Evangelical Philosophical Society

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Evangelical Philosophical Society
AbbreviationEPS
FoundedDecember 28, 1974;49 years ago (1974-12-28)
Type Academic association
33-0197224
Legal status 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Focus Evangelical Philosophy
Location
President
 Michael W. Austin
First President
 Norman Geisler
Publication Philosophia Christi
Affiliations Evangelical Theological Society

The Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) is an organization devoted to the study of philosophy, philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, apologetics, and ethics from an evangelical perspective. [1] Membership is open to professional scholars, and associate membership is available to laypersons and students. The current President of the organization is Michael W. Austin. [2]

Contents

Philosophia Christi

Philosophia Christi is a peer-reviewed academic journal published twice a year by the Evangelical Philosophical Society with the support of Biola University as a vehicle for the scholarly discussion of philosophy and philosophical issues as well as philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, and philosophical apologetics. [3] Its editor is Ross Inman. [3]

History

The Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) is considered a "sister society" to the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). EPS was founded in 1974 [4] at Dallas Theological Seminary when a group of scholars from ETS met at the ETS annual meeting in December 1974 to discuss concerns related to philosophy of religion. [5] At this meeting, a steering committee was established to explore the idea of forming a new society to focus on philosophy. [6] EPS was then officially organized at the ETS annual meeting in Philadelphia on December 28, 1976, with Norman Geisler serving as its first president. [1] There were twenty charter members of the EPS. [1] In 1978, EPS began publishing its own journal, the Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, which was later renamed Philosophia Christi in 1994. [7]

In 1998, plans were made to restructure the Evangelical Philosophical Society in several ways. Among these was lengthening the term of officers from one to three years and relaunching the EPS journal, Philosophia Christi, starting with "Series 2" in 1999.

Presidents

#YearsPresidentRef
11976–1977 Norman Geisler [1] [8]
21977–1978 Gordon R. Lewis [9]
31978–1979 Paul Feinberg
41979–1980 Stanley R. Obitts
51980–1981 John Jefferson Davis [10]
61981-1982 William F. Luck, Jr. [11] [12]
71982–1983 Stephen M. Clinton [13]
81983–1984 Gary Habermas
91984–1985 Winfried Corduan [14] [15]
101985–1986 John Feinberg [16]
111986–1987 Terry L. Miethe [16]
121987–1988 Stephen R. Spencer [16]
131988–1989 L. Russ Bush [17]
141989–1990 Gordon R. Lewis [lower-alpha 1]
151990–1991 Millard Erickson
161991–1992 Francis J. Beckwith
R. Douglas Geivett [lower-alpha 2]
171992–1993
181993–1994 Michael Bauman
191994–1995 William Johnson
201995–1996 Donald T. Williams [18]
211996–1997 William Lane Craig [19]
221997–1998 [lower-alpha 3] W. David Beck [22] [23]
231998–2005 [lower-alpha 4] William Lane Craig [24]
242005–2012 Paul Copan [25]
252012–2018 Angus Menuge [26]
262018–Present Michael W. Austin [2]
  1. ↑ Second term in office. First term was 1977–1978.
  2. ↑ Beckwith and Geivett both served as presidents for one year in this span, but it cannot be determined from sources which served in which term.
  3. ↑ In prior years, the vice president of the evangelical philosophical society was also the president-elect for the subsequent year. However, due to the restructuring of EPS in 1998, David K. Clark, who served as the vice president of EPS in 1998 and who was set to become president of the EPS in 1999, did not become the president of EPS, although he is anticipatorily listed as such in Philosophia Christi in 1998. [20] As a result of this, Clark was not listed as a past president on the EPS website in 1999. [21]
  4. ↑ In 1998, the Evangelical Philosophical Society was restructured and began electing officers for longer terms than just one year.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Geisler, Norman (March 1977). "Announcements" (PDF). Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 20 (1): 96. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Executive Committee". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Philosophia Christi". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ "About". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ Grounds, Vernon C. (March 1975). "Twenty-Sixth Annual Meeting" (PDF). Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 18 (1): 58. Thus for the first time in any of our 26 Annual Meetings a Task Force for Philosophy of Religion convened to discuss that aspect of evangelical concern.
  6. ↑ Luck, William F. C. (1982). "Inerrancy Defiled: The Place of Ethics in the Current Debate". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. 5 (1): 11. The origins of the Evangelical Philosophical Society can be traced to a number of conversations between Norman L. Geisler and others such as myself in the spring of 1974. We felt that there was a need for a platform for Evangelicals whose interests and perspectives in areas such as philosophy, philosophical theology, apologetics, and ethics were not fully appreciated by other existing organizations such as the American Philosophical Association or even the Evangelical Theological Society. These conversations led that same year to a meeting at the ETS national meetings in Dallas for those interested. The result was the formation of a steering committee whose task it was to work out the details of a new society.
  7. ↑ Clinton, Stephen M. (1994). "The Evangelical Philosophical Society". Philosophia Christi (Series 1). 17 (1). We are pleased to bring you this volume for 1994 (Volume 17).... Beginning with Vol. 17 the name of the journal was changed from the Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society to Philosophia Christi.
  8. ↑ "About Norman Leo Geisler". NormanGeisler.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023. First president of Evangelical Philosophical Society (1976)
  9. ↑ "1978 Officers of Evangelical Philosophical Society". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. 1 (1): 12. 1978. President: Gordon L. [sic] Lewis, Denver Colorado
  10. ↑ "Evangelical Philosophical Society". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. 4 (1). 1981.
  11. ↑ Luck, William F. C. (1982). "Inerrancy Defiled: The Place of Ethics in the Current Debate". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. 5 (1): 11. William F. Luck is Professor of Christian Ethics at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago Illinois. This paper was first delivered as the Presidential Address presented at the national meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, held in December, 1982 at Northeastern Bible Collge, Essex Fells, New Jersey.
  12. ↑ "William Luck". Bible.org. Retrieved November 20, 2023. [Luck] has been an officer of the Evangelical Theological Society and President of the Evangelical Philosophical Society.
  13. ↑ "Evangelical Philosophical Society". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. 5 (1): ii. 1982.
  14. ↑ "Curriculum Vitae Winfried Corduan: Under Construction over a Lifetime". Win Corduan's Website: and miles to go before I sleep. Retrieved November 20, 2023. Evangelical Philosophical Society Offices: Secretary/Treasurer, 1982-83. Vice president, 1983-84. President, 1984-85.
  15. ↑ "Evangelical Philosophical Society". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society (published April 1985). 6 (1): ii. 1983.
  16. 1 2 3 "Evangelical Philosophical Society". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society (published March 1988). 10 (1): ii. 1987.
  17. ↑ "The Evangelical Philosophical Society". Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society (published March 1989). 11 (1): ii. 1988.
  18. ↑ "About Dr. Williams". Donald T. Williams. Retrieved November 20, 2023. Evangelical Philosophical Society (Vice President, 1994-95, President, 1995-96)
  19. ↑ Matthews, Douglas K. (Summer 1998). "Overture to a Dialog on Hugh Ross". Philosophia Christi (Series 1). 21 (1). Hugh Ross engaged in a lively panel discussion before an overflow crowd at the 1997 Evangelical Philosophical Association [sic] (EPS) national meeting. [...] William Lane Craig devoted his EPS presidential address to Ross's 'extra-dimensional deity.'
  20. ↑ Clinton, Stephen M. (Summer 1998). "The Evangelical Philosophical Society". Philosophia Christi (Series 1). 21 (1). Presidents of the Society: Michael Bauman, David Beck, Frank Beckwith, L. Russell Bush, David Clark [elected vice president but not president], Stephen Clinton, Winfried Corduan, William Craig, John Jefferson Davis, Millard Erickson, John Feinberg, Paul Feinberg, Norman Geisler, Douglas Geivett, Gary Habermas, William Johnson, Gordon Lewis, William Luck, Terry Miethe, Stanley Obbits [sic, name is correctly spelled Obitts], Stephen Spencer, Donald Williams.
  21. ↑ "The Evangelical Philosophical Society". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on September 9, 1999. Retrieved November 20, 2023. Former Presidents of the Society include Michael Bauman, [W. David Beck mistakenly excluded,] Frank Beckwith, L. Russell Bush, Stephen Clinton, Winfried Corduan, William Craig, John Jefferson Davis, Millard Erickson, John Feinberg, Paul Feinberg, Norman Geisler, Douglas Geivett, Gary Habermas, William Johnson, Gordon Lewis, William Luck, Terry Miethe, Stanley Obbits [sic, name is correctly spelled Obitts], Stephen Spencer, Donald Williams.
  22. ↑ "Teaching Them All Things: The Evangelical Theological Society presents its 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting" (PDF). Evangelical Theological Society. p. 45. Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) President: David Beck, Liberty University.
  23. ↑ Beck, W. David (Winter 2000). "The Cosmological Argument: A Current Bibliographical Appraisal". Philosophia Christi (Series 2). 2 (2). In our recent restructuring of Philosophia Christi, we set aside the tradition of publishing the annual [EPS] presidential address. However, [...] we here present the final address that was delivered [by W. David Beck] at our national meeting in November 1998.
  24. ↑ "The Evangelical Philosophical Society Officers". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on September 9, 1999. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  25. ↑ "EPS Officers". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Officers". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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