Obstacles to Divine Revelation: God and the Reorientation of Human Reason

by Rolfe King

Overview

A fascinating, philosophical approach to the concept of divine revelation, exploring the implications this theory may have for generating a new concept of religious truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441113641
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/03/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	292
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

He is an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham, UK. He was formerly Senior Lecturer in the Department of Theology at Newman College (now Newman University College), Birmingham. He is currently engaged in research projects at both the University of Birmingham and the University of Aberdeen.
He is an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham, UK. He was formerly Senior Lecturer in the Department of Theology at Newman College (now Newman University College), Birmingham. He is currently engaged in research projects at both the University of Birmingham and the University of Aberdeen.

Rolfe King is currently based at the University of Birmingham as an Honorary Lecturer engaged in research in philosophy of religion, as well as being a Research Associate at the Queen's Foundation in Birmingham.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Initial Reflections
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Identifying our topic
1.3 Comments on method
1.4 Some key assumptions
1.5 Adjusting the focus
1.6 Some illustrations
Chapter 2: The God of History?
2.1 Recording history
2.2 Revelation as history
2.3 Hermeneutics
2.4 Some general features of obstacles to revelation
Chapter 3: Starting the Process
3.1 The Eden parable
3.2 Revelation and necessity
3.3 Analysing God's options
3.4 God's limited options
3.5 Evidence and the best plan
3.6 Some possible criticisms
Chapter 4: Evidence and Direct Cognition of God
4.1 Some background
4.2 Internalism v. externamlism
4.3 Models of direct knowledge of the truth of testimony
4.4 Evaluation of the models
Chapter 5: Knowledge and the Perception of God
5.1 Can God be perceived?
5.2 Language games and the name of God
5.3 Seeing the essence of God
5.4 Seeing the glory of God
Chapter 6: Knowledge and Obstacles to Direct Cognition
6.1 Direct cognition: a summary
6.2 Plantinga and the maximum pace of revelation
6.3 Obstacles to direct cognition
6.4 Coherence rationality and union with God
6.5 A Theory of Knowledge
6.6 The Eden parable revisited
Chapter 7: Major and Discreet Revelation
7.1 Great evidence
7.2 The "Gal" thought-experiment
7.3 Results and application
7.4 Obstacles to major revelation
7.5 Discreet revelation: the best strategy?
Chapter 8: Eschatological Revelation
8.1 The parable of the Throne and the Seed
8.2 Judgment and revelation
8.3 Judgement and the vision of God
8.4 The general problem of special revelation
Chapter 9: Divine Hiddenness
9.1 A third factor
9.2 The choice to hide
9.3 Obstacles or hiding?
9.4 Apophatic theology
Chapter 10: The Necessary Structure of Revelation
10.1 The story so far
10.2 God's limited opinions: types of divine self-testimony
10.3 Evidence, divine plans and the "Version B Model"
10.4 Features of the necessary structure
10.5 Approaching assurance
10.6 Miracles and necessity
10.7 Does Kant make any difference?
Chapter 11: Divine Self-testimony and the Journey to God
11.1 God and the contemporary debate over testimony
11.2 Journey-epistemology
11.3 Two kinds of rationality
11.4 Traditions and the awakening of the human ideal
11.5 The knowledge of God: head and heart
Chapter 12: The Journey of Faith
12.1 Confident faith?
12.2 Choosing to trust?
12.3 The moral ideal and the journey towards God
12.4 Faith and reason
Chapter 13: Providence and Revelation
13.1 The problem of evil
13.2 Modest theodicy
13.3 Providence and free will
13.4 Modeling omnipotence
Conclusion
References
Index