William Lane Craig: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 494108048 by Sanju87 (talk)rvt per talk
→‎Apologetics: tag -- this source actually mentions only two
Line 45: Line 45:


===Apologetics===
===Apologetics===
Craig has written a number of works of [[Christian apologetics]].<ref name="Dulles">{{cite book| last=Dulles|first=Avery|authorlink=Avery Cardinal Dulles |title=A History of Apologetics |edition=2nd|year=2005|publisher=Ignatius Press |isbn=0-89870-933-4|pages=360,363|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Xli4W2pSZpQC&pg=PA360 }}</ref> Fellow [[Evangelical]] apologist [[Robert M. Bowman, Jr.]] (writing with Kenneth D. Boa) described his ''Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics'' as "one of the best recent textbook introductions to the subject of apologetics."<ref>{{cite book| last1=Boa|first1=Kenneth D.|last2=Bowman|first2=Robert M. Jr.|title=Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith |edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=0-8308-5648-X|page=64|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=U4VqOAuQWagC&pg=PA64 }}</ref> Catholic Cardinal [[Avery Cardinal Dulles|Avery Dulles]] has described ''Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview'' (with J.P. Moreland, 2003) as "monumental," but pointed out that Catholics will not necessarily agree with it.<ref name="Dulles"/>
Craig has written a number of works of [[Christian apologetics]].<ref name="Dulles">{{cite book| last=Dulles|first=Avery|authorlink=Avery Cardinal Dulles |title=A History of Apologetics |edition=2nd|year=2005|publisher=Ignatius Press |isbn=0-89870-933-4|pages=360,363|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Xli4W2pSZpQC&pg=PA360 }}</ref>{{failed verification}} Fellow [[Evangelical]] apologist [[Robert M. Bowman, Jr.]] (writing with Kenneth D. Boa) described his ''Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics'' as "one of the best recent textbook introductions to the subject of apologetics."<ref>{{cite book| last1=Boa|first1=Kenneth D.|last2=Bowman|first2=Robert M. Jr.|title=Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith |edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=0-8308-5648-X|page=64|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=U4VqOAuQWagC&pg=PA64 }}</ref> Catholic Cardinal [[Avery Cardinal Dulles|Avery Dulles]] has described ''Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview'' (with J.P. Moreland, 2003) as "monumental," but pointed out that Catholics will not necessarily agree with it.<ref name="Dulles"/>


Craig's work as a [[New Testament]] historian focuses on a defense of central Christian doctrines, specifically [[resurrection of Jesus|Jesus' resurrection]] from the dead. In ''The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus'', he reviews the historical debate and provides a critical analysis of [[David Hume]]'s arguments against testimony of miracles, examines New Testament material dealing with the resurrection, and concludes that the resurrection is the most plausible explanation of the historical data.<ref>{{cite book|last=Craig |first=William Lane |title=Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus |year=1989 |series=Studies in the Bible and early Christianity |volume=16 |publisher=[[Edwin Mellen Press]] |isbn=978-0-88946-616-6 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=l_nYAAAAMAAJ&dq=}}</ref> Craig uses the [[Shroud of Turin]] as part of his case.<ref name="Dulles"/>
Craig's work as a [[New Testament]] historian focuses on a defense of central Christian doctrines, specifically [[resurrection of Jesus|Jesus' resurrection]] from the dead. In ''The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus'', he reviews the historical debate and provides a critical analysis of [[David Hume]]'s arguments against testimony of miracles, examines New Testament material dealing with the resurrection, and concludes that the resurrection is the most plausible explanation of the historical data.<ref>{{cite book|last=Craig |first=William Lane |title=Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus |year=1989 |series=Studies in the Bible and early Christianity |volume=16 |publisher=[[Edwin Mellen Press]] |isbn=978-0-88946-616-6 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=l_nYAAAAMAAJ&dq=}}</ref> Craig uses the [[Shroud of Turin]] as part of his case.<ref name="Dulles"/>

Revision as of 06:19, 24 May 2012

William Lane Craig
Born (1949-08-23) August 23, 1949 (age 74)
East Peoria, Illinois
Era21st-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolAnalytic philosophy
Main interests
Philosophy of religion, natural theology, philosophy of time, Christian apologetics
Websitereasonablefaith.org

William Lane Craig (born August 23, 1949) is an American analytic philosopher, philosophical theologian, and Christian apologist.[1] He is known for his work in the philosophy of religion, philosophy of time, and the defense of Christian theism.[2] One of his most notable contributions to the philosophy of religion is his defense of the Kalām cosmological argument, which is the most widely discussed argument for the existence of God in contemporary Western philosophy.[1][3]

In theology he has also defended Molinism and the belief that God is, since Creation, subject to time.[1][4][5] Craig has authored or edited over 30 books including The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979), The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz (1980), Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology (with Quentin Smith, 1993), Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (with J.P. Moreland, 2003) and Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics (3d edition, 2008).

Academic background

Craig received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Wheaton College, Illinois, in 1971 and two summa cum laude master's degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, in 1975, in philosophy of religion and ecclesiastical history.[6] He earned a Ph.D. in philosophy under John Hick at the University of Birmingham, England in 1977 and a Th.D. under Wolfhart Pannenberg at the University of Munich in 1984.[7]

From 1980 to 1986 he was an assistant professor of philosophy at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He briefly held the position of associate professor of religious studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, from 1986 to 1987. From 1987 to 1994 Craig pursued further research at the University of Louvain, Belgium. Since 1996 he has held the position of research professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California.[7]

Work

Philosophy of religion

Craig's primary contribution to philosophy of religion is his revival of the Kalām cosmological argument. In The Kalam Cosmological Argument, he formulates the argument in the following manner:

  1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause of its existence.
  2. The universe began to exist.
  3. Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence.[8]

He defends the second premise by arguing that actual infinities and the formation of an actual infinite through continual addition are metaphysically impossible. Although he recognizes that axiomatized infinite set theory is logically consistent he maintains that the existence of actual infinities in the real world would lead to absurdities. For example, David Hilbert's famous "Hilbert's Hotel" thought experiment demonstrates how a fully occupied hotel would still be able to accommodate an infinite number of guests. Craig modifies the thought experiment by introducing operations such as subtraction and shows that subtracting identical quantities from identical quantities would have non-identical remainders.[9] Since we have no evidence of such things in the actual world, Craig maintains that actual infinities are, for all intents and purposes, metaphysically impossible. Most mathematicians and philosophers do not find these arguments convincing.[10] Craig also argues that the thermodynamic properties of the universe and its expansion provide more evidence in support of premise two.[11]

Craig also develops an a posteriori argument against actual infinities which rests on the A-theory of time. He gives Bertrand Russell's example of Tristam Shandy, who writes his autobiography so slowly that it takes him one year to write down the events of one day. A similar temporal sequence would have occurred in an eternal universe. No matter how long it takes, an eternal universe would still not be 'actually infinite' and must have begun to exist.

Craig has also contributed to the problem of divine foreknowledge (the compatibility of God's omniscience with human freedom). He analyzes current discussions of time travel, retrocausality, special relativity, and Newcomb's Paradox and brings them to bear on theological fatalism (most often supported by strongly Augustinian theologies, particularly Calvinism).[12] Rejecting fatalism[13] he defends the middle knowledge view (also known as Molinism).[14] According to this solution, prior to actualizing a possible world, God knows everything that does or will happen as well as how free creatures would act if placed in any particular circumstance. Craig considers that this also provides the answer to the question of how God foreknows future contingents.[15]

Philosophy of time

Craig is a presentist and defends the A-series of time. He rejects J. M. E. McTaggart's famous argument against it, describing it as "an engaging and recalcitrant brain teaser that no one takes seriously," but also argues against hybrid A-B theorists because they are all refuted by McTaggart's paradox.[16] He argues that McTaggart's objection does not succeed as it employs an incoherent combination of a B-theoretical ontology with A-theoretical temporal becoming.[17] According to Craig, if one adopts a neo-Lorentzian interpretation of special relativity, the A-theory can be reconciled with the theory of relativity.[18]

In terms of God's relationship to time, Craig argues that God must exist in time if he is to be regarded as a causal agent. He rejects the view that God could exist timelessly with creation as he did sans creation on the grounds that nothing outside time could have temporal interactions with the world. Critics such as Paul Helm maintain that Craig’s objections against divine timelessness is itself incoherent because "There can be no temporal 'and then' for a timelessly eternal God."[19] Craig responds to this charge by arguing that God's timeless and temporal phases are not related to each other as "earlier" and "later."[20]

Apologetics

Craig has written a number of works of Christian apologetics.[21][failed verification] Fellow Evangelical apologist Robert M. Bowman, Jr. (writing with Kenneth D. Boa) described his Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics as "one of the best recent textbook introductions to the subject of apologetics."[22] Catholic Cardinal Avery Dulles has described Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (with J.P. Moreland, 2003) as "monumental," but pointed out that Catholics will not necessarily agree with it.[21]

Craig's work as a New Testament historian focuses on a defense of central Christian doctrines, specifically Jesus' resurrection from the dead. In The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus, he reviews the historical debate and provides a critical analysis of David Hume's arguments against testimony of miracles, examines New Testament material dealing with the resurrection, and concludes that the resurrection is the most plausible explanation of the historical data.[23] Craig uses the Shroud of Turin as part of his case.[21]

Other views

Craig is a critic of metaphysical naturalism[24] and New Atheism[25] as well as a defender of Reformed epistemology.[26] He believes that scripture not does condemn homosexuals per se but does prohibit all homosexual acts, which he considers as “sacrilegious” as well as “self-destructive” to the same degree as heroin addiction or chain smoking whether engaged in by a homosexual or a heterosexual person.[27] Craig maintains that the theory of evolution is compatible with Christianity.[28][page needed] Although he does not fully endorse intelligent design,[29] he thinks it may be a viable alternative to evolution.[30] He is a fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture[31] and a fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design (ISCID).[32]

Debates

Craig has publicly debated atheists Richard Carrier, Robert M. Price, Sam Harris, Antony Flew,[33] A. C. Grayling,[34] Lawrence Krauss,[35][36] Victor Stenger,[37] Peter Atkins,[38] Walter Sinnott-Armstrong,[39] and Christopher Hitchens.[40] as well as prominent Muslims such as Shabir Ally and Jawal Badawi.[41] Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins has refused a rigorous debate with Craig (accusing him of self-promotion and of being an “apologist for genocide"),[42] although Dawkins participated in a six-person discussion which included Craig.[43]

Bibliography

  • The Kalām Cosmological Argument. London: MacMillan. 1979. ISBN 1-57910-438-X / ISBN 978-1-57910-438-2
  • The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz. London: MacMillan. 1980. ISBN 1-57910-787-7 / ISBN 978-1-57910-787-1
  • The Son Rises: Historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press. 1981. ISBN 978-1-57910-464-1 / ISBN 978-1-57910-464-1
  • Apologetics: An Introduction. Chicago: Moody Press. 1984. ISBN 0-8024-0405-7
  • The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus during the Deist Controversy. Toronto: Edwin Mellen. 1985. ISBN 0-88946-811-7
  • The Only Wise God: The Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom. Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse. 1987. ISBN 1-57910-316-2 / ISBN 978-1-57910-316-3
  • The Problem of Divine Foreknowledge and Future Contingents from Aristotle to Suarez. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 1988. ISBN 90-04-08516-5 / ISBN 978-90-04-08516-9
  • Knowing the Truth About the Resurrection. Ann Arbor: Servant. 1988. ISBN 0-89283-384-X / ISBN 978-0-89283-384-9
  • Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus. Toronto: Edwin Mellen Press. 1989. ISBN 0889466165/ ISBN 978-0-88946-616-6
  • Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: The Coherence of Theism I: Omniscience. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 1990. ISBN 90-04-09250-1 / ISBN 978-90-04-09250-1
  • No Easy Answers. Chicago: Moody Press. 1990. ISBN 0-8024-2283-7 / ISBN 978-0-8024-2283-5
  • Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology (with Quentin Smith). Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1993. ISBN 978-0-19-826383-8
  • The Tensed Theory of Time: A Critical Examination. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0-7923-6634-4 / ISBN 978-0-7923-6634-8
  • Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse. 1998.
  • God, Are You There?. Atlanta: RZIM. 1999. ISBN 1-930107-00-5 / ISBN 978-1-930107-00-7
  • The Tenseless Theory of Time: A Critical Examination. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2000. ISBN 978-0-7923-6635-5 / ISBN 978-0-7923-6635-5
  • God, Time and Eternity. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2001. ISBN 978-1-58134-241-3 / ISBN 978-1-58134-241-3
  • Time and The Metaphysics of Relativity. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2001. ISBN 0-7923-6668-9
  • Time and Eternity: Exploring God's Relationship to Time. Wheaton: Crossway. 2001. ISBN 978-1-58134-241-3 / ISBN 978-1-58134-241-3
  • What Does God Know? Atlanta: RZIM. 2002. ISBN 978-1-930107-05-2
  • Hard Questions, Real Answers. Wheaton: Crossway Books. 2003. ISBN 978-1-58134-487-5 / ISBN 978-1-58134-487-5
  • God?: A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist(with Walter Sinnot-Armstrong). New York: Oxford University Press. 2003.
  • Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (with J.P. Moreland). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2003.
  • Creation out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (with Paul Copan). Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse. 2004. ISBN 0-8010-2733-0
  • Reasonable Faith. Wheaton: Crossway. 1994. rev. 3rd ed. 2008. ISBN 0-89107-764-2 / ISBN 978-0-89107-764-0
  • Einstein, relativity and absolute simultaneity. London New York: Routledge. 2008. ISBN 0-415-59166-X.
  • On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook. 2010. ISBN 1-4347-6488-5 / ISBN 978-1-4347-6488-1

See also


References

  1. ^ a b c VanArragon, Raymond J. (2010). Key Terms in Philosophy of Religion. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 127. ISBN 1-4411-3867-6.
  2. ^ "Web Author Profiles: William Lane Craig, PhD". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ Smith, Quentin (2007). "Kalam Cosmological Arguments for Atheism". In Martin, Michael (ed.). The Cambridge companion to atheism. Cambridge University Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-521-84270-9.
  4. ^ Keathley, Kenneth (2010). Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach. B&H Publishing Group. p. 6. ISBN 0-8054-3198-5.
  5. ^ DeWeese, Garrett J. (2004). God and the Nature of Time. Ashgate Publishing. p. 215. ISBN 0-7546-3519-8.
  6. ^ "Curriculum vitae". Reasonable Faith. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Talbot School of Theology. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  8. ^ Craig, William Lane (1979). The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Library of philosophy and religion. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-24809-6.
  9. ^ Oppy, Graham (1995). "Inverse Operations With Transfinite Numbers And The Kalam Cosmological Argument". International Philosophical Quarterly. 35 (2): 219–221. Retrieved 06/10/2011. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ Smith, Quentin (1987). "Infinity and the past". Philosophy of Science. 54 (1). JSTOR: 63–75. Retrieved 24/05/2012. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ Reichenbach, Bruce (2010). Edward N. Zalta (ed.). "Cosmological Argument". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ Craig, William Lane (1991). Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: The Coherence of Theism: Omniscience. ISBN 978-90-04-09250-1. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  13. ^ Viney, Donald Wayne (Spring 1989). "Does Omniscience Imply Foreknowledge? Craig on Hartshorneby". Process Studies. 18 (1). Center for Process Studies: 30–37. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  14. ^ Zagzebski, Linda (Fall 2011). Edward N. Zalta (ed.). "Foreknowledge and Free Will". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  15. ^ "Participants: Craig, William Lane". Closer to Truth. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  16. ^ Oaklander, L. Nathan (2002). "Presentism, Ontology and Temporal Experience". In Craig Callender (ed.). Time, reality & experience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 73–90. ISBN 978-0-521-52967-9.
  17. ^ Craig, William Lane (2000). The tensed theory of time : a critical examination. Springer. ISBN 978-0-7923-6634-8.
  18. ^ Balashov, Yuri; Janssen, Michel (2003). "Presentism and Relativity". British Jnl. for the Philosophy of Sci. 54 (2). Oxford University Press: 327–346. doi:10.1093/bjps/54.2.327. Retrieved 06/10/2011. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Helm, Paul (2010). Edward N. Zalta (ed.). "Eternity". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
  20. ^ Helm, Paul (2011). Eternal God : a study of God without time (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 220ff. ISBN 978-0-19-959038-4.
  21. ^ a b c Dulles, Avery (2005). A History of Apologetics (2nd ed.). Ignatius Press. pp. 360, 363. ISBN 0-89870-933-4.
  22. ^ Boa, Kenneth D.; Bowman, Robert M. Jr. (2006). Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith (2nd ed.). InterVarsity Press. p. 64. ISBN 0-8308-5648-X.
  23. ^ Craig, William Lane (1989). Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus. Studies in the Bible and early Christianity. Vol. 16. Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 978-0-88946-616-6.
  24. ^ Craig, William Lane; Moreland, James Porter (2000). Naturalism: A Critical Analysis. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-23524-2.
  25. ^ Copan, Paul; Craig, William Lane (2009). Contending with Christianity's Critics: Answering New Atheists & Other Objectors. B&H. ISBN 978-0-8054-4936-5.
  26. ^ "Religious Epistemology MP3 Audio by William Lane Craig". Apologetics 315. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  27. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvtjwCNCzSA&list=UUlTM23X7Iwfd8u0ayBQG79Q&index=7&feature=plcp
  28. ^ Stewart, Robert B. (2007). Intelligent Design: William A. Dembski and Michael Ruse in Dialogue (revised ed.). Fortress Press. ISBN 0-8006-6218-0.
  29. ^ "William Lane Craig on Evolution and Intelligent Design". Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ "William Lane Craig vs. Francisco J. Ayala - Is Intelligent Design Viable?". Apologetics 315. November 5, 2009. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  31. ^ "William Lane Craig". Discovery Institute. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ "Society Fellows". International Society for Complexity, Information and Design. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  33. ^ Flew, Antony; Varghese, Roy Abraham. There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0-06-133530-3.
  34. ^ "Unbelievable? - William Lane Craig vs AC Grayling debate on God & Evil". Premier Christian Radio. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  35. ^ Smith, Anika. "William Lane Craig Debates Lawrence Krauss Tonight, Takes on Sam Harris Next Week". Evolution News and Views. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  36. ^ "The Great Debate". Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  37. ^ "Two Philosophers Debate the Existence of God". Oregon State University. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  38. ^ "De Deo: The existence of God". Reasonable Faith. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  39. ^ Craig, William Lane; Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter (2004). God?: A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195165993.
  40. ^ Jones, Nelson (20 May 2011). "Why Dawkins disappoints". New Statesman. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  41. ^ "William Lane Craig Debates List". Retrieved 3/5/12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  42. ^ Ross, Tim (14 May 2011). "Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. London: TMG. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  43. ^ Ross, Tim (14 May 2011). "Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. London: TMG. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 15 May 2012.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to William Lane Craig.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Lane Craig.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Lane_Craig&oldid=494109708"