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Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview | 
 enlarge | Authors: J. P. Moreland, William Lane Craig
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Category: Book
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Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 40498
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 653
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.4
Dimensions (in): 10.3 x 7.2 x 1.9
ISBN: 0830826947
Dewey Decimal Number: 261.51
EAN: 9780830826940
ASIN: 0830826947
Publication Date: April 2003
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Product Description
Winner of a 2004 ECPA Gold Medallion Award! Winner of an Award of Excellence in the 2003 Chicago Book Clinic! * What is real? * What is truth? * What can we know? * What should we believe? * What should we do and why? * Is there a God? * Can we know him? * Do Christian doctrines make sense? * Can we believe in God in the face of evil? These are fundamental questions that any thinking person wants answers to. These are questions that philosophy addresses. And the answers we give to these kinds of questions serve as the the foundation stones for consrtucting any kind of worldview. In Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig offer a comprehensive introduction to philosophy from a Christian perspective. In their broad sweep they seek to introduce readers to the principal subdisciplines of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics and philosophy of religion. They do so with characteristic clarity and incisiveness. Arguments are clearly outlined, and rival theories are presented with fairness and accuracy. Philosophy, they contend, aids Christians in the tasks of apologetics, polemics and systematic theology. It reflects our having been made in the image of God, helps us to extend biblical teaching into areas not expressly addressed in Scripture, facilitates the spiritual discipline of study, enhances the boldness and self-image of the Christian community, and is requisite to the essential task of integrating faith and learning. Here is a lively and thorough introduction to philosophy for all who want to know reality. Features & Benefits * Provides a Christian orientation to the study of philosophy * Comprehensive * Introduces all the major areas of philosophical study * Answers key questions to help readers construct a Christian worldview * Arguments are clearly outlined; rival theories are presented with fairness and accuracy * Lively * Up to date * Accessibly written * Shows how philosophy aids apologetics, polemics and systematic theology * Shows how philosophy helps extend biblical teaching into areas not expressly addressed in Scripture * Shows how philosophy enhances the boldness and self-image of the Christian community * Shows how philosophy is necessary for integrating faith and learning
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 Terrific Overview of Important Philosophical Topics November 18, 2008
J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig are perhaps two of the best Christian philosophers and apologists writing today, and they make a great team in their book "Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview." Moreland has done terrific work in philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, while Craig has great works in natural theology, philosophy of space and time, and Christian doctrine. Discussing these topics and more, Philosophical Foundations provides a broad overview of the many issues of interest to the Christian philosopher.
The book is broken down into six major sections. The first section is an introduction to philosophy, including a discussion of logic and fallacies. This section also explains the relevance of philosophy to the Christian.
The second section covers epistemology. Here, Moreland and Craig address and refute the problem of skepticism. Skepticism, in this context, refers to the view that we know either very little or absolutely nothing. This type of skepticism is incompatible with the Christian worldview, which holds that we have justified true beliefs about all sorts of truths- not the least of which is the existence of God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This section also contains a discussion of theories of justification, which seek to explain how we become justified in our beliefs. Other than skepticism, which holds that we aren't justified in our beliefs, there are two main views on this issue in the philosophical community. The first is called foundationalism, and it holds that some beliefs are basic and are justified apart from any evidence in their favor (for example, belief in the reality of the external world). The second is called coherentism, and it holds that beliefs are justified if they are consistent with other beliefs held by the individual. This second view leads to problems such as the plurality objection, which observes that there can be two or more equally coherent sets of beliefs that are logically incompatible with each other. Craig and Moreland defend the foundationalist view in this section against its major criticisms. This section also defends the correspondence theory of truth against postmodern, relativistic ideas. Near the end of the section is a discussion about religious knowledge, which contains a refutation of verificationism. Verificationism is the view that a sentence must be capable of being empirically verified or it is meaningless. The authors show that this view is not only too restrictive to be useful, it is also self-refuting and therefore necessarily false.
The third section is a discussion of metaphysics. In addition to a general discussion about ontology, this section also takes a detailed look at the philosophy of mind. The two main theories of mind are dualism and physicalism. Substance dualism holds that there is an immaterial mind or soul that is separate from the body, while physicalism rejects the soul and defends the view that humans are entirely physical entities. Although there are some Christian physicalists, substance dualism is in better accord with the historic Christian view. Moreland and Craig offer critiques of the major physicalist theories of mind and present a number of arguments in favor of substance dualism. This discussion leads to the topic of the nature of free will, where the authors discuss determinism, compatibilism, and libertarianism. Determinism is the view that all human actions are determined by prior conditions and therefore free will is an illusion. Libertarianism is on the opposite end of the spectrum, and it defends the idea that humans at least occasionally make choices that are entirely free. Compatibilism is the view that, though it is true that all actions are determined, humans still have free will when their actions are determined in the correct way. Finally, the authors look at the issue of personal identity and life after death. What is it that makes a person, and is it possible for a person to survive death? The authors defend the absolute view of personal identity, which basically holds that a person remains the same through change because the immaterial soul is truly the person. Therefore life after death is possible, because the soul is immaterial and can survive the death of the body.
Section four concerns the philosophy of science. Here, Moreland and Craig discuss whether scientific theories should be construed in a realist or an antirealist way. They also refute the view of scientism, which holds that science is the very paradigm of truth and rationality. Science cannot even function without certain philosophical background beliefs, and therefore scientism cannot stand on its own feet. This section also contains a fascinating discussion of time and space, where the authors argue that time and space are absolute and that the A-theory of time is true (see Time and Eternity for a further discussion).
Section five covers ethics. In this section, Moreland and Craig refute relativistic theories of ethics and attempt to demonstrate that there are at least some moral absolutes that exist independently of human opinion. Section five also contains a discussion of major ethical theories- utilitarianism, deontological ethics, and virtue theory. Utilitarianism is the view that the morality of an action depends solely on the consequences of that action. According to utilitarianism, the moral action is the one that provides for the greatest happiness for the greatest number. The authors reject this theory in favor of a combination of deontological ethics and virtue theory. Deontological ethics contends that some actions are right or wrong irrespective of their consequences in particular cases. Virtue theory contends that actions are morally correct if they are the actions that would be done by a fully virtuous person. On this theory, ethics is not about external rules, rather, it is about developing moral character. Moreland and Craig contend that virtue theory and deontological ethics both have some valuable things to say about the true nature of ethics.
The sixth section covers philosophical theology and philosophy of religion. This section starts off with a defense of some arguments for the existence of God, including the Cosmological Argument, the Teleological Argument (or, design argument), the Axiological Argument (or, the moral argument), and the Ontological Argument. Then, the authors provide a defense of the coherence of theism, contending that there is nothing logically suspect about the concept of God. This section also contains a refutation of the problem of evil and a defense of the possibility of miracles. Finally, the authors consider three difficult Christian doctrines and they offer philosophical defenses of these core doctrines. First, they discuss the Trinity and defend the possibility that there is one God in three persons. Next, they look at the Incarnation, arguing that there is nothing incoherent about Jesus Christ being fully God and fully man. Finally, they look at Christian Particularism- the doctrine that Christ is the only way to salvation.
"Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview" provides an excellent overview of philosophy from a Christian perspective. Given the importance of philosophy for developing and defending the Christian worldview, this book is a valuable resource and is highly recommended.
Just Brilliant! August 2, 2008
In Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, Moreland and Craig present a comprehensive introduction to philosophy from a Christian point of view. Both Craig and Moreland maintain that the study of philosophy can aid Christians in understanding the world and answering critical questions about God, evil, life, evil, humanity; more pointedly the authors stress that philosophy assists Christians in the disciplines of apologetics, polemics, and systematic theology.
J.P. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology of Biola University in La Mirada, California. His Phd (Philosophy) is from the University of Southern California. William Lane Craig studied theology and Philosophy and obtained doctoral degrees in both disciplines. Craig is also a Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology. Moreland and Craig are Christian apologists and prolific writers.
Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview is divided in six parts. Each part, integradingly, is sustained by looking at various areas of philosophy and Christian Theology (i.e. epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics, philosophy of religion and philosophical theology). Notably in most introductory text to philosophy, the discussion of philosophical theology is often omitted. Here Craig and Moreland take a different approach by incorporating theological discourse into the discipline of philosophy. On the other hand, in the Christian circle, we must say that there's a tendency to reject philosophy and philosophical discussion all together. For many see no legitimate use or relevance of philosophy in theological discussion. Such conclusion is basically flaw and unfortunate. Taking a different perspective on the matter, we must then ask the following questions: Why does philosophy matter? Or what can the Christian learn from philosophy or vice versa? More pertinently why should Christians study philosophy? Is philosophy useful for Christian evangelism? At this Craig and Moreland focus our attention to a statement made by the academic and statesman, Charles Malik. At the inaugural address at the dedication of the new Billy Graham Center on the Campus of Wheaton College, Malik, announcing his topic: "The Two Tasks of Evangelism," observes that the two tasks of evangelism is "saving soul and saving the mind" (1). That is, "converting people not only spiritually but intellectually as well--and the church, Malik observes, is lagging dangerously behind with respect to this second task" (ibid). Then we must make another query, appropriating to one of the paramount tasks of the Christian philosopher? Craig and Moreland sustain that "is to help turn the contemporary intellectual tide in such a way as to foster a sociocultural milieu in which Christian faith can be regarded as an intellectually credible option for thinking men and women." What is the most predicting result in making this suggestion? By consequence, the Christian worldview will be restored to a place of prominence and respect such as at the university, it will have a leavening effect throughout society, the authors suggest (ibid). Craig and Moreland also contend that if we as Christians can change the university setting, then, we would change our culture through those (professors and others) who shape culture (ibid).
Part I of the book discusses the importance of studying philosophy and its usefulness for Christian theology. It also evaluates the four arguments reacted against philosophy and explains the process by which various models of integration is possible. Five philosophical principles were suggested in the integrating program. Moreover, it is noteworthy to outline that "Philosophy can help to extend biblical teaching to areas not explicitly mentioned in Scripture, it can enhance the self-image of the believing community, and it can aid in the task of integrating theology with other disciplines in forming a Christian worldview," said the authors (26).
Part II explores the subject of Epistemology (i.e. the process of knowing, the question of knowledge, what is truth? How do we know what we know? Can we know anything for certain?). In this particular dialogue, knowledge and rationality are examined in light of various theoretical models considered by various schools of thought. Subsequently, two theory of knowledge are discussed: The Causal Theory and The Reliability Theory, and both were subject of substantial analysis. Next, Reason and Rationality are examined by exploring the three prominent notions of reason and rationality (i.e. rationality and truth, rationality and epistemic values, and degrees of rationality). In summary both authors argue forcefully that "the correspondence theory of truth seems to be an important part of a biblical understanding of truth." They contend, by contrary to the popular notion of relativism, that there's indeed absolute truth. Truth is not relativist as frequently advocated by postmodern theorists. In taking this stand, Craig and Moreland defined the three key entities relevant to the subject matter: the truth-bearer, the truth-maker and the correspondence relation and assess each proposition respectively.
In Part III. Craig and Moreland take a look at the topic of Metaphysics (traditionally means "after the physics," or the philosophical branch concerning with the study of "nature of being or reality and the ultimate categories or kinds of things that are real,' 173) -the notion of "essence" or "being." Metaphysics is one of the most important branches in philosophy. This particular session is given seven chapters into a detailed discussion of the topic; for the authors engaged with various theoretical concepts and methods and evaluated a wide range of literature written on the topic (from Plato-to the present). Chapter eight looks at Metaphysics both as a definition and taking various branches ascribed to it. Chapter nine and ten offers and overview of Ontology including discussion revolved around its cognates: existence, identity and reductionism, and property and substance. The remaining chapters (11, 12, 13, and 14) address such topics as Dualism, Free Will and Determinism, and Personal Identity and Life After Death (pp. 187-308).
Part IV observes Philosophy of Science, while Ethics is examined in Part V. Finally, the book concludes by taking close loot at Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology respectively (Part VI). This is perhaps the bulk of the book containing the most valuable information, hence include penetrating defense for a Christian worldview. It is the most thorough conversational engagement in the book--where the integration of theology and philosophy and other cognate disciples is clearly demonstrated. The topics tackled in Part VI include substantial dialogue on the existence of God (chapters 23 and 24), the coherence of theism (chapters 25 and 26), the problem of evil (chapter 27), creation, providence and miracle (chapter 28), the trinity (chapter 29), the incarnation (chapter 30), and finally Christian particularism concludes the book (31).
The existence of God is argued from the perspective of four substantial and sustained argumentation comprising the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, the axiological argument and the ontological argument. Each presented apologetic outlook is evaluated and ultimately the authors demonstrate effectively points of strengths and shortcomings. Next, the Coherence of Theism and arguments against it is explored in chapters twenty-five and twenty-six respectively. Discussions revolved around what Christian theologians and philosophers traditionally coin "incommunicable" and "communicable" attributes of God. Emphasis is given toward the former, thus contains the topics of divine necessity, aseity, incorporeality, omnipresence, eternity, omniscience, simplicity, omnipotence, and divine goodness. Moreover, the problem of evil is treated in chapter 27; the most debatable topic in any disciplinary study, particularly in philosophy and theology. The topic is approached triangularly hoping that a plausible account could be offered. (And of course many will find this kind of approach adequately unsatisfactory). This includes the intellectual problem of evil (acknowledges the existence of an omnipotent and omnibenovelent God, and the evident existence of evil. In other words, a God who is both loving and all powerful exists and Evil exists concurrently), the external problem of evil (proposes that an omnipotent and omnibevolent God exists, and gratuitous evil exists), and the emotional problem of evil (pertains to the hurt and pain one has to face and undergo in the inside). At the end, Moreland and Craig observe "... some theists maintain that theism is not incompatible with gratuitous evil in the first place, that God, in order to achieve his ends, may have to permit evils which in themselves are gratuitous. Finally, Christian theism in its doctrine of Christ's vicarious suffering and death has the resources to meet the emotional problem occasioned by evil (552). So the emphasis is on God's providence by means of the cross of Christ that served functionally and actively as the remedy to the problem of evil in the world. One day evil and pain will be no more. For "...He [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will be no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4).
Philosophical Foundation for a Christian Worldview is both theologically and philosophically engaging and stimulating, giving its preeminence to aid Christians seeing philosophy from a Christian perspective. The basic thesis of the book was successfully achieved. Moreover, the book is structured in such a way that prior knowledge in philosophy is not required to understand it . However, there are other introductory texts to philosophy that one might find also helpful such as Robert Paul Wolff's "About Philosophy" or even ED. L. Miller's "Questions That Matters: An Invitation to Philosophy" written from a more fundamental perspective. I used Miller's text in college. It is a good read. Nonetheless, what is outstanding and distinctive about "Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview" is that Craig and Moreland take a rigorous/serious study at the subject matter and thus evaluated it from a Christian perspective? That is, studying philosophy from a faith based approach. It is rare today to find an introductory text taking such route. Craig and Moreland did it very well. The basic thesis of the book was successfully achieved. Philosophical Foundations for A Christian Worlview should be read by every thoughtful and engaging Christian, and not only by those whose interest is in philosophy. If I were to teach an introductory course on Christian philosophy or Philosophical theology I would definitely require this text. I highly recommend it.
Also posted on my blog: Christ, My Righteousness (http://lou9587.blogspot.com/)
Philosophy textbook July 24, 2007
I recommend this text for the hungry student who wants to understand the basics of philosophy from some Christian professors.
Very very good April 10, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Just finished this book a couple of days ago. It is really an absolutely amazing read. Here are my comments:
1 - As others have said, it's not particularly easy to read; however, I don't think anyone should be intimidated by it. It's well done and clearly written. I don't think a background in philosophy is needed at all. What's needed is patience and a real desire to understand this material.
2 - You can't skip any sections of the book. The earlier sections, including Chapter Two about Logic, are referred to repeatedly through the rest of the text. So, be patient and be sure to understand what you read right from the beginning.
3 - The chapters on Ethics, The Existence of God, and Science, really stand out as brilliant essays. This is some of the best thinking I've ever read, from a Christian perspective, on these subjects.
Finally - Let me suggest that Reasonable Faith, by William Lane Craig, is much easier to digest, and much shorter. If you're scared of this, the larger, book I'd suggest reading that one. However, again, my honest opinion is that this, the more difficult book, is much better and completely worth the effort. Also, just about every concept covered in Reasonable Faith is also covered here and in much more depth.
 Use this book as a reference, but do buy it January 9, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
This fine book by JP Moreland gets 4 stars simply because it is, paradoxically, a bit too excellent. Every topic is plumbed to a depth that all but the most serious student would find taxing. This is especially true in the sections on ethics and logic. For this reason, it is best thought of as a reference book or a text for a course of fairly rigorous study. I would not describe this book as "introductory" although it is possible for the uninitiated to read (albeit slowly).
The topics are well organized, and there is a wealth of relevant quotations from primary sources. Important terms are defined, and chapters are recapped at the end. The layout is inviting, and it is easy to skim through and find specific information that you want to know. The writing style is very readable, which is not often the case in philosophy texts. Arguments are strong and well-supported, as one might expect.
This is an important book, and may even be the definitive text on the subject. It should be required study for clergy and anyone who claims to be a Christian intellectual. It is not "armchair reading", although I did read it in my recliner. I think I would have been very intimidated if I had approached this book with zero background in the subject, even though I have multiple letters after my name. I would love to see a condensed version that would be a bit more accessable to students and the general Christian reader.
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