Table Of ContentChristian worlD view integration series
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Ga r r e t t J. D eWe e se
“While many both in the church and in the world think that a Christian
philosopher is an oxymoron, Christians in the university know better.
Over the last fifty years there has been a dramatic resurgence of faithful
Christians in academic philosophy. Many of the best young Christian
minds continue to flock to this discipline. Finally there is a tool to help
them think deeply and critically about the benefits of bringing their com-
mitments to the authority of Scripture and the person of Jesus into their
study of philosophy. Doing Philosophy as a Christian will set the beginner
on the right path, and it will challenge the more advanced philosopher to
continue to become a more faithful follower of Christ. Not only will those
who study this book be better philosophers, they will be better able to lead
others into a deeper encounter with Christ.”
GreGory e. Ganssle, Yale University
“Sooner or later, reflective Christians will face the question of what to do
with the academic discipline of philosophy. Garrett DeWeese rightly con-
tends that Jesus as Lord has an important bearing on this question. This
book aims to spell out this bearing of Jesus. In doing so, it merits careful
attention from all reflective Christians.”
Paul K. Moser, Loyola University Chicago
“Garrett DeWeese’s book fills a serious gap. Students in philosophy, as
well as professional philosophers, will find much insight into the impor-
tant question of how Christian faith shapes the practice of philosophy. Not
all Christian philosophers will agree with all the positions taken, but all
can benefit from this fine example of what it means to be integrally Chris-
tian while seeking to do philosophy in a rigorous manner.”
C. stePhen evans, Baylor University
“In this unique and uniquely important book, Garrett DeWeese carefully
and winsomely develops a clear, deep and cogent approach to the practice
of philosophizing as a Christian. In so doing, he demonstrates a rich
knowledge of Scripture, analytic philosophy and the history of philoso-
phy—a rare combination of intellectual virtue. Both students and profes-
sors of philosophy will benefit greatly from this astute and timely work, for
which I have the highest admiration.”
DouGlas Groothuis, Denver Seminary
“With graduate degrees in theology and philosophy, and years of deep
reflection, Garry DeWeese is uniquely qualified to write on how to ap-
proach philosophy from a Christian perspective. And Doing Philosophy as
a Christian does just that. In page after page, DeWeese offers fresh insight
and deep reflection about how to honor Jesus as Lord in the task of doing
philosophy. This is a must-read for all interested in worldview develop-
ment and the integration of Scripture with the field of philosophy.”
J. P. MorelanD, Talbot School of Theology
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW INTEGRATION SERIES
Doi n g
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J. DeWeese
Garrett
InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
E-mail: [email protected]
©2011 by Garrett J. DeWeese
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States
of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information
about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400
Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at <www.intervarsity.org>.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®.
NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
Design: Cindy Kiple
ISBN 978-0-8308-6910-7 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-2811-1 (print)
Dedicated, with respect and appreciation, to
Alvin Plantinga
Dallas Willard
William Lane Craig
Three giants who in our day set the standard
for doing philosophy as a Christian
CONTENTS
Series Preface / 9
Acknowledgments / 29
1 Why Should You Read This Book? / 33
Part One: Introductory Matters / 47
2 Philosophers and Sages: Hokhmah and Sophia / 49
3 Philosophy Within the Limits of Religion Alone?
Faith and Reason / 65
4 Jesus and Philosophy / 90
Part Two: The Inescapable Questions / 113
5 What Is Real? Metaphysics / 115
6 What Do I Know? Epistemology / 150
7 What Should I Value? Ethics and Aesthetics / 178
Part Three: Second-Order Questions / 217
8 Who and What Am I? Philosophy of Mind / 219
9 Understanding Nature: Philosophy of Science / 261
Part Four: The End of the Matter / 307
10 Transforming the Soul: Philosophy
and Spiritual Formation / 309
Select Bibliography / 333
Author and Subject Index / 345
Scripture Index / 351
Series Preface
A Call to Integration and the
Christian Worldview Integration Series
L
ife is short and we’re all busy. If you’re a college student, you’re really
busy. There’s your part-time job (which seems full time), your social life
(hopefully) and church. On top of that you’re expected to go to class, do
some reading, take tests and write papers. Now, while you are minding
your own business, you hear about something called “integration,” try-
ing to relate your major with your Christianity. Several questions may
come to mind: What is integration anyway? Is it just a fad? Why should
I care about it? And even if I do care about it, I don’t have a clue as to
how to go about doing it. How do I do this? These are good questions,
and in this introduction we’re going to address them in order. We are
passionate about helping you learn about and become good at integrat-
ing your Christian convictions with the issues and ideas in your college
major or your career.
What is inteGration?
The word integrate means “to form or blend into a whole,” “to unite.”
We humans naturally seek to find the unity that is behind diversity,
and in fact coherence is an important mark of rationality. There are two
kinds of integration: conceptual and personal. In conceptual integra-
tion, our theological beliefs, especially those derived from careful study of the-
Bible, are blended and unified with important, reasonable ideas from our
profession or college major into a coherent, intellectually satisfying Christian
worldview. As Augustine wisely advised, “We must show our Scrip-
