Kant and Theology

Written by Pamela Sue Anderson and Jordan Bell Reviewed By John B. Song

Pamela Sue Anderson and Jordan Bell's Kant and Theology is a lucid account of a complex philosophical system of ideas. This brief yet informative work generates new avenues of thought that advocate Kant's proposals as a ressourcement for theology today. Immanuel Kant has been received with mixed reviews—considered by some as a friend and others as a foe to theology, but all recognize his great impact on western thought. Anderson and Bell take what is often out of reach for many and brings these intricate concepts down to the level of clarity by offering a well-organized presentation of Kant's philosophical system. My personal critique is twofold and minor.

The book begins by concisely sketching Kant's life. Born on April 22, 1724 in the city of Königsberg, this great Eastern Prussian philosopher had a life of humble beginnings. Anderson and Bell magnificently highlight the influence of Kant's religious parents, his personal tragedy in the loss of his mother at the age of thirteen, Kant's reaction to the ecclesial Pietistic movement, his friendships, and the political forces that all contributed to his ascendancy as the champion of rational enlightenment thought.

Chapter 1 focuses on Kant's theory of “Transcendental Idealism,” which calls for a distinction between “appearances” (phenomena) and “actuality” (noumena). Contrary to pure empiricism represented by, for example, John Locke and David Hume, Kant maintained that experiential knowledge is not something that befalls upon an individual but is actively reconstructed by the mind. In sum, Kant acknowledged the reality of a priori assumptions. The phenomenal world is actively conformed to the conditions of this knowledge.

Chapter 2 transitions into Kant's suppositions on moral religion. Kant declared that reason is bound to the phenomenal world, in the realm of space and time.Reason gives humanity the capacity to think and act individually, which comprises the essence of freedom that binds all humanity together. Kant, according to Anderson and Bell, rejected the notion that good results from servile obedience to God's moral imperatives; even God must be measured by the universal standards of human reason. Humanity is most free when we act according to our reasonable faculties and most non-moral when given over to unruly desires and/or the impulses of our physical bodies. Though some feminist theologians have interpreted Kant as being hostile to their cause (some feminists regard reason as propelled by selfish desires and autonomy associated with pride that dominates) and though some Christian theologians have presupposed reason and autonomy to be the cause of humanity's ails, the authors advocate a positive attitude towards Kant's proposals, that is, reason as a way forward for moral religion.

In chapter 3, Anderson and Bell critique Kant's critique of the traditional proofs of God. Kant was generally adverse to the cosmological and ontological proofs in favor of the moral argument. Though the existence of God is empirically unprovable, the fact that people strive to be rational leads us to believe in a telos, a God on whom all nature is dependent: the complete good and the goal of human struggle.

Chapter 4 is on corruption and salvation. The essence of radical evil is irrationality. Human rationality is the measure of all good and evil. God's commands are also subject to this litmus test. Though Kant acknowledged that much of life is out of human control, it is human effort, reason, and autonomy that lead to salvation. Though Christ's role in salvation is ambiguous in Kant's writings, it is intimated that goodness can be attained by imitating Christ's teachings rather than Christ himself. However, it must be emphasized that for Kant the moral argument did not prove the existence of God, but the belief in God was considered desirable in order to encourage morality.

In the conclusion, Anderson and Bell have chosen to focus on a critical appropriation of Kantian autonomy. As a lesson for theologians, Kant's rejection of both absolute knowledge and moral relativism is advanced as a paradigm for theologians today. Anderson and Bell conclude the book in response to the postmodern agenda maintaining that human beings can think and act for themselves in a rational manner. They advocate that Kant is still a resource for theology, morality, epistemology, and aesthetics.

My first critique is the book's length. Eighty-seven pages seem to be a bit short to give a good treatment of any particular area of Kant's philosophical system. In the conclusion, for example, Anderson and Bell advocate for a recovery of Kantian morality, epistemology, and aesthetics, but the book seems to concentrate more on Kantian morality than it does on epistemology and aesthetics. My second critique is in regards to clarity of concepts and terms. Anderson and Bell state that Kant held to a “compatibilistic view” of free will and determinism (p. 31) but then proceed to elaborate on Kant's understanding of practical reason and human autonomy. It would be helpful at this point if the authors had given a clear definition of “compatibilistic freedom” as it may cause some confusion among theological readers. Overall, however, this book is strongly recommended for anyone looking to gain insight into Kant's ideas. The monograph is clear, helpful, and insightful in advocating Kantian ethics for evangelical theology today.


John B. Song

John B. Song
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Deerfield, Illinois, USA

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