Articles

Substance dualism has received much attention from philosophers and theologians in contemporary literature. Whilst it may have been fashionable in the recent past to dismiss substance dualism as an unviable and academically absurd position to hold, this is no longer the case. My contention is not so much the merits of substance dualism in general, but a more specified variation of substance dualism. My specific contribution to the literature in this article is that I argue for the viability of pure substance dualism as a more satisfactory option in contrast to compound or composite varieties of substance dualism. I put forth one argument and tease out the implications that make compound dualism less than satisfactory. I conclude that, minimally, more work is required on compound variations of dualism to make it a more appealing and a philosophically satisfactory option. 

The notion of the soul has come under attack in contemporary philosophical, scientific, and theological literature. In this essay, the question is raised as to whether or not the soul has meaning and ought to be affirmed as a real metaphysical entity. I affirm that the soul is rooted in a common-sense framework reaching back through history, and is not only intuitive but is still commonly accepted. I put forth three arguments in favor of the soul-concept and argue that it is not only meaningful, but ought to be affirmed by persons. I see these arguments as inter-related and mutually affirming. First, I consider the argument from first-person knowledge. 

Discussions on soul origins are perceived as antiquated at best. However, there is a recent resurgence of interest in the nature and origins of the mind. This is due in part to the recent developments on the nature of “emergent” properties and/or substances in the contemporary literature on the philosophy of mind. As a contribution to this discussion, I examine the two most prominent theories of mental origins (e. g., Timothy O’Connor and William Hasker) and find that each encounter some noteworthy problems. With these in mind, I recommend that some form of Creationism deserves our attention. It provides a solution to the various philosophical and theological concerns associated with the previously mentioned emergence theories of the mind. Finally, I lay out a more satisfying theory of the soul’s creation in a way that accounts for the benefits of emergentism. 

The doctrine of Christ’s atonement is a subject of recurrent interest to contemporary philosophical-theologians. The Penal Substitution theory of atonement, in particular, has precipitated a great deal of interest. In this article, we offer several reasons—reasons related to the nature of divine justice and somatic death—for thinking that a version of Anselm’s Satisfaction theory of atonement is not only a viable, but preferable, Protestant theory of atonement to penal substitution. 

The beatific vision is a subject of considerable importance both in the Christian Scriptures and in the history of Christian dogmatics. In it, humans experience and see the perfect immaterial God, which represents the final end for the saints. However, this doctrine has received less attention in the contemporary theological literature, arguably, due in part to the growing trend toward materialism and the sole emphasis on bodily resurrection in Reformed eschatology. As a piece of retrieval by drawing from the Scriptures, Medieval Christianity, and Reformed Christianity, we motivate a case for the Reformed emphasis on the immaterial and intellectual aspects of human personal eschatology and offer some constructive thoughts on how to link it to the contemporary emphasis of the body. We draw a link between the soul and the body in the vision with the help of Christology as reflected in the theology of John Calvin, and, to a greater extent, the theology of both John Owen and Jonathan Edwards. 

The doctrine of the atonement is a subject of perpetual curiosity for a number of contemporary theologians. The penal substitution theory of atonement in particular has precipitated a great deal of recent interest, being held up by many (mostly evangelical) Protestants as ‘the’doctrine of atonement. In this essay, we make a defense against the objection to the Anselmian theory of atonement that is often leveled against it by exponents of the Penal Substitution theory, namely, that Christ’s work does not accomplish anything for those whom it appears he undertakes his atoning work, but merely makes provision for salvation. 

The body is a complex organism that changes over time; it has the potential to add or lose major parts, and additionally cells are growing and dying continually. However, it intuitively seems that the person is something more fixed, stable, unified, and enduring: that I am the same person through time. So suggesting that the body is identical to the self seems to undermine basic assumptions a person has of their self. This is not to say that materialists affirming a body view have no answers to these challenges, but simply that these challenges remain significant worries worthy of consideration. For responses to them, I refer you to the literature listed at the end. According to some versions of the body view, it is not so much that persons are identical to their bodies but that bodies comprise persons. This is known as the bodily-constitution view. I’ll address it later in the context of the not-so-simple simple view.

The Origin of the Soul A Conversation - White Rose Research Online White Rose logo White Rose Research Online Home Search Browse Contact The Origin of the Soul A Conversation Farris, J. and Leidenhag, J.

The recent atonement literature reveals a growing trend accepting the thesis that the Reformer’s doctrine just is the biblical doctrine of penal substitution. This is the claim of William Lane Craig in his recent works on the atonement. In the present article, we challenge these set of claims in Craig’s recent works and advance an alternative theory of the atonement that has some significant footing in the Reformed theological tradition, most notably reflected in the theologian, William Ames. Finally, we lay out several reasons why Craig’s doctrine of the atonement fails to capture the biblical data on the atonement and fails to avoid the legal fiction problem parasitic on most, if not all, accounts of penal substitution.

Analytic theology (AT) is a particular approach to theology and the study of religion that engages with the tools, categories, and methodological concerns of analytic philosophy. As such, it is neutral with respect to particular substantive, denominational, or religious claims. It is a relatively newly-named approach, yet it has specific antecedents in the last century and formal antecedents in much of the history of Christian theological reflection. It is a fast-growing and well-resourced initiative, and—likely in virtue of this—has proven somewhat controversial. This special issue of Open Theology engages AT with a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, essays in this collection bring the analytic slant to bear on perennial topics in theological prolegomena. Yet, on the other hand, some essays offer critical engagements with AT and ways of integrating AT with other well-attested theological methods. Essays of both kinds … 

With contributions from leading theologians and philosophers," Being Saved: Explorations in Human Salvation" brings together a series of essays on the major topics relating to the doctrine of salvation. The book provides readers with a critical resource that consists of an integrative philosophical-theological method, and will invigorate this much-needed discussion.

Jonathan Edwards’ metaphysics has received considerable attention from people writing on issues like idealism, empiricism, dispositionalism, Neoplatonism, occasionalism, panentheism, and theocentrism, to name just a few.1 And others have delved into anthropological issues like his view of the affections, volition, free will, and original sin.2 However, relatively little attention has been given to the ways in which Edwards’ general ontology impacts his approach to human ontology-in particular, his view of the mind/ body relationship. That is unfortunate given that Edwards’ ontology offers unique resources for today. First, Edwards’ ontology offers a perspective on the human person that differs radically from the materialism most commonly encountered in the modern world. As we will see, Edwards maintains an idealist ontology that is hostile to materialism in any form.3 Although some might be inclined to reject …

Jonathan Edwards is a theologian who is largely indebted to the Augustinian and Reformed tradition. Edwards is committed to a strong view of God’s sovereignty in providence and in salvation. He affirms God’s meticulous providence in the sense that God not only sustains and preserves the world but that he directs the operations of the world and has control over all specific events in the world, which is common to Reformed orthodoxy. Edwards affirms God’s control over the salvation of individuals by his efficient grace regarding human willing. As a product of the enlightenment, Edwards’ philosophical commitments shape his theology in significant ways—represented in his anthropology. With respect to his theological anthropology, I will explore Edwards’s use of substance dualist language often employed by the majority of theologians of the Reformed orthodox tradition that so much influenced Edwards’ theology …

David Meconi’s The One Christ is an excellent defence of the controversial thesis that deification or theosis (Meconi does not sharply distinguish the two terms) is central to Augustine’s thought. While many interpret Augustine pessimistically, in the sense that Augustine highlights the sinfulness of humanity as his starting point for theological anthropology, that is not the complete story. Meconi contends that there is a more optimistic strand in Augustine’s thought as well, according to which humans are designed for a God-like status that occurs at deification. If Meconi is correct in his assessment of Augustine, which is contrary to that found in prevailing scholarship, then The One Christ contributes to both Augustinian studies and the theology of deification more generally.

At times intellectuals in the history of Philosophy are likened to the famous expression: the emperor has no clothes. This is often the case for Rene Descartes, yet it is more accurate to say that he is the emperor with new clothes, but few are willing to admit it. In what follows, I trace some of the recent developments in contemporary philosophy of mind and its overlap with Neuroscience and analytic theology. All three disciplines, interestingly, are confronted with the same problem as found in Descartes’ time and writings, and the solutions provided are strikingly similar to and beginning to look more like Descartes’ substantial dualism with the ineliminable ‘I’or first-person perspective and irreducible consciousness. In fact, these finds seem to indicate the need for methodological dualism or pluralism that comprise a new science (akin to Descartes’ aspirations) rather than a naturalistic methodology. For these reasons, the following is a cross between analytic philosophy, the history of Philosophy, and analytic theism as a way to investigate Descartes’ influence in Philosophy, Neuroscience and theism.

The nature of personal identity is ultimately theological in nature. Through a survey of some of the recent philosophical evidence for the soul (in the analytic philosophical tradition), the following lays out reasons for why personal identity is accounted for by a soul because of the nature of phenomenal consciousness as essentially descriptive of persons. Yet, this conclusion is buttressed by theological reflection on personal origins and the end of life. Through a guided reflection on the origins of persons and the end of life (through the lens of dementia case studies), further suggested information about the person as a substance of consciousness reveals more than what is uncovered through philosophical or scientific analysis alone. In this way, and building on Priest’s recent work, the following is a sketch of personal identity as ensouled identity that moves beyond what Priest calls the ‘conditioned’ mode to the …

Idealism satisfies one desire: namely, that the world finds unity in some way via a mind(s). Idealism is the thesis that the world is mental. Epistemological idealism is the thesis that not all of reality is mental in nature but that all of reality is explained by, made sense of by, and shaped by the mental. The first type has been called theistic dualism or Cartesian theism, but it is also a veritable version of idealism. Cartesian theism or theistic idealism is an epistemological thesis about what is epistemically present to the world. The difference is that Cartesian idealism of the epistemological sort is noncommittal on the metaphysical nature of what it is that constitutes bodies other than their being distinct substantial realities from mental items or the metaphysical nature of properties in general. There is an alternative thesis that is a more robust version of idealism, which retains the core ideas set out regarding the Cartesian thesis.

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores two types of idealism in Eastern philosophy. It also explores an idealism of Hinduism within the religion of Siva and explores a Chinese version of Buddhism that is a distinctive brand of idealism. The book argues that Plato’s ‘second sea voyage’ found in the Phaedo gives people a picture of his most comprehensive system developed. It shows the reader the impact and influence Plato had on early Christianity. The book argues that the Cambridge Platonists are often viewed as an eccentric diversion from the mainstream of British empiricism. It provides an overview of German idealism, the philosophical school that unfolded between the 1790s and the 1830s among philosophers both inspired by and reacting against Kant’s transcendental idealism. The book argues that Conway’s …

Originating from the Evangelical Philosophical Society’s Panel Discussion at the American Academy of Religion 2017 on themes in Andrew Loke’s Christological work, Kryptic Christology, the present article isolates one important issue that began as discussion in Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie between James Arcadi and Andrew Loke on the nature of Christ’s human nature according to abstractism and concretism. Upon summarizing the debate, I make two claims. After I take a fresh look at the state of the analytic Christological literature, I, first, suggest that Loke is not consistent with the common descriptions of abstractism/concretism as stated in the analytic literature. And, second, I argue, based on Loke’s own words, that he confuses a metaphysical distinction with a semantic distinction.

Emergentism is a paradigm often used to bridge the worlds of Science and religion through complex lawful processes connecting the mind to the physical world (ie, where the mind, construed as a property or a substance, is the lawful consequent of some highly complex neural structure or the brain is the proximate cause of the mind). In recent discussions, some philosophers and theologians have even gone so far as to use the emergence concept as a way to bridge God to the physical world. However, with some pushback in the philosophy of mind, we are beginning to notice a shift closer to older models of the mind. In the present article, I show why this is a good move. I go on to argue that that emergent-theism (s) confront significant challenges given the models of laws on offer and that something like Cartesian theism seems to have the resources to accommodate the regularities of natural or physical events, the potential irregularities (eg, the origination of minds), and has some resources to capture the benefits of contemporary emergent-theism (s). 

The doctrine of atonement is at the heart of Christian soteriology and yet there is no one theory or even one model of atonement that is de fide instantiated in the early ecumenical symbols. Despite this fact, Penal Substitutionary atonement holds near creedal status in many evangelical circles. However, there are challenges with the theory. One of the challenges has to do with the nature of justice and how it is that Christ can assume the debt accrued by individual violators of the law. In order to salvage the theory, Joshua Thurow has recently defended a new theory of atonement, namely, a communal version of the theory for contemporary reflection. In the present article, we argue that Thurow's communal notion is neither new nor is the penal theory most fitting with a communal notion, but rather the communal feature of the atonement finds a more natural residence in Anselm's satisfaction theory of atonement. 

William Hasker in his article, “Souls, Beastly, and Human”, raises a set of cluster-related objections to traditional or creationist-dualisms, as he calls them. He argues that these views are unappealing and arbitrary and that his emergentist variety of substance dualism fares better given the mind-brain relationship and evolutionary continuity. I offer some initial thoughts in response to his worries for what I call the standard creationist model. I find his objections unconvincing and put forward two alternative creationist-soul views that fit with an alternative metaphysical story of persons. I suggest two models. First, I advance what I call Divine conceptualism. Second, I advance a view where bodies activate souls and souls are created in a kind of safe house awaiting activation. It seems that this view (or a view like it) does not fall prey to Hasker’s objection(s), and such a view deserves further reflection from philosophers and … 

Lynne Rudder Baker makes a significant contribution to theological anthropology by constructively drawing from her constitutional view of human persons (hereafter CV). In a recent article,“Persons and the Natural Order,” Baker defends CV and argues that it more satisfactorily accounts for the philosophical and theological desiderata. I am especially interested in the theological desiderata given by Baker, which at its core seems to depend upon personal agency. I argue that substance dualism offers a superior accounting for the psychology persons have of themselves as personal agents. In fact, Baker’s CV encounters a significant problem concerning the ability to pick out definite content regarding the ‘I’that entails other problematic theological ramifications.

“Feminism” has many strands, some of which are compatible with traditional Christian theological anthropology. Victoria Harrison and Janet Soskice, for example, have made important contributions to philosophy of religion, without taking leave of Christian tradition. But a common, forceful component of much feminist philosophical and theological work today is profoundly opposed to traditional, especially Christian, theological anthropology. If Mary Daly, Pamela Sue Anderson, Grace Jantzen, and Nancy Frankenberry are correct, Christian theism is irremediably patriarchal, a religion built upon and supportive of a male bias. Because of the importance of this critique to the present volume dedicated to theological anthropology, we concentrate chiefly on reasons for thinking that Christian anthropology and theism support (historically and today) a damaging oppositional dualism of mind and body, God and world. 

“You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men!” (The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin) Contemporary discussions on freedom have recently drawn attention to the implications of the mind-body relation. Historically, the notion of freedom has centered on various naturalistic options, compatibilism, and weaker notions of libertarian freedom. This leaves strong agent-causal libertarianism as a minority position. Entering these discussions, we seek to establish the relation between a particular mind-body view and strong agent-causal libertarianism. We make two claims upon characterizing strong agent-causal libertarianism. First, we argue that strong agent-causal libertarianism requires some version of substance dualism (or immaterialist agency). Second, we argue that strong agent-causal libertarianism probably requires something like classical or Cartesian substance dualism. Drawing from the philosopher John Foster in The Immaterial Self, we show that the central defining feature of the sort of libertarian agency under investigation is ‘intrinsic autonomy’. While we recognize that Cartesianism is unpopular in contemporary discussions, we agree with Foster that it is probably what is entailed if we are going to ground something like a strong agent-causal libertarianism. The substance needed to explain this robust form of freedom begins to look like something not of this world and more like the substance described early on by Rene Descartes. 

J.T. Turner presents a provocative alternative to the traditionalist soul options in the history of Christian thought. In fact, he is something of an outsider in this context. Ironically, although he might be reticent to admit this, his view departs significantly from the majority view within Christian thought and inclines toward modern-day materialism. Whatever implied benefits of body-to-person relation on his hylomorphist-materialism, there are significant philosophical and theological worries. I will briefly respond to one of his challenges, then move to consider the philosophical and theological challenges through the lens of the Tradition. 

The entailment of the transparency thesis from any ole’ mental thing to primitive immaterial particulars (i.e., subject/person primitives) requires that persons are created by God (i.e., minimal theistic dualism), which does exclude physicalism and what I will call “obscure” dualisms (e.g., pan-experientialism, Russellian monism, and hylomorphism) but it fits under some versions of “natural dualism.” Accurately defining the nature of the subject of conscious experience (S) requires that we move beyond phenomenal transparency (due to its falling into what is called the gap problem) to subject transparency (hence a haecceity). 

Oddly enough in most collections, Cartesianism of any variety is like that unwelcome guest that just doesn’t quite fit in. In a collection on the soul and its origins, Cartesianism fits quite nicely. In fact, Cartesianism is neither the outlier (as with hylomorphism) nor will it be perceived by some as the most extravagant position (as with metaphysical idealism). What we all share (except for Turner’s hylomorphism) finds a most habitable home with Cartesianism (and possibly idealism), namely the fact that persons are, or have, souls and can potentially exist disembodied. This conversation, then, is unlike most conversations occurring today in philosophical and theological anthropology. In this way, the contributors have achieved two important objectives. First, they have helped shore up the reasons why talk of souls cannot be dismissed in philosophical and science-engaged theological discussions about human beings … 

Joanna Leidenhag has already left an impression on the science and theology discussions. Her work is marked by thoughtfulness, rigor, and creativity. This is true of the case here and in her first monograph which motivates much that we see in her “Souls Fundamental and Combined.” Leidenhag defends a somewhat novel position in the history of philosophy and theology. I say “somewhat” because her view, or something near it, has a few defenders within the history of philosophy and within the Christian tradition. She is not unaware of this and certainly makes mention of a few, most notably Leibniz. 

Ironically, Bruce Gordon’s position is the closest to my view when I consider all the features of his quantum-theoretic theistic idealism. I am happy with that. While there is far too much detail to engage in his essay, I will commit myself to discussing the similarities and the benefits of the view he portrays. In the end, I am quite happy if his view turns out to be a truer depiction of souls in relation to reality. I find his view coherent, phenomenologically satisfying, aesthetically pleasing, biblically faithful (for the most part), and God-honoring. I have two concerns which I will lay out below. The first is that his view of the material is not the product of common sense, but I am convinced it is consistent with common sense, which is an important distinction. What turns on this I think may be rather insignificant, but insofar as we can retain common-sense views in a way that is compatible with Quantum phenomena, then we should … 

The origin of the soul discussion has had a long and important history in philosophical and theological reflections. We say important because it closely overlaps with the discussion on human constitution (i.e., what it is that makes up a human being) and impinges on early discussions of human origins. While the discussion has some place in contemporary meditation on the nature of what it means to be human, it has largely fallen on hard times. This is so for a variety of reasons, which we describe in a moment. The discussion, as it stands, is largely relegated to dogmatic reflections and niche philosophical discussions about personhood. But, this shouldn’t be, which we hope The Origin of the Soul: A Conversation will show. 

William Hasker advances reasons that he believes favors his version of emergent dualism. He proceeds in a similar way as I wish to proceed here, along Chisholm lines. What’s the evidence for his view—all the others. And, what’s the evidence for what I propose as a kind of neo-Cartesianism—all the others, including Hasker’s. 

“De-Conditioning and Images of the Mind” explores the categories of Stephen Priest as developed in his article, “The Unconditioned Soul.” Through an analysis of historical and contemporary examples of the “conditioned” mode in recent philosophical and scientific discussions of the mind, the article articulates limitations of the proposed methods and advances examples of “de-conditioning” the mind that point in the direction of what Priest calls the “unconditioned.” 

Who are you, really? It’s a good question and one that Joshua Rasmussen takes up in his most recent publication. Rasmussen approaches one of the most important philosophical and theological issues by developing an answer that is at once thoughtful, clear, and written for a broad audience. His answer is a theistic one that requires that we are ensouled beings of some sort, which grounds the dignity of all human beings, and requires an ultimate explanation in Divine action. These are commendable goals. With that said, his approach has significant deficiencies. The following will note both his contribution and its deficiencies.

As the title suggests, Rasmussen is interested in exploring the question of “you,” your existence, and why it is that you exist. It is, in one sense, the most important or fundamental question to answer. While one might think that there are other questions that are central to the meaningful life (for …

We are seeing new trends in Theology that presume naturalism as a framework for constructive theology called theological naturalism (a part of the new naturalism). Positively, these new trends are opening up, afresh, discussions in Science and religion concerning divine action, consciousness, and Science and Theology (ie the theological turn in Science). There are, however, some concerns with theological naturalism. The present article addresses some of these concerns briefly after summarizing the new movement within contemporary Theology through the lens of Sarah Lane Ritchie, one of its recent expositors and most significant defenders. The fundamental concern has to do with the role of intuitions, generally, and the nature of consciousness specifically. While theological naturalism is relatively young as a project, the following is more of a prompt and encouragement to develop the project more deeply and to flesh out some of the proposals in ways that might conduce greater appreciation and grasp of how a theological naturalist might conceive of consciousness, imagination, the mind, and Divine action. 

Pain reveals the reality of both the mental and the physical. It is fundamental to the nature and experience of suffering and constitutes it, so any discussion about the problem of suffering presumes the problem of pain. It is the dual nature of physical pain which consists of both the private state of pain and the appearance of physical locatedness that must be accounted for in any ontology of mind. It is these apparently contradictory properties of pain that we examine and aim to shed some light on through a consideration of the various metaphysical responses.

The approach we take is this: through a brief survey of the general problem of pain, we focus our attention on different ontologies that might undergird the phenomenon of pain. There are, broadly speaking, three basic ontological responses: physicalism, dualism, and idealism. Despite the common belief that physical pain is some real feature of consciousness yet …

As divergent as they seem to be, In God's Image; Marriage, Family and the Church; Restless Devices; and, Believing in Bits all have several overlapping themes that center on the embodied nature of the imago Dei. Each presents a set of questions that prompt consideration of how 'technology' influences, shapes, and informs our embodied practice of religion. In God's Image and Marriage, Family and the Church give us a broad vision of the human that helps situate and theologically engage the themes, concerns, and developing challenges in Restless Devices and Believing in Bits. The latter two gesture in the direction that aid us in thinking about the liturgical nature of what it means to be human. In God's Image offers a sampling of different proposals primarily from a Protestant perspective that open up questions for how one ought to unify the themes and teleological nature of the body. Through a brief interaction … 

As divergent as they seem to be, In God's Image; Marriage, Family and the Church; Restless Devices; and, Believing in Bits all have several overlapping themes that center on the embodied nature of the imago Dei. Each presents a set of questions that prompt consideration of how ‘technology’ influences, shapes, and informs our embodied practice of religion. In God's Image and Marriage, Family and the Church give us a broad vision of the human that helps situate and theologically engage the themes, concerns, and developing challenges in Restless Devices and Believing in Bits. The latter two gesture in the direction that aid us in thinking about the liturgical nature of what it means to be human. In God's Image offers a sampling of different proposals primarily from a Protestant perspective that open up questions for how one ought to unify the themes and teleological nature of the body. Through a brief interaction … 

Tyndale recommends www.stepbible.org –a free and reputable online resource developed by Tyndale House (Cambridge, England)–for word searches of original-language texts, as well as for topical searches, interlinear texts, dictionaries, etc. Refer to the library for other online resources for Biblical Studies.

Are We Bodies or Souls? Richard Swinburne, Oxford University Press, 2023 (ISBN 978-0-19-887495-9), vi + 202 pp., pb £9.99

The nature of familial identity is central to a growing number of theological works. The authors of the volumes here each represent a different set of issues, disciplines, and perspectives. The discussions, ironically, center around family. Made in the Image of God gives the readers a series of reflections on diverse theological topics oscillating around the image and identity. Forming Resilient Children is unlike Made in the Image of God in that it is not strictly speaking a theological reflection on diverse issues, but a work of developmental psychology focusing on the nature of the child and the familial context for the child. Married Priests in the Catholic Church offers the reader a series of ecclesial engagements on the topic of the vocation of priesthood as either married or celibate. Overlapping with the previous two volumes in content by touching on identity, the image of God, and the nature of creaturely relations to God …

Abstract Professor of Theology at Loyola University of Maryland, Frederick Bauerschmidt has given us a gift for soulful meditation. For Barth and Bauerschmidt, the task of the theologian, and the preacher (for both they are generally the same role) is to bring revelation to the world, which it so desperately needs. All in all, the present collection is an artful and poetic collection of sermons that deserve the Christian's time and reflection.[Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Reviews in Religion & Theology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract …

Holy Grounds is a charming exploration of the relation between coffee and religion, as the title suggests. I say charming because it is not a typical book. It is neither a gift book nor is it an academic work. It falls somewhere in between. And, in this way, the reader may be surprised by more than simply the various connections between coffee and faith. Some readers will be surprised by the content, argument, and scope. This is why it is important to get a clear sense of the audience in view.

Rev. Tim Schenck does not advance a devotional or a gift book as he states early on. He offers a series of reflections between coffee and religion. His use of the word “faith” is a general reference to religion generally. The careful reader may expect him to define what he means by faith and how it is that is related specifically to coffee. But this is not his real aim. Rev. Schenck is not approaching the topic as a theologian or a philosopher …

The Soul as Imago Dei: Modernizing Traditional Theological Anthropology Saved in: Bibliographic Details Published in: T&T Clark handbook of analytic theology Main Author: Farris, Joshua R.

The doctrine of original sin has fallen on hard times in contemporary theology. The trend seems to be that if you can do without it (especially that unappealing notion called guilt from that unappealing figure of which too many sins are attributed—Augustine), then you should. As with all good collections that discuss different views, Original Sin and the Fall gives the reader a fairly healthy sampling of views, plenty for a beginner to get their feet wet. The challenge with such a collection is canvasing a sufficient array of options concerning this complex doctrine. While there is much to say of a positive nature about this collection, there is also much to be desired.

There is a general tendency in four of the five views to deny original guilt and the Fall as unnecessary elements of one’s doctrine of original sin. Unfortunately, this reflects an all too common tendency in contemporary theology that fails to ground the universality of sin …

What is the nature of heaven? And, what is heaven like? This entry addresses the conceivability and nature of heaven. One important question is raised: what is it like to experience heaven? Heaven is a place where God resides (although God is immaterial, so it is not as if God takes up a physical, spatial location in the way that humans do), and the saints experience the immaterial and invisible God as love, goodness, beauty, and truth. Through an exposition of two distinct aspects of heaven, this entry provides some meaningful answers to the question of what heaven is like. One aspect focuses on the invisible and immaterial nature of heaven where the saints experience nonphysical transcendent realities. Another aspect that theologians have recently developed emphasizes the reality of heaven on the new earth as a physical reality because of the newly resurrected physical bodies. 

There are a growing number of thoughtful works in philosophical and theological anthropology. Agnes Howard’s Showing is one of them. It is not your typical piece of philosophical and theological anthropology, but it is a needed one. Moving on from treatments of what it means to 

Joshua Jipp builds on the royal Davidic foundations he finds in the works ascribed to Paul in I Christ Is King I (Fortress, 2015) by expanding his scope in I The Messianic Theology of the New Testament I. Jipp even highlights how patristic writers like Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria had to argue at some length that Jesus is anointed at his baptism, rather than just citing a passage and being done with it. Chapters on Christology and Soteriology follow, in which Jipp argues that each step of the biographical narrative of Jesus's life is important in understanding his messianic role.[Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Reviews in Religion & Theology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be …

FS’“I did it my way” sums up a not too uncommon theme in contemporary culture. Arguably, this captures the end of Western classical liberalism and its infatuation with individualism (ie, the view that a society should be justly governed on the basis of individual rights of which egalitarianism is at the heart). But, there is another problem endemic to the history of theology for which it is a tting analogue, namely, Pelagianism (ie, the heresy that humans are not affected by original sin and, in fact, are quite capable of choosing good or evil and satisfying the just demands of God). Pelagianism, at its core, places the utmost value in what we as humans do and what it is that we bring to God. However, and unmistakably, the Christian message is one where God the Son descends to give us the gi s of life and blessing from which Christ brings us to God. Both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism have rejected Pelagianism as … 

Love, Divine and Human: Contemporary Essays in Systematic and Philosophical Theology, Oliver Crisp, James Arcadi, and Jordan Wessling (eds.), T&T Clark, 2021, 272 pp., pb 39.95

When we wait for a significant other, it is not as if we are waiting for someone who looks like her, talks like her, or even walks like her. Instead, what we want is her. And, the same goes for the afterlife: if there is an afterlife, we long to see our loved ones. Not those who look like our loved ones, who sound like them, or even smell like them, but we actually want them. In the study of human nature, this is, arguably, one of the modern insights on humanity. The question of the “particularity” of human beings matters. In technical philosophical studies, the question of “particularity” is a question of thisness (i.e., the fact that objects are countable as discrete in virtue of some property or feature that makes an object what it is). What makes one person this person rather than that person? By showing how the concept of thisness is important in modern and contemporary theology, I will argue for a specific view as that which … 

Following on the heels of work done in particular by Justin Barrett and other cognitive scientists of religion, Kelly Clark does not so much advance the discussion, but he does make an appealing and readable case for the benefits found in cognitive science for religious studies. In this way, he offers the theologian and religious scholar unfamiliar with cognitive science an introduction, as it were, to the subject and its implications for a wide set of issues already thoughtfully developed in the literature. In I God and the Brain, i Clark gives an overview for how religiously inclined philosophers and theologians can use the resources in cognitive science within a reliabilist epistemology.[Extracted from the article]

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Heavenly Bodies: Incarnation, the Gaze, and Embodiment in Christian Theology, Ola Sigurdson, Eerdmans, 2016 (ISBN 978-0-8028-7166-4), x + 673 pp., hb $60 Saved in: Bibliographic Details Published in: Reviews in religion and theology … 

There has been an uptick in important works exploring the afterlife and the nature of death from theological, philosophical, and social perspectives. Several works come to mind, including I The Palgrave Handbook of the Afterlife i, I Heaven and Philosophy i, I The Oxford Handbook to Eschatology i, and I The Oxford Handbook to Death i to mention just three important analytic works. I The Philosophy of Death Reader i is an important contribution as a textbook for seminars on death and the afterlife.[Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Reviews in Religion & Theology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to …

In the present article, I develop what I will call the ‘perfect duplicate’ problem for emergentist views of mental substances. In brief, the problem has to do with the particularity of the mental substance, which requires a metaphysical individuator (not simply an epistemic individuator) that makes me me and does not depend on properties (ie, universals that are multiply-exemplifiable). Emergentist accounts of minds do not give us a sufficient reason for thinking that this mind is sufficiently distinct from that mind because an emergentist account of individual thisness depends either on properties or on a brute particularity that lacks a sufficient explanation. This is where the emergent mechanism is crucial in precluding the right sort of particularity for the origins of personal identity. Emergentism fails as an explanation for the origins of personal identity, but a traditional variant of a mental substance which is not dependent on a generalizable or universalizable process does not fail, at least not obviously, as an explanation. 

When you enter into a beautiful party, you expect to see specific items and specific guests. At times there is that absent guest whom everyone seems to know, but no one is talking about. In some cases, the absentee guest is the central fixture of the party, but without her, everything else feels a bit out of place. After reading The Emergence of Personhood: A Quantum Leap?, the informed reader may come away feeling: ‘yes, this is a beautiful party with several important items and guests, but what about this or that’. Before jumping into those absentee individuals, we must consider the work and its positive contributions.

The Emergence of Personhood is a compilation of essays from a variety of scholars representing a variety of positions and disciplinary perspectives (eg biblical scholars, theologians, philosophers, scientists, and social scientists). This is undoubtedly one of the strengths. The authors are concerned with …

What may seem astonishing is the near dismissal of the beatific vision doctrine in the last 50+ years of biblical and theological scholarship in contrast to the emphasis given to it throughout church history. The state of theological scholarship is changing. In what follows, we set forth a short survey of a theology of the beatific vision, while also introducing the rest of the volume on the beatific vision and theosis, of which we take to have an intimate and overlapping relationship. The editorial article has four parts: it begins by (1) introducing some of the relevant biblical material on the vision, proceeding to (2) develop a theological interpretation of those passages, and then (3) offer a short historical survey of the doctrine, focusing on the relevant medieval and Reformed developments. It finally (4) introduces the articles of the issue. 

University Press publication, Analytic Theology: New Essays in the Philosophy of Theology, edited by Oliver D. Crisp and Michael C. Rea. AT was arguably represented, prior to this publication, by the proto-analytic theologian Richard Swinburne in his noteworthy works on Christian doctrine (eg Providence and the Problem of Evil, Responsibility and Atonement, The Christian God, Faith and Reason, and The Resurrection of God Incarnate), as well as by other professional philosophers of religion such as Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Richard Swinburne, William Alston, Eleonore Stump, Robert and Marilyn McCord Adams, Basil Mitchell, Keith Yandell, Paul Helm, and Stephen T. Davis, among others. These philosophers were addressing such topics as the coherence of theism, the rationality of religious belief, and the contributions of such philosophical theologians of the medieval past including Thomas … 

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Death Saved in: Bibliographic Details Published in: Southwestern journal of theology Authors: Farris, Joshua R. ; Damore, Matthew Format: Electronic Review … 

Known by God: A Biblical Theology of Personal Identity, Brian S. Rosner, Zondervan, 2017 (ISBN 978-0-310-49982-4), 274 pp., pb 29.99

The scholastic character of theological education in New England during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is reflected in part by a variety of surviving lists of theological questions. These lists--varying in content, length, and intent and most of them missing their corresponding answers--offer insight into the program of theological education in New England before and during its institutionalization, beginning with Andover Seminary (c. 1808). 1 Representing the dissemination of New England theology, in 1882, Bibliotheca Sacra published 2 lists of questions entitled," The Theological Questions of President Edwards, Senior, and Dr Edwards, His Son." 2 The first list is ascribed to President Jonathan Edwards and consists of 90 questions, the order and nature of which resemble a concise systematic account of doctrine. The second list, ascribed to Dr Jonathan Edwards Jr., consists of a formidable 313 … 

Posthumanism: A Guide for the Perplexed, Peter Mahon, Bloomsbury, 2017 (ISBN 978-1-4742-3680-5), vi + 346 pp., pb £21.99

Sophisticated treatments intersecting with theism and naturalism are growing. The Iconic Imagination is among the best of the most recent treatments which include, for example, The Golden Cord by Charles Taliaferro and The Soul of the World by Roger Scruton. Douglas Hedley presents the reader with a beautifully rich philosophical vision of the world as a representation of God. By drawing from famous Neo-platonists (eg Plotinus, Proclus, and Augustine), Cambridge Platonists (eg More and Coleridge) and, more recently, Lewis and Farrer, Hedley constructively explores the nature of human imagination as a metaphysical relation to God. Images provide both revelation and mystery, which propel us to reach higher and deeper in our search for the divine. With metaphysical naturalism in mind, Hedley offers the reader an alternative vision of the world from the perspective of the sublime and the transcendent—or … 

Between Death and Resurrection: A Critical Response to Recent Catholic Debate Concerning the Intermediate State, Stephen Yates, Bloomsbury, 2017 (ISBN 978-1-5013-1228-1), viii +280 pp., hb £96 

Eternal God, Eternal Life: Theological Investigations into the Concept of Immortality, Philip G. Ziegler (ed.), Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016 (ISBN 978-0-567-66683-3), xiv + 215 pp., hb £70

Jeffrey E. Brower: Aquinas’s ontology of the material world: Change, hylomorphism, and material objects: Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014, 350 pp, $74.00

Defining material reality is notoriously difficult. Saying this, material reality is significantly relevant to what is meaningful to human beings. Material reality is relevant to sexuality, gender, death, digestion, to our embodied life in general, and other related states and activities. In Aquinas’s Ontology of the Material World, Brower carefully works through the literature, both primary and secondary, in order to understand Thomas’s material ontology. As he tirelessly works through some of the literature, he advances his own interpretation of Thomas and, more provocatively, proposes a variant interpretation of Thomist human beings. Thomas believes the material world is created. All objects in the material world are not wholly physical or reductively physical in nature, but objects exist as some kind of configuration of ‘prime matter’ and ‘form’. However, it is difficult to interpret Thomas’s understanding of matter. Drawing, to some … 

A Kryptic Model of the Incarnation is a significant contribution to Christological studies. Init, Andrew Ter Ern Loke not only offers several novel insights into the Christological discussions, but advances a novel model of the incarnation. He calls this the Kryptic (ie, hidden) model or the Divine preconscious model of the incarnation, not to be confused with the Divine subconscious model (49). Loke advances a novel take on the Kryptic model of the incarnation, which he argues solves problems besetting alternative contemporary models (11). By Kryptic, he is conveying to the reader that the divine consciousness is somehow ‘veiled’ or hidden during Christ’s life on earth (20). How he achieves his objective is significant. His approach interacts with historical-critical studies, philosophy, and theology. Accordingly, he shows the reader that the deliverances of historical-critical studies provide evidence for the traditional view of the … 

Matter is a fiction. There is no material substance. No substratum. No extended unthinking substance. There are only minds and ideas. To think this way about the world, about persons, indeed, about every created and uncreated thing, is to be an “idealist.” Little else in philosophy provokes as many quizzical, browraising looks and sometimes outright ridicule, as one who claims to be an idealist. For contemporary philosophers of religion as well as theologians, idealism is peculiar, to say the least. Yet idealism and its main thesis, that minds are most real and the physical world is mind-dependent, has proven to be extraordinarily resistant to refutation.

Still, many contemporary philosophers regard idealism as an unpalatable metaphysical approach to the world. In the recent history of philosophy, few works have appeared that favorably portray idealism as a plausible philosophical perspective. Considerably less has …

Fully Alive: The Glory of God and the Human Creature in Karl Barth, Hans Urs von Balthasar and Theological Exegesis of Scripture, Jason A. Fout, Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-567-65943-9), Viii + 213 pp., hb £70 

Masterson’s works are few but precious. There was Atheism and Alienation in 1973 and The Sense of Creation in 2008. These are characterized by both a stout maintenance of tradition and an incredible openness and curiosity about the new. In 2008 he produced a book with Seamus Heaney, Articulations: Poetry, Philosophy, and the Shaping of Culture. Now emeritus from University College, Dublin, he has produced a culminating chef d’oeuvre; it carries forward the same traits that no one else practices to the same degree: first of all, a meticulous and exhaustive scholarship that is so little concerned to show itself off and is worn so lightly that you at first suspect it doesn’t exist, until he pulls out the apt quote or the most arcane reference that sums up a point perfectly. Secondly, a concern to do total justice to a new position such that he works himself completely inside it and describes its unexamined assumptions … 

BOOK REVIEWS 363 philosophy of religion, the authors address such topics as the nature of God, human minds, and religious epistemology. This work began at the British Society of Philosophy of Religion biennial conference of 2011, held at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. While a book of this kind cannot capture all the work presented, it offers the reader a sampling of the important topics explored at that meeting. There is a common worry today against philosophy of religion relevant to our discussion of God, Mind and Knowledge: there appears to be an impressive amount of disagreement among philosophers of religion that is unresolvable. Does this reveal a deep shortcoming in the field? God, Mind and Knowledge dispels that worry by showing that the disagreements among the contributors are not deep and do not represent intractable problems that eliminate the possibility for consensus. This … 

As a piece of natural theology or atheology, Surviving Death is a carefully crafted defense of a naturalistic view of death and the afterlife. Johnston meticulously works through the philosophical and theological literature on the nature of persons and defends a theology of death that is at once in accord with religious naturalism married with a Buddhist notion of the self. As a sequel to Saving God, this is a thoughtful construction of the surviving ‘self’without resorting to a supernatural explanation of the afterlife. In addition to rejecting supernatural explanations of the afterlife, Johnston, necessarily, rejects other related, albeit traditional, notions intimately tied to the traditional view of the afterlife. Due to the length and comprehensive nature of Johnston’s approach it is impossible to cover everything. I will address the main contours of Johnston’s argument, discuss some highlights and offer some evaluative thoughts … 

Deviant Calvinism might strike some as an unusual title for a system of doctrine associated with such deviant and unwholesome ideas. However, Oliver CrispintendstocommunicatethenotionthatCalvinismincludesnonstandard and eccentric teachings. In this way, it is expected that Crisp will incite both celebration for some and provocation for others. In order to help the reader, some terminological distinctions are in order. Crisp explores Calvinism as a sub-setofdoctrinal commitments (eg, soteriological, seepage236) within the Reformed tradition rather than a sociological term for a historical movement tryingtobringaboutreformintheRomanCatholicinstitutionfromwithin (14). A-historical charges notwithstanding, Crisp believes this approach has some traction (236). As such, Crisp suggests a kind of widening of the confessional options available and providing a “softer face” to Calvinism than is normally attached by … 

Should We Live Forever? The Ethical Ambiguities, Gilbert Meilaender, Eerdmans, 2013 (ISBN 978-0-8028-6869-5), xiv + 121 pp., pb 18 

Bible, Gender, Sexuality: Reframing the Church's Debate on Same-Sex Relationships, James V. Brownson, Eerdmans, 2013 (ISBN 978-0-8028-6863-3), xii + 300 pp., pb 29 

Lavazza A. and Robinson H., eds. (2014): Contemporary Du- alism: A Defense, Routledge, New York. ISBN 978-0-415- 81882-7 (USD 140.-; hbk). 

As a work of constructive philosophical-theology, this disse11ation offers an account of theological anthropology by drawing from person-body substance dualism (e.g. pure, compound, and composite). To that end, I (i) philosophically defend substance dualism and parse out three kinds of substance dualism for exploration; (ii) show how substance dualism ontology persuasively accounts for the Scriptural narrative on human beings (the interface of philosophy and biblical-theology); (iii) defend person-body substance dualism as the most natural accounting for the New Testament teaching on the afterlife; (iv) constructively link contemporary dualism to the debate on the origin of the soul and put forward one novel model of origins; (v) draw out the implications from the various views on the soul's origin. 

Joshua R. Farris, Surviving death, by Mark Johnston, Princeton & Oxford, Princeton University Press, 2010, 408 pp., $29.95 , ISBN 9780691130132

In a long tradition of allegorical writing from John Bunyan’s (2007) Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) to CS Lewis’s (2008) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), Philip Pullman contributes a unique piece of literature. In contrast to Bunyan, John Milton, and Lewis, who offer a Christian perspective on the world, Pullman advances a contrastive picture of the world according to his atheistic naturalism (the belief that the world is closed to physical causes and effects, thereby excluding a supernatural entity [ies]). Uniquely, he writes the first allegory post-Second World War and Darwin, which offers a critique of theism. By re-telling Christian allegories, Pullman creatively adds an atheistic spin to symbols that have shaped, and continue to shape, Christian thought. Normally, we think of the theism and naturalism debate in the context of philosophy and theology, but here we find the debate emerging in fiction. 

Naturally, Robinson begins in the historical discussion on the scripture’s portrayal of the imago Dei. Robinson highlights the early church fathers’ emphasis on man’s desire for God, journey back to God, and balances this with the Protestant-Reformation emphasis upon man’s inability to satisfy God because of sin. Robinson concludes by leading the reader to consider three figures who provide fertile soil for an ecumenically satisfyingimago Dei–Barth, Balthasar and Moltmann (chapter 1). He begins with Barth’s pessimistic and ‘sombre’view of man and argues that Barth provides ecumenical potential through relational ontology of God’s concrete activity in Christ. Robinson argues that Barth’s view leaves man passive in the process, yet Barth tills the ground for man’s dynamic quest towards God (chapter 2). Balthasar, according to Robinson, with due respect for Barth, builds on this positive foundation (p. 103). This … 

Book reviews and points them in the direction of their need for the Creator (p. 1). Nelson’s objective is not to give us a thorough and detailed understanding of sin as a concept, but to explore the concept of sin as a ‘kind of collage’which demonstrates the inextricability of both Christian thought and sin (p. 17). Nelson’s view is that sin cannot be pinned down, just as the nature of God cannot be pinned down (p. 118). Nelson, relying on Barth, argues that multi-faceted definitions of sin should be held in tension (see especially chapter 4), yet these definitions reduce to a description of man’s being against God (p. 118). By way of summary, let me offer a brief outline of how Nelson proceeds. Interestingly, he begins in chapter 1 introducing the theme of the book whereby sin is a kind of good news for humanity, then he considers objections raised against sin language and some historical views on sin. In chapters 2–4 … 

In a time when most would consider the doctrine of purgatory as problematic and medieval, Jerry l. Walls rehabilitates the doctrine for the purpose of contemporary discussion. As a philosopher in the Protestant and Wesleyan tradition, Walls brings fresh eyes to the doctrine of purgatory that is often associated with roman Catholicism. In the spirit of CS lewis, Walls offers us a feast of thoughts on purgatory that logically and coherently link salvation and sanctification in this world to glorification in the next. Purgatory is also the culmination of a series of works Walls has written on the afterlife with Hell: The Logic of Damnation and Heaven: The Logic of Joy.

As to the structure of the work, Walls proceeds from the historical, the philosophical, to a contemporary construction of the doctrine of purgatory by drawing from CS lewis on salvation and purgatory. The aim of the book is to assess the logic of the doctrine of purgatory and provide a view that has ecumenical promise not only to roman Catholics, but to the rest of the Christian tradition–the orthodox Church and the Protestant Church. In chapter 1, Walls offers a short canvassing of historical views on purgatory. Walls proceeds to look at objections from his tradition in chapter 2. In chapter 3, he offers various models of purgatory, broadly including Satisfaction models and Sanctification models. In chapters 4 and 5, he considers the problem of personal identity in purgatory, specifically the notion of stability and change, and the possibility of a ‘second chance’for those who did not accept the satisfaction offered in Christ. The last two chapters include a constructive proposal of purgatory that is ecumenical in …

In his engaging work on theological anthropology, Robert Spaemann addresses the matter of human nature from a natural law and theological perspective that is rooted in the Catholic tradition of thought. The book is comprised of three chapters that were originally presented at the 2010 McGivney Lectures of the Pontifical John Paul ii Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (The Catholic University of America). Spaemann addresses the fundamental questions on the nature of human beings in fresh and creative ways by bringing the natural law tradition of old with a kind of personalism into dialogue with contemporary issues such as ethics, technology, neuroscience, medicine, and, more specifically, in the context of the German constitution (Spaemann’s home). He argues that humans have dignity grounded in the relationship to others and to God, wherein the fulfilment of ‘nature’—that is, human nature—can only … 

As a contribution to the discussion over ramified natural theology, I put forward a some lines of thought for a distinctively Cartesian variation of natural theology that points in the direction of the Christian God as a mind and as personal. I propose that Cartesian natural theology, as commonly seen in the literature on substance dualism, see the soul as a “sign” or “pointer” to God such that we, as human persons, seem to have access to God’s nature and existence via the soul (mind) as a rationale for the world full of persons. On this basis, I respond to a common anti-Cartesian charge (s) from subjectivism and suggest that this approach deserves further consideration concerning theological prolegomena. 

In Screening the Afterlife, Christopher Deacy critically and insightfully pushes the discussion on theology and film forward. Deacy, being no stranger to this discussion, has constructively engaged with a variety of topics including Christology, faith and theology in general. Here he is concerned with a particular doctrinal locus within Christian thought traditionally referred to as eschatology, or the study of the afterlife. Having said this, his approach is distinct from others that have preceded it. He is not much interested in criticizing the culture through the lens of film, nor is he interested in developing a systematic theology by drawing from film (20–21). Instead, Deacy’s focus is on the correlations and distinctions found between theology (especially academic and historical theology) and film as a reflection of cultural phenomena and their emerging social consciousness (33). Thus, his view is that theology and film have … 

Personal Identity and Resurrection offers thoughtful and critical solutions to the problem of personal survival after somatic death. The authors, who participated in the university of Innsbruck 2008 summer conference, rigorously engage in ways to make sense of the conjunction of both personal identity and persistence from somatic death, the possible intermediate state, and the physical resurrection. Yet it offers more than a defense of survival in Christian philosophy of religion and moves beyond the foundations to construct theology. Thus, a careful, yet dense, treatment contributes to the discussion and provides many avenues worthy of further research. 

In an age where naturalistic views of the world and physicalist views of persons conceal the notion of the soul, Taliaferro and Goetz offer a comprehensive defense of the soul as substance. both show that the concept of a soul comes from a rich tradition of thought, is enjoying a present resurgence and has a promising future. Systematically, the authors discuss a range of views concerning personhood. Carefully and critically Taliaferro and Goetz move from Plato in Ancient times through the Continental thought up to present contemporary literature on souls. While it is historical it is not simply a commentary of views but it is intimately tied to present-day problems and insights as seen in cognitive science, philosophy of mind and philosophical theology, which Taliaferro and Goetz persuasively argue. Clearly, the book is a efense more specifically of substance dualism (3-4). This is the notion that fundamentally there are two kinds of things in reference to human persons. The structure includes Ancient Greek thought, medieval Christian thought, Continental thought, modern thought, contemporary problems raised against the soul and future considerations and projects concerning the soul. First, Taliaferro and Goetz consider the two most prominent figures in the history of thought on the Soul, namely Plato and Aristotle in Greek thought. Second, the authors work through the medieval Christian views of Augustine and Aquinas by linking their theological construction to the philosophical perspectives of both Plato and Aristotle. Third, the authors consider the thought of Descartes, 

As unpleasant as it may be to contemporary thinkers, anger (or wrath) is characteristic of God’s relationship to human moral corruption. 1 The Scriptures are replete with descriptions of God’s anger toward those who have violated his moral law (eg, Deuteronomy 9.8; Exodus 15.7; Exodus 32.10–11; Numbers 11.1–2; Job 4.9; Isaiah 13.5; Jeremiah 32.29; Lamentations 2.2; Numbers 32.13; Ezekiel 7.8; Isaiah 13.9; Daniel 8.19; Deuteronomy 31.17; 2 Kings 17.18; Psalm 78.59; Matthew 3.7). However much the subject of Divine anger is a prominent theme in the Scriptures, it is, by contrast, not a prominent theme in contemporary theological literature. Some notable exceptions notwithstanding, in this chapter we engage the subject of Divine anger as it relates specifically to the work of Christ and the demands of God’s moral law. In what follows, we provide an account of Divine anger from a distinctively Reformed theological perspective. For it seems to us that Divine anger is an emotive state that must be described in the context of covenantal relations between God and humans (and humans with other humans) that is ruled or governed by human obligations of Divine justice.

Following some brief engagement with one principal (and profitable) source from among the literature on Divine emotions, we set out three objectives. First, and by way of laying some necessary groundwork, we consider God’s relation to the end for which he is said to have created the world; what we will later refer to as an account of Divine egoism. Second, we develop

The Origin of the Soul is a contemporary retrieval of an important theological discussion throughout history. The origin of the soul is thought by many to be an outdated discussion that is theologically antiquated. And, yet, in recent years, there has been a renewed and growing interest not only in the soul, immaterial substances, and theistic explanations for the origins of consciousness but also a more vibrant interest in the origins of the soul and the implications it has for numerous theological topics. This is due, in part, to the growing recognition in theistic circles that we are not material beings—at least not solely, but rather we are ensouled beings and it is this part, aspect, or feature of us that needs some explaining beyond biological evolution. The conversation that takes place in this volume will be of interest to scholars and students of both theology and philosophy. 

Agency/Volition Page 1 1 Agency/Volition Entry for The Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia eds. Harry Stout, Kenneth Minkema and Adriaan Neele (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014) Joshua Farris, Houston Baptist University https://www.academia.edu/7784021/Agency_Volition Foundational to an Edwardsian Theological Anthropology, agency and volition are crucial for understanding not only God but also humans in relation to God. Central to understanding human salvation, the affections (see Religious Affections, part 3 section 7), faith, and human purpose (“as benevolence to Being in general”), Edwards construes both Divine and human agency as the freedom to do what one desires and not as the freedom to do otherwise. All agent choices are not only caused but also determined broadly speaking. For Edwards, this applies both to God and humans (see Freedom of the Will, part 1 section 2, part 2). Edwards rejects … 

Center For Christian Thought, The Table, Aug 7, 2015 

Patheos, 2017

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Philosophy Now Issue 107 April/May 2015, Apr 2015 

Blogos: The Official Blog of the Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology at the University of St. Andrews, 2018 

Ryan A. Brandt and Joshua R. Farris, “A Theology of Seeing, Experiencing, and Vision: An Editorial Introduction,” in special issue, “Baptist and Reformed Theologies of Vision and Deification,” Perichoresis 17/2 (Summer 2019): 3-18.
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The recent Trump success reflects a grassroots call to an active and politically engaged citizenship. But some, even many, would have you believe this is at odds with our Christian practice. In recent years, the call to “pray for revival” has echoed throughout churches, a cry that grows louder as political and cultural turbulence deepens. It’s a phrase that has become deeply embedded in the collective Christian consciousness, often invoked in times of crisis and uncertainty. 

The literature on the Trinity in analytic philosophical theology is flourishing as classical theists following the Latin Trinity are vigorously making defenses for the coherence of their view against the burgeoning interest in social trinitarianism. One of the issues that needs illumination in this discussion concerns the nature of the Trinitarian persons, which we take to be central to the discussions on a coherent Trinity doctrine (Howard-Snyder 2009). 

Theology is often perceived as irrelevant in contemporary culture, but anyone familiar with John Zizioulas's work knows theology is anything 

What’s all the fuss surrounding Stephen Wolfe’s The Case for Christian Nationalism? A year since its publication, the book is still garnering regular attention. But, why is Wolfe receiving so much criticism? It obviously has something to do with the fact that he has written the first book-length defense of Christian Nationalism. That is, Wolfe presents the first and most obvious target for opponents of more muscular political Christianity, but also for critics of the use of the label itself. 

Review Are We Bodies or Souls? Richard Swinburne, Oxford University Press, 2023 (ISBN 978-0-19-887495-9), vi + 202 pp., pb £9.99 First published: 23 November 2023 No abstract is available for this article. 

No abstract is available for this article. Related Information Theatre and Philosophy The Art of Theater, by . Oxford: Blackwell, 2007, xv + 226 pp. ISBN 978-1-4051-1353-3 hb £21.99 The Necessity of Theater, by . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008, xiii + 257 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-533200-1 hb £17.99; ISBN 978-0-19-539480-1 pb £10.99 The Drama of Ideas, by . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, xii + 254 pp. 

Secularism is on the rise and one of the narratives motivating it is the view that God is no longer needed to explain consciousness and its origins. A new view on consciousness is increasingly gaining attention in science and religion discussions. This is both promising and disheartening.

Abstract As divergent as they seem to be, In God's Image; Marriage, Family and the Church; Restless Devices; and, Believing in Bits all have several overlapping themes that center on the embodied nature of the imago Dei. Each presents a set of questions that prompt consideration of how ‘technology’ influences, shapes, and informs our embodied practice of religion.

Review How Beautiful the World Could Be: Christian Reflections on the Everyday, Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt, Eerdmans, 2022 (ISBN 978-0-8028-8021-5), xii + 230 pp., pb $22.99 First published: 10 April 2023 No abstract is available for this article.

Abstract The nature of familial identity is central to a growing number of theological works. The authors of the volumes here each represent a different set of issues, disciplines, and perspectives. The discussions, ironically, center around family. Made in the Image of God gives the readers a series of reflections on diverse theological topics oscillating around the image and identity.

We have all had that unusual guest who doesn’t quite fit in, at least not in our respectable circles. The belief in the soul is like that unusual and unwelcome guest that doesn’t quite fit in, at least not in respectable scientific circles. The notion of the soul as being the core of persons who are free, have religious experiences, and potentially exist disembodied is deemed by scientists of various backgrounds as outmoded and expired.

By Joshua Farris, Op-ed contributor | Thursday, March 02, 2023The creational family described in the Old Testament, yet picked up in some places in the New, provides a lens for the redeemed family in the way that natural or created marriage provides a lens to Christ and His bride explicitly highlighted in Ephesians 5 and Revelation 22. This provides, then, the context for how Christians ought to think about parenting. But how do we apply it to adoptive children?

What is biblical theology? There is actually more than valid, useful definition of “biblical theology,” and we’ll share why in a moment—but here’s an answer to help us get started. It will help us to ask several questions about biblical theology: Where did biblical theology come from?

Recently, I came across the life and work of Lemuel Haynes, the first Black man to be ordained as a minister in the United States. As a fellow New Englander, I was predisposed to like him. After reading some of his writings, my admiration was cemented.

Dementia patients have a lot to teach us about the soul. I am reminded of interactions with my grandmother. Throughout her life, she would often sing at random times while she was cooking, cleaning, or simply walking about the house. She would sing songs — songs of faith. She would often sing songs like "Amazing Grace," "I’ll Fly Away," and other great hymns she was raised with.

Is it meaningful to speak of “pets” in the Bible? Some claim “pet” is a purely modern category, so much so that what a modern person would call a “pet” does not exist in the Bible. If so, then to speak of “pets in the Bible” at all is to impose an anachronism on the text. There certainly are modern distinctions to pet ownership.

A few months ago, my wife began exhibiting some unusual neurocognitive behavior, which prompted me to take her to the emergency room. An MRI revealed she had a “quite sizable” brain tumor, to quote the doctor who broke the terrifying news. Days later, it was diagnosed as a lymphoma and curable (thank God), but the cancerous tumor was so large that I could see it pushing the surrounding brain matter aside in the MRI images.

We are often told less is more—like when putting on perfume. A little can leave someone wanting just a bit more. A similar principle is applied in science—the principle of simplicity that says that if a simple theory or hypothesis is able to adequately explain some phenomenon just as well as a more complex theory, then the simple is more likely to be true because it has fewer variables to contend with.

We are now seeing seismic shifts in perception about sex, gender, and marriage. You might think this has been occurring for some time now, and you wouldn’t be wrong about that. But, granting that as truth, the shift seems especially pressing in the last several years where fundamental, traditional assumptions about these issues are being reinvisioned. The plausibility structure of the gender binary is losing its grip on contemporary consciousness.

“The basic purpose of a liberal arts education is to liberate the human being to exercise his or her potential to the fullest.” – Barbara M. WhiteA humanities education was originally intended as a liberation of the soul. Of course, that means that there is such a thing as a soul, you and I are souls, and we actually believe that we are ensouled beings.

If you missed Part One of this series, you can read The Agile Classroom—What Is It? here. As you prepare your classroom for an Agile Learning framework, there are a few concepts you’ll want to keep in mind. First, think Lean. Lean is the principle that gave rise to Agile philosophy. It’s a lot like the principle of simplicity in science. Our goal is to cut away any of the extraneous fat (hence the word lean).

“Fail Fast and Fail Often” is a common guiding principle for developers in the engineering world. While it might sound counter-intuitive, it has actually proven quite useful both in the engineering world and beyond. But, that shouldn’t be at all surprising. Think about it. Some of the most important thinkers in history failed numerous times. Most successful entrepreneurs fail before they are successful.

In the wake of the Trump presidency, we are reminded of a persistent theme amongst mainstream evangelical elites: They, like the media of the last four years, have falsely attributed certain ideas, attitudes, and behaviors to Donald Trump, his supporters, and Christian nationalists.[1]The question is why. At this point, it would be incorrect to say that many are simply confused; rather it appears they too are caught in the winds of the time.

I have heard it said time and time again: “Wearing a face covering is a small sacrifice to love your neighbor.” All this in the context of discussing face masks ever since the CDC and, some experts, decided that it was, in fact, an effective (however small) way to protect people from COVID-19. My goal here is not to debate the relative effectiveness of masks or the dangers posed by the virus.

Academics who are interested in understanding the world in which we live, producing good citizens, and thinking beyond their own disciplinary cage should reconsider throwing all their eggs in the university basket and give serious attention to the possibility of taking up a post in an institution of classical learning. Prior to the pandemic, the humanities were struggling. Religious colleges and universities have been on the decline in enrollment since the 2008 market crash.

​The television series Severance is ultimately about the debate beneath our debates — what it means to be human.1 Severance begins in a conceptual problem over the meaning and implications of “severing” one’s personal life, or what the show calls “Outie,” from one’s corporate life living in cubicles, what the show calls “Innie.” At the center of Severance is Lumon Industries, a mysterious tech company that provides a service to those who want and maybe need to disconnect, as it were, from...