William Lane Craig
William Lane Craig (born August 23, 1949) is an American analytic philosopher, Christian apologist, author, and Wesleyan theologian who upholds the view of Molinism and neo-Apollinarianism.[2][3] He is a professor of philosophy at Houston Christian University and at the Talbot School of Theology of Biola University.[4]
William Lane Craig
August 23, 1949
Reasonable Faith (1994)
- The Kalam Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God (1977)
- The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus During the Deist Controversy (1984)
Craig has updated and defended the Kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God.[5][6][7][8][9] He has also published work where he argues in favor of the historical plausibility of the resurrection of Jesus.[10] His study of divine aseity and Platonism culminated with his book God Over All.[11][12]
Career[edit]
Craig joined the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois in 1980, where he taught philosophy of religion until 1986.[30]
After a one-year stint at Westmont College on the outskirts of Santa Barbara, Craig moved in 1987 with his wife and two young children back to Europe,[31] where he was a visiting scholar at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Louvain) in Belgium until 1994.[31][32] At that time, Craig joined the Department of Philosophy and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology in suburban Los Angeles as a research professor of philosophy, a position he currently holds,[17][4][33] and he went on to become a professor of philosophy at Houston Christian University in 2014.[4][33] In 2017, Biola University created a permanent faculty position and endowed chair, the William Lane Craig Endowed Chair in Philosophy, in honor of Craig's academic contributions.[34]
Craig served as president of the Philosophy of Time Society from 1999 to 2006.[35][36] He helped revitalize the Evangelical Philosophical Society and served as its president from 1996 to 2005.[5] In the mid-2000s,[37][38] Craig established the online Christian apologetics ministry ReasonableFaith.org.[4]
Craig has authored or edited over forty books and over two hundred articles published in professional philosophy and theology journals,[39][40] including: The Journal of Philosophy,[41] British Journal for the Philosophy of Science,[42] Philosophy and Phenomenological Research,[43][44] Philosophical Studies,[45] Australasian Journal of Philosophy,[46][47][48][49] Faith and Philosophy,[50] Erkenntnis,[51][52] and American Philosophical Quarterly.[53]
Reception[edit]
According to Nathan Schneider, "[many] professional philosophers know about him only vaguely, but in the field of philosophy of religion, [Craig's] books and articles are among the most cited".[5] Fellow philosopher Quentin Smith writes that "William Lane Craig is one [of] the leading philosophers of religion and one of the leading philosophers of time."[132]
In 2021, Academic Influence ranked Craig the nineteenth most influential philosopher in the world over the previous three decades (1990-2020) and the world's fourth most influential theologian over the same period.[133][134]
In 2009, New Atheist Christopher Hitchens had an interview before his debate with Craig in that same year. During that interview, Hitchens said: "I can tell you that my brothers and sisters and co-thinkers in the unbelieving community take him [Craig] very seriously. He's [Craig] thought of as a very tough guy. Very rigorous, very scholarly, very formidable. And I would...I say that without reserve. I don't say it because I'm here. Normally I don't get people saying: 'Good luck tonight' and 'don't let us down,' you know. But with him [Craig] I do."[135]
In 2011, with respect and compliment to his debating skills, New Atheist Sam Harris once described Craig as "the one Christian apologist who seems to have put the fear of God into many of my fellow atheists".[5][136]
Following a 2011 debate with Craig, Lawrence Krauss stated that Craig had a "simplistic view of the world" and that in the debate Craig had said "disingenuous distortions, simplifications, and outright lies".[137]
In 2014, he was named alumnus of the year by Wheaton College.[20]
In 2016, Craig was named Alumnus of the Year by Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.[138]