J.P. Moreland

J. P. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He has authored, edited, or contributed papers to ninety-five books, including Universals (McGill-Queen’s), Consciousness and the Existence of God (Routledge), The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism, and Debating Christian Theism (Oxford.) and, most recently, (with Brandon Rickabaugh) The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism (Wiley Blackwell.) He has also published over one hundred articles in journals such as Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, American Philosophical Quarterly, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, MetaPhilosophy, Philosophia Christi, Religious Studies, and Faith and Philosophy. His writings have been translated into 14 languages. Moreland was selected in August 2016 and 2022 by The Best Schools as one of the 50 most influential living philosophers in the world. Academic Influence ranked Moreland as the 22nd most influential philosopher of religion, the 39th most influential metaphysician, and among the twelve most influential Christian apologists in the world. His books have been translated into 14 different languages.

Affiliation Faculty
Position Distinguished Professor of Philosophy

Author's books

Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality

Death – and what lies beyond – is not something you consider every day. But the thought of it raises some intriguing questions: Are there good reasons for believing in life after death? What is the afterlife like? How valid are the reports of near death experiences? Do heaven and hell exist? And if so, how can hell be reconciled with a loving God? By sharing the very latest scientific, philosophical, anthropological, ethical, and theological evidence on life after death, noted Christian scholars Habermas and Moreland present a strong case for immortality with this book. They begin by taking up the question of whether life after death is real and what evidence supports its reality. They then explore what the afterlife is like and go on to show how having this reality in your future should affect the way you live here and now. This book will reassure you that there’s no need to fear death – as long as you’re prepared eternity that follows. It’s also a great aid in developing a serious biblical, rational, and even scientific defense for the belief in life beyond the grave.

Finding Quiet: A Philosopher’s Story of Hope and Discovering Tools to Overcome Anxiety and Depression – Unabridged audiobook on CD

Philosopher, author, and professor Moreland first experienced panic attacks in 2004. After 15 years, he still manages mental illness, but has moved from feelings of shame and despair to vulnerability and hope. In this encouraging guide, he shares hard-won practical advice with fellow sufferers. Includes Scripture verses, uplifting quotes, chapter summaries, annotated bibliography, and more.

Finding Quiet: My Story of Overcoming Anxiety and the Practices that Brought Peace

Philosopher, author, and professor Moreland first experienced panic attacks in 2004. After 15 years, he still manages mental illness, but has moved from feelings of shame and despair to vulnerability and hope. In this encouraging guide, he shares hard-won practical advice with fellow sufferers. Includes Scripture verses, uplifting quotes, chapter summaries, annotated bibliography, and more.

God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable and Responsible

The aggressive assault on religion, and particularly Christianity, by the “New Atheism” has reached through the airways, and across the web. Writers such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins have been as aggressive as they have been virulent against religion. But can their objections and arguments be answered? That is the purpose of the multi-faceted book of essays, God is Good, God is Great: Why Believing in God is reasonable and Responsible written by leading scholars in cosmology, astrophysics, biology, theology, and philosophy including Alister McGrath, Scot McKnight, Gary Habermas, John Polkinghorne, J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, and Michael Behe, this book answers to the tough questions and engages the difficult answers.

Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus

Jesus Under Fire challenges the methodology and findings of the Jesus Seminar, which generally clash with the biblical records. It examines the authenticity of the words, actions, miracles, and resurrection of Jesus, and presents compelling evidence for the traditional biblical teachings. Combining accessibility with scholarly depth, Jesus Under Fire helps readers judge for themselves whether the Jesus of the Bible is the Jesus of history, and whether the gospels’ claim is valid that he is the only way to God.

Love Your God with All Your Mind – Unabridged Audiobook [Download]

The mind plays an important role in Christianity. Unfortunately, many of us leave our minds behind when it comes to our faith. In Love Your God with All Your Mind, J. P. Moreland presents a logical case for the role of the mind in spiritual transformation. He challenges us to develop a Christian mind and to use our intellect to further God’s kingdom through evangelism, apologetics, worship, and vocation.

Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul, Revised and Updated

J.P. Moreland is concerned for the evangelical community. He feels that it is currently being held captive by a thoroughly modern understanding of Christianity which has diminished our ability to positively affect change in our culture. In other words, we are no longer salty, and cannot (do not) function as the salt of the earth. What does Jesus say about salt that has lost its flavor? It is good for nothing and must be thrown out (actually, Jesus, in his ever mild manner, says to throw it out and trample it underfoot). This revised edition includes expanded appendices and three new chapters that outline how to argue for the reality of God and the historicity of Jesus’ life teachings, death, and resurrection.

Metaethics: A Short Companion (Essentials in Christian Ethics)

In Metaethics: A Short Companion, David A. Horner and J. P. Moreland provide a primer on how to think about questions surrounding the concept of morality—its nature, status, grounding, underlying presuppositions, and philosophical commitments. From a stance rooted in moral realism, Horner and Moreland explore and evaluate the major metaethical positions on offer in the field, including expressivism, error theory, relativism, constructivism, ethical naturalism, and ethical nonnaturalism. They conclude by arguing for the rationality of a Christian worldview as a guiding metaethical position. Metaethics: A Short Companion offers a clear and concise introduction to the key concepts and debates in metaethics, providing readers with a foundation for reflecting on their own ethical beliefs and practices.

Passionate Conviction: Contemporary Discourses on Christian Apologetics

Passionate Conviction brings together the most popular and heart-stirring presentations in defense of Christianity from the annual fall conference on apologetics held in association with the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the C. S. Lewis Institute, and the Christian Apologetics program at Biola University. Applicable to pastors, serious-minded lay people, and university and high school students, these twenty essays are grouped into six dynamic categories: (1) Why Apologetics? (2) God (3) Jesus (4) Comparative Religions (5) Postmodernism and Relativism (6) Practical Application.

Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, Revised Edition

Now updated and expanded in this second edition, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig offers a comprehensive introduction to philosophy from a Christian perspective. In their broad sweep they seek to introduce readers to the principal subdisciplines of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics, and philosophy of religion.

Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions

Philosophy is thinking critically about questions that matter. But many people find philosophy intimidating, so they never discover how invaluable it can be in engaging ideas, culture, and even their faith. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand these challenges, and in this book they apply their decades of teaching experience to help to make philosophy a little less difficult. Using straightforward language with plenty of everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts—including logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of science.

Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions – Unabridged Audiobook on CD

Philosophy is thinking critically about questions that matter. But many people find philosophy intimidating, so they never discover how invaluable it can be in engaging ideas, culture, and even their faith. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand these challenges, and in this book they apply their decades of teaching experience to help to make philosophy a little less difficult. Using straightforward language with plenty of everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts—including logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of science.

Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide

This important new volume is a combined anthology and guide intended for use as a textbook in courses on the philosophy of religion. It aims to bring to the student the very best current work on important topics in the field. The anthology is comprised of six sections, each of which opens with a substantive introductory essay followed by a selection of influential writings by prominent philosophers of religion. Philosophy of Religion provides an ideal resource for studying the central questions raised by religious belief.

Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ

Does God Still Do Miracles Today? A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles will give you confidence in and awareness of the supernatural realm as you learn how to flourish spiritually by experiencing more miraculous interventions in your life and ministry. Internationally renowned philosopher J. P. Moreland looks at the nature of miracles and explains why bearing and receiving credible testimony to God’s miraculous acts is a crucial feature of a mature Jesus-follower. He also shows how to distinguish a real miracle from a mere coincidence.

Taking Persons Seriously: Where Philosophy and Bioethics Intersect

This volume attempts to show why ontology matters for a proper grasp of issues in bioethics. Contemporary discussions on bioethics often focus on seeking solutions for a wide range of issues that revolve around persons. The issues in question are multi-layered, involving such diverse aspects as the metaphysical/ontological, personal, medical, moral, legal, cultural, social, political, religious, and environmental. In navigating through such a complex web of issues, it has been said that the central problems philosophers and bioethicists face are ethical in nature. In this regard, biomedical sciences and technological breakthroughs take a leading role in terms of shaping the sorts of questions that give rise to ethical problems. For example, is it ethical to keep terminally ill patients alive on dialysis machines or artificial ventilators? Is it ethical to take someone’s vital organs upon death and transplant them into another person’s body without any prior consent from the deceased person? This book approaches such complex bioethical questions by engaging in ground-level debates about the ontology of persons. This is a nonnegotiable first step in taking steps forward in seeking a plausible solution(s) for the complex ethical problems in bioethics.

The Apologetics Study Bible

The Apologetics Study Bible helps today’s Christians better understand, defend, and proclaim their beliefs in this age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. More than one-hundred key questions and articles placed throughout the volume about faith and science prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading. Highlights of this thinking person’s edition of God’s Word include the full text of the popular HCSB translation, an introduction to each Bible book focusing on its inherent elements of apologetics, and profiles of historic Christian apologists from Justin Martyr to C.S. Lewis.

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