The Cambridge Platonists are modern thinkers and the context of seventeenthcentury Cambridge science is an inalienable and decisive part of their thought. Cudworth’s interest in ancient theology, however, seems to conflict with the progressive aspect of his philosophy. The problem of the nature, however, of this ‘Platonism’ is unavoidable. Even in his complex and recondite ancient theology Cudw...

Let me begin with a personal reminiscence. The incident occurred in the late 1980s when I was a doctoral student in theology. Through a variety of circumstances, it happened that James Doull had read some of my writing relating to Hegel and contemporary theology. We arranged to meet, and had a discussion, in part of that part of my research, in part of my plans for the future. At the end our co...

neither the ash‘arites nor kierkegaard’s systems of theology are anti-rational, for kierkegaard regards the contradiction present in the object of faith as absolute rather than logical, suggesting thereby the existential dialectics for understanding this contradiction instead of resolving it. the ash‘arites also hold that one can understand the existence of god through absolute reason, or reaso...

When we think about the relationship between the brain and Judaism there are many possibilities to explore, ranging from the practical to the esoteric. Over the past twenty years there has been a growing development in this field, which some have referred to as neurotheology. Broadly speaking, neurotheology is a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to understand the relationship specific...

Heterodox mystics and heretics of any kind can be sometimes dangerous and other times reliable depending upon political situations, as was the case with Bektashis in Ottoman Anatolia or in early independent Albania. The historical anthropology perspective taken in this article appears helpful in revealing that Bektashism is probably the mystical order of Islam that best exemplifies a transforma...

Girard and the Millennials: New Perspectives on Evangelization Abstract René Girard in conversation with Charles Taylor can help us to analyze the connection between violence and religion. Girard’s lens of mimetic desire helps to clarify how Jesus was the anti-sacrifice who desired to end the scapegoat mechanism. Taylor provides a lens on the transcendent and its sometimes hidden presence in ou...

This paper draws attention to the remarkable closing words of Isaac Newton’s Optice (1706) and subsequent editions of the Opticks (1718, 1721), and tries to suggest why Newton chose to conclude his book with a puzzling allusion to his own unpublished conclusions about the history of religion. Newton suggests in this concluding passage that the bounds of moral philosophy will be enlarged as natu...

"Contextual Theology: Skills and Practices of Liberating Faith." Journal Contemporary Religion, 36(3), pp. 577–578

The tradition of healing in Orthodox Christianity emphasizes the human being as a psychosomatic unity. In Western society, however, the practice of healing is often separated into disciplines that independently address the body, the mind, and the soul. Orthodox Christian physicians, psychologists, and religious leaders trained in Western institutions may therefore find a conflict between modern...