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Faith Within Reason
Is it possible to think about religious beliefs philosophically? Should religious beliefs be viewed as a flight from reason or as capable of rational support? Can theologians learn from philosophers? Can philosophers learn from theologians? Is it possible to be both a good Christian and a good thinker? Can there be such a thing as reasonable faith?
This book is chiefly concerned with these questions and others related to them. A collection of previously unpublished papers written by the late Herbert McCabe O.P., it examines the nature of religious belief, especially belief in God, with an eye on both theological and philosophical arguments. Some thinkers have sought to drive a wedge between philosophy and theology. Like Thomas Aquinas, whose writings he especially admired, McCabe seeks to show how the two can be systematically connected. Some religious truths, he argues, may defy our understanding. But this does not mean that they cannot be reasonably discussed.
This book is chiefly concerned with these questions and others related to them. A collection of previously unpublished papers written by the late Herbert McCabe O.P., it examines the nature of religious belief, especially belief in God, with an eye on both theological and philosophical arguments. Some thinkers have sought to drive a wedge between philosophy and theology. Like Thomas Aquinas, whose writings he especially admired, McCabe seeks to show how the two can be systematically connected. Some religious truths, he argues, may defy our understanding. But this does not mean that they cannot be reasonably discussed.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 10, 2007
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About the author
Herbert McCabe
26 books44 followersHerbert McCabe was a much loved member of the English Province of the Dominican Order of Preachers. He was born on the 2nd August 1928 and studied chemistry and philosophy before joining the Dominicans in 1949.
“Faith seeking understanding” guided him through his life’s vocation - the study and teaching of the writings of St Thomas Aquinas. His work as a student chaplain led to the publication of The New Creation (1964) and Law, Love and Language (1968). Social radicalism and profound orthodoxy met and matched in Herbert’s thinking and preaching.
He was editor of New Blackfriars from 1964. Controversy attended these years in his life and ministry, and after some time in Ireland he taught in Oxford in the mid 1970s. “He had an unrivalled clarity of utterance, and in his hands Thomas became a vivid living voice...” (Eamon Duffy, The Tablet, 7 July 2001).
He regarded as his finest work the booklet The Teaching of the Catholic Church which was a catechism rooted in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council commissioned by the then Archbishop of Birmingham.
A loyal friend, fierce critic of woolly thinking and passionate advocate of social justice, he was made a Master of Sacred Theology by the Dominican order in 1989. He died on the 28th of June 2001.
“Faith seeking understanding” guided him through his life’s vocation - the study and teaching of the writings of St Thomas Aquinas. His work as a student chaplain led to the publication of The New Creation (1964) and Law, Love and Language (1968). Social radicalism and profound orthodoxy met and matched in Herbert’s thinking and preaching.
He was editor of New Blackfriars from 1964. Controversy attended these years in his life and ministry, and after some time in Ireland he taught in Oxford in the mid 1970s. “He had an unrivalled clarity of utterance, and in his hands Thomas became a vivid living voice...” (Eamon Duffy, The Tablet, 7 July 2001).
He regarded as his finest work the booklet The Teaching of the Catholic Church which was a catechism rooted in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council commissioned by the then Archbishop of Birmingham.
A loyal friend, fierce critic of woolly thinking and passionate advocate of social justice, he was made a Master of Sacred Theology by the Dominican order in 1989. He died on the 28th of June 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 20, 2020
McCabe has an engaging, chatty, writing style. It makes you feel as though he is engaging in conversation with you. His theology is grounded in the simple, yet profound truth, that God is love. For him, everything else is commentary. I was not always convinced by his arguments, notably when it can to theodicy, but every chapter gave me plenty of food for thought. I shall read more of his book, and have ordered ‘God, Christ, and us.’
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May 12, 2025Really vibe with this. I can't fully sign onto every point he makes, but these essays do a lot in explaining how one can believe in God, what faith actually means, and why it's important.
March 21, 2016
This was a great find. Some of the clearest writing on knotty philosophy that I've read. McCabe taught the thought of Thomas Aquinas to his students, and over the years his teaching must have been refined to the highest degree, because here is the best summary of Aquinas applied to current questions (both theological and scientific) that I have read. As a lay reader of all this, I found it highly accessible and applicable (with the minor exception of a few pages that I found to be overly "philosophical). The essays in the first half of the book form a sort of arc, and then the second half is more scattershot. The second half contained some of my favorites, including a brilliant and comforting essay on the prodigal son. Good reading for both mind and soul (and a good definition of soul, while we're at it).
May 27, 2013
McCabe is very insightful, but perhaps sometimes not especially precise/rigorous (choose your metaphor). Nevertheless, I find myself turning again and again to a few of the writings in here (e.g. the sermon on "Forgiveness") with increasing appreciation.
January 25, 2011
Is McCabe the greatest Dominican since Thomas?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews