This volume will show how various intellectual disciplines (most found within the modern university) can learn from theology and philosophy in primarily methodological and substantitive terms. It will explore the possible ways in which current presuppositions and practices of the displine might be challenged. It will also indicate the possibilities of both a "Christian Culture" in relation to that discipline or the way in which that discipline might look within a real or theoretical Christian university. >

Oliver Crisp examines the doctrine of the incarnation as one of the central and defining dogmas of the Christian faith. The doctrine of the incarnation is one of the central and defining dogmas of the Christian faith. In this text, Oliver Crisp builds upon his previous work, "Divinity and Humanity: The Incarnation Reconsidered" (Cambridge, 2007). In "God Incarnate", he explores the Incarnation further and covers issues he did not deal with in his previous book. This work attempts to further the project of setting out a coherent account of the Incarnation by considering key facets of this doctrine, as parts of a larger, integrated, doctrinal whole. Throughout, he is concerned to develop a position in line with historic Christianity that is catholic and ecumenical in tone, in line with the contours of the Reformed theological tradition within which his own work falls. And, like its predecessor, this book will draw upon philosophical and theological resources to make sense of the problems the doctrine faces.

Since the early 1980s there has been a philosophical turn to the analysis of Christian doctrines. This has been stimulated by the renewal of the Philosophy of Religion in the 1960s and 1970s by figures like Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, William Alston, Anthony Flew, Alistair MacIntyre, Marilyn Adams, Robert Adams and others. This new literature is usually dubbed 'philosophical theology', and has a wide range of application to particular doctrines, theological method, and the work of particular theologians in the past, such as Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Louis de Molina, Jonathan Edwards and Karl Barth. Yet there are very few (if any) textbooks devoted to this new work.The renewal of philosophical theology is of interest to theologians as well as philosophers. This textbook on the subject fosters this cross-disciplinary interest and make a literature that has developed in the professional journals and a number of monographs accessible to a much wider readership - particularly a student readership.It fills an important gap in the market, and should have a wide appeal for teachers at University and Seminary level education, as well as to postgraduate courses.

The purpose of this volume is to offer an authoritative overview of the positive relationship between faith and reason, the latter understood as different mode of philosophy. It will also show that despite important variations and differences, the manner in which Christan faith is able to interact with other intellectual disciplines is grounded in theology and is required by theology. Finally it will ground the overall project of "Religion and the University" firmly in different ecclesial communities within the Christian family and differing theological-philosophical orientations that might be trans-denominational.

Philosophy in the English-speaking world is dominated by analytic approaches to its problems and projects; but theology has been dominated by alternative approaches. Many would say that the current state in theology is not mere historical accident, but is, rather, how things ought to be. On the other hand, many others would say precisely the opposite: that theology as a discipline has been beguiled and taken captive by 'continental' approaches, and that the effects on the discipline have been largely deleterious. The methodological divide between systematic theologians and analytic philosophers of religion is ripe for exploration. The present volume represents an attempt to begin a much-needed interdisciplinary conversation about the value of analytic philosophical approaches to theological topics. Most of the essays herein are sympathetic toward the enterprise the editors are calling analytic theology; but, with an eye toward balance, the volume also includes essays and an introduction that try to offer more critical perspectives on analytic theology.

Although "God loves you" is a common paraphrase of Christian teaching and preaching, a close reading of the Bible and attention to the Christian tradition will reveal passages of Scripture and Christian doctrines-- particularly John Calvin's doctrine of predestination--that seem to undermine confidence in God's love for all people. For many theologians, not only in the Reformed tradition, the secret decree of Calvin's God to save some and condemn others seems completely to undercut any assurance of salvation and the ability to trust in and worship God. However, pastor and scholar John Calvin confidently spoke of God as a loving Father throughout his teaching and preaching. In Uncovering Calvin's God, Forrest H. Buckner unearths Calvin's teaching about the God of love who reigns sovereign over predestination. Drawing upon sources from across Calvin's corpus, Buckner examines Calvin's teaching on the knowledge of God and the doctrine of predestination to provide a more robust and cohesive understanding of Calvin's theology, which Buckner then confirms through an extensive examination of Calvin's preaching in Geneva. He then offers a critical comparison of Calvin's approach with the teaching of Luther, Zwingli, Bullinger, Arminius, and Barth. Using Calvin's system as a starting point, this book helps readers perceive the essentials and trade-offs of any doctrine of predestination that takes seriously both the Bible and the loving God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Oliver D. Crisp studies the topics of human freedom, redemption and communion with one another and God, which are central themes in Christian theology. The chapters of this volume are arranged according to how they would appear in a traditional dogmatics: dealing with issues concerning human free will and sin, studies on the person of Christ in recent theology, and human redemption. The book ends with pieces examining two important issues in Christian practice, namely, the Eucharist and prayer. Deeply engaged with the Christian tradition, and exemplifying a generous orthodoxy, this work makes a constructive theological case for the vitality and importance of Reformed theology today.

Theology, Fantasy, and the Imagination is an edited collection at the intersection of theology, religion, and philosophy and fantasy literature and table-top games. The volume begins with an invocation of the “old magic” of pre-modern theology and follows with analyses of classical Christian fantasy. The second section articulates a “post-Christian” turn in fantasy since the late twentieth century, arguing how fantasy can serve to re-enchant the imagination in ways that moves beyond traditional Christianity. The last section on fantasy at play explores how religion is at play in Dungeons and Dragons and in Magic: the Gathering.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is widely regarded as America's greatest philosopher-theologian. In the last half century there has been a resurgence of interest in Edwards' work from historians, theologians and philosophers, aided by the publication of the Yale edition of Edwards' Works. Edwards' thinking on sin has long been a mystery to scholars trying to fit his thought into the traditional categories of Reformed theology. What this study shows is that Edwards' theory of sin was an original contribution to philosophical theology, which can only be understood when read on its own terms as a philosophical theory about the nature of sin, its origin and transmission. This constitutes a substantial contribution to the literature on Edwards and, more broadly, to philosophical theology in general.

This volume offers an array of newly commissioned essays, addressing the topic of love in the Christian tradition. Drawn from a range of expert theologians and philosophers in contemporary analytic and non-analytic theology, these essays join current debates within the theology of love, and aim to propose new avenues for future research. Including the last essay written by Marilyn McCord Adams, Love, Divine and Human deals with a rich variety of issues related to divine and human love. The broad scope of the book includes divine transcendence and its methodological bearing on the doctrine of divine love, the nature and scope of divine love, the interrelation between God's love and wrath, the plausibility of an impassable God of love, and the application of various conceptions of divine love to the problem of divine hiddenness, human ethics, and human free will, among other topics. This unified collection of cutting-edge papers will advance discussion for all those focused on the theology of love.

Philosophy in the English-speaking world is dominated by analytic approaches to its problems and projects; but theology has been dominated by alternative approaches. Many would say that the current state in theology is not mere historical accident, but is, rather, how things ought to be. On the other hand, many others would say precisely the opposite: that theology as a discipline has been beguiled and taken captive by 'continental' approaches, and that the effects on the discipline have been largely deleterious. The methodological divide between systematic theologians and analytic philosophers of religion is ripe for exploration. The present volume represents an attempt to begin a much-needed interdisciplinary conversation about the value of analytic philosophical approaches to theological topics. Most of the essays herein are sympathetic toward the enterprise the editors are calling analytic theology; but, with an eye toward balance, the volume also includes essays and an introduction that try to offer more critical perspectives on analytic theology.

Constructive contemporary theology requires serious engagement with the theologians of the past. This book offers a series of studies in the Christology of key representatives in the Reformed tradition engaging their thought for contemporary dogmatics. Thinkers from each of the five centuries in which Reformed theology has flourished are represented - John Calvin; John Owen; Jonathan Edwards; William Shedd; Donald Baillie; and Kathryn Tanner - each of whom in different ways challenge conventional accounts of Christology. The book is organized thematically, linking historic and contemporary discussions of Christology in theology and philosophy by engaging the thinking of these theologians in a collegial way, using their work as means of promoting constructive systematic theology today. Oliver Crisp presents an important contribution to broadening our understanding of Reformed theology by showing how important theologians have taken views often at odds with 'textbook' accounts of the tradition. Written in an accessible style, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, including upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and scholars of Christian theology, philosophy and religious studies.

Constructive contemporary theology requires serious engagement with the theologians of the past. This book offers a series of studies in the Christology of key representatives in the Reformed tradition engaging their thought for contemporary dogmatics. Thinkers from each of the five centuries in which Reformed theology has flourished are represented - John Calvin; John Owen; Jonathan Edwards; William Shedd; Donald Baillie; and Kathryn Tanner - each of whom in different ways challenge conventional accounts of Christology. The book is organized thematically, linking historic and contemporary discussions of Christology in theology and philosophy by engaging the thinking of these theologians in a collegial way, using their work as means of promoting constructive systematic theology today. Oliver Crisp presents an important contribution to broadening our understanding of Reformed theology by showing how important theologians have taken views often at odds with 'textbook' accounts of the tradition. Written in an accessible style, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, including upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and scholars of Christian theology, philosophy and religious studies.

Jonathan Edwards (1703 - 1758) is widely regarded as America's greatest philosopher-theologian. In the last half century there has been a resurgence of interest in Edwards' work from historians, theologians and philosophers, aided by the publication of the Yale edition of Edwards' Works. Edwards' thinking on sin has long been a mystery to scholars trying to fit his thought into the traditional categories of Reformed theology. What this study shows is that Edwards' theory of sin was an original contribution to philosophical theology, which can only be understood when read on its own terms as a philosophical theory about the nature of sin, its origin and transmission. This constitutes a substantial contribution to the literature on Edwards and, more broadly, to philosophical theology in general.

This title was first published in 2003. It has often been claimed that Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was America's greatest philosopher and theologian. From literary criticism of his sermons to philosophical assessments of his metaphysics, there has been a burgeoning industry in Edwardsian studies, but there has been no one place where an exploration of the theology and philosophy of Edwards has been brought together. 2003 marks the tercentenary date of the birth of Jonathan Edwards. This book draws together specially-commissioned contributions from philosophers and theologians from the USA and UK, to present new analytic philosophical and theological thinking on Edwards in a way that reflects Edwards' own concerns, as well as those current in the academy.

In Jonathan Edwards on God and Creation, Oliver D. Crisp considers two central themes in Edwards's thought--namely, his doctrine of God and his understanding of the created order, and how God and creation interrelate. Crisp argues that Edwards offers some truly original insights on these twin loci that have important implications for current theological discussion. What emerges is a picture of Edwards's understanding of God's relationship to the created order that differs in important respects from those offered by several influential recent interpreters.
Crisp does not flinch from showing where Edwards made mistakes as well as where he offers fresh insights. Edwards is shown to be at once relevant to current discussion of issues like perfect being theology, panentheism, divine freedom or union with Christ, while remaining something of an idiosyncratic figure whose idealism and commitment to an uncompromising theological determinism can seem out of step with certain modern sensibilities. But, argues Crisp, even if we disagree with the conclusions Edwards reaches, which sometimes jar with our own intuitions about the divine nature or the created order, the clarity, rigor and sheer originality of his thinking offer an important set of themes and ideas with which contemporary theologians can fruitfully engage as they set about the task of constructive theology.

This title was first published in 2003. It has often been claimed that Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was America's greatest philosopher and theologian. From literary criticism of his sermons to philosophical assessments of his metaphysics, there has been a burgeoning industry in Edwardsian studies, but there has been no one place where an exploration of the theology and philosophy of Edwards has been brought together. 2003 marks the tercentenary date of the birth of Jonathan Edwards. This book draws together specially-commissioned contributions from philosophers and theologians from the USA and UK, to present new analytic philosophical and theological thinking on Edwards in a way that reflects Edwards' own concerns, as well as those current in the academy.

Preaching has fallen on hard times with many questioning its relevance and even its validity as a New Testament practice. This symposium of specially commissioned essays draws together an international team of thirteen scholars and pastors to address the importance of textual preaching in the history and life of the early church, the historic church, and the contemporary church. Contributions include essays on Old Testament preaching; preaching in Eastern Orthodoxy; gender-sensitive preaching; and preaching in the theology of Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It also includes essays on a range of homiletical challenges that textual preaching raises for the contemporary preacher, including genre, preaching without notes, inhabiting the text, and preaching without platitudes. A final reflection by Dave Hansen on the state of textual preaching rounds out the collection. The preaching of the gospel stands at the heart of Christian praxis. These essays make a vital contribution to the recovery of the importance of preaching, focused on the text of Scripture. Written with an eye to the pastor and practitioner as well as those in the pews and in the classroom, this is a book that is appealing to a wide range of readers.

This collection of studies in theology is written from the perspective of one from within the Christian faith, and seeking greater understanding of the doctrinal deposit of that faith. As a leading scholar in Christian and analytic theology, Oliver D. Crisp summarizes and analyses Christian doctrine, written in the form of traditional dogmatics. Beginning with issues concerning the task of theology, Crisp explores the challenges to systematic theology as a discipline, the uses of Scripture in theological discourse, and the reception of the theology of John Calvin. He then moves issues at the centre of serious theological debate in recent theology, the relationship between God and abstract objects in the thought of Jonathan Edwards, and theological anthropology. This volume culminates with studies that focus on central and defining issues in contemporary systematic and philosophical theology, taking forward a constructive theological program in dialogue with important figures in the Christian tradition, and engaged with some of the best contemporary theological scholarship.

In recent years there has been a flowering of interest in the work of Jonathan Edwards. In the last decade this has been encouraged by the publication of many previously unavailable manuscripts, in the Yale edition of Edwards' works. In the same period there has been some interest in the New England theology inspired by Edwards' work, which dominated much of American theology in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. However, the interest in New England Theology has been much less pronounced than that expressed in the work of Edwards. This is strange given the influence of New England Theology and the ways in which the theologians of this movement developed and expressed broadly Edwardsian themes. After Jonathan Edwards offers a reassessment of the New England Theology in light of the work of Jonathan Edwards. Scholars who have made important contributions to our understanding of Edwards are brought together with scholars of New England theology and early American history to produce a groundbreaking examination of the ways in which New England Theology flourished, how themes in Edwards' thought were taken up and changed by representatives of the school, and its lasting influence on the shape of American Christianity.