DESCRIPTION:

The thought-worlds in which Christianity has found itself through the centuries have had important effects on our understanding and practice of the Christian faith. This course will familiarize students with some of these different ways of thinking, through study of representative philosophers, scientists, and theologians from antiquity to the present--e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Copernicus, Locke, Kant, Schleiermacher, Quine, Austin.

Two ongoing needs of church leaders are the ability to distinguish the essential from the accidental in church life, and to find ways to express the faith authentically in new contexts. By learning to recognize the influences (for good or ill) of philosophical, scientific, and other factors in the church's teaching from past centuries, students should acquire skills for recognizing such factors at work in the present and learn to make judicious use of them.

Lectures with occasional small-group discussions. The class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.

Allen, Diogenes. Philosophy for Understanding Theology. John Knox, 1985.

Matson, Wallace. A New History of Philosophy. 2 vols. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987.

Murphy, Nancey. Beyond Liberalism & Fundamentalism. Trinity, 1996.

Murphy, Nancey. Anglo-American Postmodernists. Westview, 1997.

Seech, Zachary. Writing Philosophy Papers. Wadsworth, 1993.

1. Midterm and final exam (essay style).

2. One paper (8-10 pgs., due on the last day of class); students will do research on a theologian of their choice, identifying how his or her theology has been shaped by philosophy.

It is strongly recommended that students have completed 48 quarter-hours before enrolling for this course. (Not recommended for students having difficulty with English.)

Meets M.Div. core requirement in Philosophical Theology (PHIL).

Yes.