Volume 9 – Issue 1 – Fall 2024
Featured Articles
The Soul, ID Research, and a Science-Engaged Theology
The Soul, ID Research, and a Science-Engaged Theology J. P. MorelandJ. P. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University Abstract: This article challenges the prevalent scientific view that dismisses mental entities—consciousness, the self, mental causation—as empirically inaccessible. It argues that this dismissal stems not from evidence but sociological/theological factors…
Front-loading: The Bridge between Evolution and Intelligent Design
Front-loading: The Bridge between Evolution and Intelligent Design Scott D. G. VentureyraScott D. G. Ventureyra is an independent scholar and author from Ottawa, Canada, who specializes in the science-theology interaction. Abstract: Much of the literature on Intelligent Design (ID) focuses on whether certain features of the universe and life exhibit signs of design. Less attention…
ARTICLES
- A Philosophical Framework for Intelligent Design
A Philosophical Framework for Intelligent Design Charles TaliaferroCharles Taliaferro is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Emeritus Oscar and Gertrude Boe Overby Distinguished Professor at St. Olaf College Abstract: Debate over intelligent design (ID) should take into account the surrounding philosophical frameworks in such debate. Section one considers the relevance of the revival of substance dualism, while section two stresses the importance of examining the magnitude and consistency of hypotheses in… - Between the Designer and God: On Bad Theological Moves in the Intelligent Design DebateBetween the Designer and God: On Bad Theological Moves in the Intelligent Design Debate E. V. Rope KojonenE. V. Rope Kojonen is University Lecturer in Systematic Theology at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Abstract: The debate surrounding Intelligent Design (ID) often intertwines theological considerations with scientific discourse, yet the relationship between the “intelligent designer” and the concept of God remains contentious and ambiguous. Although ID proponents argue that the design…
- The Soul, ID Research, and a Science-Engaged TheologyThe Soul, ID Research, and a Science-Engaged Theology J. P. MorelandJ. P. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University Abstract: This article challenges the prevalent scientific view that dismisses mental entities—consciousness, the self, mental causation—as empirically inaccessible. It argues that this dismissal stems not from evidence but sociological/theological factors that in turn hinder science and theology. The article provides various reasons to reject this…
- Front-loading: The Bridge between Evolution and Intelligent DesignFront-loading: The Bridge between Evolution and Intelligent Design Scott D. G. VentureyraScott D. G. Ventureyra is an independent scholar and author from Ottawa, Canada, who specializes in the science-theology interaction. Abstract: Much of the literature on Intelligent Design (ID) focuses on whether certain features of the universe and life exhibit signs of design. Less attention has been given to how God might have designed these features, particularly within biological systems….
- Return of the God Hypothesis: How New Scientific Discoveries Support Theistic BeliefReturn of the God Hypothesis: How New Scientific Discoveries Support Theistic Belief Stephen C. MeyerStephen C. Meyer is Director of the Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute Abstract: This essay contends that three major scientific discoveries during the last century provide evidence for theism. I examine each discovery in turn: the beginning of the universe, fine-tuning of the universe, and origin of genetic information in the first life on…
- Design-Engaged Theology: A Synopsis and Way ForwardDesign-Engaged Theology: A Synopsis and Way Forward Joshua R. Farris, PhDJoshua R. Farris is Research Professor (Visiting) at Ruhr Universität Bochum, Affiliate at Kairos University, and Mentor at St. Patrick’s Institute Ryan A. Brandt, PhDRyan A. Brandt is Professor of Christian History and Theology at Grand Canyon University Abstract: This article frames the rest of this special issue in terms of what it is: science-engaged theology from either a design…
BOOK REVIEWS
- Review of The Rational Ontological Argument: Modality, Ontology and God
Review of The Rational Ontological Argument: Modality, Ontology and God Sijuwade, Joshua R. The Rational Ontological Argument: Modality, Ontology and God. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025, pp. 288, £85, Hardback. Sijuwade displays an excellent grasp of the literature on the ontological argument and on modal metaphysics and epistemology, and uses it to develop an innovative and original ontological argument for God’s existence. This book considerably advances discussion of a longstanding argument… - Review of Forsaking the Fall: Original Sin and the Possibility of a Nonlapsarian Christianity
Review of Forsaking the Fall: Original Sin and the Possibility of a Nonlapsarian Christianity Spencer, Daniel H. Forsaking the Fall: Original Sin and the Possibility of a Nonlapsarian Christianity. New York: Routledge, 2023. 203 pp. $43.99 paperback. In sum, Forsaking the Fall is a stimulating thought experiment. However, I am still not convinced that nonlapsarian Christianity can ever be compatible with Scripture or the catholic tradition. Forsaking the Fall is… - Review of City of Gods: The New Jerusalem of John’s Revelation in Early Christianity
Review of City of Gods: The New Jerusalem of John’s Revelation in Early Christianity Betz, Nathan. City of Gods: The New Jerusalem of John’s Revelation in Early Christianity. VCS 186. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2025, pp. 544, $157.00, hardback. A student of theology not formally acquainted with early authors should look somewhere else for a general overview of patristic eschatology, but for the scholar interested in how the Apocalypse of John… - Review of T&T Clark Handbook of Suffering and the Problem of Evil
Review of T&T Clark Handbook of Suffering and the Problem of Evil Grebe, Matthias, and Johannes Grössl, eds. T&T Clark Handbook of Suffering and the Problem of Evil. London, New York, and Dublin: T&T Clark, 2025, pp. 727, $58.95, paperback. Now, despite these concerns, I would warmly recommend this book to audiences of all sorts: to students, established academics, and interested laypeople alike. The student of biblical and theological studies in… - Review of Why Aquinas Matters Now
Review of Why Aquinas Matters Now Oliver Keenan, Why Aquinas Matters Now. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024, pp. 230, $22.00, hardback. If much of the history of Thomistic scholarship might be described as missing the forest for the trees, then the opposite risk faces Keenan’s 30,000-foot fly-over. Still, the book’s concise but expansive panorama is precisely its strength and accomplishes exactly what Keenan has set out to explain: why Aquinas matters… - Review of Reading The Bible Around the World
Review of Reading The Bible Around the World Roth, Federico Alfredo, Smith, Justin Marc, Oh, Kirsten Sonkyo, Yafeh-Deigh, Alice, and Smith, Kay Higuera, Reading the Bible Around the World: A Student’s Guide to Global Hermeneutics, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2022, pp. 167, $22.00, Paperback. The book is still a good tool for bible students to see the passage from different angles and social locations, albeit making the text play a…