Knowledge and Christian Belief
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
In his widely-praised Warranted Christian Belief, Alvin Plantinga discussed in great depth the question of the rationality, or sensibility, of Christian belief. In this book, Plantinga presents the same ideas in a briefer, more accessible fashion.
Recognized worldwide as a leading Christian philosopher, Plantinga explores the meaning behind the claim that Christian belief is irrational and cannot sensibly be held. He argues that the criticisms of such well-known atheists as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens are completely wrong. Finally, Plantinga addresses several potential challenges to Christian belief—pluralism, science, evil, and suffering—and shows how they fail to successfully defeat rational Christian belief.
With Logos Bible Software, this volume is enhanced with cutting-edge research tools. Scripture citations appear on mouseover in your preferred English translation. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful topical searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Tablet and mobile apps let you take the discussion with you. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Looking for more from Alvin Plantinga? Check out God, Freedom, and Evil.
- Presents a condensed version of Alvin Plantinga’s Warranted Christian Belief
- Argues for the rationality of Christian belief
- Addresses three main challenges to faith and how they fail to defeat rational Christian belief
- Preface
- Can We Speak and Think about God?
- What Is the Question?
- Warranted Belief in God
- The Extended A/C Model
- Faith
- Sealed upon Our Hearts
- Objections
- Defeaters? Historical Biblical Criticism
- Defeaters? Pluralism
- Defeaters? Evil
- Index
Top Highlights
“What you properly take to be rational or warranted depends upon what sort of metaphysical and religious stance you adopt.” (Page 40)
“The de jure objection, therefore, is the claim that Christian belief is irrational or unjustified or perhaps immoral; more exactly, it is the person who embraces Christian belief who is alleged to be irrational or unjustified or in some other way deserving of disapprobation. This de jure claim is the chief focus of this book. It is also, I believe, far the more common of the two kinds of objections.” (Page 8)
“Faith is not to be contrasted with knowledge: faith (at least in paradigmatic instances) is knowledge, knowledge of a certain special kind.” (Page 63)
“In this regard the sensus divinitatis resembles the faculties of perception, memory, and a priori knowledge” (Page 35)
“First, there are some propositions we know without the benefit of sense experience; we can call this ‘a priori knowledge’” (Page 5)
Alvin Plantinga’s Warranted Christian Belief is a landmark book on the rationality of Christian belief. . . . This splendid shorter rendering of that book’s proposals makes them accessible to general readers and to students outside the field of philosophy. It is a total pleasure to welcome this version of his seminal work. All the hallmarks of Plantinga’s humility and brilliance are on display here; no one can read this book without being spiritually refreshed and intellectually challenged.
—William J. Abraham, Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Perkins School of Theology
A remarkable book. Over the years Alvin Plantinga has undercut conventional prejudices and defended theistic beliefs. This book contains the major ideas of his philosophy of religion on God, faith, historical criticism, pluralism, and many other key topics. What distinguishes this book is the clarity with which Plantinga presents and develops his arguments. . . . An excellent compendium of his thought.
—Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Charles Chauncey Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity School
This welcome simplification of Warranted Christian Belief, Plantinga’s magnum opus of Christian religious epistemology, is highly readable but just as erudite and philosophically engaging — worth reading and rereading for both its intellectual and its spiritual depth.
—Thomas M. Crisp, associate professor of philosophy, Biola University
Alvin Plantinga’s magisterial Warranted Christian Belief is one of the most important works on the epistemology of religious belief within the last century. It is exciting to see the core ideas of that great work presented here in a more succinct and accessible format. Knowledge and Christian Belief is a pleasure to read and will serve as an excellent and engaging introduction to Plantinga’s most influential ideas about the rationality of religious belief.
—Michael Rea, professor of philosophy, University of Notre Dame
A very clear, easy-to-understand, and challenging presentation of the main steps of Plantinga’s argument in his magnum opus Warranted Christian Belief. Using the tools of modern epistemology, Plantinga defends a classical position—that Christian belief does not need to be supported by any arguments from generally agreed premises in order to be fully rational, and that that belief cannot be shown to be false by any such arguments.
—Richard Swinburne, emeritus professor of philosophy, University of Oxford
- Title: Knowledge and Christian Belief
- Author: Alvin Plantinga
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Pages: 141
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Faith and reason › Christianity; Apologetics; Christianity › Philosophy
- ISBNs: 9780802872043, 0802872042
- Resource ID: LLS:KNWLDGCHRSTNBLF
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:02:50Z
Reviews
3 ratings
Leonard Metsäranta
4/9/2021
Stephen Williams
1/24/2016
J. Remington Bowling
12/5/2015
This is a simplified presentation of one of the most important works in recent Christian philosophy and epistemology (Warranted Christian Belief). Plantinga sets out to defend Christian belief agains the claim that it is unwarranted. A belief is unwarranted if a person cannot be said to *know* his belief that 'p' even if his belief is true. He distinguishes between two types of objections to the Christian beliefs: (a) Christian beliefs are false (de facto objections) and (b) Christian beliefs are irrational, arrogant, unwarranted or in some way inappropriate (de jure objections). This book focuses on the de jure objections. Plantinga doesn't spend much time dismissing claims like the claim that Christian belief is arrogant (because not much time is needed to dismiss such claims). He focuses on what he takes to be the strongest de jure objections to Christian belief from Marx and Freud: that Christian belief is a product of our cognitive faculties malfunctioning (Marx) or that Christian belief is a product of cognitive faculties that are not aimed at truth (Freud). In response to these objections Plantinga develops a model of warrant that makes it possible for Christian belief to have warrant. In short, Christian belief can be properly basic: not held to on the basis of evidence, but arising natural from God-designed cognitive faculties that are functioning properly in the right environment. He takes his cue from Aquinas and Calvin. He also argues that any successful de jure objection must presuppose a successful de facto objection. The upshot of this is that it cannot be shown that Christian belief is unwarranted until it is shown that Christian claims are false. If that sounds complicated to you or unconvincing then please look at the sample pages available on this product page. Plantinga is very clear and precise. He defines his terms so that while you are reading the book you will know exactly what he means. Now, please, Faithlife: get Plantinga's warrant trilogy into Logos!!
