Merold Westphal

A History of Western Philosophy

Philosophy

“We have here an overview of western philosophy from the pre-Socratic philosophers of ancient Greece to the twentieth century. It offers a summary of the basic teachings of the major thinkers we have come to call philosophers that is comprehensive, succinct, lucid, and evenhanded. In addition there are occasional reflections on the significance of the material for Christian thought. Combined with the appropriate primary source readings, this volume will be a very useful textbook for a variety of college level courses.”

Educating for Shalom

Discipleship & Christian Education

“Drawing deeply on the breadth of Nicholas Wolterstorff's more technical philosophical contributions, these highly accessible essays present a vision of Christian higher education that may well prove to be his richest legacy to us. I hope they will be widely read and discussed by administrators, faculty, and students at colleges and universities that seek to make their religious identity, whether Protestant or Catholic, a living reality.”

Graven Ideologies

Philosophy

“Rooted in a deep biblical faith that is as reflective as it is committed, informed by a thorough study of the authors discussed, and written with an inviting and accessible lucidity, this volume gives us a splendid guide to the thought of three major postmodern thinkers.”

Handbook on Postconservative Theological Interpretation

Theology

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

Kierkegaard and the Paradox of Religious Diversity

Philosophy

“George Connell's long engagements with the problem of religious pluralism and with the writings of Kierkegaard come together fruitfully here. . . . A work of mature scholarship, filled with challenging and illuminating insights.”

Poetry and Heroism

Philosophy

“Richard McCombs works his way to Kierkegaard’s understanding of the Christian life as being contemporary with Christ by presenting a variety of lifestyle alternatives, often presented by Kierkegaard in the form of novel-like characters. These include reflective hedonism, politically correct morality, Stoic resignation, and Socratic questioning. These are presented on their own terms and evaluated by their own criteria. The result is an insightful and easily accessible account of the whole of Kierkegaard’s thought, free of technical jargon and full of fresh insight.”

Reading Kierkegaard I

Philosophy

“A brief overview and helpful introduction to what is probably Kierkegaard's most read and most puzzling text. It wisely locates this telling of the Abraham story within Kierekgaard's larger 'attack upon Christendom,' his critique of the Danish church for making faith too easy and the closely related Hegelian philosophy for making faith too 'reasonable.' It nicely specifies the distinctive way in which biblical faith is 'absurd' or 'paradoxical.'”

Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?

Theology

“This delightful book is a twofer. Smith first shows, through a careful reading of the texts, that central themes of three major postmodern philosophers are a threat not to biblical Christianity but only to an all too modern, all too complacent church. He then argues strongly for a church that learns from postmodernism how to revitalize its premodern heritage. The movie analyses that open each chapter render the argument at once more concrete and more powerful.”