Hell and Divine Goodness
Within the Christian theological tradition, there has always been a variety of perspectives on hell, usually distinguished according to their views about the duration of hell’s torments for the damned. Traditionalists maintain that the suffering of the damned is everlasting. Universalists claim that eventually every person is redeemed and arrives in heaven. And conditional immortalists, also known as “conditionalists” or “annihilationists,” reject both the concept of eternal torment as well as universal salvation, instead claiming that after a finite period of suffering the damned are annihilated.
Idealism and Christian Theology
The late John Foster put the theory of idealism back on the philosophical map. Idealism and Christian Theology re-introduces Idealism to contemporary Christian theology. It retrieves ideas and arguments from its most significant modern exponents (especially George Berkeley and Jonathan Edwards) in order to assess its value for present and future theological construction. This volume considers the explanatory power an Idealist ontology has for contemporary Christian theology.
Idealism and Christian Philosophy
When it comes to contemporary philosophical problems, metaphysical idealism-or Berkeleyan immaterialism-is not taken seriously by most philosophers, not to mention the typical Christian layperson. This state of affairs deserves some attempt at rectification, since Idealism has considerable explanatory power as a metaphysical thesis and provides numerous practical and theoretical benefits.
Philosophy (Faithful Learning)
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle . . . great philosophers have a lasting impact. For them, words and ideas are power. They can turn a phrase inside out and flip an argument on its head. They can put a spin on the world. But this power may be used wrongly—and the best response is not to avoid it, but to learn how to use it rightly! In the words of the apostle Paul, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy.” Are you ready to match wits?
The Making of an Athiest
The new atheists are on the warpath. They come armed with arguments to show that belief in God is absurd and dangerous. In the name of societal progress, they promote purging the world of all religious practice. And they claim that people of faith are mentally ill. Some of the new atheists openly declare their hatred for the Judeo-Christian God.
The Love of Wisdom
Philosophy is defined as the love of wisdom, and college students will certainly admire this Bible-informed introductory level textbook’s fun approach to an often heady subject. The Love of Wisdom is made distinct in its engaging style that includes humor and copious popular culture illustrations to heighten reader interest and clarify important concepts.
Gum, Geckos, and God
In a book that is witty, warm, and profound, Spiegel takes on the challenge of explaining complex issues of the Christian faith in terms that his own children can understand and accept. As you read, you’ll step into a new depth of Christian doctrine as you come to know and enjoy the Spiegel family and follow their journey of spiritual growth. Gum, Geckos, and God is a uniquely incisive look into the most complex issues of faith in a way that’s absorbing, engaging, and highly personal.
Faith, Film, and Philosophy
Faith, Film, and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen applies Christian philosophical analysis to cinema. Featuring over a dozen essays treating diverse issues in recent and classic films, the content is philosophically rich but non-technical and will appeal to a broad audience of readers. Chapter themes vary widely but are all directly relevant to Christian philosophy. Likewise, the book represents a broad range of film genres.
The Benefits of Providence
In this book Spiegel applies the high view of providence to theological matters such as divine conservation of the world, miracles, and divine emotion. He discusses implications of the high view pertaining to the practice of science, the problem of evil, and moral formation. The guiding theme of the book is the concept of God as a divine artist and the world as his art work.
How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad
An engaging, down-to-earth manual that helps Christians figure out how to really live a “good” life. Organized around twenty-two virtuous character traits-including humility, discretion, diligence, generosity, creativity, wit, justice, patience, peace, gratitude, faith, and love – this is more than a book of suggestions. This is a manual for how to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation . . .” (Phil.. 2:14)
Hypocrisy: Moral Fraud and Other Vices
Spiegel deftly analyzes the concept and content of hypocrisy, then moves to a discussion of its morality and its relation to moral weakness and sanctification. In his closing chapter he takes up the charge of the church’s hypocrisy and whether it poses a sufficient reason for rejection of Christian truth, as critics maintain. Highly accessible yet philosophically sophisticated, Hypocrisy will sharpen the wits of serious readers and students of philosophy alike.