PE009-612 - Issues in Philosophy of Religion

  • 2,784 Standard Tuition Fee
  • 12
    Credit Points
  • 0.125 EFT 
  • 6
    AQF level
  • Category developing unit
    B
  • philosophy ethicsUnit Discipline

Corequisites

12cps TH/PE

Exclusions

Prior to 2020, this unit content was delivered under the unit code PE426.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will

A. Know and understand

Demonstrate Developing knowledge and understanding of issues in the philosophy of religion.

B. Be able to

1. Analyse a range of issues in the philosophy of religion

2. Comment Critically on the implications of these issues for the Christian faith

3. Present Analytical evidence-based perspectives on issues in philosophy of religion

C. Be in a position to

1. Applying perspectives from ‘Issues in Philosophy of Religion’ to contemporary Christian living and ministry contexts

Content

  1. The knowledge of God, including the idea of deity and “proofs” of the existence of God.
  2. The nature of religious experience; faith, revelation and reason.
  3. Religious language, analogy, metaphor, parable, language-games, cognitive/emotive etc.
  4. The nature of God’s relation to the world: creation; providence; miracles.
  5. The problem of evil and suffering; theodicy.
  6. Human nature: body and soul; mind; death and immorality.

Students are to study at least four of the six topics outlined above.  Candidates should pay particular attention to the pastoral, apologetic, evangelistic and educational implications of the insights gained in the specific issues studied.

Set Readings

Allen, D. & E. O. Springsted, Philosophy for Understanding Theology. 2nd ed. (Westminster John Knox Press, 2007).

Antony, L. Philosophers without Gods: Reflections on Atheism and the Secular Life (Oxford: OUP, 2010).

Audi, R. (ed.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. 3rd ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2015).

Baker, L. R., Persons and Bodies: A Constitution View (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000).

Blocher, H., Evil and the Cross (Leicester: Apollos, 1994).

Clark, S., God, Religion and Reality (London: SPCK, 1999).

Dawkins, R., The God Delusion (London: Bantam Press, 2006).

Davies, B., (ed), Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).

Davies, B., An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020).

DeWeese, G. J., and J. P. Moreland, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult A Beginner's Guide to Life's Big Questions (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2005).

Evans C. S., Faith beyond Reason. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998).

Flint, T. & M. Rea, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).

Green, J. B. and S. Palmer (eds), In Search of the Soul: Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem. (Downers Grove: IVP, 2005). 

Gould, P. M. & R. B. Davis (eds), Four Views on Christianity and Philosophy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016).

Peterson, M. L., and R. J. VanArragon (eds), Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Religion. 2nd ed. (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2020).

McGrath, A., and J. McGrath, The Dawkins Delusion (London: SPCK, 2007).

Meister, C., Philosophy of Religion (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2014).

Oliphint K. S., Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology (P&R, 2006).

Peters, T., and N. Hallanger, (eds) God’s Action in Nature’s World (Burlington: Ashgate, 2006).

Porter, S. E., Nature of Religious Language (Sheffield: SAP, 1996).

Sire, J.W. Why Good Arguments often Fail (Leicester: IVP, 2006).

Swinburne, R., Faith and Reason (2nd ed. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 2005).

Taliaferro, C., Philosophy of Religion: A Beginner’s Guide (London: Oneworld, 2009).

 

Wainwright, W., (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2007).