This collection of essays represents the fruits of a conference held at Central College, Pella, Iowa in October 2017 to consider the impact of the Reformation on the relationship between faith and reason. The approach was ecumenical, and the underlying assumption of the conference was that ‘knowledge itself, that is right understanding, is a unifying force’ (p. 2). The ecumenical approach is reflected in the structure of the volume, which is made up of five keynote addresses which consider the theme from different confessional perspectives, and seven studies of relevant texts, spanning from the medieval period to the twentieth century.In his introduction, Terence J. Kleven, the volume editor, lays out the starting points of the conference and volume. As well as wanting to explore ‘the relationship between faith and reason as it emerged in and was perpetuated by the Reformation’ (p. 4), the volume considers the relevance of the textual style or form for this discussion. Another point of interest is the broader relationship between science and religious faith. A fourth line of inquiry relates to the financial and political causes of the Reformation. Finally, the implications of these discussions for modern education are considered. This is an ambitious programme, and it is perhaps not surprising that the essays in this volume cannot deliver on these points in any depth.
This collection of essays represents the fruits of a conference held at Central College, Pella, Iowa in October 2017 to consider the impact of the Reformation on the relationship between faith and reason. The approach was ecumenical, and the underlying assumption of the conference was that ‘knowledge itself, that is right understanding, is a unifying force’ (p. 2). The ecumenical approach is reflected in the structure of the volume, which is made up of five keynote addresses which consider the theme from different confessional perspectives, and seven studies of relevant texts, spanning from the medieval period to the twentieth century.
In his introduction, Terence J. Kleven, the volume editor, lays out the starting points of the conference and volume. As well as wanting to explore ‘the relationship between faith and reason as it emerged in and was perpetuated by the Reformation’ (p. 4), the volume considers the relevance of the textual style or form for this discussion. Another point of interest is the broader relationship between science and religious faith. A fourth line of inquiry relates to the financial and political causes of the Reformation. Finally, the implications of these discussions for modern education are considered. This is an ambitious programme, and it is perhaps not surprising that the essays in this volume cannot deliver on these points in any depth.