DESCRIPTION: Socrates' dictum, the unexamined life is not worth living, seems to have a modern corollary in the claim that the unexamined faith is not worth believing. But what does it mean to submit faith to rational scrutiny? This course will explore philosophical options for understanding the nature of belief and the relation of religious belief to human reason. Although some historical references will be made, the bulk of the course will be devoted to contemporary thinkers on the subject of faith and reason.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who engage the material will (1) understand the historical and philosophical context for understandings of the nature of belief and its relationship to reason, (2) develop pastoral sensitivity to the frameworks people bring to questions of faith and reason, (3) reflect and write on some specific issue dealt with in the course.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Historically Christian believers have taken diverse positions regarding the relationship of faith and reason. Augustine said, "I believe in order that I may understand." Tertullian, another church father, is reported as having said, "I believe because it is absurd." This course is designed to help ministers respond with wisdom to the entire spectrum of positions represented by contemporary thinkers such that the faith of the people of God might be nurtured.

COURSE FORMAT: Lectures, discussion, some small-group work. The class will meet daily for four-hour sessions for two weeks.

REQUIRED READING:

Collins, Francis, ed. Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith. Harper One, 2010. (352 pp.) ISBN: 978-0061787348; $19.99.

Connolly, William. Pluralism. Duke University Press, 2005. (195 pp.) ISBN: 978-0822335672; $22.95.

Eagleton, Terry. Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate. Yale University Press, 2010. (200 pp.) ISBN: 978-0300151794; $25.

Evans, C. Stephen. Faith Beyond Reason. Eerdmans, 1998. (167 pp.) ISBN: 978-0802845559; $26.

Murphy, Nancey. Anglo-American Postmodernity: Philosophical Perspectives on Science, Religion, and Ethics. Westview, 1997. (240 pp.) ISBN: 0813328691; $14.99.

Placher, William C. Unapologetic Theology: A Christian Voice in a Pluralistic Conversation. Westminster/John Knox, 1989. (178 pp.) ISBN: 0664250645; $29.95.

Yoder, John H. A Pacifist Way of Knowing. Cascade, 2010. (172 pp.) ISBN: 1606088815; $20.

Course Reader.

Lyotard, Jean-François. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. University of Minnesota Press, 1984. (106 pp.) ISBN: 978-0816611737; $19.50.