Year: 2005, Pages: 192,
ISBN: 0631211527
This book is an aid to the series Exploring the Philosophy of Religion edited by Michael L. Peterson. The aim of this series is to deal with topics in philosophy of religion so as to illustrate and discuss literature pertinent to them. Hebblethwaite served as Fellow and Dean of Chapel at Queens’ College, Cambridge, from 1969 to 1994 and as Lecturer in Philosophy of Religion in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge from 1973 to 1999. He was appointed Canon Theologian at Leicester Cathedral in 1983 and served in this role until 2001.
Brian Hebblethwaite's particular concern is 'to survey and comment on recent work by Anglo-American philosophers of religion in the analytic tradition on the doctrines of the Christian creed' (Pg. 12).
Chapters’ Summary:
Starting from chapters on philosophy of religion and theology, and on revelation, the creation, the Incarnation, the Trinity, the salvation, and life after death. In a concluding chapter Hebblethwaite rounds off his volume by turning to what he calls 'Other Themes in Christian Doctrine'. These are: the church, the sacraments, the philosophy of worship, and 'the doctrine of providence'.
'A major purpose of this book', he writes, 'is to encourage both sides to respect each other and learn from each other' (Pg.5). Indeed, some theologians inclined towards Karl Barth have espoused a distinctly anti-rational approach, disagreeing that a complete theology will have a logic that is inaccessible to the human mind. Hebblethwaite persuasively contends that the questions theology is interested in cannot escape philosophical inquiry as concerned to truth and rationality. Hebblethwaite is conscious that there are theologians who continue to repel the invasions by philosophers in theological terrain. In a passion of harmonizing, he inspires both philosophers and theologians to receive each other and to get profited from what each have to say about other.
Christian theologians have nothing to fear, and everything to gain, from allowing their subject matter to be discussed and scrutinized in such an open context' (Pg.8). Readers should note, however, that Hebblethwaite sees good philosophical sense to be coming from analytic rather than other trend of philosophy. He is quite unconcerned of what is sometimes called 'continental philosophy'.
One of the key doctrines that marks Christianity apart from other religions is that of the incarnation; the idea that Jesus Christ was the ‘incarnate Son of God’ (Pg. 57).
When it comes to the Incarnation, Hebblethwaite inclines to idea, which calls to be traditional opinion. Hebblethwaite does, however, seem to validate the proposal that there are a priori reasons for being certain of that God is somehow more than one. 'The individual is something of an abstraction', he writes. 'Maximal greatness cannot be modelled on such abstraction. It must include, essentially, interpersonal relation' (Pg.93). Hebblethwaite also speaks up for what he calls 'social trinitarianism' (Pg. 76). 'The Trinitarian distinctions and relations', Hebblethwaite tells us, 'are internal to the Ultimate. There are not, and could not be, three ultimates, externally related' (Pg.87).
Chapter on salvation, Hebblethwaite (distancing himself from what he calls 'subjective' theories of the Atonement), opts for an account which, he thinks, allows us to give weight both to the demands of justice and to the notion of forgiveness (Chapter 6). When it comes to the final happiness of all people, Hebblethwaite seems to support a doctrine of universal salvation. 'It is', he notes, 'hard not to agree with Adams that Stump's and Swinburne's views of the nature of eternal loss are no more compatible with the goodness and love of God than is the traditional doctrine of everlasting punishment' (Pg.125).
The book gives a glimpse at many diverse questions, but seldom spends ample amount of time concentrating on any one question. His deductions may be right, but he does not pay adequate time to present so. He travels far too rapidly. Each chapter contains around seven or eight sub-sections concentrating on mostly different subjects, which means that the book addresses something in the region of sixty deep problems in philosophical theology. This is not a disappointing thing with the book, however, since its goal is to offer an outline of these many problems.
Hebblethwaite’s book offers a brilliant start for anyone wanting to embark an investigation in this area, since the extensive notes offer a widespread bibliography of the discipline. Because the drive of the book is to familiarize the reader to a huge number of discussions in philosophical theology; it is quite, simply put, wide than being deep in its subject matter. This book will be accessible to those with an elementary basis in philosophy or a basic knowledge of Christian theology. I recommend this to all who are interested in philosophical theology, especially that of the liberal perspective.
Brian Hebblethwaite's particular concern is 'to survey and comment on recent work by Anglo-American philosophers of religion in the analytic tradition on the doctrines of the Christian creed' (Pg. 12).
Chapters’ Summary:
Starting from chapters on philosophy of religion and theology, and on revelation, the creation, the Incarnation, the Trinity, the salvation, and life after death. In a concluding chapter Hebblethwaite rounds off his volume by turning to what he calls 'Other Themes in Christian Doctrine'. These are: the church, the sacraments, the philosophy of worship, and 'the doctrine of providence'.
'A major purpose of this book', he writes, 'is to encourage both sides to respect each other and learn from each other' (Pg.5). Indeed, some theologians inclined towards Karl Barth have espoused a distinctly anti-rational approach, disagreeing that a complete theology will have a logic that is inaccessible to the human mind. Hebblethwaite persuasively contends that the questions theology is interested in cannot escape philosophical inquiry as concerned to truth and rationality. Hebblethwaite is conscious that there are theologians who continue to repel the invasions by philosophers in theological terrain. In a passion of harmonizing, he inspires both philosophers and theologians to receive each other and to get profited from what each have to say about other.
Christian theologians have nothing to fear, and everything to gain, from allowing their subject matter to be discussed and scrutinized in such an open context' (Pg.8). Readers should note, however, that Hebblethwaite sees good philosophical sense to be coming from analytic rather than other trend of philosophy. He is quite unconcerned of what is sometimes called 'continental philosophy'.
One of the key doctrines that marks Christianity apart from other religions is that of the incarnation; the idea that Jesus Christ was the ‘incarnate Son of God’ (Pg. 57).
When it comes to the Incarnation, Hebblethwaite inclines to idea, which calls to be traditional opinion. Hebblethwaite does, however, seem to validate the proposal that there are a priori reasons for being certain of that God is somehow more than one. 'The individual is something of an abstraction', he writes. 'Maximal greatness cannot be modelled on such abstraction. It must include, essentially, interpersonal relation' (Pg.93). Hebblethwaite also speaks up for what he calls 'social trinitarianism' (Pg. 76). 'The Trinitarian distinctions and relations', Hebblethwaite tells us, 'are internal to the Ultimate. There are not, and could not be, three ultimates, externally related' (Pg.87).
Chapter on salvation, Hebblethwaite (distancing himself from what he calls 'subjective' theories of the Atonement), opts for an account which, he thinks, allows us to give weight both to the demands of justice and to the notion of forgiveness (Chapter 6). When it comes to the final happiness of all people, Hebblethwaite seems to support a doctrine of universal salvation. 'It is', he notes, 'hard not to agree with Adams that Stump's and Swinburne's views of the nature of eternal loss are no more compatible with the goodness and love of God than is the traditional doctrine of everlasting punishment' (Pg.125).
The book gives a glimpse at many diverse questions, but seldom spends ample amount of time concentrating on any one question. His deductions may be right, but he does not pay adequate time to present so. He travels far too rapidly. Each chapter contains around seven or eight sub-sections concentrating on mostly different subjects, which means that the book addresses something in the region of sixty deep problems in philosophical theology. This is not a disappointing thing with the book, however, since its goal is to offer an outline of these many problems.
Hebblethwaite’s book offers a brilliant start for anyone wanting to embark an investigation in this area, since the extensive notes offer a widespread bibliography of the discipline. Because the drive of the book is to familiarize the reader to a huge number of discussions in philosophical theology; it is quite, simply put, wide than being deep in its subject matter. This book will be accessible to those with an elementary basis in philosophy or a basic knowledge of Christian theology. I recommend this to all who are interested in philosophical theology, especially that of the liberal perspective.
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