Loving Wisdom: A Guide to Philosophy and Christian Faith, 2nd ed.

by Paul Copan

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2020

Overview

As human beings, we all qualify as philosophers, and Paul Copan contends that we take a position of trust (faith) shaped by philosophical stances but also personal heart commitments (worldviews). In this thoroughly revised and expanded second edition of Loving Wisdom, Copan explores philosophy of religion from a distinctively evangelical Christian perspective—biblically grounded, informed by apologetics, and engaging with questions about universal human longings.

Copan presents a distinctively and deliberately biblical philosophy of religion in Loving Wisdom, addressing a wide range of topics and questions as they arise in the metanarrative of scripture. He acknowledges the difficulties, mystery, and disagreements in “religion,” while attempting to show how the Christian faith does a much more adequate job of responding to a wide range of challenges as well as addressing our deepest human yearnings. With discussion questions for each chapter and an accessible approach, Loving Wisdom is ideal for the classroom or small groups.

Key Features

• Examines the difficulties, mystery, and disagreements in “religion”
• Presents a distinctively and deliberately biblical philosophy of religion
• Provides discussion questions for each chapter

Contents

Preliminaries on Philosophy and Faith

• The Blessings of Philosophy
• Philosophy and Scripture
• Faith and Religion
• Kings and Priests
• The Need for God
• Wired for God

Part I: God

• The Triune God
• Talking about God
• The Attributes of God (I): Perfection, Necessity, and Self-Sufficiency
• The Attributes of God (II): God and Time, Omniscience, and Human Freedom
• The Attributes of God (III): Omnipresence, Incorporeality, Beauty, Omnipotence
• The Attributes of God (IV): Immutability, Impassibility, Simplicity (?), Humility
• The God of Truth (I): Truth on the Decline
• The God of Truth (II): The Inescapability of Truth

Part II: Creation

• Moving Towards God
• God—The Best Explanation (I): The Problems with Naturalism
• God—The Best Explanation (II): The Naturalists Are Declaring the Glory of God
• The Reasons for God (I): God as the Cause of the Universe
• The Reasons for God (II): God as the Designer of the Universe
• The Reasons for God (III): God as the Source of Goodness
• Science, Nature, and God
• Miracles

Part III: Fall

• The Problem of Evil (I): Introductory Matters
• The Problem of Evil (II): Evils Logical and Probabilistic
• The Problem of Evil (III): Evils Natural and Demonic
• Primal Sin
• Original Sin
• Hell

Part IV: Redemption and Re-Creation

• The Incarnation
• The Cross of Christ
• Jesus’ Uniqueness and the Plurality of Religions
• Body, Soul, and Immortality

Product Details

• Title: Loving Wisdom: A Guide to Philosophy and Christian Faith
• Author: Paul Copan
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 376
• Resource Type: Introduction
• Topic: Philosophy

About Paul Copan

Paul Copan is a Christian theologian, analytic philosopher, apologist, and author. He is currently a professor at the Palm Beach Atlantic University and holds the Pledger Family Endowed Chair of Philosophy and Ethics. He has written primarily in the area of philosophy of religion, authored seven books about religious relativism and Science & religion, and edited eleven books in field of philosophy of religion and the historicity of Jesus Christ.