Is faith in God reasonable? : debates in philosophy, science, and rhetoric

188 Pages·2014·0.873 MB·English

by  Gould, Paul, Miller, Corey

Is Faith in God Reasonable?
“ Is Faith in God Reasonable? brings top thinkers from a variety of disciplines
to engage the central question of the age. The interaction is rigorous but the
contributors maintain a professional and generous tone. The book provides
a model of how disagreement about fundamental issues can and should be
handled. This is a great entry into a deeper engagement with the question
of God’s existence.”
— Greg Ganssle, Rivendell Institute, Yale University
The question of whether faith in God is reasonable is of renewed interest in
today’s academy. In light of this interest, as well as the rise of militant reli-
gion and terrorism and the emergent reaction by neo-atheism, this volume
considers this important question from the views of contemporary scientists,
philosophers, and in a more novel fashion, rhetoricians. It comprises a pub-
lic debate between William Lane Craig, supporting the position that faith
in God is reasonable, and Alex Rosenberg, arguing against that position.
Scholars in the aforementioned fi elds then respond to the debate, represent-
ing both theistic and atheistic positions. The book concludes with rejoinders
from Craig and Rosenberg.
Corey Miller is Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions
at Indiana University-Kokomo. His PhD is from the University of Aberdeen
in Scotland (2014). He is published in International Philosophical Quar-
terly, Philosophia Christi, and A merican Catholic Philosophical Quarterly.
Research interests include philosophy of religion, ethics, comparative reli-
gions, and ancient/medieval philosophy.
Paul Gould is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Christian Apologetics
at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is editor of three other
books including Beyond the Control of God? Six Views on the Problem
of God and Abstract Objects (2014) and has published articles in journals
such as S ophia, Axiomathes, Metaphysica, Faith and Philosophy, Philoso-
phia Christi, and Philo. His research interests include philosophy of religion,
metaphysics, and philosophical theology.
Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion
1 God and Goodness 6 Theism and Explanation
A Natural Theological Perspective Gregory W. Dawes
Mark Wynn
7 Metaphysics and God
2 Divinity and Maximal Greatness Essays in Honor of Eleonore
Daniel Hill Stump
Edited by Kevin Timpe
3 Providence, Evil, and the
Openness of God 8 Divine Intervention
William Hasker Metaphysical and Epistemological
Puzzles
4 Consciousness and the Evan Fales
Existence of God
A Theistic Argument 9 Is Faith in God Reasonable?
J. P. Moreland Debates in Philosophy, Science, and
Rhetoric
5 The Metaphysics of Perfect Beings Edited by Corey Miller and Paul
Michael J. Almeida Gould
Is Faith in God Reasonable?
Debates in Philosophy, Science,
and Rhetoric
Edited by Corey Miller and Paul Gould
First published 2014
by Routledge
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Is faith in God reasonable? : debates in philosophy, science, and rhetoric /
edited by Corey Miller and Paul Gould. — 1 [edition].
pages cm. — (Routledge studies in the philosophy of religion ; 9)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Faith. 2. Faith and reason. 3. Faith and reason—
Christianity. I. Miller, Corey, 1972– editor of compilation.
BT771.3.I8 2014
212—dc23
2013049583
ISBN: 978-0-415-70940-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-88554-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To Melinda, Parker, Sadie, and Dacey
—Corey Miller

To Ethel, I could not do what I do without
your love and support.
—Paul Gould
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Contents
List of Figures ix
PART I
Introduction and Debate
1 Introduction: Faith, Reason, and God 3
COREY MILLER AND PAUL GOULD
2 The Debate: Is Faith in God Reasonable? 13
WILLIAM LANE CRAIG VS. ALEX ROSENBERG
PART II
Respondents
3 God and the Rational Basis for Science 43
ROBERT KAITA
4 Faith in Anything Is Unreasonable 55
VICTOR J. STENGER
5 God without Argument 69
PAUL K. MOSER
6 Some Philosophical Aspects of the Craig-Rosenberg Debate 84
THEODORE M. DRANGE
7 There Are Serious Reasons for Belief in
the Existence of God 97
TIMOTHY MCGREW
8 Not Reasonable but Not Unreasonable 112
MICHAEL RUSE
viii Contents
9 Rhetoric as Hermeneutic Key: The Reasonableness of
Faith in God 122
MARTIN J. MEDHURST
10 Faith, Not Reason, Underwrites the Belief in God 136
CLARKE ROUNTREE
PART III
Rejoinders
11 Reply to Our Respondents: An Eminently Reasonable Faith 153
WILLIAM LANE CRAIG
12 Replies to Critics: Very Brief, Very Selective, Rather Snarky 166
ALEX ROSENBERG
Contributors 171
Index 175
Figures
4.1 A spacetime diagram showing worldlines of particles
emerging from the origin of our universe. They can be
extended in the negative time direction, allowing for an
eternal multiverse. 58
4.2 Quantum tunneling through a barrier. 59
4.3 Our universe appears by quantum tunneling from
the prior one, from our point of view. 60