Some Christians are squeamish about or antagonistic to philosophy. But they should not be. We should assess all things in the light of the biblical revelation, including philosophical thought. And anyone who studies Western philosophy knows that in so many ways they are also studying the history of Christian thought, be it Augustine or Anselm or Abelard or Aquinas or Erasmus or Edwards or Kierkegaard or Plantinga or Swinburne, etc.
But some philosophies and philosophers can be antagonistic or in opposition to Christian philosophy and theology. That would include things like Eastern thought, and atheistic and naturalistic Western philosophers, postmodernists and others.
But if at its core philosophy simply means the ‘love of wisdom,’ then Christians should not shy away from it. Of course it is God’s wisdom that we want to listen to, pursue, and share with others. But some secular philosophers can sometimes have wise things to say as well. As has been said, all truth is God’s truth. As C. S. Lewis rightly reminded us:
If all the world were Christian it might not matter if all the world were uneducated. But, as it is, a cultural life will exist outside the Church whether it exists inside or not. To be ignorant and simple now—not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground—would be to throw down our weapons, and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defence but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.
Some recommended volumes
There are thousands of books that can be mentioned here. I have many hundreds of volumes on Christianity and philosophy and on related matters, such as apologetics, philosophy of religion, the history of ideas, competing worldviews, and so on. Trying to massively cut my list into a manageable set of recommendations is no easy task. But here is a very small selection of useful volumes:
Philosophy in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic (Introductions in Seven Sentences)by Groothuis, Douglas (Author)
Brown, Colin, Christianity and Western Thought, vol. 1. Apollos, 1990.
Brown, Colin, Philosophy and the Christian Faith. Tyndale Press, 1969.
Clark, Gordon, Thales to Dewey: A History of Philosophy. Houghton Mifflin, 1957.
Clark, Kelly James, Richard Lints and James Smith, 101 Key Terms in Philosophy and their Importance for Theology. Westminster John Knox Press, 2004.
Copan, Paul, A Little Book for New Philosophers. IVP, 2016.
Copleston, Frederick, A History of Philosophy, 9 vols. Doubleday, 1946-1975.
Cowan, Steven and James Spiegel, The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy. B&H, 2009.
Craig, William Lane, Systematic Philosophical Theology, (2 volumes so far published). Wiley-Blackwell, 2025.
Deweese, Garrett, Doing Philosophy as a Christian. IVP, 2011.
Deweese, Garrett and J.P. Moreland, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions. IVP, 2005.
Dooyeweerd, Herman, In the Twilight of Western Thought. Presbyterian and Reformed, 1960.
Evans, C. Stephen, A History ofWesternPhilosophy. IVP, 2018.
Frame, John, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology. Presbyterian and Reformed, 2015.
Geisler, Norman and Paul Feinberg, Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Perspective. Baker, 1980.
Groothuis, Douglas, Philosophy in Seven Sentences. IVP, 2016.
Hicks, Peter, The Journey So Far: Philosophy Through the Ages. Zondervan, 2003.
Holmes, Arthur, All Truth is God’s Truth. IVP, 1977.
Holmes, Arthur, Contours of a World View. Eerdmans, 1983.
Kreeft, Peter, Socrates’ Children: The 100 Greatest Philosophers (4 volumes). St. Augustines Press, 2019.
Moreland, J. P. and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. IVP, 2003.
Morris, Dolores, Believing Philosophy: A Guide to Becoming a Christian Philosopher. Zondervan, 2021.
Morris, Thomas, ed., God and the Philosophers: The Reconciliation of Faith and Reason. Oxford University Press, 1994.
Nash, Ronald, Life’s Ultimate Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy. Zondervan, 1999.
Nash, Ronald, Worldviews in Conflict. Zondervan, 1992.
Pate, C. Marvin, From Plato To Jesus. Kregel, 2011.
Plantinga, Alvin and Nicholas Wolterstorff, eds., Rationality and Religious Belief. University of Notre Dame Press, 1983.
Rogers, Jack and Forrest Baird, Introduction to Philosophy: A Case Study Approach. Harper & Row, 1981.
Samples, Kenneth Richard, God Among Sages. Baker, 2017.
Singer, C. Gregg, From Rationalism to Irrationality. Presbyterian and Reformed, 1979.
Sire, James, The Universe Next Door. IVP, 1976.
Swinburne, Richard, The Existence of God. The Clarendon Press, 1979.
Ward, Keith, God and the Philosophers. Fortress Press, 2009.
Wilkens, Steve and Alan Padgett, Christianity and Western Thought, vol. 2. IVP, 2000.
Wilkens, Steve and Alan Padgett, Christianity and Western Thought, vol. 3. IVP, 2009.
Williams, Peter, A Faithful Guide to Philosophy: A Christian Introduction to the Love of Wisdom. Authentic Media, 2013.
Yandell, Keith, Christianity and Philosophy. Eerdmans, 1984.
2 Replies to “A Short Reader in Christianity and Philosophy”
Good Bill
Philosophy has been abandoned by the “churches” and mostly left to pagans.
It is therefore important to point out that there has been a “revival” during the last decade.
Your book list is spoken.
Bradley G Green has a very nice article where he “discusse with” Heidegger…
Good Bill
Philosophy has been abandoned by the “churches” and mostly left to pagans.
It is therefore important to point out that there has been a “revival” during the last decade.
Your book list is spoken.
Bradley G Green has a very nice article where he “discusse with” Heidegger…
https://share.google/oKtnKvYKRdBLJ3gK6
Thanks Rolf.