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Faith and/or Reason
- Metaphilosophy (7)
- Reason & Logic (29)
- Apologetics (67) : Making the Case for Faith
- Doubt (35) : Cognitive Dissonance
- Miracles (13) : Possibility of Miracles
- Confessions (16) : Why/What I believe
Reasoning Practically (Oxford University Press: 2000), p. 76.
Given my focus on practical rather than theoretical reasoning, I may at this point consider weakening the principle of total evidence and examining a presumption instead. The presumption to be examined establishes, for purposes of rational action, a generic bias in favor of more knowledge rather than on less. To defend the adoption of the presumption in favor of being maximally informed amounts to defending the belief that following it will lead, in the long run, to better overall results, in terms of goal fulfillment, than the results of following its antithesis (i.e., a presumption establishing a generic bias in favor of acting on the basis of less knowledge rather than on more), or indeed better than the results of a case-by-case balancing (i.e., of following no rule or presumption at all).
Is God a Delusion? A Reply to Religion's Cultured Despisers (Wiley-Blackwell: Dec. 3, 2008), pp. 10,11.
Can the fact that there are theists who seem to be intelligent and morally sensitive be explained on the assumption that these theists are exercising their intelligence and moral sensitivity in the formation of their theistic beliefs? For Dawkins to assume that the answer is no — and for him to declare, "It must be selective stupidity!" — just because he hasn't been able to figure out how the exercise of intelligence and moral sensitivity can generate religious belief... well, why isn't that intellectually responsible? ... For the sake of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Simone Weil and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as too many personal friends and inspirations to name, I hope that Dawkins and the other cultured despisers of religion are wrong. I hope, in other words, that theistic religion can be, and often is, a vital constituent of a life lived with compassion and intellectual integrity. ¶ To say that the religious faith of these rare individuals springs from their intelligence and moral sensitivity is not to say they all have carefully worked out philosophical arguments demonstrating the reasonableness of theistic faith. Their intellects and compassion may operate on a more intuitive level. It's the job of philosophers to trace out carefully the rational pathways that intuitive insight often surges through too quickly for plodding intellects to follow.
Eugene Thomas Long and Patrick Horn, eds. (Springer-Verlag New York: February 2008), 156 pages.
This volume is presented as a tribute to D.Z. Phillips and the introduction by Eugene Long includes a brief discussion of Phillips' life and work. The first six articles were originally written at the invitation of Phillips for a conference on the ethics of belief held at Claremont Graduate University. Unfortunately Phillips died unexpectedly July 25, 2006 and was unable to participate in the conference. Two additional essays were invited by the editors to help add Phillips' voice to the discussion. Essays by Allen Wood, Richard Amesbury and Van Harvey discuss the question of the ethics of belief in the context of the evidentialist principle most frequently associated with W. K. Clifford. Essays by Ronney Mourad, Jennifer Faust and Robert Audi are concerned with the voluntariness of belief, the persuasive power of arguments and differing conceptions of faith, belief and acceptance. The final two essays by John Whittaker and Anselm Min focus on Phillips' understanding of the logic and rationality of religious belief. The book concludes with a tribute to Phillips written by Patrick Horn. ~ Product Description
Alexander Leitch, "Summary of the Argument" in Ethics of Theism (Harvard: 1868), pp. 15-46.
It has been said by a great mind, that confusion is worse than error.1
Erroneous statements and opinions, in their naked deformity, are
generally too hideous to win the regard and confidence of men even in
their present depraved condition; while the manifestation of what is
true, in its simple grandeur and pure light, is often too bright and
fair to be agreeable to the eye and the heart of man. The great work
which a lover of truth finds to do, is to separate the
conglomerate mass of knowledge, or what men call knowledge, into its
two component parts, the true and the false. What is false owes all its
plausibility and power to its being associated and mingled with what is
true. What is true, is rendered dim and uncertain and weak by being
blended and confounded with the erroneous. The human mind is like a
thrashing-floor. The honest inquirer will be constantly using the fan,
to separate the chaff from the wheat.
Charles Taliaferro (Cambridge University Press : February 28, 2005), 470 pages.
Emphasizing shifting views of faith and the nature of evidence, Taliaferro has written a dynamic narrative history of philosophical reflection on religion from the 17th century to the present, with an emphasis on shifting views of faith and the nature of evidence. The book begins with the movement called Cambridge Platonism, which formed a bridge between the ancient and medieval worlds and early modern philosophy. While the book provides an overview of different movements in philosophy, it also offers a detailed exposition and reflection on key arguments, and the scope is broad from Descartes to contemporary feminist philosophy of religion.
Basil Mitchell (Oxford University Press: February 16, 1995), 184 pages.
Faith and Criticism addresses a central problem in the church today — the tension between traditionalists and progressives. Traditionalists want above all to hold fast to traditional foundations in belief and ensure that nothing of value is lost, even at the risk of a clash with "modern knowledge." Progressives are concerned above all to proclaim a faith that is credible today, even at the risk of sacrificing some elements of traditional doctrine. They are often locked in uncomprehending conflict. Basil Mitchell argues that, not only in theology but in any other serious intellectual pursuit, faith and criticism are interdependent. A tradition which is not open to criticism will eventually ossify; and without faith in some established tradition criticism has nothing to fasten upon. This interdependence of faith and criticism has implications for society at large. Religious education can be Christian without ceasing to be critical, and a liberal society can espouse Christian values. ~ Product Description
John Ortberg (Zondervan: Oct. 2008), 192 pages.
What if the most important word is the one in the middle? We often think of doubt as the opposite of faith, but could it actually strengthen our relationship with God? According to John Ortberg, best-selling author and pastor, the very nature of faith requires the presence of uncertainty. In this refreshingly candid look at a life of faith, he traces the line between belief and unbelief: less a dividing line between hostile camps than a razor's edge that runs through every soul. His findings point us toward the relief of being totally honest. Questions can expand our understanding, uncertainty can lead to trust, and honest faith can produce outrageous hope. Written from Ortberg's own struggle with faith and doubt, this book will challenge, comfort, and inspire you with the truth that God wants all of us — including our doubts.
David Fergusson (Oxford University Press: November 2009), 176 pages.
Heralded as the exponents of a "new atheism," critics of religion are highly visible in today's media, and include the household names of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris. David Fergusson explains their work in its historical perspective, drawing comparisons with earlier forms of atheism. Responding to the critics through conversations on the credibility of religious belief, Darwinism, morality, fundamentalism, and our approach to reading sacred texts, he establishes a compelling case for the practical and theoretical validity of faith in the contemporary world. An invitation to engage in a rich dialogue, Faith and Its Critics supports an informed and constructive exchange of ideas rather than a contest between two sides of the debate. Fergusson encourages faith communities to undertake patient engagement with their critics, to acknowledge the place for change and development in their self-understanding whilst resisting the reductive explanations of the new atheism. ~ Product Description
Paul Helm, ed. (Oxford University Press: Mar 25, 1999) 432 pages.
The philosophy of religion is an intrinsic part of the richness of Western philosophy. Faith and Reason displays in historical perspective some of the rich dialogue between religion and philosophy over two millennia, beginning with Greek reflections about God and the gods and ending with twentieth-century debate about faith in a world that tends to reserve its reverence for science. Paul Helm uses as a case study the question of whether the world is eternal or whether it was created out of nothing, following this theme from Plato through medieval thought to modern scientific speculation about the beginnings of the universe. This Oxford Reader also includes discussion of many other fundamental issues raised by the juxtaposition of faith and reason, including arguments for and against the existence of God, the relationship between religion and ethics, the contrast between reason and revelation as sources of knowledge, and the implications of religious belief for freedom of the will. ~ Product Description
Jerry H. Gill (WPub Group: Dec 1985), 159 pages.
What happens when the immovable object of faith meets the irresistible force of sophisticated unbelief? Too often, says Dr. Jerry Gill, the believer either retreats out of earshot, saying that faith is "better felt than told," or he tries to build a "foolproof" logical system too airtight even for God. This book suggests a third option: risking an open-minded "dialogue" with challenges to faith, examining presuppositions on both sides and acknowledging valid contributions of other views while maintaining responsible religious commitment. "As I understand it, a dialogical posture is one that takes the matters
of religious reality and truth so seriously as to require extreme
openness to and growth toward them, as well as radical sincerity and
commitment to them. Thus, all sides and aspects of an issue must be
explored with humble thoroughness, and whatever is deemed worthy of
commitment must be incorporated into one's life with integrity." ~ Quote
Paul Helm (Oxford University Press: Jun 15, 2000), 208 pages. » GoogleBooks
Religious faith is a complex phenomenon, admitting of even greater variations than Helm is able to discuss. Undoubtedly, those who choose to work through his book will be better equipped to negotiate religious faith's subtleties and nuances. ~ The Philosophical Review This book will prove stimulating to anyone intrigued by the challenge of providing a coherent account of the nature and reasonableness of Christian faith. ~ Australasian Journal of Philosophy Faith with Reason is an excellent book, especially unique and recommendable because of the balanced way in which both the cognitive and the non-cognitive elements playing a role in religious belief and its justification are treated. ~ Ars Disputandi. Yet another welcome contribution to one of the liveliest debates in contemporary philosophy of religion ... The style is simple, lucid and well-ordered. The arguments are persuasive, the criticisms of other veiws perceptive and fair ... This book will commend itself to many different kinds of readers. Students will find it easily accessible, refreshingly free of jargon and unnecessary technicalities, well focused on the key issues. Professional philosophers in the field will find in it original arguments, and a freshness of approach to some well-worn issues. Religious Studies Contains a lot of sophisticated, intelligent, and subtle guidance around the subject. ~ Brian Davies, Times Literary Supplement
Janel M. Curry, ed. (Lexington Books: November 2008), 186 pages.
In the past thirty years there has been a sea change in North American intellectual life regarding the role of religious commitments in academic endeavors. Driven partly by postmodernism and the fragmentation of knowledge and partly by the democratization of the academy in which different voices are celebrated, the appropriate role that religion should play is contested. Some academics insist that religion cannot and must not have a place at the academic table; others insist that religious values should drive the argument. ~ Product Description
Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio by John Paul II (14 September 1998).
Encyclical letter from Pontiff John Paul II to the bishops of the Catholic church on the relationship between faith and reason. Faith and reason, teaches John Paul, are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth — in a word, to know himself — so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.
~ by David Basinger, in Sophia: A Journal for Discussion in Philosophical Theology. (1983, vol. 22, no2, pp. 15-22)
Basinger responds to Anthony Flew's contention that: "the historian must maintain with respect to any alleged miracle that the event did not in fact occur as reported". Basinger concedes that Flew's argument has merit, but argues that it ultimately fails. And by the way, to save a trip to dictionary.com, "nomology" is the science of laws. Basinger concludes: "The fact that
an alleged occurrence is incompatible with current nomologicals must
indeed be seriously considered when the historian rules on its
historicity. However, Flew has failed to demonstrate that a seeming
counterinstance must be shown to be consistent with current
nomologicals before the historian can justifiably rule that it can be
known to have occurred. Alleged 'miracles' cannot be dismissed this
easily."
Lesslie Newbigin (Eerdmans: Apr 1986), 156 pages.
How can biblical authority be a reality for those shaped by the modern world? This book treats the First World as a mission field, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between the gospel and current society by presenting an outsider's view of contemporary Western culture. "This is an extraordianry book on contemporary missiology. Writing from four decades of experience in Christian mission, Lesslie Newbigin applies the same discernment inolved in contextualizing the gospel in another culture to the issues involved in contextualizing the gospel in our Western culture. He lays bare the pervasive and sublte synegism that alters the gospel, and he call us to a thorough critique of our culture and of the way in which we unerstand or misunderstand the gospel of Christ and his good news of the kingdom of God." ~ Mission Focus
The God Who Is There, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), p115.
A man like Sir Julian Huxley has clarified the dilemma by
acknowledging, though he is an atheist, that somehow or other, against
all that one might expect, man functions better if he acts as though
God is there. This sounds like a feasible solution for a moment, the
kind of answer a computer might give if you fed the sociological data
into it. God is dead, but act as if he were alive. However, a moment's
reflection will show what a terrible solution this is. Ibsen, the
Norwegian, put it like this: if you take away a man's lie, you take
away his hope. These thinkers are saying in effect that man can
function as man for an extended period of time only if he acts on the
assumption that a lie (that the personal God of Christianity is there)
is true. You cannot find any deeper despair than this for a sensitive
person. This is not an optimistic, happy, reasonable or brilliant
answer. It is darkness and death.
The God Who Is There, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), p26.
What were these presuppositions? The basic one was that there really
are such things as absolutes. [The last generation] accepted the
possibility of an absolute in the area of Being (or knowledge), and in
the area of morals. Therefore, because they accepted the possibility of
absolutes, though people might have disagreed as to what these were,
nevertheless they could reason together on the classical basis of
antithesis. They took it for granted that if anything was true, the
opposite was false. In morality, if one thing was right, its opposite
was wrong. This little formula, "A is A" and "if you have A, it is not
non-A," is the first move in classical logic. If you understand the
extent to which this no longer holds sway, you will understand our
present situation.
The God Who is There (1968)
Where was the conviction that to wage war against inequality is the
church's responsibility and not a political ideology? Where were those
farsighted believers who could offer a voice of reason and hope to the
task? Where was the manpower and funding to carry out this visible love
of Christ? Why do we always settle for hindsight instead of foresight,
reproducing instead of originating, getting on the bandwagon instead of
leading the charge? Because a spirit of anti-intellectualism keeps us
uninformed we can only attack and not contribute.
He is There and He is not Silent (Tyndale, 1972), Appendix 2, p. 100.
I am invited to ask the sufficient questions in regard to details but
also in regard to the existence of man. I am invited to ask, the
sufficient question and then believe him and bow before him
metaphysically in knowing that I exist because he made man, and bow
before him morally as needing his provision for me in the
substitutionary, propitiatory death of Christ.
The God Who Is There, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), p80.
"I do not ask for answers, I just believe." This sounds spiritual, and
it deceives many fine people. These are often young men and women who
are not content only to repeat the phrases of the intellectual or
spiritual status quo. They have become rightly dissatisfied with a
dull, dusty, introverted orthodoxy given only to pounding out the
well-known clichés. The new theology sound spiritual and vibrant,
and they are trapped. But the price they pay for what seems to be
spiritual is high, for to operate in the upper story using undefined
religious terms is to fail to know and function on the level of the
whole man. The answer is not to ask these people to return to the
poorness of the status quo, but to a living orthodoxy which is
concerned with the whole man, including the rational and the
intellectual, in his relationship to God.