Faith with Reason - Hardcover

Helm argues convincingly for distinguishing between the involuntariness of specific beliefs and the involuntary nature of broader patterns of belief... Helm is as trenchant in his critique of Barth's view of the unconditionality of faith as he is in his critique of evidentialist philosophies of religion. (Douglas Hedley, The Journal of Theological Studies)

Religious faith is a complex phenomenon, admitting of even greater variations than Helm is able to discuss. Undoubtedly, those who choose to work through his book will be better equipped to negotiate religious faith's subtleties and nuances. (The Philosophical Review)

This book will prove stimulating to anyone intrigued by the challenge of providing a coherent account of the nature and reasonableness of Christian faith. (Australasian Journal of Philosophy)

Faith with Reason is an excellent book, especially unique and recommendable because of the balanced way in which both the cognitive and the non-cognitive elements playing a role in religious belief and its justification are treated. (Ars Disputandi (online journal Netherlands))

Yet another welcome contribution to one of the liveliest debates in contemporary philosophy of religion ... The style is simple, lucid and well-ordered. The arguments are persuasive, the criticisms of other veiws perceptive and fair ... This book will commend itself to many different kinds of readers. Students will find it easily accessible, refreshingly free of jargon and unnecessary technicalities, well focused on the key issues. Professional philosophers in the field will find in it original arguments, and a freshness of approach to some well-worn issues. (Religious Studies)

Contains a lot of sophisticated, intelligent, and subtle guidance around the subject. (Brian Davies, Times Literary Supplement)

Paul Helm presents a new study of the nature of religious faith, investigating what makes it reasonable. Religious belief needs to meet and sustain philosophical scrutiny just as any other type of belief does; nothing about religion purchases immunity from this. But at the same time religious epistemology must also respect the contours of religion, the distinctiveness of the subject-matter of religious belief. Helm looks sympathetically at two currently prominent ways of defending the rationality of religious belief: 'Reformed' epistemology and the cumulative case for theism. He argues that the reasonableness of faith depends not only on beliefs about the world but also on beliefs about oneself (for instance about what one wants, about one's hopes and fears) and on what one is willing to trust. Helm goes on to look at the relations between belief and trust, and between faith and virtue, and concludes with an exploration of one particular type of belief about oneself, the belief that one is oneself a believer. This is a book for anyone interested in the basis of religious faith.