Christian Philosophy of Religion – Essays in Honor of Stephen T. Davis

Christian Philosophy of Religion celebrates the work and influence of Stephen T. Davis over the past four decades in philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, and biblical studies. Davis’s work is characterized by the application of formal tools of philosophy for the understanding and articulation of Christian doctrine. His emphasis on argumentative clarity and logical rigor is reflected in the contributions by the sixteen internationally recognized scholars of Christian philosophical theology whose work is gathered here.     

The volume addresses four areas of Christian thought. Contributors to the first section—Doctrine and Christian Belief—examine the Christian doctrines of the Redemption, the Incarnation, and the Resurrection. Those in the second section—The Nature of God and Christian Belief—probe the Christian belief that God is a trinity of persons, simple, immutable, self-sufficient, and independent of all things. In the third section—Reason and Christian Belief—contributors examine, in different ways, the role that reason, evidence, and argument plays in the formation of Christian belief. Essays in the fourth and final section—Scripture, Theology, and Christian Belief—address the relation between scripture and the problem of divine hiddenness, the problem of scriptural authority, and the relation between philosophical theology and fundamental theology. This diverse and wide-ranging collection will be of serious interest to anyone studying or working in the philosophy of religion, theology, scripture studies, or religious studies.

"Stephen T. Davis is a scholar and a gentleman. He is also a distinguished Christian philosopher whose many publications have engaged with fundamental philosophical problems in Christian doctrine as well as the philosophy of religion. This collection of essays, which includes some of the most important thinkers in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, as well as several in theology, is testimony to the high regard in which his colleagues and friends hold him. They touch on nodal issues that are the subject of ongoing discussion and that reflect a wide range of matters, many of which Davis himself has dealt with in his own work. Highly recommended." —Oliver D. Crisp, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Very few philosophers have had the impact of Stephen Davis on the world of Christian philosophy. It is only fitting, then, that a book honoring him should contain essays by the very best philosophers of religion writing on topics that Professor Davis has written on so ably. Among the standouts are new essays from Brian Leftow on Christology, William Hasker on the Trinity, and Linda Zagzebski on faith. And perhaps most appropriate of all is a paper from Davis’s mentor, the late John Hick, in which the latter writes on the former’s work on the resurrection. This is a terrific collection that I highly recommend for anyone interested in philosophical theology." —Thomas D. Senor, University of Arkansas

"In this volume, C. P. Ruloff has gathered distinguished scholars working in philosophy of religion and philosophical theology to honor Stephen T. Davis and his intellectual achievements. Their contributions will interest those working on the large range of topics on which Davis has published." —Brian Davies, Fordham University