Revitalizing Theological Epistemology

In Revitalizing Theological Epistemology Steven B. Sherman addresses questions about what evangelical theology ought to be doing in light of the changing cultural situation. He wonders if the Christian faith should continue to be presented and defended mainly according to Enlightenment principles when growing criticism of modern thought is affecting virtually every discipline, and if evangelicalism and its intellectual leaders ought to wait it out or whether they should re-vision their theology. This book is about contemporary evangelical approaches to the knowledge of God, considering - and suggesting - ways Christian philosophers and theologians envision and make use of theological knowledge in the postmodern context.

Description: A rather acrimonious divorce is underway between evangelical theology and foundationalism--especially among younger evangelical proteges less directly connected with the modernist-fundamentalist controversy than are their professors. These primarily younger evangelical thinkers are almost certainly reading and engaging more of Derrida than Descartes; more interested in doing theology and philosophy for the church than for the academy; more in tune with Wesley's than Warfield's theology; more interested in applying the Bible than defending it; more concerned with the hermeneutics of Gadamer and Ricoeur than (Arno) Gabelein and (A.T.) Robertson; more occupied with the philosophical method of Heidegger than Hegel; more moved by the epistemology of Kierkegaard and Barth than by Kant and Bultmann; and finally, more comfortable with postmodern than modern culture. Such major moves are undoubtedly altering the face of evangelical theology--or more accurately, theology done by evangelicals: even more particularly for this study, theological epistemology written by evangelicals. In Revitalizing Theological Epistemology Steven B. Sherman addresses questions about what evangelical theology ought to be doing in light of the changing cultural situation. Should the Christian faith continue to be presented and defended mainly according to Enlightenment principles when growing criticism of modern thought is affecting virtually every discipline? Is this critique merely a matter of the latest societal trend, or is this a much larger phenomenon virtually encompassing the West? Ought evangelicalism and its intellectual leaders to ""wait it out"" or should they ""re-vision"" their theology? And if something does require reconsideration, exactly what is it, and what might this re-examination entail? This book is about contemporary evangelical approaches to the knowledge of God, considering--and suggesting--ways Christian philosophers and theologians envision and make use of theological knowledge in the postmodern context. Endorsements: ""In this insightful book, Steven Sherman explores issues that are at the heart of current debates about the foundationalist epistemology that has long held sway in evangelical theology. He does so, not only with philosophical and theological savvy, but also with a deep commitment to the truth of the Gospel."" --Richard J. Mouw, Fuller Theological Seminary ""Significant changes are taking place today in Evangelical theology, especially in the area of theological epistemology. This book represents a very important contribution for helping us understand the emerging shape of the Evangelical theological voice. Steven B. Sherman provides the reader with an excellent overview of recent developments in chronicling the rise of post-conservative evangelical theology. He helpfully uses the intellectual journey of Clark Pinnock to illustrate shifts in thinking that are occurring, and then provides an in-depth analysis of the rise of foundationalism and its subsequent critique by recent scholars. His constructive proposal for reframing theological epistemology draws creatively on the work of missiologist Lesslie Newbigin. This is a solid piece of scholarship and a substantive contribution to the literature on the Evangelical movement."" --Craig Van Gelder, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN ""Revitalizing Theological Epistemology grapples courageously and innovatively with core issues that confront evangelical thought and practice today. Using the writings of Clark Pinnock and Lesslie Newbigin as evaluative lenses, Sherman traces the emergence and essence of a postconservative theological epistemology, considering important factors leading reformist evangelicals toward a more holistic, communal approach to the knowledge of God. Sherman's focused analysis and assessment concludes with a modest proposal for developing a revitalizing theological epistemology. I recommend it for the study of contemporary theology and"

In this volume we present the proceedings from the fourth international Leuven Encounters in Systematic Theology (LEST IV, November 5-8, 2003), which focussed on a critical investigation of the place and role of religious experience in the legitimation structures of contemporary theological thinking patterns. In the first part, the keynote lectures, including the responses, are gathered (among others from L. Boeve, F. Fiorenza, L. Hemming, G. Jantzen, S. Painadath, S. Robert, R. Schaeffler, and S. Van den Bossche). In the second part, a selection of the contributions offered in the thematic seminars is presented.

Bellini offers an in-depth analysis of the malaise of contemporary Western civilization, based upon its modern and postmodern ideological and philosophical underpinnings. He also offers a prescriptive response.

The Oxford Handbook of the Epistemology of Theology brings together leading scholars in the fields of theology and epistemology to examine and articulate what can be categorized as appropriate epistemic evaluation in theology. Part one focuses on some of the epistemic concepts that have been traditionally employed in theology such as knowledge of God, revelation and scripture, reason and faith, experience, and tradition. This section also considers concepts that have not received sufficient epistemological attention in theology, such as saints, authority, ecclesial practices, spiritual formation, and discernment. Part two concentrates on epistemic concepts that have received significant attention in contemporary epistemology and can be related to theology such as understanding, wisdom, testimony, virtue, evidence, foundationalism, realism/antirealism, scepticism, and disagreement. Part three offers examples from key figures in the Christian tradition and investigates the relevant epistemological issues and insights in these writers, as well as recognizing the challenges of connecting insights from contemporary epistemology with the subject of theology proper, namely, God. Part four centres on five emerging areas that warrant further epistemological consideration: Liberation Theology, Continental Philosophy, modern Orthodox writers, Feminism, and Pentecostalism. This authoritative collection explores how the various topics, figures, and emerging conversations can be reconceived and addressed in light of recent developments in epistemology. Each chapter provides an analysis of the crucial moves, positions, and debates, while also identifying relevant epistemic considerations. This Handbook fulfils the need for the development of this new conversation that will take its natural place in the intersection of theology and epistemology. It links the fields of theology and epistemology in robust, meaningful, and significant ways.

Can we know truth even though certain proof is unattainable? Can we be known by Truth? Is there a relationship between belief and truth, and if so, what is the nature of that relationship? Do we need to have faith in reason and in real meaning to be able to reason towards truth? These are the sorts of questions this book seeks to address. In Faith's Knowledge, Paul Tyson argues that all knowledge that aims at truth is always the knowledge of faith. If this is the case, then--against our modernist cultural assumptions about knowledge--truth cannot be had by proof. Yet, if this is true, then mere information and simply objective facts do not (for us as knowers) exist. Knowledge is always embedded in belief, and knowledge and belief is always expressed in relationships, histories, narratives, shared meanings, and power. Hence, a theological sociology of knowledge emerges out of these explorations in thinking about knowledge as a function of faith.

This book answers a basic question: When a Christian wants to consider a matter in a way that is fully responsible to her Christian commitments, what is she to do? What resources ought she to consult? How ought she to consult them, and then coordinate the deliverances of each? This book, a new statement of Christian epistemology, answers a number of questions fundamentally in terms of vocation: God can be trusted to provide the responsible Christian with all she needs to fulfil her calling, including knowledge recognizable as such.

Alvin Plantinga is arguably one of the most influential philosophers of our time. Much of his career has been devoted to explaining and defending the intellectual acceptability of Christian belief. Recently he has developed a comprehensive, rigorous, and distinctively Christian religious epistemology. This book presents the development of Plantinga's religious epistemology before considering Plantinga's mature religious epistemology in detail. Locating Plantinga's most recent work in the context of his theological assumptions, his previous work on religious epistemology, and in the context of the current debate over how knowledge should be characterized, Beilby blends theological and philosophical discussion to offer a unique perspective on Plantinga's influential proposal.