Evangelical Philosophical Society
Encyclopedia
Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) is an organization devoted to the study of ethics
, theology
, and religion
from an evangelical
perspective. The organization is open to professional scholars with associate membership available to laypersons and students. Since 2006 Paul Copan
has been the president of the organization.
Philosophia Christi is the journal
associated with the organization. The journal contains discussions about a variety of topics related to the philosophy of evangelical religion and theology. Recent issues discuss postmodernism
, the metaphysics
of good and evil, and the nature of selfhood and consciousness from an evangelical philosophical point of view. Other recent contributions discuss the idea of intelligent design
. A special intelligent design issue, "Philosophical Issues in Intelligent Design," contains original contributions by William Dembski, Jay Richards, Timothy and Lydia McGrew, Robin Collins
, Charles Taliaferro
, Alexander Pruss. Craig Hazen is the editor of the journal.http://www.biola.edu/id/speakers.cfm
Most issues of Philosophia Christi contain book reviews of interest to evangelical Christian
s, theologians, and philosophers.
. EPS was founded in 1977–78 with 32 charter members.
The first presidents were:
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
from an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
perspective. The organization is open to professional scholars with associate membership available to laypersons and students. Since 2006 Paul Copan
Paul Copan
Paul Copan is a Ukrainian-American Christian theologian, analytic philosopher, apologist, and author. He is currently a professor at the Palm Beach Atlantic University and holds the Pledger Family Endowed Chair of Philosophy and Ethics...
has been the president of the organization.
Philosophia Christi is the journal
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
associated with the organization. The journal contains discussions about a variety of topics related to the philosophy of evangelical religion and theology. Recent issues discuss postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
, the metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
of good and evil, and the nature of selfhood and consciousness from an evangelical philosophical point of view. Other recent contributions discuss the idea of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
. A special intelligent design issue, "Philosophical Issues in Intelligent Design," contains original contributions by William Dembski, Jay Richards, Timothy and Lydia McGrew, Robin Collins
Robin Collins
Robin Collins is an American philosopher. He currently serves as Professor of Philosophy at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. His main interests include issues in science and religion and theories of atonement.-Education:...
, Charles Taliaferro
Charles Taliaferro
Charles Taliaferro is an American Philosopher specializing in Theology, Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College and a member of the Royal Institute of Philosophy...
, Alexander Pruss. Craig Hazen is the editor of the journal.http://www.biola.edu/id/speakers.cfm
Most issues of Philosophia Christi contain book reviews of interest to evangelical Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s, theologians, and philosophers.
History
The Evangelical Philosophical Society is related to the Evangelical Theological SocietyEvangelical Theological Society
The Evangelical Theological Society is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students with the stated purpose of serving Jesus and his church by advancing evangelical scholarship. It was established in 1949 in Cincinnati. The number of members in 2005 was over 4,200...
. EPS was founded in 1977–78 with 32 charter members.
The first presidents were:
- 1977 – Norman GeislerNorman GeislerNorman L. Geisler is a Christian apologist and the co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where he formerly taught. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University...
- 1978 – Gordon LewisGordon LewisGordon Hale Lewis is a Welsh former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s who at club level has played rugby union for Swansea RFC, and at representative level has played rugby league for Great Britain, and Wales, and at club level for Leigh, playing at , i.e...
- 1979 – Paul Feinberg
- 1980 – John Jefferson DavisJohn Jefferson DavisJohn Jefferson Davis is Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1975. He is an ordained Presbyterian pastor.-Thought:...
- 1981 – Gary HabermasGary HabermasGary Robert Habermas is an American evangelical Christian apologist, historian, and philosopher of religion. He is a prolific author, lecturer, and debater on the topic of the Resurrection of Jesus...
- 1982 – Stephen Clinton
- 1983 – Win Corduan
- 1984 – Terry Meithe
- 1985 – William Luck
- 1986 – John Feinberg
- 1987 – Stephen Spenser
- 1988 – Stanley Obbits
- 1989 – Russell Bush