The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (B&H, 2009) Buy now
Publisher’s Description: Philosophy is defined as the love of wisdom, and college students will certainly admire this Bible-informed introductory level textbook’s fun approach to an often heady subject. The Love of Wisdom is distinct in its engaging style that includes humor and copious popular culture illustrations to heighten reader interest and clarify important concepts. The book even addresses two key topics often omitted by other texts: political philosophy and aesthetics (philosophy of beauty and the arts). Students and teachers can also make great use of the study questions for each chapter, a glossary of terms, and further reading suggestions.
“Well-written, well-argued and highly accessible, The Love of Wisdom is a marvelous example of what an introductory philosophy text should be. Not only do Cowan and Spiegel provide an up-to-date map of the often perplexing philosophical landscape, but they do so in a way which encourages readers to take every thought captive for Christ.” —Doug Blount, Dallas Theological Seminary
“Cowan and Spiegel provide a thorough, yet accessible, overview of important philosophical themes from a biblical point of view while engaging non-Christian perspectives . . . an instructive, even-handed guide that sets forth fairly the relevant philosophical range of orthodox Christian views. A fine resource!” —Paul Copan, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Click here to download free sample chapter and PowerPoint lecture aids.
Gum, Geckos, and God: A Family’s Adventure in Space, Time, and Faith (Zondervan, 2008) Buy now
From Publisher’s Weekly: “Spiegel, philosophy professor at Indiana’s Taylor University, takes deep issues of the Christian faith and dumps them smack into real life with a little help from his children. Their questions—“Dad, where does God live?” “Dad, does God speak English?” and “What does God know?”—open the door to discussions about God that solicit satisfying answers from Dad. Spiegel’s responses and ensuing comments will satisfy adults as well, especially those looking for beginning and intermediate study on topics such as God’s omniscience, the Golden Rule, God’s presence and human origin and destiny. Spiegel ponders the great issues of the faith with a light touch, thanks to the innate comedy of kids, but also to his own brand of humor. No doubt some readers will wish for more depth when it comes to doctrinal fundamentals, but rather than exhaustive study, the point is that God touches human hearts through geckos, hide-and-seek tag and the occasional possum. Spiegel shares his own wonder as he fields FAQs from the fertile, imaginative, earthy minds of his children.”
Faith, Film, and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen, co-edited with Doug Geivett (InterVarsity, 2007) Buy now
Faith, Film, and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen is a book that applies Christian philosophical analysis to cinema. Featuring over a dozen essays treating diverse issues in recent and classic films, this volume addresses a domain of popular culture that, until now, has been unexplored by Christian philosophers. The content is philosophically rich but non-technical and will appeal to a broad audience of readers. Chapter themes vary widely but are all directly relevant to Christian philosophy. Likewise, the book represents a broad range of film genres (e.g., domestic, foreign, documentary, drama, horror, etc.).
The roster of contributing authors is formidable, each bringing to the project a unique ability to generate original insights in a creative and winsome way. Each author applies a Christian perspective to his or her topic, but the roster reflects the diversity within the historic Christian tradition in such matters as political orientation and doctrinal persuasion. Contributing authors: Douglas Blount, Kelly James Clark, Winfried Corduan, Gregory E. Ganssle, R. Douglas Geivett, Greg Jesson, David Hunt, James F. Sennett, Sara L. H. Shady, Caroline J. Simon, James S. Spiegel, Brendan Sweetman, Ron Tacelli, Dallas Willard.
The Benefits of Providence: A New Look at Divine Sovereignty (Crossway, 2005) Buy now
From the Introduction: “My purpose in this book is to provide a broad defense of the high view of providence, both through critical analysis of the low view of providence and constructive application of the high view. My critical aim is to demonstrate that the concept of divine risk contradicts the plain teaching of Scripture and that the major arguments against the high view are flawed. My constructive aim is to reveal some significant benefits of the high view of providence, both of a theoretical and practical nature. Thus, the overarching thesis of this book is that there are many good reasons to accept the high view of providence and no good reasons to reject it.”
In this book Spiegel applies the high view of providence to theological matters such as divine conservation of the world, miracles, and divine emotion. He discusses implications of the high view pertaining to the practice of science, the problem of evil, and moral formation. The guiding theme of the book is the concept of God as a divine artist and the world as his art work.
How to be Good in a World Gone Bad: Living a Life of Christian Virtue (Kregel, 2004) Buy now
AWARD WINNER! - 2005 Christianity Today Merit Award
Publisher’s comments: An engaging, down-to-earth manual that helps Christians figure out how to really live a “good” life. Organized around twenty-two virtuous character traits-including humility, discretion, diligence, generosity, creativity, wit, justice, patience, peace, gratitude, faith, and love-this is more than a book of suggestions. This is a manual for how to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation . . .” (Phil.. 2:14). 224 pages. Paperback. $12.99
“This book is a workout for the Christian soul. It will stretch you in ways you did not think possible, but after reading it you will feel stronger in the faith than ever before.” - Stephen H. Webb, Professor of Religion, Wabash College. Author of Good Eating, The Divine Voice, and Taking Religion to School
Hypocrisy: Moral Fraud and Other Vices (Baker, 1999) Buy now
Publisher’s comments: Spiegel deftly analyzes the concept and content of hypocrisy, then moves to a discussion of its morality and its relation to moral weakness and sanctification. In his closing chapter he takes up the charge of the church’s hypocrisy and whether it poses a sufficient reason for rejection of Christian truth, as critics maintain.
“A unique and profound treatment of a basic structure of evil that permeates our homes, communities, and institutions, secular and sacred. I recommend it highly to anyone who needs to understand why life goes as it does. It deals with a primary topic in the teachings of Jesus which needs to be applied to the texture of our daily lives” - Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy, University of Southern California, author of The Divine Conspiracy, The Spirit of the Disciplines, and Renovation of the Heart
