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Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 1 • MARCH 2008

essays in this volume, authored by an assemblage of leading

experts in science, religion, and other fields. The topics are

divided into 1) the history and future of the science-religion

dialog; 2) cosmology, physics, and astronomy; 3) quantum

mechanics, mathematics, and symbolic logic; 4) evolution

and purpose; 5) sociology and ethics; 6) religion and health;

7) contemplation of the virtues; 8) theology and philosophy;

and 9) world religions. This is essential reading for academ-

ics engaged in the science and religion dialogue and a

thought-provoking textbook which exemplifies Templeton’s

vision “to unite inquiry into the essential nature of the uni-

verse through the scientific method with humanity’s basic

spiritual and religious quest to understand human and cos-

mic purpose.” Highly recommended.

Barry L. Whitney

University of Windsor

IS NATURE ENOUGH? MEANING AND TRUTH INTHE AGE OF SCIENCE. By John F. Haught. New York:

Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. 223. Cloth, $70.00,

ISBN 978-0521847148; paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-

0521609937.

J. Haught, Distinguished Research Professor of Theology

at Georgetown University, challenges the scientific natural-

ism which assumes nature is all there is and which regards

science as the only reliable way to understand it, a belief

known as scientism, to be distinguished from the proper

method and claims of science. Since scientific naturalism

suspends or rejects belief in God and most other religious

teachings, and since it has been sponsored by academia,

Haught’s response is to present a scientifically informed

naturalistic alternative. Unlike numerous publications

expressing opposition to naturalism that reject valid aspects

of science (e.g., H. Smith’s anti-Darwinian polemic), Haught

embraces both the results of scientific research and religious

affirmations of ultimate meaning. His “layered explanation”

gives a place for both scientific and religious explanations

without contradiction. Hence, Intelligent Design, for exam-

ple, is to be shunned theologically as the purview of science.

Haught argues that we must look beyond nature, as it is

understood by scientific naturalism, if we are to make ulti-

mate sense of the world and ourselves. It is the task of

theology, not science, to look for such ultimate explanations,

those which accept what science says but goes beyond

nature for the fullest understanding of phenomena. A chap-

ter is given to each of the relevant phenomena he selects for

discussion: critical intelligence, life, emergence, purposive,

seeing, cosmic process, morality, suffering, death, and antic-

ipation. Haught’s insightful naturalistic alternative to scien-

tific naturalism will be of great interest and grounds for

debate among scholars and students alike.

Barry L. Whitney

University of Windsor

SCIENCE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: ARETHEY SIMILAR FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE? By Gra-

hame Miles. Brighton and Portland: Sussex Academic Press,

2007. Pp. xviii + 429. Cloth, $85.00, ISBN 978-1845191160;

paper, $35.00, ISBN 978-1-84519-117-7.

This is an important text that will take its place among

the classic expositions of religious experience. The book

could be used with profit in upper undergraduate and grad-

uate classes despite the huge amount of material it covers

and its complexity at times. G. Miles, retired senior lecturer

in religious studies at Homerton College, University of Cam-

bridge, presents an ambitious interdisciplinary work which

provides solid expositions of the relevant material about

religious experience from psychologists, sociologists, philos-

ophers, and theologians. He demonstrates convincingly that

we can no more prove scientific theory than religious expe-

rience since a believing community in fact must uphold

each. All forms of knowledge (excluding mathematics and

logic) are based in sense perceptions interpreted by descrip-

tions, by collected evidence, and by reason and understand-

ing. In short, the structure of scientific and religious

knowledge is similar and equally valid for their respective

perspectives. Both are pragmatically justified, though on dif-

ferent bases. Miles discusses claims of knowledge in logical

positivist and humanistic psychology. He dismantles the

view that only empirical knowledge and scientific knowl-

edge is cognitive and explores the nature of scientific knowl-

edge. Finally, he offers an impressive, detailed exposition of

religious experience, the main empirical studies, philosoph-

ical and psychological views—all of which include discus-

sions of the leading figures involved.

Barry L. Whitney

University of Windsor

Philosophy of Religion

BELIEVING BY FAITH: AN ESSAY IN THE EPIS-TEMOLOGY AND ETHICS OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF.

By John Bishop. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Pp. xii + 250. $65.00, ISBN 978-0-19-920554-7.

Attacks on “fideism” and “believing by faith” are com-

monplace in contemporary religious epistemology. Such

objections, however, often fail to explicate “believing” or

“faith” adequately. They, consequently, lack the conceptual

subtlety required even to clarify the key claims at issue, let

alone evaluate these claims. The time is ripe for a fresh,

careful discussion of what it might mean to believe by faith,

and whether such belief is justifiable. Bishop’s book contains

just such a discussion. He distinguishes between the justifi-

ability of believing a proposition (an epistemological issue)

and the justifiability of taking a proposition to be true in

one’s practical reasoning (a moral issue). Though primarily

concerned with the latter, Bishop does not ignore the former.

Indeed, he carefully traces several views about the relation-

ship between epistemic and practical reason. He argues for

the plausibility of evidential ambiguity: The truth-value of

religious claims cannot be decided by appeal to evidence.

Given this thesis, Bishop defends a Jamesian, supra-

Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 1 • MARCH 2008

36

evidential version of fideism: It can be morally permissible

to go beyond one’s total evidence in taking a faith-

proposition to be true—making a faith commitment—provided

one’s evidence does not run contrary to this proposition.

Bishop maintains that this position is a viable alternative to

moral evidentialism, the view that faith commitments are

morally permissible only if their corresponding beliefs are

evidentially justified. Moreover, given evidential ambiguity,

purportedly rival theories (e.g., Wittgensteinian isolationism

and Reformed epistemology) cannot defend faith commit-

ments without recourse to supra-evidential fideism. This

clear, accessible volume repays careful study.

Nathan L. King

University of Notre Dame

RESPONSIBILITY. Edited by Barbra Darling-Smith. Dual

Edition. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2007. Pp. ix + 214.

Cloth, $75.00, ISBN 0-7391-2027-1; paper, $30.00, ISBN 0-

7391-2028-X.

Darling-Smith’s compilation of essays is divided into

three sections: responsibility to the self, to others, and to the

environment. The first section begins with provocative

essays by D. Roochnik and M. D. Eckel, both of whom argue

that an ethic of responsibility is defensible even if there is

no self as a substantial, continuous individual substance. M.

Zink has a helpful essay on responsibility from a Biblical

point of view. M. Miles outlines the responsibilities that face

a historical theologian. The remaining essays are in what

may be called the tradition of virtue theory, though this is

only occasionally made explicit (as in the essay by A.

Lannstrom). The strength of the book lies in its unconven-

tional breadth; contributors include someone from corporate

America (T. Chappell, CEO of Tom’s of Maine) in addition to

philosophers and theologians. It is also good to see respon-

sibility as not only a matter of individual and corporate in

human interaction, but also a matter of ecological signifi-

cance (as developed in essays by A. Nightingale and S. Rock-

efeller). While the strength of the book lies in its breadth,

this is also a shortfall insofar as Darling-Smith sets out to

cover such a broad terrain in only eleven essays. The book

should be of interest to those working in applied ethics and

religious ethics. As it is accessible to a wide readership, the

book would work in undergraduate ethics course with an

emphasis on responsibility to selfhood, towards other

human beings, and nonhuman beings and the earth.

Christopher Waters

St Olaf College

THERE IS A GOD: HOW THE WORLD’S MOSTNOTORIOUS ATHEIST CHANGED HIS MIND. By

Anthony Garrard Newton Flew and Roy Abraham Varghese.

San Francisco: HarperOne, 2007. Pp. xxiv + 213. $24.95,

ISBN 0-06-133529-0.

Flew describes the reasons behind his conversion from

atheism to theism in this book. The Oxford-educated philos-

opher devotes the first three chapters to explaining his long-

held, but recently abandoned, atheistic standpoint. In the

remainder, Flew explores why he now believes in God. The

book also contains two appendices, the first being an essay

by philosopher R. A. Varghese on the state of contemporary

atheism, while the second, written by Anglican Bishop N. T.

Wright, is a defense of Christianity with particular attention

devoted to Jesus Christ as God incarnate. Throughout the

book, Flew justifies his theistic perspective by claiming to

follow the evidence where it leads. Particularly influential in

his “conversion” was D. Conway’s The Rediscovery of Wis-

dom, in addition to a growing body of knowledge about DNA

and the complexity of life. However, Flew writes that science

alone is insufficient to prove God’s existence and bases his

newfound perspective on common, theistic philosophical

arguments, bringing into question why he converted

recently, rather than earlier. One need not be a philosopher,

theologian, or scientist to understand Flew’s book. Those

who expect, however, an emotional conversion story from

the author will be disappointed, as his conversion was one

of cool logic. Flew leaves the door open for a meaningful,

personal relationship with God, though, concluding his work

with a witty allusion: “Someday I might hear a Voice that

says, ‘Can you hear me now?’ ”

David Swanson

St. Olaf College

KIERKEGAARD’S JOURNALS AND NOTEBOOKS.

Edited by Bruce H. Kirmmse. Volume 1, Journals AA-

DD. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007.

Pp. xxv + 583. $85.00, ISBN 978-0-691-09222-5.

Based on Søren Kierkegaards Skrifter, the most scholarly

edition of Kierkegaard’s writings in Danish to date (Copen-

hagen: Gad, 1997-), Kierkegaard’s Journals and Notebooks is

the English translation of Kierkegaard’s posthumously pub-

lished journals and papers. The reason for the necessity of

the series is clear. Kierkegaard left a sizable stack of loose

papers and notebooks, which went through several editorial

works since the time of his death, none of which conforms

to the modern philological standard now employed in the

Søren Kierkegaards Skrifter edition. Furthermore, no com-

plete set of Kierkegaard’s nachlass exists in English. Even

the most widely used translation, namely that of the Hongs,

is selective in content and unnaturally arranged, that is,

according to subject matter rather than chronology and the

original author’s own categories. Because they contain

important philosophical insights and clues to the meaning

of the text in his published works, and this unconditioned

by pseudonymity, most scholars have traditionally sought to

find there what are presumed to be Kierkegaard’s own

views. This volume in particular contains such an important

journal entry as “the Gilleleie journal,” which contains his

famous line, “What is truth other than living for an idea?”

This volume and those to come will enrich and deepen the

scholarly discussions of Kierkegaard’s thought in the

English-speaking world.

Andrew S. Nam

Baylor University

37

Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 1 • MARCH 2008

RELIGION AND MORALITY. By William J. Wainwright.

Ashgate Philosophy of Religion Series. Burlington, VT: Ash-

gate Publishing Limited, 2005. Pp. xii + 252. Cloth, $99.95,

ISBN 0-7546-1631-2; paper, $34.95, ISBN 0-7546-1632-0.

In this ambitious book, Wainwright explores three

diverse aspects of the interrelation of religion and morality.

Part I addresses prominent moral arguments for God’s exist-

ence, including Kant’s argument from practical reason, New-

man’s argument from conscience, and two arguments (from

W. R. Sorley and R. Adams, respectively) from the objectivity

of values. Part II discusses divine command theories of ethics,

in both prominent historical and contemporary manifesta-

tions, including both the positive case for the theory and

critical response. Part III, the most diverse of the three

sections, addresses Buddhist and Christian pacifism, the sta-

tus of the virtues apart from “true religion,” the moral issues

involved in the biblical account of God’s command to Abra-

ham to sacrifice Isaac, and the relationship between mysti-

cism and morality: topics loosely gathered under the heading,

“Human Morality and Religious Requirements.” The discus-

sions are consistently clear, well informed, and engaging.

The treatment of divine command theory, in particular, pro-

vides a helpful, accurate, and much needed introduction to

the contemporary debate. But the strength of the text, its

wide variety of topics, which promises to contain something

of interest to nearly everyone concerned with the relation

between religion and morality, is also its weakness. At times,

the book feels more like a collection of essays than a sustained

discussion of one topic. That being said, Wainwright displays

a remarkable breadth of understanding of these diverse top-

ics and manages to say something insightful about every one.

Advanced undergraduates and professional philosophers

alike should find the text helpful and stimulating.

R. Zachary Manis

Southwest Baptist University

Theology

HABERMAS AND THEOLOGY. By Nicholas Adams.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. ix + 267.

Cloth, $80.00, ISBN 978-0-521-86266-0; paper, $31.99, ISBN

978-0-521-68114-8.

Adams’ book assesses Habermas’ understanding of reli-

gion and theology, while measuring the influence he has had

on the contemporary theological scene. After providing a

sympathetic account of Habermas’ complex, mutating social

theory, Adams evaluates the conceptualizations of religion

and theology offered therein. He takes particular issue with

Habermas’ portrayal of religion and theology as inescapably

“mythical,” “traditional,” and “metaphysical,” and thus of

limited use for public discussions in a “post-metaphysical”

context. Inordinately influenced by Weber’s thesis of pro-

gressive historical rationalization, Habermas remains igno-

rant of the state of the art in contemporary theological

discourse. Adams therefore recommends that theologians

not take Habermas’ proclamations concerning religion and

theology to heart. He agrees, however, with Habermas that

we need a workable solution to the problem of “how mem-

bers of different traditions can genuinely argue in the public

sphere.” In disputing what he understands to be Habermas’

secularizing solution to that problem, Adams adumbrates

one possible alternative, an interreligious dialogical practice

known as “scriptural reasoning” that, while stretching the

participants who engage in it, does not ask them to tran-

scend their perspective within the particular, contested tra-

ditions they in fact occupy. Adams’ book manages to be an

excellent primer to Habermas’ social philosophy, which yet

remains stimulating for those scholars who have grappled

more extensively with his work.

Ronald A. Kuipers

Institute for Christian Studies

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY. By John D. Caputo.

Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006. Pp. 84. $12.00, ISBN 978-

0-687-33126-0.

Caputo has two different authorial personalities. He has

written intricate and massive texts, such as The Prayers and

Tears of Jacques Derrida and The Weakness of God. Yet, he

has also proven himself gifted at more intimate texts, such

as Deconstruction in a Nutshell, On Religion, and, now, the

creative monograph, Philosophy and Theology. In this text,

Caputo gives a succinct but impressive report of the tradi-

tional history of philosophy and theology, a concise but

incisive exposition of the “thinking otherwise” that charac-

terizes postmodern philosophy of religion and theology, and

a condensed confession of his own personal postsecular the-

ology of the name of God. He charts in frugal detail the

historical itinerary of the various stages in the relationship

between faith and reason, concluding with a lucid explana-

tion of contemporary hermeneutical perspectivism, which

evidences that “[t]he distinction between philosophy and

theology is between two kinds of interpretive slants.”

Throughout it all, he writes with the provocative simplicity

that characterizes a master interpreter who has practiced his

craft for years with discipline and genius. And he does all of

this in eighty-four pages! The text offers any reader a lucid

explanation of the relationship between philosophy and the-

ology; however, it excels as an introductory text for students

in religion or theology. It will aid students in negotiating the

twists and turns mapped out by the historical tensions

between faith and reason and will provoke them to engage

in their own existential negotiations with various interpre-

tations of religion.

B. Keith Putt

Samford University

THE TRIAL OF THE WITNESSES: THE RISE ANDDECLINE OF POSTLIBERAL THEOLOGY. By Paul J.

DeHart. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2006.

Pp. 296 + xvi. $41.95, ISBN 978-1-4051-3295-4.

In this book P. J. DeHart offers an engaging and

insightful exploration into the widely examined idea of