Philosophy and the Christian: The Quest for Wisdom in the Light of Christ - Softcover

Adams, Blake; Cleveland, Christopher; Doornbos, Gayle; Escalante, Peter; Fulford, Andrew; Gazal, Andre A.; Greeley, Nathan; Haines, David; Hutchinson, E. J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1949716988 ISBN 13: 9781949716986

Publisher: The Davenant Press, 2018

Synopsis

Tertullian famously asked, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Since the first century, Christians have hotly debated the relationship between faith and reason, between Scripture and natural revelation, and between Christian doctrine and non-Christian philosophy. Too often, though, the history of this conflict has been misrepresented and misunderstood. Thus, before we seek to answer these questions for our own time, we must first come to grips with the answers of the past. What did "philosophy" mean for our spiritual forefathers? When Christian teachers raised warnings in the past about its dangers, what precisely did they have in mind? And most importantly, where does this leave the church today? This volume surveys how Christians have navigated this treacherous—but unavoidable—territory throughout the history of the Christian church. By careful attention to and critical reflection upon their examples, the Church today can be equipped with the discernment needed to continue the search for wisdom in a world groaning for the full unveiling of the light of Christ.

About this title

Review:

"Philosophy and the Christian is a valuable collection of essays arguing, largely from a Calvinist Reformed standpoint, that the Christian believer must not view philosophical disciplines as enemies of the faith, but as areas requiring serious theological interaction. The breadth of content is especially impressive (even Renaissance thinker John Colet of Seebohm's Oxford Reformers receives attention).....In an era when anti-intellectualism is rife in so many religious circles, the treatments offered in this volume are a welcome addition to contemporary Christian thought.....If you perhaps believe that philosophy is an obscure activity limited to esoteric intellectuals, you badly need to read this book!"John Warwick Montgomery, Ph.D., D.Théol,, LL.D.
Emeritus Professor of Law and Humanities, University of Bedfordshire, England (UK)
 "These passionately written, highly lucid essays build a much needed Protestant bridge between theology and philosophy, joining together the voices of Dante's virtuous pagans with those of the scriptures, the early church fathers and the Protestant reformers. In clarifying and championing the role that classical humanism and natural law played in the writings of the reformers, they initiate a vital dialogue that I hope will continue for many years to come."
Louis Markos, Professor in English and Scholar in Residence, Houston Baptist University
 "Does Protestantism have anything to offer to philosophy? The contributors to this volume answer with a resounding yes as they examine a variety of topics, from natural theology to the relationship between science and Scripture. Theirs is an encouraging response in an age in which many Protestants have rejected philosophy out of hand. The authors here encourage believers to reconsider the meaning and role of philosophy for the Christian. The result is a valuable and thought-provoking book that invites the reader to share in that sense of wonder about God's world that is at the root of all true philosophy."
Keith Mathison
Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformation Bible College
 
"Philosophy and the Christian is an accessible and unique text on philosophical theology. Rather than being mired down by all issues in the field (e.g. there is no chapter on the problem of evil), it is selective and chronological in its largely topical approach. The book is self-consciously Christian, Protestant and Evangelical without using any of these qualifiers as excuses to oversimplify or ignore a level of rigor inherent in the philosophical task. The best that can be said is the work demonstrates, through the variety and diversity of its authors and their offerings, an underlying unity of Christian philosophy. That is, it represents its ideas as well as presenting them. Those interested in thinking philosophically about their Christian faith will be aided and challenged by this book."
J.T. Bridges
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Southern Evangelical Seminary
 
"Christians seeking to understand and engage with philosophy benefit greatly from taking the long view, situating this or that local debate within the rich historical tradition of which it is part. The benefit is all the greater when we can discern and evaluate the recurring intellectual patterns that have come to characterise this tradition. This impressive collection of essays brilliantly delivers on both counts: it provides a Reformed overview of the historic breadth of Christian engagements with philosophy from Tertullian and Justin, through the magisterial Reformers to Barth, reformed epistemology and presuppositionalism, and its essays also build a cumulative argument around recurring themes that illuminate not just what but how Christians have thought about philosophy. It is a splendid resource for anyone seeking to understand both the continuities and diversities in this important and ongoing conversation."
Christopher Watkin, Senior Lecturer, Monash University, Melbourne

About this edition

• Publisher: The Davenant Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1949716988
• ISBN 13: 9781949716986
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 530
• Editor: Minich Joseph