Restoration and Philosophy
New Philosophical Engagements with the Stone-Campbell Tradition
“It is thrilling to welcome this splendid set of essays identifying and advancing the place of rigorous philosophical reflection in the Restoration tradition. John Locke would also be delighted to see his legacy taken up, diversified, and made available to a new generation of scholars inside and outside the Stone-Campbell tradition. Those who have taken up the task of philosophical reflection in the Catholic and Reformed tradition have now a new conversation partner; the rest of us have a fresh source of inspiration to emulate what is made available in this erudite volume.” —William J. Abraham, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
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A product of the Second Great Awakening of the nineteenth century, the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement gave rise to such denominations as the Church of Christ (a cappella), the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the independent Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ. While scholars have examined many of the historical, ecclesial, socio-cultural, and biographical dimensions of this indigenously American religious tradition, few have singled it out for philosophical exploration and critique.
In Restoration and Philosophy, editor J. Caleb Clanton and a team of philosophers engage with the Stone-Campbell Restoration tradition to address issues related to epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, moral philosophy, aesthetics, environmentalism, and race. Along the way, the authors help to contextualize the Stone- Campbell Restoration tradition within American religious history—and within Christian philosophy more generally—and they show its continuing relevance today.
Scholars and students of philosophy and religious studies, as as well as ministers and those interested in this uniquely American Christian tradition, will benefit from this carefully edited, thoroughly researched, and highly readable collection of essays by eminent philosophers and religious scholars.
J. CALEB CLANTON is University Research Professor and professor of philosophy at Lipscomb University in Nashville. His previous books include Philosophy of Religion in the Classical American Tradition and The Philosophy of Religion of Alexander Campbell.