There are deep and pervasive disagreements today in universities and colleges, and popular culture in general, over the credibility and value of belief in God. This has given rise to an urgent need for a balanced, comprehensive, accessible resource book that can inform the public and scholarly debate over theism. While scholars with as diverse interests as Daniel Dennett, Terry Eagleton, Richard Dawkins, Jürgen Habermas, and Rowan Williams have recently contributed books to this debate, “theism” as a concept remains poorly understood and requires a more thorough and systematic analysis than it has so far received in any single volume. The Routledge Companion to Theism addresses this need by investigating theism’s history as well as its relationship to inquiry in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and to its wider cultural contexts. The contents are not confined within the philosophy of religion or even within the more expansive borders of philosophy.  Rather, The Routledge Companion to Theism investigates its subject through the lens of a wide variety of disciplines and explores the ramifications of theism considered as a way of life as well as an intellectual conviction.  The five parts of the volume indicate its inclusive scope: I. What is Theism?; II. Theism and Inquiry; III. Theism and the Socio-Political Realm; IV. Theism and Culture; V. Theism as a Way of Life.  The result is a well ordered and thorough collection that should provide a wide spectrum of readers with a better understanding of a subject that’s much discussed, but frequently misunderstood.  As the editors note in their Introduction, while stimulating and informing the contemporary debate, a key aim of the volume is to open new avenues of inquiry into theism and thereby to encourage further research into this vital topic. Comprised of 54 essays by leading scholars in philosophy, history, theology, religious studies, political science, education and sociology, The Routledge Companion to Theism promises to be the most useful, comprehensive resource on an emerging subject of interest for students and scholars.

Table of Contents

• • Acknowledgments.
  • Introduction
• Part 1: What is Theism?
  • 1. Western Philosophy — Graham Oppy
  • 2. Asian Philosophy — Matthew Dasti
  • 3. The God of the Jews and the Jewish God — Jerome Gellman
  • 4. Christianity — William Wainwright
  • 5. Islam — Oliver Leaman
  • 6. Hindu Theism — David Lawrence
  • 7. Sikhism — Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
  • 8. African Religions — Segun Gbadegesin
  • 9. New Religious Movements — Peter B. Clarke
  • 10. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Intellectual Life — Geoffrey Gorham
  • 11. Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Intellectual Life — Jacqueline Mariña
  • 12. Twenty-first Century Intellectual Life — Chad Meister
• Part 2: Theism and Inquiry
  • 13. Evidence — John Bishop
  • 14. Naturalism — Robin Collins
  • 15. Humanities — Michael Beaty
  • 16. Natural Sciences — Michael Ruse
  • 17. Evolution — Jeffrey Schloss and Michael Murray
  • 18. Physical Cosmology — Hans Halvorson and Helge Kragh
  • 19. Philosophical Methodology — Charles Taliaferro
  • 20. Philosophy of Religion — Gwen Griffith-Dickson
  • 21. Historical Inquiry — Lydia McGrew
  • 22. Sociology — Steve Fuller
  • 23. Psychology — Beverley Clack
  • 24. Religious Studies and Theology — Alan Padgett
  • 25. Moral Inquiry — Mike Austin
  • 26. Cognitive Science — Mark Baker
  • 27. Religious Language — Keith Yandell
  • 28. Arguments from Evil — Trent Dougherty and Jerry Walls
  • 29. Religious Experience — Kai Man Kwan
  • 30. Arguments About Human Persons — James Porter Moreland
• Part 3: Theism and the Socio-Political Realm
  • 31. Civil Society — Ed Langerak
  • 32. Human Rights — Michael Perry
  • 33. War — Asa Kasher
  • 34. Law — Dan Robinson
  • 35. Feminism — Pamela Sue Anderson
  • 36. Religious Diversity — Victoria S. Harrison
  • 37. Globalization — H.E. Baber
  • 38. Education — David Carr
  • 39. Bioethics — Paul Copan
  • 40. Animals — Stephen Clark
  • 41. Environment — Holmes Rolston III
• Part 4: Theism and Culture
  • 42. Architecture — David Brown
  • 43. Aesthetics — Mark Wynn
  • 44. Literature — Douglas Hedley
  • 45. Music — John Foley
  • 46. Film — Douglas Geivett
  • 47. Narrative — Anthony Rudd

  Part 5: Theism as a Way of Life

  • 48. Community — David O’Hara
  • 49. History and Experience — Timothy Chappell
  • 50. Spirituality — John Cottingham
  • 51. Happiness — Suzanne Lock
  • 52. Sex — Brenda A. Wirkus
  • 53. Irony — Matt Dickerson
  • 54. The Meaning of Life — Stewart Goetz