Christianity and Critical Realism: Ambiguity, Truth and Theological Literacy PDF
Preview Christianity and Critical Realism: Ambiguity, Truth and Theological Literacy
SPINE 22mm L A Y O R ac n New studies iN critical realism aNd dh rer spirituality wi s wti a r ign hi tt y a n d c r i t i c a l r e a l i s m christianity and critical realism Ambiguity, truth and theological literacy andrew wright ISBN 978-0-415-53957-9 www.routledge.com 9 780415 539579 SPINE 22mm Christianity and Critical Realism One of the key achievements of critical realism has been to expose the modernist myth of universal reason, which holds that authentic knowledge claims must be objectively ‘pure’, uncontaminated by the subjectivity of local place, specific time and particular culture. Wright aims to address the lack of any substantial and sustained engagement between critical realism and theological critical realism with particular regard to: (1) the distinctive ontological claims of Christianity; (2) their epistemic warrant and intellectual legitimacy; and (3) scrutiny of the primary source of the onto- logical claims of Christianity, namely the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, it functions as a prolegomena to a much- needed wider debate, guided by the under- labouring services of critical realism, between Christianity and various other religious and secular worldviews. This important new text will help stimulate a debate that has yet to get out of first gear. This book will appeal to academics, graduate and postgraduate students espe- cially, but also to Christian clergy, ministers and informed laity, and members of the general public concerned with the nature of religion and its place in contem- porary society. Andrew Wright is Professor of religious and theological education at King’s College London, UK. New studies in critical realism and spirituality Other titles in this series: Critical Realism and Spirituality Mervyn Hartwig and Jamie Morgan Christianity and Critical Realism Ambiguity, truth and theological literacy Andrew Wright Christianity and Critical Realism Ambiguity, truth and theological literacy Andrew Wright First published 2013 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2013 Andrew Wright The right of Andrew Wright to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data Wright, Andrew, 1958– Christianity and critical realism : ambiguity, truth, and theological literacy / Andrew Wright. p. cm. – (New studies in critical realism and spirituality) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Christian philosophy. 2. Christianity–Philosophy. 3. Critical realism. 4. Philosophy and religion. 5. Religion–Philosophy. I. Title. BR100.W65 2013 230.01–dc23 2012014951 ISBN: 978-0-415-53957-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-08513-4 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear For Elina, Juliana and Mariana Contents Acknowledgements x Introduction 1 PART I Critical realism and transcendence 7 1 Critical realism and dialectical critical realism 9 Critical realism 10 Dialectical critical realism 16 2 The spiritual turn: transcendence and meta- Reality 21 Transcendental dialectical critical realism 21 The roots of the spiritual turn 24 The transition to meta-R eality 29 The philosophy of meta-R eality 32 3 Christianity and critical realism 39 Transcendence: critical realism and God 39 Theology and natural science 42 Theology and epistemology 48 Theology and historiography 51 PART II Epistemic relativism: the ambiguity of Christianity 57 4 The identity of Christianity 59 Essential Christianity 60 Nominal Christianity 64 Realistic Christianity 66 Trinitarian Christianity 73 viii Contents 5 Trinitarian theology and epistemic relativism 78 Epistemic relativism revisited 79 Trinitarian truth claims 82 The fallibility of Trinitarian truth claims 88 Judgemental rationality and Christian heresy 92 Judgemental rationality and Trinitarian theology 95 6 The ‘problem’ of Christian exclusivism 99 Religious exclusivism and inter-f aith dialogue 99 Exclusivism and ontology 103 Exclusivism and epistemology 106 Exclusivism and morality 108 PART III Ontological realism: Christianity and truth 119 7 Classical theism and the Triune God 121 The evolution of classical theism 122 The contours of classical theism 124 Trinitarian theology and classical theism 126 The parting of the waves 128 The problem of mediation 131 8 The Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit 137 The one Triune God 137 God the Father 141 God the Son 146 God the Holy Spirit 149 9 The economy of salvation 154 The theology of creation 154 The glory and poverty of humankind 159 The drama of reconciliation 167 PART IV Judgemental rationality and Christian epistemology 177 10 The epistemology of divine revelation 179 Revelation as divine agency 180 Revelation as an epistemic problem 184 Revelation as an epistemic necessity 186 Revelation and Scripture 192 The Old Testament as mediated revelation 196 Contents ix 11 Theological science 201 Theological epistemology 202 The possibility and actuality of knowledge of God 204 Theological science and the development of natural science 207 The nature of scientific activity 210 The nature of theological truth 213 The logic of theology 214 12 Radical orthodoxy: beyond secular reason 217 Radical orthodoxy and secular paganism 218 The hegemony of occidental reason 223 The hegemony of liberal polity 230 PART V Judgemental rationality and the historical Jesus 237 13 Towards a critical realist historiography 239 Positivist historiography 240 Idealist historiography 244 Critical realist historiography: ontological realism 249 Critical realist historiography: epistemic relativism 251 Critical realist historiography: judgmental rationality 253 14 The quest for the historical Jesus 257 The Original Quest: positivism 259 The Original Quest: idealism 262 The New Quest: positivism 264 The New Quest: idealism 267 The Third Quest: critical realism 270 15 Jesus Christ: a critical realist reading 273 Miracles revisited 274 The Kingdom of God 279 The crucified Messiah 282 Jesus and God 285 The resurrection 288 Bibliography 293 Index 308
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