Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 66:4 (Dec 2023)
Article: Of Metaphysics And Theology
Author: J. Alexander Rutherford

JETS 65:4 (December 2023) p. 727

Of Metaphysics And Theology

J. Alexander Rutherford*

^* J. Alexander Rutherford is a freelance researcher. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: Is classical theism a necessary condition for an orthodox doctrine of God? In this article, I present the negative answer. I argue (1) that Thomism is determinative of certain untenable or undesirable implications for the doctrine of God and (2) that an alternate metaphysic, in this case, Christian idealism, is able to avoid these implications. The possibility of this metaphysic and its cogency as addressed to certain cruxes in Thomistic doctrine suggests that a coherently biblical doctrine of God may be developed on a different foundation. I conclude from this that we should not equate any metaphysic with Christian orthodoxy and that Thomism should not be treated as an unassailable framework within which to perform Christian theology. Instead, we should foster a “global public square” approach to evangelical metaphysics.

Key words: classical theism, relational theism, idealism, conceptualism, William of Ockham, George Berkeley, simplicity, doctrine of God, ontology, hypostatic union

To my great relief, someone else finally put words to the thoughts I have had for several years now—”it is as if we are all Thomists now.” A senior academic and I were reflecting on the evangelical books we both had been reading; it seems, from the latest evangelical books on the doctrine of God and the incarnation, that to be orthodox is to be Thomistic—or an adherent of “classical theism.” This is not just a trend in the academy; the term “heterodox” has been thrown around in online comments concerning several negative evaluations of Thomistic books and positive reviews of anti-Thomistic books I have offered on the blogosphere.1 Thomism itself is a broad stream, such that speaking of a Thomism seems perilous. Therefore, in this article, I am using the term for the contemporary appropriation of Thomism usually called “classical theism,” particularly as it is articulated in the works of Craig A. Carter, Matthew Barrett, James Dolezal, and Stephen Duby—among others.2

JETS 65:4 (December 2023) p. 728

In this article, I want to interrogate the resurgence of Protestant Thomism from an angle that needs further exploration. In many of the above-cited books, a narrative is presented of evangelicalism’s fall into modernism; essentially, this is the story of classical theism being eclipsed by “relational theism.”You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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