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Christian Philosophy: A Systematic and Narrative Introduction
This third book in a series of successful introductory textbooks by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen builds on their previous projects, The Drama of Scripture and Living at the Crossroads, to offer a comprehensive narrative of philosophical thought from a distinctly Christian perspective.
After exploring the interaction among Scripture, worldview, theology, and philosophy, the authors tell the story of philosophy from ancient Greece through postmodern times, positioning the philosophers in their historical contexts and providing Christian critique along the way. The authors emphasize the Reformed philosophical tradition without neglecting other historical trajectories and show how philosophical thought relates to contemporary life.
302 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2013
47 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Craig G. Bartholomew
77 books53 followersCraig G. Bartholomew (PhD, University of Bristol) is the H. Evan Runner Professor of Philosophy at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, and the principal of the Paideia Centre for Public Theology. He founded the internationally recognized Scripture and Hermeneutics seminar and is coauthor of Living at the Crossroads and Christian Philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 29, 2023
What’s your least favorite day of the week? Maybe Monday? For me, it was Tuesdays, because I would always end my Tuesdays reading this book for class.
The first couple of chapters were somewhat helpful, but with each progressing chapter, this book became worse and worse. The authors tried to bite off way more than they could chew. In a 15 page chapter, they would often cover 10 or more philosophers, not giving adequate time or depth to any of them. The opinions of the authors were thrown in at random times, and would often be one sentence claims without anything supporting it. Helpful sentences here and there are keeping this from being 1 star.
If you want a sprint through the history of philosophy, along with a space station view of assorted philosophers ideas, this is the book for you!
The first couple of chapters were somewhat helpful, but with each progressing chapter, this book became worse and worse. The authors tried to bite off way more than they could chew. In a 15 page chapter, they would often cover 10 or more philosophers, not giving adequate time or depth to any of them. The opinions of the authors were thrown in at random times, and would often be one sentence claims without anything supporting it. Helpful sentences here and there are keeping this from being 1 star.
If you want a sprint through the history of philosophy, along with a space station view of assorted philosophers ideas, this is the book for you!
October 16, 2025
All my homies are highly suspicious of Kant. And we all love the Dutch Reformers.
For a newbie to philosophy, I didn't have too hard of a time with this book. The authors walk the reader through the history of philosophy in a bite-sized way.
For a newbie to philosophy, I didn't have too hard of a time with this book. The authors walk the reader through the history of philosophy in a bite-sized way.
May 21, 2015
In terms of Christian introductions to philosophy, I think this is the best I’ve found so far. Most books either try to oversimplify things, whereas more “serious” gateways to understanding philosophy or philosophical movements operate with a certain level of understanding before coming to the text.
By contrast, Bartholomew and Goheen write to a specifically Christian undergraduate / graduate level. They explain every major philosophical movement in the West, define terms where definitions are necessary, and write applicably toward a distinctly Christian outlook on philosophy. With every era or philosopher covered, they will talk about what unique input they had, and how it was problematic for Christian theology.
The last few chapters focused especially on recent trends in Reformational philosophy and the work of philosophers in the analytic tradition like Plantinga and Wolterstorff, as well those in the more Continental tradition, especially Herman Dooyeweerd. While it was good to introduce the reader to these trends, I found it to be a little distracting and the chapter on Dooyeweerd especially long. All things considered, this is still a very good book.
Many theologically minded students may be strong in their understanding of their Bible, but often are weak when it comes to translating their work into theology. In thinking about actually doing theology, theologians have to reckon with philosophy and philosophical trends. Books like this one will be a spectacular help and I will be recommending this book highly to Christians interested in theology who find themselves weak in philosophy.
By contrast, Bartholomew and Goheen write to a specifically Christian undergraduate / graduate level. They explain every major philosophical movement in the West, define terms where definitions are necessary, and write applicably toward a distinctly Christian outlook on philosophy. With every era or philosopher covered, they will talk about what unique input they had, and how it was problematic for Christian theology.
The last few chapters focused especially on recent trends in Reformational philosophy and the work of philosophers in the analytic tradition like Plantinga and Wolterstorff, as well those in the more Continental tradition, especially Herman Dooyeweerd. While it was good to introduce the reader to these trends, I found it to be a little distracting and the chapter on Dooyeweerd especially long. All things considered, this is still a very good book.
Many theologically minded students may be strong in their understanding of their Bible, but often are weak when it comes to translating their work into theology. In thinking about actually doing theology, theologians have to reckon with philosophy and philosophical trends. Books like this one will be a spectacular help and I will be recommending this book highly to Christians interested in theology who find themselves weak in philosophy.
November 6, 2013
Very interesting book on narrative philosophy.
January 11, 2024
It was hard to give a rating for this book (3 or 4 stars?) - which was frustratingly unclear in some parts and genuinely illuminating in others. I’ve decided on 3.5 just because its main ideas make this book worth a read, but its flaws should be borne in mind.
What’s Good
1. The first two chapters on the relationship between Christian philosophy and mission, theology, and doctrine are thoughtfully crafted & concise answers to the question of why a distinctively Christian philosophy is not just helpful but indispensable to the faithful Christian life.
2. The core of the book is the argument that that all philosophies inescapably have a religious grounding and motivation as their Archimedean starting point. Their analysis of purportedly neutral Western philosophies as fundamentally idolatrous exaltations of autonomous human reason is given due emphasis. Curiously, however, they make no mention of Cornelius Van Til and the presuppostionalist stream, which seems odd given that there appears to be much overlap with their hero, Herman Dooyeweerd.
3. Roughly, the latter half of the book (starting from Nietzsche, moving through postmodernism, and ending in Reformed and Reformational philosophy) was much better written than the first half. On the whole, it was clear, incisive and in many parts exemplary as a potted intellectual history. Their treatment of postmodernism (in terms of its genesis, nature, diversity, contemporary reception, and driving motivations) was particularly helpful and nuanced, and well worth a read.
What’s Poor
The first half of their account (from the Pre-Socratics, through Plato & Aristotle and medieval philosophy, to Kant & Hegel) was generally poorly written. It employed too much jargon which was left unexplained, and some sections were much too brief to provide any meaningful content. Sadly, this was true at points of the latter half of the book as well.
John Frame’s A History of Western Philosophy and Theology is much, much better in both: (a) conveying the main ideas of the philosophers in clear language; and (b) consistently applying the rationalistic-irrational dialectic & critique (found also in Dooyeweerd’s apporach) to bear on non-Christian philosophies. It is on the whole, a superior book. I would start with that, and add this book as a quick supplement on various points.
What’s Good
1. The first two chapters on the relationship between Christian philosophy and mission, theology, and doctrine are thoughtfully crafted & concise answers to the question of why a distinctively Christian philosophy is not just helpful but indispensable to the faithful Christian life.
2. The core of the book is the argument that that all philosophies inescapably have a religious grounding and motivation as their Archimedean starting point. Their analysis of purportedly neutral Western philosophies as fundamentally idolatrous exaltations of autonomous human reason is given due emphasis. Curiously, however, they make no mention of Cornelius Van Til and the presuppostionalist stream, which seems odd given that there appears to be much overlap with their hero, Herman Dooyeweerd.
3. Roughly, the latter half of the book (starting from Nietzsche, moving through postmodernism, and ending in Reformed and Reformational philosophy) was much better written than the first half. On the whole, it was clear, incisive and in many parts exemplary as a potted intellectual history. Their treatment of postmodernism (in terms of its genesis, nature, diversity, contemporary reception, and driving motivations) was particularly helpful and nuanced, and well worth a read.
What’s Poor
The first half of their account (from the Pre-Socratics, through Plato & Aristotle and medieval philosophy, to Kant & Hegel) was generally poorly written. It employed too much jargon which was left unexplained, and some sections were much too brief to provide any meaningful content. Sadly, this was true at points of the latter half of the book as well.
John Frame’s A History of Western Philosophy and Theology is much, much better in both: (a) conveying the main ideas of the philosophers in clear language; and (b) consistently applying the rationalistic-irrational dialectic & critique (found also in Dooyeweerd’s apporach) to bear on non-Christian philosophies. It is on the whole, a superior book. I would start with that, and add this book as a quick supplement on various points.
June 17, 2019
This was a worthwhile little introduction to philosophy. Bartholomew's range, comprehension, and productivity in so many different fields and disciplines is totes incredible.
April 26, 2016
What a great book! This is a must read for anyone interested in Reformed Philosophy.
Check out my review at The Gospel Coalition - http://legacy.thegospelcoalition.org/...
Check out my review at The Gospel Coalition - http://legacy.thegospelcoalition.org/...
January 28, 2024
Aside from the obnoxious, unnecessary, and corny frame story which the authors adopted, this book is a valuable one, if not a bit overambitious. Bartholomew and Goheen seek to do two things. First, they track strains of Christian philosophy throughout the history of philosophy and in contrast or engagement with secular thought. Second, they describe the current state of Reformed epistemology and Reformed philosophy (two schools of thought which they are sympathetic to).
Given that the book is under 300 pages, the authors had to paint the history of philosophy in broad brush strokes, covering dozens of philosophers with only a few paragraphs each. Hence, their history is far from comprehensive. Instead, Bartholomew and Goheen tend to track the evolution of thought around a few ideas from pre-Socratic times to the postmodern era. (Their methods for doing so seem, in part, to be derived from Reformed philosopher Dirk H. Th. Vollenhoven [252].)
One of the main themes the authors emphasize throughout their historical account is the struggle by many, including Christians, to put reason in its proper place. They emphasize how reason increasingly began to dominate philosophical theories as the Western world moved out of the middle ages and into the modern times.
It has been interesting for me, therefore, to be reading this book at the same time I am listening to *The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self* by Carl Trueman, because as Trueman looks back to consider the sources of the sexual revolution, he ends up tracing a rise in philosophies during the early modern period which place human experience and emotion above all else. At first, I felt as though the arguments these two books are making are contradictory to one another. But I don't think this is the case. Rather, the two books are taking different paths to the same underlying conclusion. Ultimately, Bartholomew and Goheen are focusing on the glorification of *human* reason and Trueman is focusing on the glorification of *human* experience. The root problem here is that philosophy has become human-centric. Think of Descartes' famous line *cogito, ergo sum* (I think, therefore I am). Descartes emphasizes the personal pronoun "I," putting humanity at the center of philosophy.
If Bartholomew and Goheen's main observation is that human reason has become the center of philosophy, their main argument is that faith and philosophy must be reconciled again. "In our telling of the story of Western Philosophy," they say, "a recurring motif is that the way we tell the story is never neutral. A consistent characteristic of too much modern philosophy is a downplaying of the Christian faith of many modern philosophers" (133).
Later, they highlight a quote from Reformed epistemologist Nicholas Wolterstorff, who observes that "without a doubt a person can simply live in the two different communities, doing as the Athenians do when I'm Athens and as the Jerusalemites when in Jerusalem. But if one who is a scholar as well as a Christian wants coherence in life ... he cannot help asking, how does my membership in these two communities fit together?" (217-218).
Bartholomew and Goheen suggest that Reformed epistemology and Reformed philosophy are most coherently joining their faith and reason, and the last section of the book is devoted to these two movements. Here, they describe the distinctives of each school of thought and show how their willingness to bring God into philosophy shapes their understanding of anthropology, art, political philosophy, etc.
Overall, Bartholomew and Goheen are effective at showing how modern philosophy became centered on humans, justifying the reasons why philosophy cannot be separated from faith, and describing how faith-integrated philosophy can be beneficial in a plethora of ways.
Given that the book is under 300 pages, the authors had to paint the history of philosophy in broad brush strokes, covering dozens of philosophers with only a few paragraphs each. Hence, their history is far from comprehensive. Instead, Bartholomew and Goheen tend to track the evolution of thought around a few ideas from pre-Socratic times to the postmodern era. (Their methods for doing so seem, in part, to be derived from Reformed philosopher Dirk H. Th. Vollenhoven [252].)
One of the main themes the authors emphasize throughout their historical account is the struggle by many, including Christians, to put reason in its proper place. They emphasize how reason increasingly began to dominate philosophical theories as the Western world moved out of the middle ages and into the modern times.
It has been interesting for me, therefore, to be reading this book at the same time I am listening to *The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self* by Carl Trueman, because as Trueman looks back to consider the sources of the sexual revolution, he ends up tracing a rise in philosophies during the early modern period which place human experience and emotion above all else. At first, I felt as though the arguments these two books are making are contradictory to one another. But I don't think this is the case. Rather, the two books are taking different paths to the same underlying conclusion. Ultimately, Bartholomew and Goheen are focusing on the glorification of *human* reason and Trueman is focusing on the glorification of *human* experience. The root problem here is that philosophy has become human-centric. Think of Descartes' famous line *cogito, ergo sum* (I think, therefore I am). Descartes emphasizes the personal pronoun "I," putting humanity at the center of philosophy.
If Bartholomew and Goheen's main observation is that human reason has become the center of philosophy, their main argument is that faith and philosophy must be reconciled again. "In our telling of the story of Western Philosophy," they say, "a recurring motif is that the way we tell the story is never neutral. A consistent characteristic of too much modern philosophy is a downplaying of the Christian faith of many modern philosophers" (133).
Later, they highlight a quote from Reformed epistemologist Nicholas Wolterstorff, who observes that "without a doubt a person can simply live in the two different communities, doing as the Athenians do when I'm Athens and as the Jerusalemites when in Jerusalem. But if one who is a scholar as well as a Christian wants coherence in life ... he cannot help asking, how does my membership in these two communities fit together?" (217-218).
Bartholomew and Goheen suggest that Reformed epistemology and Reformed philosophy are most coherently joining their faith and reason, and the last section of the book is devoted to these two movements. Here, they describe the distinctives of each school of thought and show how their willingness to bring God into philosophy shapes their understanding of anthropology, art, political philosophy, etc.
Overall, Bartholomew and Goheen are effective at showing how modern philosophy became centered on humans, justifying the reasons why philosophy cannot be separated from faith, and describing how faith-integrated philosophy can be beneficial in a plethora of ways.
February 5, 2023
This is a unique introduction to Christian philosophy, because it is from a Neo-Calvinist or Kuyperian perspective. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, the authors develop a theory of the pursuit of philosophy and its relationship to Scripture. Drawing off of Bartholomew's earlier book, "The Drama of Scripture", they unfold a metanarrative that describes the "drama" of Scripture that is the History of Redemption. In the second part, they develop a metanarrative of the history of Western philosophy that draws from Dooyeweerd's theory of ground-motives. They assess Ancient "Pagan" philosophy, move to the "Medieval Synthesis", the Reformation, then Modern and Postmodern Philosophy. The final section is a fantastic introduction to Neo-Calvinist philosophy, which is probably worth buying the book in and of itself. Two chapters are dedicated to Alvin Plantiga's "Reformed Epistemology", which describes its theory and application. The final chapter describes Herman Dooyeweerd's "Reformational Philosophy". I recommend these final chapters to anybody who is approaching Reformed Epistemology or Reformational Philosophy for the first time. The authors do an excellent job making these complex systems of philosophy easy to understand for beginners.
January 8, 2019
(Finished 1/3/19.)
This is a very fine introduction to philosophy from a Christian perspective. The intended audience is probably undergraduates at Christian colleges and universities, judging by the device that Bartholomew and Goheen use frequently at either the beginning or end of each chapter, which is an ongoing email dialogue between two Christians, one attending a secular university and another attending a Christian college. (I would prefer if that dialogue were removed from the book.)
The authors are not afraid to evaluate philosophers from the perspective of a Christian worldview, which is refreshing. They align themselves with the Reformational philosophy of Dutch thinkers like Kuyper and Dooyeweerd.
Like any such book, the weakness is that it must do a lot of summarizing, which probably leads to some oversimplifications (though hopefully not distortions) of what various philosophers believed.
This is a very fine introduction to philosophy from a Christian perspective. The intended audience is probably undergraduates at Christian colleges and universities, judging by the device that Bartholomew and Goheen use frequently at either the beginning or end of each chapter, which is an ongoing email dialogue between two Christians, one attending a secular university and another attending a Christian college. (I would prefer if that dialogue were removed from the book.)
The authors are not afraid to evaluate philosophers from the perspective of a Christian worldview, which is refreshing. They align themselves with the Reformational philosophy of Dutch thinkers like Kuyper and Dooyeweerd.
Like any such book, the weakness is that it must do a lot of summarizing, which probably leads to some oversimplifications (though hopefully not distortions) of what various philosophers believed.
August 26, 2023
4.5 Stars. Superb introduction to philosophy from a distinctly Christian perspective, and even better, Bartholomew and Goheen give clear and ample reason *why* distinctly Christian approaches are both warranted and essential for Missions and Cultural Engagement. After reading this one, I’m about as interested in diving into Philosophy, as a Reformed Christian, as I’ve ever been. Only reason this book isn’t five stars (it’s a lame reason, I’ll admit) is some of the technical language within a particular tradition (Reformed Christianity) creates somewhat of a barrier for other Christian traditions in diving in. I don’t know that I expect Bartholomew and Goheen to write with everyone in mind - I actually think they’d argue that’s precisely the opposite of what they should do! Nonetheless, if you’re not in or familiar with Reformed Theology, there are portions of this book that could feel farther removed than they did for me.
December 10, 2020
This book begins with a startling claim: "Philosophy is a vital part of the church's mission." Philosophy is defined as "the attempt to discern the structure or order of of creation, and to describe systematically what is subject to that order." (3)
Overall, it is a helpful introduction to the intersection of faith and philosophy in the Reformed philosophical tradition. After an introduction to the topic, it goes through the history of Western philosophy with a focus on matters of faith. This is the bulk of the book, starting with the pagans and Greeks and landing in the present time with the postmodernists.
The book ends with a helpful summary of two strands of Reformed philosophy--Reformed epistemology (Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff, analytic) and Reformational Philosophy (Herman Dooyeweerd, Continental).
Overall, it is a helpful introduction to the intersection of faith and philosophy in the Reformed philosophical tradition. After an introduction to the topic, it goes through the history of Western philosophy with a focus on matters of faith. This is the bulk of the book, starting with the pagans and Greeks and landing in the present time with the postmodernists.
The book ends with a helpful summary of two strands of Reformed philosophy--Reformed epistemology (Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff, analytic) and Reformational Philosophy (Herman Dooyeweerd, Continental).
July 28, 2020
This is a very good introduction to the history of philosophy. The book's format is easy to follow and the authors did not shy away from showing their Christian commitments.
My only gripe is that there is an uneven amount of discussion (of Dooyeweerd in particular) in the last few chapters. The summary of what both Reformed epistemology and Reformational philosophy offer left me hanging though it is enough to whet one's appetite to read more. The list of recommended reading at the end is of great help!
I just wished that they provided more Christian insights on their critique of the philosophical schools but I think they allow the reader to explore more and engage with those school of thoughts head on.
My only gripe is that there is an uneven amount of discussion (of Dooyeweerd in particular) in the last few chapters. The summary of what both Reformed epistemology and Reformational philosophy offer left me hanging though it is enough to whet one's appetite to read more. The list of recommended reading at the end is of great help!
I just wished that they provided more Christian insights on their critique of the philosophical schools but I think they allow the reader to explore more and engage with those school of thoughts head on.
January 21, 2019
A really helpful overview of the Western tradition of philosophical thought, from the Pre-Socratics to the 21st century. The Christian perspective on this tradition offered by Bartholomew and Goheen will go a long way to helping undergraduates - and others - appreciate the different stories that may be told about the development of Western theoretical thought. For Christian (or sympathetic) thinkers, the final chapters on Reformed Epistemology and Reformational Philosophy will provide an invaluable introduction to schools of thought inspired by Calvinist thought that are, respectively, Analytical and Continental in flavour.
May 30, 2018
Good introduction to philosophy from a neocalvinist view (main idea of philosophy, a survey of the history of philosophy and evaluation of two modern philosophical christian trends : Reformational philosphy (Herman Dooyeweerd, D. H. Vollenhoven) = continental ; Reformed epistemology (Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff) = analytical.
December 10, 2020
I learned SO MUCH and underlined so much in this book. Criticisms: sometimes a little dry, and occasionally used big words that the average non-philosophy major is not familiar with. I wrote my own little glossary in the back, and referred to it often.
December 31, 2017
This is a narrative introduction to philosophy written from the perspective of a Christian commitment. I have some difficulty when the word 'Christian' is used as an adjective as in the title of this book. This book is not just concerned for philosophy done by Christians although it does include some of that. I think the book must have been written as a text for use at a Christian college or university. Written in three parts; Approaching Christian Philosophy, the Story of Western Philosophy and Christian Philosophy Today, I found the first and last parts very helpful and the middle part, on the whole, rather difficult to get into. For an introductory text, a good portion of the middle part seems a bit obscure.
August 4, 2014
I hope that this book makes its way into the intro to philosophy classes at Christian colleges. Home schooling parents should use it during high school. The authors are Reformed in the Dutch Reformed ("Reformational") philosophical tradition and at times it shows, especially in their frequent critical mentioning of "dualism" in the history of Christian philosophy. As one who has dualism-phobia as well I didn't mind it. In fact, I wish they pointed out clearly the dualisms of Kant and others in modern philosophy. But their restraint made a useful introduction for a broad audience. I highly recommend it.
December 1, 2015
Four stars, only because their treatments of several philosophers were not very helpful. Still a great survey of Western philosophy combined with an excellent section on contemporary Christian philosophy. The summaries of Wolterstorff, Plantinga, and Dooyeweerd are invaluable.
Part of the strength of this book is that both authors come from a Dutch Reformed background. Few, if any, traditions in Christianity interact, critique, and comment as well with culture, science, technology, government, philosophy, etc., than the Neo-Calvinist/Dutch Reformed heritage. It's a shame that so much Evangelicalism really has no clue it's even out there.
Read this book.
Part of the strength of this book is that both authors come from a Dutch Reformed background. Few, if any, traditions in Christianity interact, critique, and comment as well with culture, science, technology, government, philosophy, etc., than the Neo-Calvinist/Dutch Reformed heritage. It's a shame that so much Evangelicalism really has no clue it's even out there.
Read this book.
January 13, 2014
I received a free copy from the publisher in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This book covers the history of philosophy from a Christian perspective. I tried reading it straight through over the course of a few months and found it to be a bit overwhelming. Instead I am going to use it as a reference work.
Any serious student of philosophy would get a lot out of it. An average reader like me (college educated but in a completely different field) would probably have a hard time sticking with it all the way through.
This book covers the history of philosophy from a Christian perspective. I tried reading it straight through over the course of a few months and found it to be a bit overwhelming. Instead I am going to use it as a reference work.
Any serious student of philosophy would get a lot out of it. An average reader like me (college educated but in a completely different field) would probably have a hard time sticking with it all the way through.
January 3, 2017
Very interesting and easy to read. I will be returning to this to reference all of the historical aspects and to re-read on Reformational Philosophy. I was already slightly familiar with Reformed Epistemology b/c of Plantinga, but this book added much and encourage me to read even more. Great book.
June 24, 2016
A concise introduction to philosophy itself and also Reformational Christian philosophy. The authors did well at reporting on various philosophers but little in the way of their own work, so to speak. I found their summaries helpful, the language somewhat biased, and their "Reformational philosophy" less helpful. Useful book, though, overall.
July 6, 2016
I have a difficult time with philosophy. This book did a good job of helping me understand some of the basics, though there were parts where I felt it leaned too heavily on "philosopheze" (philosophical language that is not part of the average person's language) and so had difficulty understanding the worldviews being presented.
March 27, 2016
Read this in a couple of sittings. I found it a really helpful overview of the history of philosophical thought from a Christian perspective. Additionally, I think it is a good companion to the other works by this author written with Michael Goheen.
Read
July 3, 2016Good content but had to push through.
Great overview of major philosophers and movements but dry at times. If you enjoy this subject and looking for introductory info in this area you'll love this book. More than a survey but not exhaustive.
Great overview of major philosophers and movements but dry at times. If you enjoy this subject and looking for introductory info in this area you'll love this book. More than a survey but not exhaustive.
May 28, 2016
A descent history of western philosophy and Christian thought. Surprisingly comprehensive for its moderate size.
November 21, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Book review to come. (see philosopherdhaines.blogspot.ca)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews