The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God 5. William Lane Craig vs Philip Goff: A philosopher's 'slightly heretical' Christian conversion?
Apr 8, 2025
William Lane Craig, a leading Christian philosopher and founder of Reasonable Faith, engages with Philip Goff, a Durham University professor and recently converted 'slightly heretical' Christian. They explore the concept of a God with limited power, discussing its implications on philosophy, suffering, and science. Goff shares his journey from atheism to a nuanced Christian belief, while Craig challenges traditional views of God and resurrection, bringing in perspectives on consciousness and the complexities of divine power amidst evil.
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Goff's Faith Journey
- Philip Goff, raised Catholic, became an atheist at 14 after rejecting Pascal's Wager.
- He returned to a "slightly heretical" form of Christianity 30 years later.
The God-ish Middle Ground
- Goff's journey back to faith began while teaching philosophy of religion, finding arguments for and against God compelling.
- He realized these arguments targeted different God concepts, leading him to explore a "God-ish" middle ground.
Heretical Christianity
- Goff's "heretical Christianity" rests on three ideas: a limited God, mystical traditions, and a non-standard resurrection view.
- He finds these plausible individually and as a unified, spiritually meaningful worldview.
