Idealism and Christian Philosophy Idealism and Christianity Volume 2

by Cowan, Steven B.; Spiegel, James S.

• ISBN13: 9781628924060
• ISBN10: 1628924063
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2016-02-25
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

When it comes to contemporary philosophical problems, metaphysical idealism-or Berkeleyan immaterialism-is not taken seriously by most philosophers, not to mention the typical Christian layperson. This state of affairs deserves some attempt at rectification, since Idealism has considerable explanatory power as a metaphysical thesis and provides numerous practical and theoretical benefits.

Such thinkers as George Berkeley and Jonathan Edwards believed that Idealism is especially amenable to a Christian perspective, both because it provides a plausible way of conceptualizing the world from a theistic standpoint and because it effectively addresses skeptical challenges to the Christian faith. The contributors to this volume explore a variety of ways in which the case can be made for this claim, including potential solutions to philosophical problems related to the nature of time, the ontology of physical objects, the mind-body problem, and the nature of science.

Author Biography

James S. Spiegel is a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, USA. His books include The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (2010), Faith, Film, and Philosophy (2007), Hypocrisy: Moral Fraud and Other Vices (1999), and the award-winning How to be Good in a World Gone Bad (2004).

Steven B. Cowan is the Jim Young Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Louisiana College, USA. He is the editor of Five Views on Apologetics (2000) and Who Runs the Church? Four Views on Church Government (2004) and co-author (with James Spiegel) of The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (2010).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction: Idealism and Christian Philosophy
Steven B. Cowan (Louisiana College, USA) and James S. Spiegel (Taylor University, USA)
1. Idealism and the Reasonableness of Theism
James S. Spiegel (Taylor University, USA)
2. Idealism and the Nature of Truth
Gregory E. Trickett (Weatherford College, USA)
3. What Is that Stone? Idealism and Particulars
Steven B. Cowan (Louisiana College, USA)
4. Idealism and Perception: Why Berkeleyan Idealism is Not as Counterintuitive as it Seems
Howard Robinson (Central European University, Hungary)
5. Idealism and the Mind-Body Problem
Charles Taliaferro (St. Olaf College, USA)
6. Idealism and the Nature of God
Adam Groza (Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, USA)
7. God, Idealism, and Time: A Berkeleyan Approach to Old Questions
Benjamin H. Arbour (University of Bristol, UK)
8. Idealism and Science
Douglas Blount (Dallas Theological Seminary, USA)
9. Immaterialism, Miracles, and the Laws of Nature
Marc A. Hight (Hampden-Sydney College, USA)
10. What's the Point? Idealism and the Moral Life
Keith Ward (Heythrop College, UK)
Notes on Contributors
Index