Contemporary Philosophical Theology

251 Pages·2016·1 MB·English

by  Charles Taliaferro

CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHICAL
THEOLOGY
In Contemporary Philosophical Theology, Charles Taliaferro and Chad Meister focus
on key topics in contemporary philosophical theology within Christianity, Islam,
and Judaism, as well as Hinduism and Buddhism. The volume begins with a
discussion of key methodological tools available to the philosophical theologian,
such as faith and reason, science and religion, revelation and sacred scripture, and
authority and tradition. The authors use these tools to explore subjects including
language, ineffability, miracles, evil, and the afterlife. They also grapple with
applied philosophical theology, including environmental concerns, interreligious
dialogue, and the nature and significance of political values. A concluding discussion
proposes that philosophical theology can contribute to important reflections and
action concerning climate change.
Charles Taliaferro is Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College.
Chad Meister is Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Bethel College.
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CONTEMPORARY
PHILOSOPHICAL
THEOLOGY
Charles Taliaferro and Chad Meister
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Chad Meister and Charlese Taliaferro
The right of Charles Taliaferro and Chad Meister to be identified as authors of
this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification
and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Taliaferro, Charles, author.
Title: Contemporary philosophical theology /
Charles Taliaferro and Chad Meister.
Description: 1 [edition]. | New York : Routledge-Taylor & Francis, 2016. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044993 | ISBN 9780415527217 (hbk)
Subjects: LCSH: Religion—Philosophy. | Philosophy and religion.
| Philosophical theology.
Classification: LCC BL51 .T348 2016 | DDC 202—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044993
ISBN: 978-0-415-52721-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-52722-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-64624-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo and Stone Sans
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1 Science and philosophical theology 13
2 Mystery and philosophical theology 37
3 Pluralism and philosophical theologies 55
4 Reasons and revelations 77
5 Divine attributes 103
6 Good and evil 127
7 Evil and philosophical theology 151
8 Philosophical explorations of Judaism, Christianity,
Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism 177
9 Philosophical theology and open society 213
Index 237
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are immensely grateful to Alexander (“Z”) Quanbeck for his exceptional
assistance in the editing and research that went into this book. We also express
our deep appreciation to Glenn Gordon, Samuel Benson, Vera Jane Lochtefeld,
and a blind reviewer for their excellent editorial comments, insights, and
corrections. We are very grateful to Kelly Derrick for her expert copy-editing and
to Eve Mayer and Laura Briskman at Routledge for their interest in and support
of this project and the entire Routledge team for their exceptional work in the
production of this book.
I (C.M.) wish to express my gratitude to Yujin Nagasawa, David Cheetham,
and the John Hick Centre for Philosophy of Religion at the University of
Birmingham for kindly granting me the William Paton Fellowship in Global
Philosophy of Religion, and to a sabbatical leave kindly granted by Bethel College,
which secured for me the time and resources to complete this project. I dedicate
my contribution to this work to Dr. James Stump, dialectical partner and friend
extraordinaire. I (C.T.) dedicate my contribution to this work to Dr. Heidi Joos,
a true master in the cura ainmarum.
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INTRODUCTION
What is philosophical theology?
Let’s build up a definition of philosophical theology by first looking at the terms
“philosophical” and then “theology.” A conventional usage says that to have a
philosophy is simply to have a conception of reality and values. In a rough sense
of the term, every thoughtful person has some philosophy insofar as she or he has
some concept of what reality is (or is not) and what is valuable or important. It
may be that we have more than one philosophy of life and it may also be that not
many of us stop to think about what our philosophy of life is and why we believe
(or assume) it to be correct or fitting. But it is difficult to imagine living without
some assumptions or convictions about what is the case and what we should care
about. Even a radical sceptic who claims not to know anything (maybe even claiming
not to know whether or not he is actually a sceptic), still has a philosophy (for
example, a sceptic may think of reality as something too remote to grasp, a terrain
so distant that the only thing he knows is that it eludes his power to know).
In a further sense of the term “philosophy,” the practice of philosophy is the
disciplined practice of reflecting on alternative concepts of reality and values,
clarifying the relevant concepts, comparing different worldviews, engaging in
criticism, and raising questions about justification and evidence. Which concepts
of reality are more plausible than others? What reasons do we have for thinking
about life as we do? Getting to the root of the word, it should be noted that
“philosophy” comes from the Greek terms for the love (philo) of wisdom (sophia),
which carries the built-in implication that the practice of philosophy (ideally, if it
is true to its roots) is or should be guided by what is taken to be wise to believe
and act on. Put concisely then, the practice of philosophy should involve a search
for ways to live wisely.
To make sure we avoid conceiving of philosophy as some emotionally barren
discipline, our understanding of philosophy should be further expanded to include