Kelly James Clark

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Kelly James Clark
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Kelly James Clark
BornMarch 3, 1956 (age 69)
Alma mater University of Notre Dame Western Kentucky University Michigan State University
Subject Philosophy of religion

Science and religion
Cognitive science of religion

Ethics

Kelly James Clark (born 3 March 1956) is an American philosopher whose work focuses on the philosophy of religion, science and religion, ethics, and the cognitive science of religion. Clark is the author, co-author, and editor of more than thirty books, including Return to Reason, Religion and the Sciences of Origins, Abraham's Children: Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict, God and the Brain, and Raging Fire of Love: what I've learned from Jesus, the Jews, and the Prophet. [1]

Contents

Since 2010, Clark has been active in academic interfaith projects involving Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars, including Templeton-funded initiatives on religious liberty and tolerance and on Abrahamic perspectives on science and religion. [2]

Biography

Clark received his PhD from the University of Notre Dame, where his dissertation advisor was Alvin Plantinga. [3] He has held professorships at Calvin College, Oxford University, University of St. Andrews, Notre Dame & Gordon College.[ citation needed ] He also served as Executive Director for the Society of Christian Philosophers from 1994 to 2009. [4]

Clark's books include God and the Brain, Strangers, Neighbors, Friends, Religion and the Sciences of Origins, Abraham's Children, Return to Reason, The Story of Ethics, When Faith Is Not Enough, and 101 Key Philosophical Terms of Their Importance for Theology, many of which have been translated into multiple languages. In 1995, his book Philosophers Who Believe was named one of Christianity Today's Books of the Year. [5] That book detailed the spiritual and intellectual autobiographies of philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Basil Mitchell, Mortimer Adler, Richard Swinburne, Frederick Suppe, Linda Zagzebski, and Nicholas Rescher.

Education

Clark completed a B.A. in both Philosophy and Religious Studies at Michigan State University in 1978, followed by an M.A. in Humanities at Western Kentucky University in 1980. He then studied at the University of Notre Dame, receiving an M.A. in the History and Philosophy of Science in 1982 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1985 under the supervision of Alvin Plantinga.

Academic career

In 1989, he joined the Philosophy Department at Calvin College (now Calvin University) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was Professor of Philosophy until 2012. From 2012, he was a Senior Research Fellow in Grand Valley State University's Kaufman Interfaith Institute, working on interfaith and science-and-religion projects. In 2020, he was appointed Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul, Turkey. [6] [7]

Areas of work

Clark's academic work is primarily in philosophy of religion, particularly epistemology of religious belief, as well as in science and religion and the cognitive science of religion. His book Return to Reason is a book-length exposition of Alvin Plantinga's Reformed epistemology (aka Plantinga for Dummies), with commentators describing it as among the first comprehensive treatments of that approach. [8]

In Evidence and Religious Belief, co-edited with Raymond J. VanArragon, Clark brought together essays on evidentialism, Reformed epistemology, and related debates in religious epistemology. [9] The collection has been reviewed in a number of philosophical and theological journals, including Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, Dialogue, and Mind. [10] [11] [12]

Clark's Religion and the Sciences of Origins surveys historical and contemporary relations between religious belief and the sciences, including cosmology, evolutionary biology and neuroscience. [13]

In God and the Brain: The Rationality of Belief, Clark engages research in cognitive science in relation to debates over the rationality of religious belief and unbelief. [14]

Interfaith and public work

Clark has been active in interfaith projects among Christians, Muslims, and Jews. He edited Abraham's Children: Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict, a multi-author volume on religious liberty and tolerance in the Abrahamic traditions published by Yale University Press in 2012. Abraham's Children includes chapters by former US President Jimmy Carter and Abdurrahman Wahid, the first democratically elected President of Indonesia (and leader of Nahdlatal Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in the world). [1]

In connection with the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Clark co-chaired an interfaith conference at Georgetown University titled "Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict," hosted by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and supported by the John Templeton Foundation. [15] [16] [17]

At the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, Clark directed a $1 million project, "Abrahamic Reflections on Science and Religion," bringing together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars from multiple countries to examine questions at the intersection of science and theology. He has also directed or co-directed multi-million dollar projects on science and religion and on moral values and virtues in China. [18] [19]

Reception and awards

Clark's edited work, Abraham's Children: Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict, has been reviewed in academic and religious journals and has been cited in subsequent literature on interreligious dialogue and religious liberty. [20]

Philosophical and theological discussions of religious epistemology and science and religion have engaged with Return to Reason, Evidence and Religious Belief, and Religion and the Sciences of Origins. [21] [22] [23]

Clark's Raging Fire of Love, with forewords by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was awarded Best Book in Religion from the New York Book Festival (2024), the NYC Big Book Award (2024), the San Francisco Book Festival (2024), and the International Book Award (2025). [24] [25] [26]

Controversy in Iran

In 2014, Clark became the focus of controversy in Mashhad, Iran, when some Shia clerics accused him of being a "promoter of homosexuality" and an evolutionist and boycotted his lectures. [27]

Selected books

References

  1. 1 2 Clark, Kelly James, ed. (2012). Abraham's children: liberty and tolerance in an age of religious conflict. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-17937-8.
  2. ↑ "Art as a Window into Empathy & Justice". templetonreligiontrust.org. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  3. ↑ "Past PhD recipients - University of Notre Dame". University of Notre Dame Department of Philosophy. 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  4. ↑ "Associations - Pathfinder518". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  5. ↑ "1995 CT Book Awards". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  6. ↑ clark, kelly james. "Kelly James Clark - İbn Haldun Üniversitesi". ibnhaldun.academia.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  7. ↑ "Professor Kelly James Clark gave a speech at "God and The Brain" Conference - IHU". Ibn Haldun University. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  8. ↑ Clark, Kelly James (2001). Return to reason: a critique of enlightenment evidentialism and a defense of reason and belief in God (Reprinted ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans. ISBN   978-0-8028-0456-3.
  9. ↑ "Evidence and Religious Belief". global.oup.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  10. ↑ Dougherty, Trent (2012-02-16). "Review of Evidence and Religious Belief". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. ISSN   1538-1617.
  11. ↑ Janzen, Greg (June 2013). "Evidence and Religious BeliefKELLY JAMES CLARK AND RAYMOND J. VANARRAGON, EDITORS. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, 214 pp". Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review / Revue canadienne de philosophie. 52 (1): 198–204. doi:10.1017/S0012217313000322. ISSN   0012-2173.
  12. ↑ Bishop, John (2013). "Review of Evidence and Religious Belief". Mind. 122 (486): 525–529. ISSN   0026-4423.
  13. ↑ Giberson, Karl (2015-03-11). "Review of Religion and the Sciences of Origins: Historical and Contemporary Discussions". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. ISSN   1538-1617.
  14. ↑ published, Elizabeth Peterson (2015-10-05). "The Origins of Religion: How Supernatural Beliefs Evolved". Live Science. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  15. ↑ Affairs, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World. "Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ "Calvin Participates in 9/11 Conference | Christian Reformed Church". www.crcna.org. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  17. ↑ "A Conversation With Kelly James Clark". NBC News. 2012-07-05. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  18. ↑ Zambrano, Max (2021-06-28). "In opening Interfaith Lecture, Kelly James Clark to trace connections between early Chinese spiritual beliefs, Western thought". The Chautauquan Daily. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  19. ↑ Zambrano, Max (2021-06-30). "Kelly James Clark debunks atheist myths about early, contemporary Chinese religion". The Chautauquan Daily. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  20. ↑ "THE LIVING STONES OF THE HOLY LAND TRUST" (PDF).
  21. ↑ Dougherty, Trent (2012-02-16). "Review of Evidence and Religious Belief". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. ISSN   1538-1617.
  22. ↑ Janzen, Greg (March 2013). "Evidence and Religious BeliefKELLY JAMES CLARK AND RAYMOND J. VANARRAGON, EDITORS. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, 214 pp". Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review / Revue canadienne de philosophie. 52 (1): 198–204. doi:10.1017/S0012217313000322. ISSN   0012-2173.
  23. ↑ Bishop, John (2013). "Evidence and Religious Belief, by Kelly James Clark and Raymond J. Vanarragon (Eds)". Mind. 122 (486) fzt054. doi:10.1093/mind/fzt054.
  24. ↑ "Raging Fire of Love: What I've Learned from Jesus, the Jews, and the ProphetWinner 2024 San Francisco Book Festival | Table of Honor". thetableofhonor.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  25. ↑ "9798321335079". nyc-big-book-award. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  26. ↑ "International Book Awards - Honoring Excellence in Independent & Mainstream Publishing". www.internationalbookawards.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  27. ↑ "Hardliners Love to Talk About Homosexuality in Iran". iranwire.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  28. ↑ Clark, Kelly James, 1956- (2019). God and the brain: the rationality of belief. Grand Rapids, Michigan. ISBN   978-0-8028-7691-1. OCLC   1100426577.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ↑ Clark, Kelly James; Abu Sarah, Aziz; Kreimer, Nancy Fuchs (2018-08-06). Strangers, Neighbors, Friends: Muslim-Christian-Jewish Reflections on Compassion and Peace. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books. ISBN   978-1-4982-4612-5. OCLC   1050133305.
  30. ↑ READINGS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. [S.l.]: BROADVIEW PRESS. 2017. ISBN   978-1-55481-276-9. OCLC   964380071.
  31. ↑ A Blackwell companion to naturalism. Clark, Kelly James, 1956-. Chichester, West Sussex, UK. 2016-02-15. ISBN   978-1-118-65760-7. OCLC   941430935.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  32. ↑ Clark, Kelly James (21 May 2014). Religion and the sciences of origins: historical and contemporary discussions (First ed.). Basingstoke. ISBN   978-1-137-41480-9. OCLC   881445888.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  33. ↑ Abraham's children: liberty and tolerance in an age of religious conflict . Clark, Kelly James, 1956-. New Haven: Yale University Press. 2012. ISBN   978-0-300-17937-8. OCLC   809235956.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  34. ↑ Reason, metaphysics, and mind: new essays on the philosophy of Alvin Plantinga. Plantinga, Alvin., Clark, Kelly James, 1956-, Rea, Michael C. (Michael Cannon), 1968-. New York: Oxford University Press. 2012. ISBN   978-0-19-976686-4. OCLC   707023054.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  35. ↑ Evidence and religious belief. Clark, Kelly James, 1956-, VanArragon, Raymond J. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2011. ISBN   978-0-19-960371-8. OCLC   707267277.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  36. ↑ Clark, Kelly James (2004). 101 key terms in philosophy and their importance for theology. Lints, Richard., Smith, James K. A., 1970- (1st ed.). Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN   978-0-664-22524-7. OCLC   53331725.
  37. ↑ Clark, Kelly James (2003). The story of ethics: fulfilling our human nature. Poortenga, Anne. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN   978-0-13-097840-0. OCLC   48906637.
  38. ↑ Five views on apologetics. Cowan, Steven B., 1962-, Craig, William Lane., Frame, John M., 1939-, Clark, Kelly James, 1956-, Feinberg, Paul D. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House. 2000. ISBN   978-0-310-22476-1. OCLC   42680575.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  39. ↑ Clark, Kelly James (1997). When faith is not enough . Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN   978-0-8028-4354-8. OCLC   37024796.
  40. ↑ Philosophers who believe: the spiritual journeys of 11 leading thinkers. Clark, Kelly James, 1956-. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. 1993. ISBN   978-0-8308-1543-2. OCLC   28926479.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  41. ↑ Clark, Kelly James (1990). Return to reason: a critique of Enlightenment evidentialism, and a defense of reason and belief in God. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans. ISBN   978-0-8028-0456-3. OCLC   21044063.
  42. ↑ Our knowledge of God: essays on natural and philosophical theology. Clark, Kelly James, 1956-. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1992. ISBN   978-0-7923-1485-1. OCLC   25281594.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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