for EPS OR ETS annual membership. EPS membership includes a print subscription to Philosophia Christi (preview the Current Issue of the journal).

2020 Panel Discussions at EPS-ETS: "Islam & Evangelical Christianity" and "Christian Ethics"

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 19:30:00 +0000

Additionally, come participate in live panel discussions on Monday, November 16th, which include EPS and ETS contributors:

1:30 PM – 4:40 PM (Eastern)

Islam & Evangelical Christianity

“Understanding Our Neighbor: Muslims and Evangelicals in Conversation”

Moderator: C. Donald Smedley (Rivendell Institute at Yale)

Panelists:

Hamza Yusuf* (Zaytuna College)
Asma T. Uddin* (Aspen Institute)
Mohamed Magid* (All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center)
John Hartley (Yale University)
Darrell Bock (Dallas Theological Seminary)
C. Donald Smedley (Rivendell Institute at Yale)

* Invited Guest of ETS

3:30 PM – 4:25 PM (Eastern): Live Q&A Session

Christian Ethics: “Christian Theological Ethics and Human Labor” (Pre-Recorded Papers)

Matthew Kaemingk (Fuller Theological Seminary): Work, Worship, and Ethics: The Connection Between Liturgy and Labor in Deuteronomy 26.
Amber Bowen (University of Aberdeen): Restoring the Dignity of Time
Heath W. Carter* (Princeton Theological Seminary): “Christianizing the Social Order”? Labor, Capital, and the Christian Origins of the New Deal.
Matthew Arbo (Oklahoma Baptist University): The Concept of Work in Oliver O’Donovan’s Ethics as Theology Trilogy.

* Invited Guest of ETS

Important Conference and Registration Information

All updates for conference sessions can be found in the virtual schedule managed by the ETS.
All presenters and participants must register for the conference via the ETS website. If you need assistance or have questions about conference registration, please email meeting@etsjets.org.
You must be a current member to register for the EPS conference. Please sign-up/renew for EPS OR ETS annual membership. EPS membership includes a print subscription to Philosophia Christi (preview the Current Issue of the journal).

2020 EPS Panel Discussions on “William Lane Craig’s Nominalism and the Atonement” and "Can Christianity and Islam Share a Public Square?" and “Cross and Crescent: Confessions in Collision”

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 19:22:00 +0000

Additionally, come participate in these live EPS panel discussions on Tuesday, November 17th:

1:30 PM – 4:40 PM (Eastern)

“William Lane Craig’s Nominalism and the Atonement”

Moderator: R. Scott Smith (Biola University)

Panelists:

R. Scott Smith (Biola University)
Richard B. Davis (Tyndale University)
William Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology & Houston Baptist University)

1:30 PM – 4:40 PM (Eastern)

Public Theology: “Can Christianity and Islam Share a Public Square?”

Moderators: Greg Forster (Trinity International University)

Introduction: Richard Mouw (Calvin University)

Panelists:

Matthew Kaemingk (Fuller Theological Seminary)
Asma T. Uddin* (Aspen Institute)

* Invited Guest of ETS

6:30 PM – 9:40 PM (Eastern)

“Cross and Crescent: Confessions in Collision”

Moderator: Kevin E. Voss (Concordia University Wisconsin)

Panelists:

Kevin E. Voss (Concordia University Wisconsin)
Angus Menuge (Concordia University Wisconsin)
Roland C. Ehlke (Concordia University Wisconsin)
Sam Shamoun (Answering Islam: A Christian – Muslim Dialog).

Important Conference and Registration Information

All updates for conference sessions can be found in the virtual schedule managed by the ETS.
All presenters and participants must register for the conference via the ETS website. If you need assistance or have questions about conference registration, please email meeting@etsjets.org.
You must be a current member to register for the EPS conference. Please sign-up/renew for EPS OR ETS annual membership. EPS membership includes a print subscription to Philosophia Christi (preview the Current Issue of the journal).

Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 22:26:00 +0000

In 2020, Brazos Press will release Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life by Jonathan T. Pennington. Jonathan T. Pennington (PhD, University of St. Andrews), a popular speaker, teacher, and preacher, is associate professor of New Testament interpretation and director of research doctoral studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also on staff as a preaching pastor at Sojourn East Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

From the publisher's description of Jesus the Great Philosopher:

Many of us tend to live as though Jesus represents the "spiritual part" of our lives. We don't clearly see how he relates to the rest of our experiences, desires, and habits. How can Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity become more than a compartmentalized part of our lives?

Highly regarded New Testament scholar and popular teacher Jonathan Pennington argues that we need to recover the lost biblical image of Jesus as the one true philosopher who teaches us how to experience the fullness of our humanity in the kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us what is good, right, and beautiful and offers answers to life's big questions: what it means to be human, how to be happy, how to order our emotions, and how we should conduct our relationships.

This book brings Jesus and Christianity into dialogue with the ancient philosophers who asked the same big questions about finding meaningful happiness. It helps us rediscover biblical Christianity as a whole-life philosophy, one that addresses our greatest human questions and helps us live meaningful and flourishing lives.

Biblical Philosophy: A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 13:55:00 +0000

In 2021, Cambridge University Press will release Biblical Philosophy: A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments by Dru Johnson. Dru Johnson directs the Center for Hebraic Thought and is an associate professor of biblical studies at The King's College.

From the publisher's description of Biblical Philosophy:

In Biblical Philosophy, Dru Johnson examines how the texts of Christian Scripture argue philosophically with ancient and modern readers alike. He demonstrates how biblical literature bears the distinct markers of a philosophical style in its use of literary and philosophical strategies to reason about the nature of reality and our place within it. Johnson questions traditional definitions of philosophy and compares the Hebraic style of philosophy with the intellectual projects of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Hellenism. Identifying the genetic features of the Hebraic philosophical style, Johnson traces its development from its hybridization in Hellenistic Judaism to its retrieval by the New Testament authors. He also shows how the Gospels and letters of Paul exhibit the same genetic markers, modes of argument, particular argument forms, and philosophical convictions that define the Hebraic style, while they engaged with Hellenistic rhetoric. His volume offers a model for thinking about philosophical styles in comparative philosophical discussions.

Here is an introduction to the Center for Hebraic Thought:

Contemplation and Kingdom: What relation is there between Jesus's preaching of the Kingdom and the contemplation of God?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 23:36:00 +0000

St. Augustine's Press' 2020 book, Contemplation and Kingdom by Kevin Hart, seeks to extend the work of Richard of St. Victor in important ways. Kevin Hart is the Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia.

From the publisher's description of Contemplation and Kingdom:

Contemplation and Kingdom seeks to retrieve aspects of Richard of St. Victor's treatment of contemplation, principally in De arca mystica, and does so by weighing Thomas Aquinas's reservations about this treatment in the Summa theologiæ. Is Aquinas right to object, as Augustine does in De Doctrina Christiana, that our contemplation should go directly to God and not be stalled in the consideration of the natural world? What relation is there between Jesus's preaching of the Kingdom and the contemplation of God? Is the contemplative life consistent with Jesus's injunction to love both God and neighbor? These are the principal questions considered in the book.

Readers may also find interesting Kevin Hart's 2014 book, Kingdoms of God.

William Lane Craig and Gregory Boyd on the Atonement: Importance of Multifaceted Frameworks

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 00:11:00 +0000

In 2020, Baylor University Press released Atonement and the Death of Christ: An Exegetical, Historical, and Philosophical Exploration by William Lane Craig.

From the publisher's description of Atonement and the Death of Christ:

Through his death on the cross, Christ atoned for sin and so reconciled people to God. New Testament authors drew upon a range of metaphors and motifs to describe this salvific act, and down through history Christian thinkers have tried to articulate various theories to explain the atonement. While Christ’s sacrifice serves as a central tenet of the Christian faith, the mechanism of atonement―exactly how Christ effects our salvation―remains controversial and ambiguous to many Christians.

In Atonement and the Death of Christ, William Lane Craig conducts an interdisciplinary investigation of this crucial Christian doctrine, drawing upon Old and New Testament studies, historical theology, and analytic philosophy. The study unfolds in three discrete parts: Craig first explores the biblical basis of atonement and unfolds the wide variety of motifs used to characterize this doctrine. Craig then highlights some of the principal alternative theories of the atonement offered by great Christian thinkers of the premodern era. Lastly, Craig’s exploration delves into a constructive and innovative engagement with philosophy of law, which allows an understanding of atonement that moves beyond mystery and into the coherent mechanism of penal substitution.

Along the way, Craig enters into conversation with contemporary systematic theories of atonement as he seeks to establish a position that is scripturally faithful and philosophically sound. The result is a multifaceted perspective that upholds the suffering of Christ as a substitutionary, representational, and redemptive act that satisfies divine justice. In addition, this carefully reasoned approach addresses the rich tapestry of Old Testament imagery upon which the first Christians drew to explain how the sinless Christ saved his people from the guilt of their sins.

Prior to Atonement and the Death of Christ, Craig published The Atonement (2018, part of the "Cambridge Elements" series).

In a recent exchange (for Unbelievable radio) with theologian and pastor Gregory Boyd, Craig defends his account of penal substitutionary atonement, and discusses Boyd's objections in light of Boyd's defense of a more Christus Victor view of the atonement.

Readers may also be interested in Craig's 2019 article in Philosophia Christi, "Is Penal Substitutionary Atonement Unsatisfactory?"

An Introduction to Christian Worldview: Pursuing God's Perspective in a Pluralistic World

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 12:29:00 +0000

In 2017, IVP Academic published An Introduction to Christian Worldview: Pursuing God's Perspective in a Pluralistic World by Tawa J. Anderson, W. Michael Clark, David K. Naugle. Tawa J. Anderson is assistant professor of philosophy and director of the honor program at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. W. Michael Clark is a law clerk at the Arizona Court of Appeals. He previously taught at Oklahoma Baptist University for three years before entering law school. David K. Naugle is chair and professor of philosophy at Dallas Baptist University, where he has worked for over two decades.

From the publisher's description of An Introduction to Christian Worldview:

Everyone has a worldview. A worldview is the lens through which we interpret the cosmos and our lives in it. A worldview answers the big questions of life: What is our nature? What is our world? What is our problem? What is our End? As Anderson, Clark, and Naugle point out, our worldview cannot simply be reduced to a series of rational beliefs. We are creatures of story, and the kinds of stories we tell reveal important things about our worldview. Part of being a thoughtful Christian means being able to understand and express the Christian worldview as well as developing an awareness of the variety of worldviews. An Introduction to Christian Worldview takes you further into answering questions such as Why do worldviews matter? What characterizes a Christian worldview? How can we analyze and describe a worldview? What are the most common secular and religious worldviews? Well organized, clearly written, and featuring aids for learning, An Introduction to Christian Worldview is the essential text for either the classroom or for self-study.

Enjoy this EPS interview with Tawa about how he became interested in philosophy.

An Introduction to Aquinas's Moral, Economic, and Political Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 20:03:00 +0000

In 2020, Baker Academic will publish Justice and Charity: An Introduction to Aquinas's Moral, Economic, and Political Thought by Michael P. Krom. Michael P. Krom is professor of philosophy and chair of the department at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he serves as director of Benedictine Leadership Studies and director of the Faith and Reason Summer Program.

From the publisher's description of Justice and Charity:

This book introduces Thomas Aquinas's moral, economic, and political thought, differentiating between philosophy (justice) and theology (charity) within each of the three branches of Aquinas's theory of human living. It shows how Aquinas's thought offers an integrated vision for Christian participation in the world, equipping readers to apply their faith to the complex moral, economic, and political problems of contemporary society. Written in an accessible style by an experienced educator, the book is well-suited for use in a variety of undergraduate courses and provides a foundation for understanding Catholic social teaching.

Introduction to Theological Anthropology

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:24:00 +0000

Baker Academic recently published Introduction to Theological Anthropology by Joshua R. Farris. Farris (PhD, University of Bristol) is Chester and Margaret Paluch Lecturer for 2019-2020 at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He was assistant professor of theology at Houston Baptist University and served as a Henry Fellow for the Creation Project at the Carl F. H. Henry Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is author of The Soul of Theological Anthropology and the coeditor of Christian Physicalism? and The Ashgate Research Companion to Theological Anthropology.

From the publisher's description of Introduction to Theological Anthropology:

In this thorough introduction to theological anthropology, Joshua Farris offers an evangelical perspective on the topic. Farris walks the reader through some of the most important issues in traditional approaches to anthropology, such as sexuality, posthumanism, and the image of God. He addresses fundamental questions like, Who am I? and Why do I exist? He also considers the creaturely and divine nature of humans, the body-soul relationship, and the beatific vision.

Joshua Farris is co-editor (with Nathan Jacobs) of the prominent Philosophy of Theological Anthropology project, a web project of the Evangelical Philosophical Society.

Dave Werther and Mark Linville Remember Keith Yandell

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Tue, 19 May 2020 15:39:00 +0000

Philosophers Dave Werther and Mark Linville offer their memories and reflections on the life, teaching, and scholarship of Keith Yandell, who passed away on April 28th.

"To be invited to write a remembrance of Keith Yandell is a bittersweet honor," they write. "But Keith himself might have observed that X is a bittersweet honor entails X is an honor."

In the first part of their essay, they offer various personal reminiscences, highlighting ways that Keith's life not only intersected with their own journey but also shaped them in significant ways.

Of Keith's mind, Dave observes that

Some philosophers are adept at analysis, but cannot see beyond numbered propositions. Others want to eschew fine-grained analysis in favor of “the big questions.” Keith was unique in his ability to do deep analysis along with the assessment of conceptual systems. His mind was as broad as it was deep and it was very, very deep.

Mark further elaborates, with these observations:

Despite the precision of his philosophical work, Keith defied the stereotype of analytic philosophers who “either scorn or simply ignore history of philosophy,” as one author has put it. He was widely read in the history of his discipline and offered a wide range of courses and seminars on different periods of that history and individual philosophers . . . A chief concern of his was the rational assessment of worldviews as comprehensive conceptual systems, and this concern led him to an expertise in the religious and philosophical systems of India in addition to his consideration of theism and its main alternatives in the West.

In the second part of their essay, Dave and Mark survey some of the lasting significance of Keith Yandell's work in light of his scholarship, especially his notable books.

Keith was primarily a philosopher who was also a committed Christian, and so he is not best ranked among Christian apologists. But he was a philosopher with both a personal and scholarly interest in philosophy of religion, a theistic worldview, and issues in Christian theology, and so his careful philosophical work is of lasting value not only to philosophers--Christian and otherwise--but also to Christian apologists and theologians, as well as to those working in the emerging and rather hybrid discipline of analytic theology.

Dave and Mark conclude their essay with this hope: "Through Christ, Keith has won his Last Battle. In the words of Aslan, 'The term is over: the holidays have begun.'"

To read the full-text of the paper, please click here. Learn more about Keith Yandell's important contributions to Philosophia Christi.

Subscribe today to Philosophia Christi for as low as $25/yr (EPS membership includes a print subscription to the journal).

God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Sat, 16 May 2020 05:53:00 +0000

In 2019, IVP Academic released God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology by Steven J. Duby, in the Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture series. Steven J. Duby (PhD, University of St Andrews) is associate professor of theology at Grand Canyon University. He is the author of Divine Simplicity: A Dogmatic Account.

From the publisher's description of God in Himself:

How do we know God? Can we know God as he is in himself?

These longstanding questions have been addressed by Christian theologians throughout the church's history. Some, such as Thomas Aquinas, have argued that we know God through both natural and supernatural revelation, while others, especially Karl Barth, have argued that we know God only on the basis of the incarnation. Contemporary discussions of these issues sometimes give the impression that we have to choose between a speculative doctrine of God driven by natural theology or metaphysics and a Christ-centered doctrine of God driven by God's work in the history of salvation.

In this volume in IVP Academic's Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture series, Steven J. Duby casts a vision for integrating natural theology, the incarnation, and metaphysics in a Christian description of God in himself.

Remembering Keith Yandell's Contributions to Philosophia Christi

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Fri, 01 May 2020 17:22:00 +0000

Members of the Evangelical Philosophical Society mourn the loss of friend, colleague, and teacher, Keith E. Yandell (b. 1938), who passed away on April 28th.

Since the 1960s, Keith's dozens of articles and books have addressed multiple areas of philosophy, including issues in philosophy of religion, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical anthropology, and Christian engagement with religious diversity and eastern religions. According to an announcement of his passing made by the Society of Christian Philosophers, Keith's wife, Sharon, said that Keith "enjoyed most of all teaching and mentoring the many students he had in a 45 year career at UW-Madison and as an affiliate professor for several years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School." Additional remembrances are posted at Keith's Facebook page. See also reflections from Thomas McCall and Harold Netland.

Within Philosophia Christi, the peer-reviewed journal of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, Keith's papers were published on issues of metaphysics and philosophical theology, an appraisal of Plantinga's religious epistemology, Hasker's "emergent dualism," an assessment of new interpretations of Kant's philosophy of religion, and critiques of pluralist accounts of religions and religious diversity.

For example, in 1999, and in the inaugural issue of Philosophia Christi, Keith wrote on "Ontological Arguments, Metaphysical Identity, and the Trinity." In this article, Keith seeks "to explore some accounts of the necessary and sufficient conditions of metaphysical identity" and their implications for "Anselmian and non-Anselmian views of the Christianity trinity" in order to argue that "if one is a Christian trinitarian theist, then - given certain plausible claims - one should reject the view that God has logically necessary existence" (83). His paper, as in much of his work, toggled between issues of metaphysics and philosophy of religion.

In 2000 (vol. 2, no. 2), Keith participated in a book symposium on William Hasker's The Emergent Self, which also included contributions from Nancey Murphy, Stewart Goetz, and a reply from Hasker. Keith's article - "Mind-Fields and the Siren Song of Reason" - attends to "powers attributed to matter by emergent dualism amount to this: when suitably configured, it generates a field of consciousness that is able to function teleologically and to exercise libertarian free will, and the field of consciousness in turn modifies and directs the functioning of the physical brain." The article goes on to illuminate the 'pretty severe tension' "between the apparently mechanistic character of the physical basis of mind and the irreducibly teleological nature of the mind itself," such that "the siren song of Cartesian dualism once again echoes in our ears" (183).

In the following year (vol. 3, no. 2), Philosophia Christi featured a book symposium on Alvin Plantinga's Warranted Christian Belief, which included a paper from Keith - "Is Contemporary Naturalism Self-Referentially Irrational?" and also contributions from Douglas Geivett and Greg Jesson, Richard Fumerton, Paul Moser, and a reply from Plantinga. Keith's paper offers a multi-point reflection on Plantinga's argument, leaving the reader to ponder 'how bad' is the contemporary naturalist's argument if Plantinga's argument is correct?; it "depends not only on [Plantinga's argument] being valid and having true premises, but on what exactly it does to a view to show that it supports the conclusions that one cannot rationally accept it." Keith wonders, "Is this like a car having a little scratch on its fender, or like the motor's parts having been fused by heat?" (356).

In 2007, Keith's paper, "Who is the True Kant?," was part of a book symposium on Kant and the New Philosophy of Religion (vol. 9, no. 1); the symposium was guest edited by Chris Firestone and with additional contributions from John Hare, Stephen Palmquist, Nathan Jacobs, Firestone and Jacobs, and Christophe Chalamet. Keith's article renders a more cautious, as opposed to an optimistic view of the 'new wave' interpretations of Kant. "I take Kant, among other strengths, to be incapable of making uninteresting mistakes, which - if you think about it - is a very high compliment" (81).

Keith returned to issues of metaphysics and philosophical theology in a 2009 article (vol. 11, no. 2) co-authored with Thomas McCall, titled, "On Trinitarian Subordinationism." In that paper, McCall and Yandell analyze "the claim that the Son is necessarily subordinate to the Father" in order to argue "that there are no good reasons to hold such a view but that there are strong reasons to reject it" since such arguments "often rest upon fundamental misunderstandings of the theological issues at stake, their arguments from Scripture bring important—but flawed—metaphysical assumptions into the exegesis of biblical texts, and their own proposal is either hopelessly mired in contradiction or entails the direct denial of the full divinity of the Son" (339).

Additionally, in that same 2009 issue of the journal, Keith contributed to a symposium guest edited by Chad Meister and that focused on philosophical and theological issues of "Religious Diversity," which also included papers from Paul Moser and Paul Knitter. Keith's paper - "Religious Pluralism: Reductionist, Exclusivist, and Intolerant?" - addresses the idea that religions differ in significant ways and also critiqued the idea that "Religious Pluralism is often taken to define the only unbiased, rational, and acceptable approach to the diversity of religions." Keith goes on to say that "the Pluralist route is anything but unbiased or rational" and that rather than "being the only acceptable approach, it should be flatly rejected" (275).

Finally, in 2011 (vol. 13, no. 2), Yandell contributed to one more Philosophia Christi symposium, and this time centered on "God and Abstract Objects," guest edited by Paul Gould, with additional contributions from Richard Davis and William Lane Craig. Keith's article - "God and Propositions" - focuses the discussion this way: "Arguments that necessary existence is a perfection, and God has all perfections, assume that Necessitarian Theism is true, and hence consistent. Thus they do not provide reason to believe that Necessitarian Theism is true. Nonnecessitarian ('plain') theism is on a philosophical par with Necessitarian Theism and can accommodate abstract objects all the while avoiding theological and philosophical refutation" (275).

The above is but a microcosm of Keith Yandell's faithful work. Keith's mind, wit, prose, and rigor will surely be missed. Important areas of philosophy - e.g., issues in philosophy of religion - are better because of his leadership.

Learn more about Philosophia Christi, or subscribe today for as low as $25/yr (EPS membership includes a print subscription to the journal).

Metametaphysics and the Sciences: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 16:55:00 +0000

In 2019, Routledge published Metametaphysics and the Sciences: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives as part of the Routledge Studies in Metaphysics series, edited by Frode Kjosavik and Camilla Serck-Hanssen. Frode Kjosavik is Professor of Philosophy at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. He is the co-editor, with Christian Beyer and Christel Fricke, of Husserl’s Phenomenology of Intersubjectivity: Historical Interpretations and Contemporary Applications (Routledge, 2019). Camilla Serck-Hanssen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo, Norway. She is the Scientific Director for the Centre for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

From the publisher's description of Metametaphysics and the Sciences:

This collection addresses metaphysical issues at the intersection between philosophy and science. A unique feature is the way in which it is guided both by history of philosophy, by interaction between philosophy and science, and by methodological awareness. In asking how metaphysics is possible in an age of science, the contributors draw on philosophical tools provided by three great thinkers who were fully conversant with and actively engaged with the sciences of their day: Kant, Husserl, and Frege.

Part I sets out frameworks for scientifically informed metaphysics in accordance with the meta-metaphysics outlined by these three self-reflective philosophers. Part II explores the domain for co-existent metaphysics and science. Constraints on ambitious critical metaphysics are laid down in close consideration of logic, meta-theory, and specific conditions for science. Part III exemplifies the role of language and science in contemporary metaphysics. Quine’s pursuit of truth is analysed; Cantor’s absolute infinitude is reconstrued in modal terms; and sense is made of Weyl’s take on the relationship between mathematics and empirical aspects of physics.

With chapters by leading scholars, Metametaphysics and the Sciences is an in-depth resource for researchers and advanced students working within metaphysics, philosophy of science, and the history of philosophy.

The Metaphysics of Knowledge and Politics in Thomas Aquinas

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 05:32:00 +0000

In 2020, St. Augustine's Press will release The Metaphysics of Knowledge and Politics in Thomas Aquinas by Rocco Bottiglione, translated by Daniel B. Gallagher. Rocco Buttiglione is currently the John Paul II Professor of Philosophy and History of European Institutions at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

From the publisher's description of The Metaphysics of Knowledge and Politics in Thomas Aquinas:

Metafisica della Conoscenza e Politica in S. Tommaso d’Aquino was originally published in Bologna in 1985 by the Centro Studi Europa Orientale. This English translation has been prepared with the explicit permission and encouragement of Buttiglione. The work grew from a series of lectures Buttiglione gave on the relationship between metaphysics, knowledge, and politics based on a critical reading of Thomas Aquinas’s Commentary on Aristotle’s Politics and other relevant texts. His aim was to advance Thomistic thinking by incorporating the insights of modern philosophy on subjectivity and relationality.

In addition to its primary audience of philosophers, theologians, and political theorists, the book surprisingly enjoyed a wide general readership in Italy at the time of its publication. It represented an exciting attempt to harmonize medieval philosophy and the insights of personalism that had already had a deep impact on European intellectual life. Buttiglione was able to describe this attempt in a way accessible to a general readership, and in a way that confronted the political challenges Italy had been confronting for the last forty years.

Now, thirty-five years after the book’s initial publication, the conclusions Buttiglione draws from reading Thomas Aquinas’s commentary on Aristotle’s Politics––and the connections he makes between philosophy, theology, and political theory––are more relevant than ever. He argues that the traditional definition of “person” as rationalis naturae individua substantia––an individual substance or substrate (hypokeimenon) of a rational nature––“lacks that certain element that makes Augustine’s approach to personhood so appealing.” Hence Aquinas’s definition “is left wanting since it fails to elaborate on the crucial aspect of interpersonal relationship.”

The ingenuous way in which Buttiglione enlivens Thomistic political thinking with personalist philosophy helps to explain not only why free societies are more stable, tolerant, and respectful of human rights than totalitarian states, but theocratic ones as well. Only by raising the interpersonal aspects of political society to an ontological level—indeed, only by affirming and esteeming the self-transcendence of the human person as evidenced through ontological analysis—do the personal relationships that root and enliven the human person also lead to a realistic, dynamic, and convincing vision of the person’s real existence.

Buttiglione was startlingly prescient of the problems we confront at the beginning of the third millennium. This book will spark new discussions as it explains the importance of both the medieval tradition and twentieth-century personalism. The book also draws on a wide range of secondary sources unavailable to English readers that I and will have the unique ability to introduce readers to the “Italian” way of relating speculative and political philosophy in a relatively slim volume.

The Gospel of Happiness: How Secular Psychology Points to the Wisdom of Christian Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Gorra) — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 04:51:00 +0000

In 2019, St. Augustine's Press released the 2nd edition of The Gospel of Happiness: How Secular Psychology Points to the Wisdom of Christian Practice by Christopher Kaczor. Dr. Christopher Kaczor is professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Dr. Kaczor's research on issues of ethics, philosophy, and religion has been in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, and National Review, as well as on NPR, BBC, EWTN, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, MSNBC, TEDx, and The Today Show.

From the publisher's description of The Gospel of Happiness:

Just as Aristotelian metaphysics provided a new basis for the natural theology of Aquinas’s time, so too, positive psychology provides a basis for a natural moral theology in our own time. this book marshals the empirically verifiable findings of positive psychology that show the wisdom of the Christian tradition. Christian warnings about the dangers of greed, coveting a neighbor’s goods (social comparison), and pride find an empirical verification. Likewise, positive psychology vindicates the wisdom of Christian teaching on the importance of forgiveness, of gratitude, of humility, and of serving one’s neighbor. moreover, positive psychology also can be a service to Christian believers by helping them in their struggles with willpower, by providing new motivations for prayer, and by helping them identify their signature strengths. Finally, this book argues, in a variety of ways, that it is folly to think that even the best of psychology can serve as a replacement for Christianity.