Table of Contents

    • Preface
    • Introduction: The Problem of Divine Authority    1
  • 1    What Divine Authority Is
    • 1.1    Reasons and Practical Authority    8
    • 1.2    Theses about Divine Authority    16
  • 2    The Compliance Thesis
    • 2.1    The Authority Thesis and the Compliance Thesis    20
    • 2.2    The Argument for the Compliance Thesis    21
    • 2.3    Implications of Speech-Acts and Sincerity    22
    • 2.4    Commands and Decisive Reasons for Action    24
    • 2.5    God's Necessary Sincerity    29
  • 3    Divine Authority and Divine Perfection
    • 3.1    Divine Authority and Perfect-Being Theology    46
    • 3.2    Omniscience    47
    • 3.3    Moral Goodness    47
    • 3.4    Omnipotence    48
    • 3.5    Practical Authority as a Divine Perfection    58
  • 4    Divine Command Metaethics and the Authority Thesis
    • 4.1    Moral Philosophy as a Route to the Authority Thesis    70
    • 4.2    Divine Command Metaethics (DCM)    71
    • 4.3    Causal and Supervenience DCM Arguments for the Authority Thesis: Invalid    73
    • 4.4    The Analysis DCM Argument for the Authority Thesis: Valid but Unsound    77
    • 4.5    The Reduction DCM Argument for the Authority Thesis: Valid but Unsound    82
  • 5    Moral Arguments for the Authority Thesis
    • 5.1    Moral Principles and Divine Authority    93
    • 5.2    Justice    94
    • 5.3    Property    94
    • 5.4    Gratitude    104
    • 5.5    Coordination    120
    • 5.6    Obedience to God as an Independent Moral Principle    126
  • 6    The Authority Thesis and Orthodox Christianity
    • 6.1    The Stronger and Strong Authority Theses    131
    • 6.2    The Practical Stance toward God Endorsed by Christianity    134
    • 6.3    God's Kingship over Israel    137
    • 6.4    Is an Authority Thesis an Affirmation of Scripture (or Tradition)?    140
    • 6.5    The Presumption against Belief in Authority Relationships    147
  • 7    A Solution to the Problem of Divine Authority
    • 7.1    A More Modest Account of Divine Authority    151
    • 7.2    Divine Authority, Loosely Speaking, Is Universal    152
    • 7.3    Divine Authority, Strictly Speaking, Is Not Universal    153
    • 7.4    Divine Authority Arises through Submission    153
    • 7.5    Submission to Divine Authority Is Reasonable    168
    • 7.6    Christian Ethics and Divine Authority    175
    • 7.7    Divine Authority Is Actual    187
    • Works Cited    189
    • Index    195