_Philosophical Theology and Christian Doctrine_ surveys and comments on recent work by philosophers of religion in the analytic tradition on the doctrines of the Christian creed. Topics covered include creation, Incarnation, Trinity, salvation and eschatology, and the ultimate future of creation. Comprehensive survey of core Christian doctrines.

In the preface to his book God the Problem , Gordon Kaufman writes ‘Although the notion of God as agent seems presupposed by most contemporary theologians … Austin Farrer has been almost alone in trying to specify carefully and consistently just what this might be understood to mean.’.

This chapter sketches the case for supposing theistic metaphysics to offer the best explanation of a world productive of mind, freedom, morality, art, philosophy, and religion. All these features of the human world, itself undoubtedly the product of evolution, are much more intelligible when seen as proceeding ultimately from God’s creative action, than simply as emerging out of the random interaction of material energies. A nature productive of finite spirit, and of the values of goodness, beauty and truth is best (...) understood as the creation of infinite Spirit, itself supremely good, beautiful and true. (shrink)

This chapter argues that the doctrines developed over time, in order to make best sense of the historical phenomena considered in the last two chapters, themselves contribute to the cumulative case for Christian belief, in so far as their logic, their scope and their power provide the most theoretically and existentially convincing account of existence, predicament and its resolution, and of what one may hope for. While what the different world religions have in common needs to be borne in mind, (...) the case for Christianity depends chiefly on the logic and power of the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Trinity. The chapter ends with a brief exposition of the religious significance of Christian soteriology — its understanding of salvation and eschatology — its hope for the ultimate future of creation. (shrink)

This chapter contains section titled: The Creator God The Created Universe.

This important work explores the distinctiveness of Christian ethics, particularly through its interconnections with doctrine and the wider history of religions.Brian Hebblethwaite shows how the distinctiveness of Christian ethics can be understood and appreciated. He brings out the complex nature of that distinctiveness - in Christian individuals and communities as they reflect something of the triune love of God, and in contemporary humanism and major world faiths in which this love is also discernable.He concludes with an extended exploration of the (...) strengths and weaknesses of the different religions in their contributions to the overcoming of evil. (shrink)

In Defence of Christianity is a short book of Christian apologetics. Acknowledging that reason is not the basis of faith, Brian Hebblethwaite sets out some of the main reasons that can be advanced in support of the Christian faith. He defends the view that belief in God makes most sense of a world that has come up with moral and creative persons and communities, including all that they have produced in the way of culture, mysticism, and sainthood. He also argues (...) that the history of religions, and in particular the history of Israel and the story of Christ and his Church, offers the best diagnosis and solution of the problems that afflict humanity and the most hopeful picture of the ultimate future of creation. (shrink)

This chapter contains section titled: The Doctrine of the Incarnation Myth, Metaphor or Truth? The Logic and Metaphysics of God Incarnate Is the Incarnation a Miracle? Christ's Freedom The Purpose of the Incarnation Evidence for the Incarnation The Uniqueness of the Incarnation.

In his article ‘God and Probability’, 1 Hugh Mellor introduced the notion of the ‘bridge-hand fallacy’, allegedly committed by those who think they can appeal to probabilities in arguments for design. I should like to give this notion another airing, partly because of its recent criticism in two interesting books - R. G. Swinburne' The Existence of God and D. J. Bartholomew's God of Chance - and partly because it seems worth asking how it fares in relation to the most (...) recent examples of design argument, namely those which appeal to the so-called ‘anthropic principle’ in cosmology. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: The Gifford Lectures Metaphysical Approaches Moral Approaches Anthropological Approaches Approaches from the History of Religions Approaches from Natural Science Anglican Voices Roman Catholic Approaches Process Theology Critics of Natural Theology Natural Theology and Revealed Theology Works cited.

This chapter contains section titled: The Church The Sacraments The Philosophy of Worship The Doctrine of Providence.

This chapter contains section titled: The Changing Scene in the Philosophy of Religion Tensions Between Philosophy of Religion and Theology Historical and Linguistic Sensitivity Problems of Accessibility The Analytic Tradition Faith and Reason Philosophers and Theologians.

This chapter contains section titled: Natural and Revealed Theology Does Christianity Need a Revelation? Revelation as Divine Discourse Revealed Truth Revelation as God's Acts in History Revelation as Tradition and Interpretation Revelation as Religious Experience.

This chapter contains section titled: Subjective and Objective Theories of the Atonement Sin, Judgement and Forgiveness Swinburne and his Critics Quinn and Stump on Aquinas on Atonement Identification Revelation and Response Justification and Sanctification.

This chapter shows how a cumulative case for theistic belief is already moving from considerations of natural theology to considerations of revealed theology, as one attempts to do justice to a wide range of historical data on the history of religions. Sense has to made of the widespread phenomenon of religious experience. Morality, too, is found to be more intelligible in a theistic context than within a purely naturalistic worldview. Further arguments for theism from value include appeals to the objectivity (...) of beauty and truth. But the diversity of world religions presents a problem for the rationality of any one doctrinal system. Christianity, like any other faith, has to provide a theology of religion and the religions if its particular and unique claims are to be rationally justified. (shrink)

The cumulative case for specifically Christian belief now concentrates on the history of Israel and the story of Jesus and its aftermath, including the rise of the Christian Church. Rational assessment of these historical facts depends greatly on the background beliefs already held. Theistic belief leads one to expect revelation. Sympathy towards revelation claims leads one to take seriously the historical evidence for the unique status claimed for Jesus Christ, including the evidence for his Resurrection. The work of David Brown (...) and Richard Swinburne on evidence for the Incarnation is assessed. (shrink)

This chapter considers a further appeal to history that can be made within the cumulative case for Christianity, namely the appeal to a providential reading of universal history as making, despite all evidence to the contrary, most sense of the way in which world history is moving. There are, in the so-called Christian centuries, and even in the secularised post-Christian world, signs of the admittedly partial penetration of society by the Christian Gospel’s ‘Kingdom values’ of justice, freedom, peace, and truth, (...) and — some would argue — of democracy. In support of this view, the work of Hendrikus Berkhof and Oliver O’Donovan is cited and contrasted with that of Stanley Hauerwas and Samuel Huntington. (shrink)

Previous ed.: Basingstoke: Marshall Morgan & Scott, 1984.

This chapter contains section titled: Does Life after Death Make Sense? Time and Eternity Immortality and Resurrection Identity, Continuity and the Soul The Tedium of Immortality The Resurrection World Purgatory, Heaven and Hell Is there Free Will in Heaven Christ and the Consummation.

This short book offers an alternative reading of the impact of modernity on Christian faith to that advanced by Don Cupitt in his television series and book, The Sea of Faith. Hebblethwaite gives a spirited defense of belief in the objective reality of God and in life after death, as opposed to Cupitt's radically interiorized and expressivist view of religion. As attractive as many may find a denial of the traditional church doctrines in favor of an anti-metaphysical, non-dogmatic expressivist version (...) of Christian faith, Hebblethwaite insists that of far greater importance is the question of objective truth that he focuses his attention. After arguing against Cupitt's response to the modern situation, Hebblethwaite shows how belief shows how belief in an objective God is both possible and highly plausible, despite the impact of modern science and historical criticism. (shrink)

Faculties of theology are a traditional feature of most western European universities, yet in colleges of education, schools and in some newer universities the subject is studied, if at all, under the heading of 'religious studies'. Taking the question 'Is there such a subject?' as his point of departure, the author sets out to explore the relation between theology and the broader field of religious studies. Theology primarily means 'rational talk about God', but the word is used in other wider (...) and looser senses as well. Mr Hebblethwaite discusses in what ways it is possible for non-believers to engage in theology, and stresses the need for all to pursue the subject openly and self-critically in a religiously pluralist world. Criteria for truth-claims in religion and the problem of revelation are among the topics examined. In the course of his study the author looks at the relationship between theology and a number of adjacent subjects: psychology and the social sciences, philosophy, history and ethics. (shrink)

Thirty years of reflection on the philosophical theology of Austin Farrer lie behind the nine chapters of this book, in which Farrer's seminal work on faith and ...

This chapter contains section titled: Introduction Is the Doctrine of the Trinity Rationally Accessible? A Priori Arguments for Trinitarian Theism Revelation‐based Arguments for the Trinity Arguments in Favour of the Social Analogy Arguments Against the Social Analogy The Social Trinity and Tritheism.

The relation between natural theology and revealed theology is explored. It is shown how appeals to revelation are perfectly rational. Such appeals can and should be included in a cumulative case that assembles a whole range of considerations — metaphysical, historical and doctrinal — that together provide support for Christian belief. The assimilation of revealed theology to natural theology involved in such a cumulative case is illustrated with reference to the writings of Joseph Butler, H. H. Farmer and James Barr. (...) This approach is then compared and contrasted with the position known as ‘Reformed epistemology’, associated particularly with the work of Alvin Plantinga. (shrink)

This definitive book considers the way in which Christianity relates to the other world faiths. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

This distinguished collection of essays has been produced to honour Donald McKinnon, who retired from the Norris-Hulse Professorship of Divinity in the ...