1. C. Stephen Evans & critical dialog
C. Stephen Evans. “Critical Dialog in Philosophy of Religion.” In Michael Peterson, et al., eds. Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings. 3rd ed. NY: Oxford UP, 2007.
An examination of the three main positions on the relationship between religious faith & reason: Fideism, Neutralism, and Critical Dialog. (Note that Evans’ names for these positions differs from the standard names.)
Evans on critical dialog ~ slide 1

2. C. Stephen Evans & critical dialog
Fideism
Taking a neutral stance on religious truth claims is destructive of religion.
Should start with religious faith, a personal commitment.
Critique
Is internally self-justifying
The problem of religious pluralism
The Jonestown incident
Evans on critical dialog ~ slide 2

3. C. Stephen Evans & critical dialog
If we accept theism, then we should accept human rationality and its use as a gift from God
Neutralism (a variation of strong rationalism)
Must take an entirely neutral, presuppositionless stance when investigating religious truth claims
Critique
Is it possible to be rational & completely neutral?
Evans on critical dialog ~ slide 3

4. C. Stephen Evans & critical dialog
Is neutralism desirable even as an ideal?
The Cartesian ideal & its failure
Does science, often taken as the quintessence of neutral rationalism, achieve this ideal?
Critical dialog (what Peterson et al. call critical rationalism)
Taking the best of fideism & neutralism
Evans on critical dialog ~ slide 4

5. C. Stephen Evans & critical dialog
How can we test our basic religious beliefs?
Simple matters of fact are easy to test
But what about big theories (grand systems of ideas), including religious belief systems?
The standards in science: coherence, predictive or explanatory power, & relative to competitors
Can religious belief systems be tested in a similar way?
Evans on critical dialog ~ slide 5

6. C. Stephen Evans & critical dialog
A few differences:
* Testing religious systems is more
complicated
* Is more difficult because of strong
commitments
* Evidence is different
Critical dialog is important to a robust religious faith
Evans on critical dialog ~ slide 6