Philosophers Who Believe: The Spiritual Journeys of 11 Leading Thinkers [Paperback]

Kelly James Clark (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 1997

Voted one of Christianity Today's 1995 Books of the Year! Time magazine reports on a remarkable renaissance of religious belief among philosophers: "In a quiet revolution in thought and arguments that hardly anyone could have foreseen only two decades ago, God is making a comeback. Most intriguingly, this is happening . . . in the crisp, intellectual circles of academic philosophers. . . . Now it is more respectable among philosophers than it has been for a generation to talk about the possibility of God's existence." Relying on boldness and rigorous thought, the movers and shakers of this "quiet revolution" have developed their theories against the rising tide of strict empiricism. Who are these tough-minded intellectuals, and why have they embraced Christian belief? In Philosophers Who Believe several key thinkers answer this question with unusual candor, warmth and brilliance. Contributors include:

• Alvin Plantinga
  University of Notre Dame, considered the world's leading Protestant philosopher of God.
• Basil Mitchell
  Oxford University, author of such groundbreaking books as The Justification of Religious Belief.
• Mortimer Adler
  Institute for Philosophical Research, renowned for his prolific writings and his work to revive an emphasis on the "Great Books" in higher education.
• Nicholas Wolterstorff
  Yale University, whose innovative work has led to invitations to deliver the distinguished Wilde Lectures at Oxford and Gifford Lectures in Scotland.
• Richard Swinburne
  Oxford University, the premier rational apologist of our age.
• Frederick Suppe
  University of Maryland at College Park, a premier philosopher of science.
• John Rist
  University of Toronto, expert on the late Ancient and early Medieval periods of philosophy.
• Linda Zagzebski
  Loyola Marymount University, recognized for her work on divine foreknowledge and human freedom.
• Stephen Davis
  Claremont McKenna College, author of books on topics ranging from the nature of God to the inspiration of Scripture.
• Terence Penelhum
  University of Calgary (professor emeritus), acclaimed for research on skepticism and religious belief in the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment eras.
• Nicholas Rescher
  University of Pittsburgh, prolific author and editor of prestigious scholarly journals.

Winner of a Christianity Today book award for the original cloth edition, Philosophers Who Believe is now available in paperback. This collection of intellectual and spiritual autobiographies will be helpful--even inspirational--for students and teachers of philosophy as well as for readers who are simply curious about the connections between philosophy and Christian faith.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Eleven American, British, and Canadian philosophers contributed to this collection of essays, addressing the theme of their practice of Christianity. Both the Roman Catholic and various Protestant traditions are included here, but the majority of writers are affiliated with or have been influenced by the philosophy staff at Calvin College and Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Alvin Plantinga, Mortimer Adler, and John Rist number among the authors, all of whom write well and many of whom write compellingly. However, an overall lack of clear audience focus--some are writing for scholars, some for the convinced, some as though they were addressing the callowest undergraduates--calls into question the usefulness of the volume as a whole. The best place for this in the library may be where undergraduate students browse for relaxation or inspiration.
- Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (October 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830815430
• ISBN-13: 978-0830815432
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, March 21, 2000

By 

Ben Kilpela - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosophers Who Believe: The Spiritual Journeys of 11 Leading Thinkers (Paperback)

Philosophers telling stories: that's what you get in this finework. Some of the story-tellers are quite well known, such as MortimerAdler and Richard Swinburne, that redoubtable defender of the existence of God. It's an act of humility and generosity for these men and women, who have spent their lives in debate, sometimes heated raucous, page to page combat, to step back, cook off, and tell why they believe in God and Christianity and how they came to believe. Few came to believe, it is interesting and of great importance to note, through academic philosophy. That's a point worth putting a lot of thought into. The stories they tell are deep, thought-provoking, sometimes inspiring, always fascinating. Plenty of arguments for faith are offered, but the thinkers are seldom harsh toward alternate viewpoints. I often thought as I was reading that this is how thinkers should talk about their ideas all the time. One suddenly realizes that all the academic blather that gets passed off as thought these days was and is of little importance in the lives of these people. Philosophers are people like us, thinking, hoping, searching, thinking again -- and again -- trying to get it right, hoping to get it right. One comes away from this book perhaps a little disturbed by all the disagreement floating around, but encouraged by all the faith, and faith gently and stirringly defended. Anyone interested in religion, Christianity, philosophy, theology, and the personal spiritual essay, which has become so popular in just the past three years, will find much to enjoy and profit from in this book. Hats off to the authors! By the way, there is a book that is very similar, somewhat better, and just as profound: "God and the Philosophers", edited by Tom Morris. The books are worth reading together. END

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humans do philosophy, too!, December 14, 2001

By 

David Marshall - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosophers Who Believe: The Spiritual Journeys of 11 Leading Thinkers (Hardcover)

I have to admit a bias against, and consequent ignorance of, academic philosophy. I tend to think all human beings are philosophers by nature, but suspect professional philosophers may forget they are human beings. One measure of my ignorance is that, even though I've written a couple rather philosophical books on the truth of Christianity in relation to other religions, I had never heard of the authors of this book, aside from Plantinga, Adler, and Wolterstorff.

This book seems an ideal introduction to them for someone like me. (Or, yes, the intellectual but down-to-earth uncle you're looking for a present for.) Most of the autobios are genial and human, written with sometimes surprising honesty. Reason is not discarded as irrelevent to the spiritual quest, nor given a naive carte blanche, but seems to integrate naturally into the whollist ic engagement with reality that our spiritual lives, with their sometimes ambivalent attitude towards truth, tend to be.

Some of the stories are pretty far out; one or two a bit dull. Frederick Suppe seems to have lived his life on the edge, and made a wild story even more dramatic by his matter-of-fact style and repressed passion -- a lonely thrill-seeker spending a life trying to choose between God and sin, apparently doing top-notch philosophy (as both vocation and avocation) all the while. Wolterstorff's warmth and unabashed affirmation of his roots makes a good read. I noticed a lot of parallel's between Basil Mitchell's story and C. S. Lewis' growth, as described in Surprised by Joy, and enjoyed the story. I could also relate to Richard Swinburne's honest confession that he tended to be rather glad Christianity was a minority religion, "The more clever people there were to argue against, the better!" (It reminded me of the French general who, when reminded that his unit was surrounded, replied, "Great! Then we can attack in any direction!")

A book is a meeting of minds. An anthology arranging a common medium for that meeting to take place. At its best, this book takes on something of the atmosphere of a campfire on the last day of camp, with the stars overhead, darkness all around, a blaze before us, lending not only light, but warmth as well, as campers of the most thoughtful possible kind through pine cones on the fire and share what they learned over the weekend.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith and Knowledge, August 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Philosophers Who Believe: The Spiritual Journeys of 11 Leading Thinkers (Paperback)

I am grateful to these eleven men and women for the testimonies of their commitment to Christian faith and philosophical truth. I especially appreciate the fact that each philosopher conscientiously responds from the convictions of his or her Christian background(s), whether Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Wesleyan, or Quaker. As a Christian myself, I am amazed that these individuals can so rigorously analyze philosophical considerations on the nature of science, the certainty (or no) of epistemologies, or that of various metaphysical speculations, all within the contexts of broadly Christian testimonies. I especially enjoyed reading Nicholas Wolterstorff's reminiscences of his Reformed childhood (so full of image and texture) and Frederick Suppe's eminently reasonable assertion that Catholics also recognize and receive the unmerited favors of God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ (a point that I, as a Protestant, must continually remember). The other essays provide their own distinct rewards. Anyone interested in the interplay of faith and intellect must read this volume.