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1 St/Pr 8000 Analytic Theology: Free Will and Christian ST/PR 8000 ANALYTIC THEOLOGY: FREE WILL AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY COURSE SYLLABUS SPRING 2012 TRINITY EVANGELICAL DIVINITY SCHOOL PROFESSOR: TOM MCCALL 847.317.8095 [email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION: Issues related to freedom of the will have been of perennial interest in Christian theology. The last several decades, however, have witnessed a remarkable resurgence of interest in free will, determinism, and moral responsibility within analytic metaphysics. Much of this recent work in metaphysics has not yet penetrated mainstream theological discussions of freedom and responsibility, and with the rise (or perhaps renaissance) of “analytic theology” the time is ripe for a fresh look at these issues. Looking beyond the time-worn discussions of the relation of divine omniscience to human freedom, this course explores the relation of free agency to several important theological issues: the freedom of God (especially in relation to creation), sin and salvation, Christology, and eschatology. What does it mean to affirm that God is free? To what extent – if any – are we free with respect to sin and salvation? What does it mean to say that Christ was truly tempted? Will there be freedom in heaven? In this course we look for ways that the contemporary discussions in metaphysics might assist the theological task, and we also explore distinctly theological insights into the metaphysical issues. COURSE OBJECTIVES: After taking this course, the student should be: 1. Conversant with important recent contributions in the metaphysics of free will; 2. Able to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue, bringing logical and metaphysical tools to bear upon important theological issues while also allowing theological insights to inform the philosophical debates; 3. Aware of the impact of various metaphysical proposals upon the doctrines of creation, sin, salvation, Christology, and eschatology. 4. Make a theological argument that makes utilizes recent developments in the metaphysics of modality. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 1. Students will complete all reading assignments and will present two (2) “theses for scholastic disputation” each week. 2. Students will write a 16-20 page research paper in philosophical theology. Each 1 student will present her paper in class. COURSE EVALUATION: 1. Course participation will count for 20% of the course grade. 2. The research paper will count for 80% of the course grade. REQUIRED TEXTS: Crisp, Oliver D. and Michael C. Rea, eds. Analytic Theology: New Essays on the Philosophy of Theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Dempsey, Michael T. Election and the Trinity in Contemporary Theology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2011. Kane, Robert, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Free Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Molnar, Paul D. Divine Freedom and the Immanent Trinity. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 2002. Rowe, William. Can God Be Free? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. *Other readings are on reserve in the Rolfing Library. COURSE SCHEDULE Section One: Introduction Week One: Analytic Theology: Problems and Prospects Reading: (A) Michael C. Rea, “Introduction,” in Analytic Theology, pp. 1-32; (B) Oliver D. Crisp, “On Analytic Theology,” in Analytic Theology, pp. 33-53; (C) William J. Abraham, “Systematic Theology as Analytic Theology,” in Analytic Theology, pp. 54-69; (D) Eleonore Stump, “The Problem of Evil: Analytic Philosophy and Narrative,” in Analytic Theology, pp. 251-264. Section Two: The Metaphysics of Free Will Week Two: The Basic Issues and Options Reading: (A) Robert Kane, “Introduction: The Contours of Contemporary Free Will Debates,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 3-41; 2 (B) Linda Zagzebski, “Recent Work on Divine Foreknowledge and Free Will,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 45-64. Week Three: Determinism and Compatibilism(s) Reading: (A) Christopher Taylor and Daniel Dennett, “Who’s Afraid of Determinism? Rethinking Causes and Possibilities,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 257-277; (B) John Martin Fischer, “Frankfurt-Style Examples and Semi-Compatibilism,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 282-308; (C) Ted Honderich, “Determinism as True, Compatibilism and Incompatibilism as False, and the Real Problem,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 461-476; (D) Derk Pereboom, “Living without Free Will: The Case for Hard Incompatibilism,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 477-488. Week Four: Libertarianism(s) Reading: (A) Peter van Inwagen, “Free Will Remains a Mystery,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 158-177; (B) Laura Waddell Eckstrom, “Libertarianism and Frankfurt-Style Cases,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 309-322; (C) Timothy O’Connor, “Libertarian Views: Dualist and Agent-Causal Theories,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 338-355; (D) Robert Kane, “Some Neglected Pathways in the Free Will Labyrinth,” in The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, pp. 406-437. Section Three: Free Will and Christian Theology Week Five: The Freedom of God Reading: William Rowe, Can God Be Free? Week Six: The Freedom of God Reading: (A) Thomas D. Senor, “Defending Divine Freedom,” in Jonathan Kvanvig, ed., Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion. Oxford University Press (2008);* (B) Brian Leftow, “Rowe, Aquinas and God’s Freedom,” Philosophical Books (2007), pp. 185-206;* (C) Edward Wierenga, “The Freedom of God,” Faith and Philosophy (2002), pp. 425-436;* (D) Edward Wierenga, “Perfect Goodness and Divine Freedom,” Philosophical Books (2007), pp. 207-216.* Week Seven: The Freedom of God Reading: Paul D. Molnar, Divine Freedom and the Immanent Trinity. Week Eight: The Freedom of God Reading: Reading: (A) Bruce L. McCormack, “Grace and Being: The Role of God’s Gracious Election in Karl Barth’s Theological Ontology,” in The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth, ed. John Webster, pp. 92-110.* (B) Michael T. Dempsey, ed. Election and the Trinity in Contemporary Theology. 3 Week Nine: Sin and Salvation Reading: (A) Richard Cross, “Anti-Pelagianism and the Resistibility of Grace,” Faith and Philosophy (2005), pp. 199-210.* (B) Kevin Timpe, “Grace and Controlling What We Do Not Cause,” Faith and Philosophy (2007), pp. 284-299.* (C) Eleonore Stump, Aquinas, pp. 389-404.* Week Ten: Christology Reading: (A) Oliver D. Crisp, Retrieving Doctrine: Essays in Reformed Theology, pp. 69-91;* (B) Oliver D. Crisp, “Salvation and Atonement: On the Value and Necessity of the Work of Christ” in God of Salvation: Soteriology in Theological Perspective, Ivor J. Davidson and Murray A. Rae, eds., pp. 105-120;* (C) Thomas P. Flint, “Fittingness and Divine Action in Cur Deus Homo,” in Metaphysics and God: Essays in Honor of Eleonore Stump, ed. Kevin Timpe, pp. 97-111.* Week Eleven: Christology Reading: (A) Thomas V. Morris, The Logic of God Incarnate, pp. 108-162.* (B) John S. Feinberg, “The Incarnation of Jesus Christ,” in In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History, R. Douglas Geivett and Gary R. Habermas, eds., pp. 226-246.* (C) Thomas P. Flint, “Risky Business: Open Theism and the Incarnation,” Philosophia Christi (2004);* (D) Thomas P. Flint, “A Death He Freely Accepted: Molinist Reflections on Incarnation,” Faith and Philosophy (2001);* (E) Keith E. Yandell, “Divine Necessity and Divine Goodness,” in Divine and Human Action: Essays in the Metaphysics of Theism, Thomas V. Morris, ed., pp. 313-344.* Week Twelve: Eschatology Reading: (A) James Sennett, “Is There Freedom in Heaven?” Faith and Philosophy (1999), pp. 69-82;* (B) Timothy Pawl and Kevin Timpe, “Incompatibilism, Sin, and Free Will in Heaven,” Faith and Philosophy (2009), pp. 396-417.* Section Four: Current Research Weeks Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen: Student Papers 4 .
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