Evans - Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics and Philosophy of Religion

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013. – 125 p.

ISBN 978-0-8308-6701-1 (digital)

ISBN 978-0-8308-1465-7 (print)

 

It is an interesting time for a Christian to work in the philosophy of religion. When I went to graduate school in 1969, the number of Christians in philosophy was small and their influence smaller. I have been privileged to live through a period in which God has called a number of people to work in this vineyard. One evidence of this is the fact that the Society of Christian Philosophers currently has over twelve hundred members on its rolls. Philosophy of religion and apologetics seem to be flourishing in ways that would have been unthinkable fifty years ago.

 

Much of the work that has been done in this area is potentially of great interest to educated Christian laypeople in many fields. Philosophy of religion and apologetics, however, like many fields, have their own specialized jargon that can make it difficult for the nonspecialist to follow the writings. This little dictionary attempts to define some of the key terms needed to understand the philosophers and theologians writing in this area. I have made every effort to be concise and clear. In some cases, though, I do go beyond simple definitions to offer minimal accounts of the important issues. While I am sure my biases will show, and while the book is clearly written from the perspective of one committed to the historic Christian faith, I have attempted to be fair with respect to controversial issues, particularly where there is disagreement among Christians.

 

This work was inspired by the Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, and I wish to thank Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki and Cherith Fee Nordling both for the model they provided in that book and for their insight with respect to some of the overlapping terms. I have followed the format of their work, with all terms, phrases and names arranged in alphabetical order. I have, however, elected to include more proper names than might be expected in a dictionary, since I believe that an understanding of apologetics and philosophy of religion requires an understanding of the work of important philosophers and theologians, both classical and contemporary.

 

In a reference work like this a system of cross-references is invaluable. An underlined term or phrase indicates that it appears elsewhere in the book as a separate entry. See and see also references direct readers to entries that provide additional information.

 

I hope and pray that this work will be of use to those interested in serious thinking about religious and theological issues, especially those who are part of God's church. In my own attempt at apologetics— Why Believe?—I caution against overestimating the importance of apologetics. I do not believe all Christians must explore such issues in order to have a reasonable faith in God as revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. I am convinced, however, that hard, honest thought about what Christians believe and why can be of great benefit to the church, and I will be delighted if this book contributes to that goal in a modest way.

 

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free will

The ability of an agent to make genuine choices that stem from the self. Libertarians argue that free will includes the power to determine the will itself, so that a person with free will can will more than one thing. Compatibilists typically view free will as the power to act in accordance with one’s own will rather than being constrained by some external cause, allowing that the will itself may ultimately be causally determined by something beyond the self. Hard determinists deny the existence of free will altogether. Most Christian theologians agree that humans possess free will in some sense but disagree about what kind of freedom is necessary. The possession of free will does not entail an ability not to sin, since human freedom is shaped and limited by human character. Thus a human person may be free to choose among possibilities in some situations but still be unable to avoid all sin. See also compatibilism; determinism; libertarianism (metaphysical).

 

law (moral, divine, natural)

A rule prescribed by a controlling authority. The laws of a state or nation typically regulate conduct or behavior. Believers in God typically think of laws in several distinct, though overlapping, senses. The divine law represents God’s governing decrees, at least some of which may be knowable only through a special revelation from God. Those who accept a divine command theory of morality will typically think of the moral law as part of the divine law, with disagreements as to whether the moral law can be known independently of special revelation. Others, particularly nontheists, may use the expression “moral law” metaphorically, to indicate the lawlike force of moral obligations, even though these obligations are not literally issued as laws. The term “natural law” is used to indicate a moral law that God has instituted by virtue of creating the world with particular structures and purposes; to act morally is to act in accord with nature, in ways that respect the natural functions of things. Typically those who affirm natural law in this sense think of such principles as things that can be ascertained apart from special revelation. “Natural law” in this sense should be distinguished from “laws of nature” understood as scientific or physical laws. Again, theists may think of scientific laws as representing God’s ordered rule of creation, while nontheists may use the expression “law” here metaphorically to indicate the regular, lawlike order that science discovers, without necessarily attributing that order to any intentional design.