Believing Philosophy Video Lectures: A Guide to Becoming a Christian Philosopher

Believing Philosophy Video Lectures introduces Christians to the tools and resources of philosophy, helping them understand, articulate, and defend their faith in an age of unbelief. Dolores G. Morris first explains why Christians should read and study philosophy. She begins by introducing learners to the long tradition of Christian philosophy and then explains the basic resources of philosophical reasoning: the role and aim of reason; distinctions between truth, reason, and provability; learning to read like a philosopher; and the fundamentals of philosophical arguments.

In the remaining sessions, Morris explores a sampling of philosophical topics relevant to the Christian faith. These lessons focus on the problem of evil and the moral argument for the existence of God. The problem of evil is often invoked as an argument for atheism. In response, the moral argument considers the reality not only of evil but also of moral values in general as evidence for the existence of God. In evaluating these arguments, Morris introduces students to a variety of Christian philosophical positions, including skeptical theism, the free will defense, Reformed epistemology, Christian ethical theories, and a number of theodicies and defenses of the faith.

Session Titles and Runtimes:

1 - Why Philosophy? (19 min)

2 - What Is Philosophy? (22 min)

3 - Clear and Reasonable Beliefs (22 min)

4 - True Beliefs (27 min)

5 - Christian Objections to Philosophy (21 min)

6 - Reading Philosophy (21 min)

7 - An Introduction to Arguments (21 min)

8 - Evaluating Arguments (25 min)

9 - Suffering, Evil, and the Goodness of God (22 min)

10 - Skeptical Theism (22 min)

11 - The Free Will Defense (21 min)

12 - A World of Real Values (21 min)

13 - Atheistic Moral Values (25 min)

14 - Theistic Moral Values (26 min)

Dolores G. Morris (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is an instructor of philosophy at the University of South Florida. Her current research and teaching focuses on the mind-body problem, the implications of Hempel’s Dilemma for contemporary physicalism, philosophy of religion, early analytic philosophy, and philosophy of action.