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Theology After Neo-Pragmatism
by Adonis Vidu
Series: Paternoster Theological Monographs
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
324 Pages, x 0.65 in
- Paperback
- 9781606084717
- Published: February 2009
$43.00 / £38.00
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This book develops the thesis that Evangelical theology not only cannot afford to avoid engaging with the philosophy of neo-pragmatism, but it can also benefit from the proposals of some of its leading exponents, especially Donald Davidson. Three different themes run throughout the book: meaning epistemic justification, and ontology. How can theologians be confident of the meanings ascribed to religious beliefs in the wake of the dissolution of the very concept of meaning and of the analytic-synthetic distinction? Is there any rational fraction between our beliefs, religious or mundane, and some extra-linguistic reality? Is God something more than simply a symbolic construct associated with a certain manner of speaking? The surprising thought of Donald Davidson offers resources for Evangelical theology seeking hopeful answers to these troubling questions. Davidson's rejection of the so-called 'third dogma' of empiricism, namely the dualism of scheme of content, should be welcomed by those defending theological 'rationality' and refuting relativism and incommensurability. Furthermore, his truth-conditional semantics can serve as a check against revisionist accounts of religious beliefs that flaunt the first-person point of view of the religious believer herself. These Davidsonian contributions to an Evangelical theology are, however, balanced by inherent inadequacies which require a theological supplement, which is also a creative proposal calling for: the continued significance of experience in theology beyond the myth of the Given; an understanding of the role of Scripture as both epistemic as well as dispositional; and finally an understanding of the nature of truth as located in the mind of God. Theology After Neo-Pragmatism is both an introduction to an influential philosophical trend, and a critical and constructive theological proposal which is at once scriptural and historicist, pragmatic and realist.
Adonis Vidu is Associate Professor of Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts
"Among the many currents in contemporary philosophy that have served to provide fresh perspectives for theology, neo-pragmatism is among the most promising. In this work, Adonis Vidu enters into an engaging and stimulating conversation with its leading theorists from the perspective of the Evangelical tradition that results in some hopeful new directions for the practice of theology. As such it makes an important contribution to current discussions in contemporary theology and is suggestive of the significance of these conversations for the life and witness of the church."
- John R. Franke, Lester and Kay Clemens Professor of Missional Theology, Biblical Seminary, Hatfield, Pennsylvania
"This is a significant work by an important new voice in theology. Vidu makes a carefully constructed case that truth must finally be situated in the mind of God. Then and only then will it have the liberating force and performative power which Evangelicals have long claimed for the gospel. Utilizing the lessons learned from key Neo-Pragmatist thinkers such as Davidson and Marshall, Vidu extends the argument begun in his first work, Postliberal Theological Method, that evangelical theology will be richer not poorer for a serious engagement with contemporary theories of language. Vidu's work manifests a supple mind intentionally desiring to be faithful to God's Word."
- Richard Lints, Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theologyical Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts