Introduction

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    The discipline of philosophy—what's exactly its subject matter is itself a philosophical question--has intrinsic value.  That is, apart from any light it might shed on any of the other disciplines it is itself worthy of serious consideration and reflection. In addition, because of the nature of philosophy and Christian philosophy in particular and its relationship to the disciplines, it can illuminate and play a determinative role in the integrative project for other disciplines. This is because many concepts in the disciplines are examined explicitly in philosophy as second order questions.

    It also seems important to ask what are the underlying philosophical assumptions of one's discipline--the metaphysics, epistemology and moral theories--which attach themselves to one's discipline in various ways. These sort of underlying issues are studied explicitly in philosophy.

    So in a rough and ready way you can see for a Christian theist engaging in the integrative project for one’s faith and the academic disciplines, it makes sense to be aware of this and to think very carefully and critically about these topics. It also seems important to be sure that the philosophical notions your discipline assumes or are part of your discipline’s methodology have been thought through from an informed Christian perspective. It is therefore important to see both thinking about philosophy itself and thinking about it from a Christian point of view is very important (because it, too, is an integrative project and deserves critical analysis and reflection).   

    This site is also dedicated to creating an awareness of the underlying issues which do play an important role in the kind of Christian scholarship one does in the other disciplines and to providing you with resources to better evaluate your disciplines core ideas critically. Indeed, the discipline of philosophy in the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century A.D. might be the one discipline in the university system in America that has experienced significant de-secularization. See Plantinga’s article on the state of Christian philosophy at the end of the 20th century in the Key Intro Articles page, and also check this link to read what a non-theist has to say in Philo about the progress theistic realists have recently made .

    This portion of our faith and Christian scholarship site is designed for non-professional philosophers who would like to learn more about how philosophy can serve them in their integrative work. It can also serve to some degree Christians who are also thinking about a career in philosophy to learn what Christians have accomplished in recent times. 

    To get the most out of this site, first read the introductory articles which, among other things, urge you to think through this important discipline from a Christian perspective. You'll find Plantinga's articles asserting that Christian philosophy or philosophy thought through from a Christian theistic perspective does play an important role in the integrative task because, at least, it asks second order questions about the various disciplines.

    The site will contain important philosophical articles (some of which are secular), links to other sites, bibliographies and more. As always, articles published here, links, and bibliographies DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT of the ideas therein--they are tools for further research & your own understanding.

    Finally, we will be updating this site frequently with more entries and annotations on some of the bibliographies. Enjoy.

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