Search Results for: "Graham Floyd"

The Economics of Anthropology: Imago Dei as a Source for Economic Principles

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Administrator -

Economics is one of the most contentious issues in modern societal and academic thought.

This paper argues that human anthropology, specifically the theological doctrine of the imago Dei, serves as a source for basic economic principles which provides an understanding of how economics should be exemplified in creation.

First, the paper outlines the doctrine of the imago Dei. Second, the doctrine of the imago Dei is tied to the philosophical theory of universals, particularly as it is understood in a Christian context. Third, the paper connects these two positions with the concept of natural law. Finally, the paper notes areas where the biblical conception of natural law implies certain economic principles that guide the existence and flourishing of human beings.

The full-text of this paper is available for FREE by clicking here. The paper is part of an ongoing EPS web project focused on a Philosophy of Theological Anthropology.

Universals and their Implications on Sexuality, Gender, Race, and Species

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Administrator -

One of the greatest philosophical and theological debates in history has been over the existence of universals. These multiply instantiable entities are used to explain the structure of reality as well as undergird knowledge.

Many, even within Christian circles, reject the existence of such entities and embrace nominalism: that only particulars exist.

This paper contends that nominalism has implications on anthropology that are not consistent with a biblical understanding of the concept. Christians, therefore, should reject nominalism and embrace universals.

The full-text of this paper is available for FREE by clicking here. The paper is part of an ongoing EPS web project focused on a Philosophy of Theological Anthropology.

Please consider becoming a regular annual or monthly financial partner with the Evangelical Philosophical Society in order to expand its reach, support its members, and be a credible presence of Christ-shaped philosophical interests in the academy and into the wider culture!

Deriving the Imago Dei from the Incarnation

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Administrator -

The doctrine of the imago Dei is one of the center pieces of Christian theology. It is something that all human beings possess that unites them as well as sets them apart from the rest of creation.

There are, however, disputes over what the imago Dei entails. I propose that the doctrine of the Incarnation coupled with the doctrine of divine omniscience and theory of divine ideas can provide an explanation as to what properties constitute the divine image.

Since the Incarnation is a logical possibility for the Godhead, it resides as an idea within the necessarily and a se omniscient divine mind. This idea represents what God (namely the Second Person) would be like (i.e. his image) if he took on corporeal form.

As a result, human nature (i.e. the imago Dei) is derived from the divine ontology and its potential incarnation. Thus, both material and immaterial human properties can be said to be part of the imago Dei.

The full-text of this paper is available for FREE by clicking here. The paper is part of an ongoing EPS web project focused on a Philosophy of Theological Anthropology.

2019 EPS Southwest Region: Call for Papers

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Administrator - Uncategorized

Theme: “Middle Knowledge”

March 8-9, 2019

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

3939 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70126

All full members and student members of EPS are invited to submit paper proposals on topics related to this year’s theme, including heaven, hell, purgatory, resurrection, the afterlife, etc. Quality papers on topics not directly related to the theme are also welcome.

Full Members: Paper proposals should include a title and abstract (300 words), the presenter’s name and institutional affiliation, and the presenter’s membership status. An acceptable paper should be delivered in 25 minutes with 5-10 minutes for discussion.

Student Members: Proposals should include the student’s degree program and email confirmation.

All paper proposals should be submitted to cmeeks@mbts.edu

The submission deadline is February 1, 2019.

Student Paper Competition: Student members whose papers are accepted for inclusion in the program will be eligible to enter a student paper competition. Students who wish to enter the competition must submit the following to Greg Trickett at gtrickett@wc.edu by Feb. 8, 2019:

A titled, full version of the paper to be presented suitable for blind review.
A 200-300 word abstract with the paper title as it appears on the blind review submission, the student’s name, pursued degree, and societal and institutional affiliations.

Winner(s) will be announced at the final plenary session of the conference. Students must present their papers at the conference to be considered for the competition.

Joshua Farris, Chair, jfarris@hbu.edu

Chad Meeks, Program Chair, cmeeks@mbts.edu

Graham Floyd, Secretary

To enjoy more work on philosophy of religion issues, become a subscriber to the journal, Philosophia Christi, or become a member of the Evangelical Philosophical Society [includes annual print subscription to the journal], along with many FREE articles at the EPS website.

Web Project: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Administrator -

The Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) is pleased to introduce a unique and ongoing Philosophy of Theological Anthropology project! Your contributions, readership, exploration and support are most welcomed. For more on this theme and Christian contributions to philosophy, become a subscriber – for as low as $25 per year! – to Philosophia Christi, the peer-reviewed journal of the EPS [all EPS members receive Philosophia Christi as part of their membership].

Summary of Project

Inaugurated in 2018, The Philosophy of Theological Anthropology is an EPS web project devoted to the foundations and meta-themes of theological anthropology. Contributors seek to highlight a variety of new topics, which are at present underexplored, and fresh philosophical perspectives of older topics. This is an opportunity for philosophers and constructive theologians to explore foundational and innovative themes within theological anthropology from a philosophical perspective.

Topics of interest in this web series include areas of epistemology, metaphysics, Christology, and traditioned anthropology. We are interested in approaches that reconceive in fresh new ways the conditions and foundations for thinking about theological anthropology. This amounts to critical interrogations of commonly held assumptions in the contemporary theological literature on anthropology. We invite contributions that are extensions of previously published works as well as unique speculative pieces.

Areas of Web Project

The present issue will contain topics on anthropology, philosophy of mind, imago Dei [broadly conceived], with the aim toward advancing the philosophical foundations and implications of a theistic anthropology.

Current Papers

Sarah Borden Sharkey, “The Interior Castle: The Soul and Competing Visions of the Church.”

Glenn Butner, “Theology without Persons? Theological Anthropology and Kevin Hector’s Therapeutic Theory of Language Use.”

Tim Hsiao, “You Are Not Your Own: A Critique of Liberal Social Ethics.”

Christopher Woznicki, “Atonement and Anthropology: T. F. Torrance’s Doctrine of Atonement as a Test Case.”

Jean-Baptiste Guillon, “Natural Anthropology and Revealed Anthropology.”

Benjamin H. Arbour and John R. Gilhooly, “Transgenderism, Human Ontology, and the Metaphysics of Properties.”

Graham Floyd, “Deriving the imago Dei from the Incarnation.”

Joshua R. Farris, “A Response to Hasker’s Emergent Dualism and Emergent Creationism.”

William Hasker, “Souls without Thisnesses: A Rejoinder to Joshua Farris.”

Graham Floyd, “Universals and their Implications on Sexuality, Gender, Race, and Species.”

Graham Floyd, “The Politics of Theological Anthropology: Political Naturalism, Creation, and the imago Dei.”

Nathan A. Jacobs, “Psychic Immortality in The Eastern Church Fathers.”

Graham Floyd, “The Economics of Anthropology: Imago Dei as a Source for Economic Principles.”

Charles Taliaferro, “Descartes and the Secularization of Modern Philosophy.”

Richard Mouw, “Descartes and the Philosophy of Theological Anthropology.”

Nathan A. Jacobs, “On Bodily Immortality in the Eastern Church Fathers.”

Chris L. Firestone, “Kant’s Existential Dualism.”

Andrew Hollingsworth, “The Semiotic Animal and the Image of God.”

Megan Clunan, “The Trinity of Human Ontology: Relationships, Identity, and Meaning.”

Joshua R. Farris, “An Unwelcome Guest: A Response to My Critics.”

Joseph M. Dunne, “Conscience and its Verdict.”

Graham Floyd, “On the Metaphysics and Coherence of Evolution.”

Core Project Questions

How should we approach the anthropos and its telos?
Furthermore, how might we understand human ‘selfhood’ and ‘identity’?
What are the benefits and liabilities of an Analytic Theology approach?
Analytic Theology and Christological anthropology?
What are the benefits and liabilities of a more Phenomenological approach to the anthropos?
What is the distinctive contribution of philosophy of mind/personal ontology in contemporary theological anthropology?
What role does or should the sciences play in our theological constructions?
What are the benefits of a Christological method to anthropology?
Christological anthropology as an organizing motif?
Is a Christological method sufficient for theological anthropology?
From the Christian tradition, what is the Good News for the anthropos and how might that shape approaches to a study of what it means to be human?
What role do ecclesial, theological, or philosophical traditions play in our theological construction?
What substantive place does reason and experience have in understanding humans?
What are the different religious/denominational perspectives on the nature of human beings?
How might spiritual features and formation of a human being shape an understanding of the nature and purpose of a human being?
What are the distinctive ideas within a Christian anthropology and other religious anthropologies?
How might theologies and philosophies of the human person shape theologies and philosophies of ‘public life’?

Find this Project Interesting? See these other EPS Web Projects

“Philosophical Discussions on Marriage and Family Topics” with Michael Austin, Michael McFall, Daniel J. Hill and many others!
“Christ-Shaped Philosophy” Project with Paul Moser and dozens of other contributors!
“Christian Philosophers in the ‘Secular Academy'” Project with Marylin McCord-Adams, Christopher Tollefsen, and many others!

Want to Contribute to the Philosophy of Theological Anthropology Project?

Options for contributing: reflection essays, critical responses, book reviews, exploratory essays, dialectical pieces, methodological hybrids (biblical studies to philosophy), how to communicate to the public.

Length: Shorter (e.g., 1500-2000 words) and longer papers (e.g., 6,000 words) are permitted. You are welcome to work with the Project Editors on length issues.

Suggested topics: evolution and theological anthropology, imago Dei, the metaphysics of gender and sexuality, method, Christological anthropology, religious epistemology, and human ontology.

Main Project Categories:

Denominational and Traditioned Theological Anthropology
Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
Sociology, Ethnography, and Theological Anthropology
Science, Design, and Anthropology
Technology and Posthumanism
Morality and Theological Anthropology
Disciplines: Philosophy, Biblical Theology, Philosophical Theology, Systematic/Constructive Theology, Retrieval Theology, Social Science, Humanities (N.B. the aim of the investigation ought to impinge on philosophical-theological matters)

Submit a Proposal: Email a topic, thesis and description of the proposed paper (250 words max) to Project Editors Joshua Farris and Nathan Jacobs [see below]. They will help guide your proposal toward being a contribution of this web project.

Lead Project Editors & Coordinators:

Dr. Joshua R. Farris [joshua.r.farris@gmail.com], Farris is currently the Humboldt Experienced Researcher Fellow at the University of Bochum in Bochum, Germany, focusing on biologically-engaged religious anthropology. His forthcoming book is The Creation of Self: A Case for the Soul (John Hunt Publishing, 2023).
Dr. Nathan A. Jacobs [nathanandrewjacobs@gmail.com; nathan.jacobs1@uky.edu], University of Kentucky.

Past Editorial Assistant: Dave Strobolakos.

Web Project Overseer: Joseph E. Gorra, Consulting Editor, Philosophia Christi.

Imago Dei: Why Christians Should Believe in Abstract Entities

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Administrator -

The notion of abstract entities is a popular philosophical position and has been since Plato.

The Church, however, has struggled with this notion for centuries. Are abstract entities theologically appropriate? If so, how are they connected to God? Many Christian philosophers and theologians reject abstract entities on the grounds that they are inappropriate and unnecessary.

This paper argues, however, that abstract entities are critical to understanding the doctrine of the imago dei, which is vitally connected to other important doctrines such as the Incarnation and soteriology. Without abstract entities, the doctrine of the imago dei must be rejected along with its implications. Consequently, Christians should embrace abstract entities or risk great theological harm.

The full-text of this paper is available for FREE by clicking here.