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Theologians & Philosophers

At face value, a philosopher is a lover of wisdom. The Greek words philos and sophia mean "love" and "wisdom" respectively, and this is certainly the kind of philosopher Socrates tried to be. Ever since the Enlightenment, however, academics have been trying to over-complicate things, and for most secular thinkers a philosopher is one who attempts through his own reason and observation of the world to construct a complete, coherent, and consistent explanation and theory of all things.

A theologian, on the other hand, is exactly what he sounds like—one who studies God. Men at various times have attempted to deter theology from this noble course (particularly the German liberals in the 18th and 19th centuries), and in fact there are still those who call themselves "liberal theologians," but they don't really study what they claim to. Liberal theology is more concerned with man than God. Real theologians, however, reflect on God to learn more about Him and about His creation (most notably, mankind).

Ever since Tertullian (and probably before), Christians have argued about the relationship of theologians to philosophers. is there such a thing as a Christian philosopher? Can there be? In the secular sense, the answer is clearly no. Everything we can or need to know about life and the cosmos God has revealed to us, either through His Word or generally through His creation. Does this mean every Christian thinker who isn't a scientist or mathematician is a theologian? Was Soren Kierkegaard a theologian or a philosopher? What about St. Augustine, or C.S. Lewis?

Without getting into the doctrinal implications of such a statement, it might be easier to think of philosophers and theologians in terms of prophecy. Not all prophecy is concerned with telling the future: plenty (perhaps even most) is simply the illumination of difficult concepts or a preaching of the truth in response to heresy or immorality. In this sense, anyone defending God's truth against man's, anyone using divine revelation as found in the Bible as his standard for all things, is a prophet; secular philosophers, then, are false prophets.

Christians don't need to invent their own explanation for anything. God has given us His, and that is enough. That doesn't mean we can't deepen our understanding—we can, and should. We do need to compare everything to Scripture, however, and that is what Christian thinkers can help us do better than just about anyone else. Having some knowledge of their lives isn't absolutely necessary for understanding their ideas, but to see how pious Christian thinkers were, or how wicked their secular counterparts, can offer important insights on our quest for truth.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Against the World
by Henry Coray
from Inheritance Publications
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.95
An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth
by M. K. Gandhi
from Navajivan Publishing House
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Autobiography of G. K. Chesterton
by G. K. Chesterton
from Ignatius Press
Autobiography for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.95
Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life
Theologians on the Christian Life
by Stephen J. Nichols
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom - Audio Drama (CD)
from Tyndale House
for 4th-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$17.99
C. S. Lewis: A Life
by Alister McGrath
from Tyndale House
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$24.99
C. S. Lewis: The Man Behind Narnia
by Beatrice Gormley
from Eerdmans
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.00
Chesterton's Tavern
by Kevin Belmonte
from Canon Press
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.95
Common Sense 101
by Dale Ahlquist
from Ignatius Press
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.95
Confucius: The Golden Rule
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
2003 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Cornelius Van Til
by John Frame
from P&R Publishing
for 11th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Cornelius Van Til
by John Frame
from P&R Publishing
for 11th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
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Theologians on the Christian Life
by Dane C. Ortlund
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
Faith of Our Fathers: Scenes from American Church History
by Mark Sidwell, editor
from Bob Jones University Press
Church History Reference for 7th-12th grade
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
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by Catherine Drinker Bowen
from Little, Brown & Company
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Francis Schaeffer
by Bruce Little, ed.
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
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by Michael R Phillips
Illustrated Edition from Bethany House
for 11th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
George MacDonald
by Michael R Phillips
from Bethany House
for 11th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.50
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from Abingdon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
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for 5th-Adult
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$12.75
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by Julia Cameron
from Christian Focus Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in TorchBearers & TrailBlazers (Location: BIO-TRAIL)
$8.99
Ignatius of Antioch
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by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
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by Joseph M. Canfield
2nd edition from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for Adult
in Covenant Theology (Location: XTH-COV)
Irenaeus of Lyons
Heroes of the Faith
by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$11.90
John Owen
Christian Biographies for Young Readers
by Simonetta Carr
from Reformation Heritage Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
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by Iain H. Murray
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 11th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$33.00
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from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.00
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from Master Books
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00
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by Iain H. Murray
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Lone Journey
by Jeanette Eaton, illustrated by Woodi Ishmael
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for 7th-10th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
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2nd edition from Ignatius Press
for 9th grade-Adult
in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
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from Christian Focus Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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for Preschool-2nd grade
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Leaders in Action Series
by Terry Glaspey
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
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Not a Tame Lion
Leaders in Action Series
by Terry Glaspey
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.96
Out of My Life and Thought
by Albert Schweitzer
Reprint from Henry Holt and Company
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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from Henry Holt and Company
for 8th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
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by Jean-Marc Berthoud
1st edition
for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.50
Pillars of Grace Volume 2
from Reformation Trust Publishing
for Adult
in Church History Overviews (Location: XCH-OVE)
Polycarp of Smyrna
Heroes of the Faith
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$8.50
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by Otto Scott
from Mason & Libscomb Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
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from Eerdmans
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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by Dave Breese
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Biography Anthology for 11th-Adult
in Philosophy (Location: XWV-PHI)
$14.44
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by Elizabeth Martinez
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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World Landmark #33
by Anita Daniel
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
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by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
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by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Boys Who Used Their Talents
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
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from Garrard Publishing Company
for 1st-3rd grade
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Tolkien: Man and Myth
by Joseph Pearce
from Ignatius Press
Biography for 11th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Trust Thyself
by James Playsted Wood
from Unknown Publisher
for 7th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Value of Honesty
by Spencer Johnson
from Value Communications Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Character Building (Location: BIB-CH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Warfield on the Christian Life
Theologians on the Christian Life
by Fred G. Zaspel
Redesign from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
Wesley on the Christian Life
Theologians on the Christian Life
by Fred Sanders
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
Wisdom and Innocence
by Joseph Pearce
from Ignatius Press
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Works of Rousseau
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
from Walter J. Black, Inc.
for Adult
in Walter J. Black Classics Club (Location: VIN-LITWJB)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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