J. Aaron Simmons

Videos from “What is Christian Philosophy?” SCP/SCPT Conference

This March, the 2014 Midwest meeting of the Society of Christian Philosophers met together with the Society of Continental Philosophy and Theology at Trinity College in Palos Heights, IL. The theme of the joint conference was “What is Christian Philosophy?” and was chosen in honor of the 30th anniversary of the publication of Alvin Plantinga’s […]

J. Aaron Simmons

On Conversation without Conversion: Reflections on Church Practice and Participation

Though I think a lot about church practice, I don’t write much on it. My writing, for better or worse, tends to be very intentionally philosophical and offered in the aim of inviting a broader readership into the technical debates of philosophy of religion. The one main exception to this general trajectory, though, is a […]

J. Aaron Simmons

What’s So “New” About New Phenomenology?

In this short post, I aim to explain some of the basic ideas and arguments in the new book that I co-authored with Bruce Ellis Benson: The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction   Despite having been a descriptor used by Hermann Schmitz to describe a distinct approach to phenomenology (see Gesellschaft für Neue Phänomenologie), by […]

J. Aaron Simmons, Zachary Jolly

Can Philosophy Come Forth As Prophecy?

J. Aaron Simmons (aaron.simmons@furman.edu) – Department of Philosophy, Furman University Zachary Jolly (zach.jolly@furman.edu) – Department of Philosophy, Furman University In 1984 Alvin Plantinga’s landmark essay, “Advice to Christian Philosophers,” appeared in print in Faith and Philosophy. This widely celebrated essay can rightly be said to have crystallized the early gestures toward what has become known […]

J. Aaron Simmons

Philosophy and Theology . . . “Analytic” or Not

By J. Aaron Simmons (Furman University, Department of Philosophy) – aaron.simmons@furman.edu   The following are thoughts inspired by the vigorous discussion that recently occurred on Roger E. Olson’s blog. Olson instigated the discussion by commenting that philosophy and theology are distinct disciplines due to the way in which “special revelation” is used by theology, but […]

J. Aaron Simmons

On Postmodern Epistemology: A Rejoinder to Hackett

J. Aaron Simmons Department of Philosophy Furman University aaron.simmons@furman.edu I would like to begin this short rejoinder to Ed Hackett’s critique of my notion of postmodern kataphaticism by thanking him for his time and energy in responding to my short essay.  What follows is not at all intended to be conclusive, but simply one more […]

J. Aaron Simmons

New Book – Reexamining Deconstruction and Determinate Religion

Given the invigorating discussions that occur on this blog about the intersection of religion and postmodernism, I wanted to just note the publication of a new book that Stephen Minister and I have edited that is likely to be of interest to “Church and Postmodernism” readers.  It is entitled, Reexamining Deconstruction and Determinate Religion: Toward […]

J. Aaron Simmons

Postmodern Kataphaticism?

J. Aaron Simmons Department of Philosophy Furman University Email: aaron.simmons@furman.edu   Let me begin by simply offering the following thesis: The genuinely important negative theological trajectory in much of postmodern/continental/deconstructive philosophy of religion has led to its own problematic dogmatism.  Specifically, in the crucial attempt to overcome onto-theology, much of continental philosophy of religion has […]