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A critical study of erroneous modern theological thinking, offering an alternative understanding rooted in scripture and the insights of Aquinas and Barth.
Is the existence of God a matter of faith or knowledge?
Does God sometimes act miraculously or are there physical causes for everything?
Is morality absolute or relative?
Are humans truly free or does God's sovereignty determine everything?
When bad things happen, is God the cause or are they the fault of humans?
Too frequently Christians answer these questions with a Yes to one side and a No to the other side. Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth answer Yes to both. Following their model, Machuga defends a "third way" which transcends the Enlightenment dichotomies of fideism vs. rationalism, supernaturalism vs. naturalism, relativism vs. absolutism, free will vs. predestination, and God's justice vs. his mercy.
Machuga begins by showing how these false dichotomies grew out of the Enlightenment assumptions of mechanism, universal quantification, and mono-causation. He then corrects these demonstrably dubious assumptions by articulating a theory of dual-causation. The result is a thoroughly biblical understanding of God, miracles, and free will that can withstand the contemporary criticisms of both science and philosophy.
Is the existence of God a matter of faith or knowledge?
Does God sometimes act miraculously or are there physical causes for everything?
Is morality absolute or relative?
Are humans truly free or does God's sovereignty determine everything?
When bad things happen, is God the cause or are they the fault of humans?
Too frequently Christians answer these questions with a Yes to one side and a No to the other side. Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth answer Yes to both. Following their model, Machuga defends a "third way" which transcends the Enlightenment dichotomies of fideism vs. rationalism, supernaturalism vs. naturalism, relativism vs. absolutism, free will vs. predestination, and God's justice vs. his mercy.
Machuga begins by showing how these false dichotomies grew out of the Enlightenment assumptions of mechanism, universal quantification, and mono-causation. He then corrects these demonstrably dubious assumptions by articulating a theory of dual-causation. The result is a thoroughly biblical understanding of God, miracles, and free will that can withstand the contemporary criticisms of both science and philosophy.
Price: $36.95
Pages: 294
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: James Clarke
Publication Date:
30 April 2015
Trim Size: 9.02 X 6.02 in
ISBN: 9780227175286
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
RELIGION / Christian Theology / General, Christianity, RELIGION / Philosophy, Theology, Philosophy of religion
As a work of philosophy, albeit with a theological bent, Machuga's study is highly accessible and provides a superb introduction to the difficulties surrounding Enlightenment philosophy. ...this study is a welcome addition [to] the ever-growing critiques of Enlightenment thought. As such, Three Theological Mistakes would be a valuable addition to any research library that serves undergraduate and graduate students in Theology who are seeking an introduction to the philosophical underpinnings of debates that continue to this day.
— Eric Lafferty
[Three Theological Mistakes] provides a valuable service by exposing the roots, and the questionableness, of many views which are still too often taken for granted.... The book is recommended to all those who are interested in questions of theological method, all who are interested in the relationship of theology to science and philosophy, and all who are interested in the effects of the Enlightenment on theology.
— William J. Brennan III
— Eric Lafferty
[Three Theological Mistakes] provides a valuable service by exposing the roots, and the questionableness, of many views which are still too often taken for granted.... The book is recommended to all those who are interested in questions of theological method, all who are interested in the relationship of theology to science and philosophy, and all who are interested in the effects of the Enlightenment on theology.
— William J. Brennan III
Preface
1- The Collapse of Mechanistic Philosophy
2- What Logic Can Never Do
3- No Logical Bridge
4- Two Views of God
5- God, Miracles, and Good Reasons
6- In Defense of Particularity
7- The Ethics of Grace
8- The Politics of Stewardship
9- Free Will and Predestination
10- The Goodness of God
11- Augustine's Conception of Hell
12- God's Gracious Wrath
Bibliography
Index
1- The Collapse of Mechanistic Philosophy
2- What Logic Can Never Do
3- No Logical Bridge
4- Two Views of God
5- God, Miracles, and Good Reasons
6- In Defense of Particularity
7- The Ethics of Grace
8- The Politics of Stewardship
9- Free Will and Predestination
10- The Goodness of God
11- Augustine's Conception of Hell
12- God's Gracious Wrath
Bibliography
Index