Knowledge and Christian Belief

1. What is "Knowledge and Christian Belief" by Alvin Plantinga about?

• Core Focus: The book explores whether Christian belief is rational, justified, and can be considered knowledge, especially in light of modern philosophical and scientific challenges.
• Epistemological Approach: Plantinga uses contemporary epistemology to argue that Christian belief does not require evidence or argument from universally agreed premises to be rational.
• Response to Critics: The book addresses objections from atheists, skeptics, and historical biblical criticism, defending the rationality and warrant of Christian faith.
• Accessible Summary: It is a concise, more accessible version of Plantinga’s earlier, more technical work, "Warranted Christian Belief."

2. Why should I read "Knowledge and Christian Belief" by Alvin Plantinga?

• Engages Major Debates: The book tackles pressing questions about faith, reason, and the rationality of religious belief, which are central to both philosophy and theology.
• Accessible Philosophy: Plantinga distills complex arguments into clear, readable prose, making advanced epistemology approachable for non-specialists.
• Defends Faith Rationality: Readers interested in apologetics or the intellectual defense of Christianity will find robust arguments supporting the rationality of faith.
• Responds to New Atheism: The book directly addresses contemporary critics like Dawkins, Dennett, and Hitchens, making it relevant to current cultural debates.

3. What are the key takeaways from "Knowledge and Christian Belief" by Alvin Plantinga?

• Christian Belief Can Be Rational: Plantinga argues that Christian belief can be rational, justified, and even constitute knowledge, independent of traditional evidentialist arguments.
• Warrant and Proper Function: The concept of "warrant" (what turns true belief into knowledge) is central, and Plantinga claims that belief in God can have warrant if produced by properly functioning cognitive faculties.
• No Decisive De Jure Objection: Alleged objections to the rationality of Christian belief (de jure objections) are not independent of the question of its truth (de facto objections).
• Defeaters Examined: The book systematically addresses and refutes major proposed defeaters for Christian belief, including historical criticism, pluralism, and the problem of evil.

4. How does Alvin Plantinga define "warrant" in "Knowledge and Christian Belief"?

• Warrant Defined: Warrant is the property that distinguishes knowledge from mere true belief; it is what, when added to true belief, yields knowledge.
• Proper Function Requirement: A belief has warrant if it is produced by cognitive faculties functioning properly, in the right environment, according to a design plan successfully aimed at truth.
• Beyond Justification: Warrant is not the same as justification (which is about duty or evidence); it is about the proper functioning and purpose of belief-forming faculties.
• Central to Argument: Plantinga’s model claims that if Christian belief is true, it is likely warranted, and thus can be knowledge.

5. What is the "Aquinas/Calvin (A/C) Model" in "Knowledge and Christian Belief"?

• Natural Knowledge of God: The A/C Model posits that humans have a natural, inborn capacity (sensus divinitatis) to form beliefs about God, similar to perception or memory.
• Non-Argumentative Belief: Belief in God arises spontaneously in appropriate circumstances, not as the result of argument or inference.
• Warranted if True: If theism is true, then beliefs produced by the sensus divinitatis are likely warranted and can constitute knowledge.
• Sin and Impairment: The model also accounts for the suppression or impairment of this faculty due to sin, explaining unbelief as a kind of cognitive malfunction.

6. How does Plantinga address the rationality of Christian belief without evidence or argument in "Knowledge and Christian Belief"?

• Proper Basicality: Plantinga argues that some beliefs (like belief in God) can be "properly basic," meaning they are rationally held without inferential evidence.
• Analogy to Perception: Just as we trust our senses or memory without argument, belief in God can be rational if produced by properly functioning faculties.
• Critique of Classical Foundationalism: He critiques the view that only beliefs based on self-evident or incorrigible evidence are rational, showing this standard is self-defeating.
• Faith and Warrant: Faith, as produced by the Holy Spirit, can provide warrant for Christian belief even in the absence of propositional evidence.

7. What are the main objections to Christian belief discussed in "Knowledge and Christian Belief," and how does Plantinga respond?

• De Jure vs. De Facto: Plantinga distinguishes between objections to the truth of Christian belief (de facto) and objections to its rationality (de jure).
• Freud and Marx: He addresses claims that religious belief is irrational, a product of wish-fulfillment (Freud) or cognitive dysfunction (Marx), arguing these objections presuppose the falsehood of theism.
• Justification and Evidence: He refutes the idea that Christian belief is unjustified due to lack of evidence, showing that such standards are not applied consistently to other basic beliefs.
• No Independent De Jure Objection: Plantinga concludes that no de jure objection to Christian belief is independent of the question of its truth.

8. How does "Knowledge and Christian Belief" by Alvin Plantinga address the problem of evil as a defeater for Christian belief?

• No Logical Incompatibility: Plantinga notes that it is now widely accepted that the existence of evil is not logically incompatible with the existence of God.
• Evidential Arguments: He examines probabilistic arguments from evil and argues that, given the proper function model, evil does not necessarily defeat warranted Christian belief.
• Faith and Suffering: For believers with a properly functioning sensus divinitatis and faith, the presence of evil may be perplexing but does not rationally require abandoning belief in God.
• Spiritual vs. Intellectual Problem: Plantinga distinguishes between the pastoral/spiritual challenge of evil and its status as an intellectual defeater.

9. What is Plantinga’s response to historical biblical criticism in "Knowledge and Christian Belief"?

• Two Types of Criticism: He distinguishes between traditional biblical commentary (which assumes divine inspiration) and historical biblical criticism (which brackets faith-based assumptions).
• Troeltschian vs. Duhemian: Troeltschian criticism excludes miracles and divine action a priori, while Duhemian criticism only uses premises accepted by all, leading to minimal conclusions.
• No Defeater for Faith: Plantinga argues that neither approach provides a defeater for Christian belief, as their skeptical conclusions rest on assumptions not shared by traditional Christians.
• Faith-Based Epistemology: Christians are not intellectually obligated to accept the limitations or conclusions of historical biblical criticism that conflict with their faith.

10. How does "Knowledge and Christian Belief" by Alvin Plantinga address religious pluralism as a challenge to Christian exclusivism?

• Pluralism Defined: The book recognizes the diversity of religious beliefs and the challenge this poses to exclusive truth claims.
• Moral and Epistemic Charges: Plantinga addresses the charge that exclusivism is arrogant or arbitrary, arguing that holding a belief others reject is not necessarily immoral or irrational.
• Epistemic Position: He maintains that Christians can rationally believe they have access to sources of warrant (e.g., the Holy Spirit) not shared by others.
• No Automatic Defeater: Awareness of pluralism may reduce confidence for some, but it does not automatically provide a defeater for warranted Christian belief.

11. What role does faith and the Holy Spirit play in warranting Christian belief according to "Knowledge and Christian Belief"?

• Faith as Knowledge: Plantinga, following Calvin, defines faith as a "firm and certain knowledge" of God’s benevolence, produced by the Holy Spirit.
• Internal Instigation: The Holy Spirit’s internal work enables believers to see the truth of the gospel, providing warrant for their beliefs.
• Beyond Evidence: This process does not rely on external evidence or argument but is a supernatural gift that can produce warranted belief.
• Affective Dimension: Faith involves not just belief but also the right affections—love, gratitude, and desire for God—"sealed upon our hearts."

12. What are the best quotes from "Knowledge and Christian Belief" by Alvin Plantinga, and what do they mean?

• On Rationality of Faith: “Christian belief does not need to be supported by any arguments from generally agreed premises in order to be fully rational…” (Preface) — This encapsulates Plantinga’s central thesis that faith can be rational without evidence.
• On Warrant: “Warrant is the property enough of which is what distinguishes knowledge from mere true belief.” (Chapter Two) — This defines the key epistemological concept underpinning the book.
• On the Sensus Divinitatis: “There is a kind of faculty (like sight or hearing) or a cognitive mechanism… which in a wide variety of circumstances produces in us beliefs about God.” (Chapter Three) — This quote explains the natural, non-inferential basis for belief in God.
• On Defeaters: “The facts of religious pluralism, therefore, like historical biblical criticism, do need not constitute a defeater for Christian belief.” (Chapter Nine) — Plantinga’s conclusion that major challenges do not necessarily undermine warranted faith.
• On Evil: “For someone fully rational, on the A/C model, the existence of evil doesn’t so much as begin to constitute a defeater for belief