About Keith Ward
There are a number of Keith Wards on the internet, and they are not all me. To identify myself, I propose to call myself ‘Professor Keith Ward’, as I think I am the only one of those.
As my cv shows, I have been an academic virtually all my working life, teaching philosophy, theology, and religious studies at various times. So I am an academic, with all the shortcomings that implies. I am interested in intellectual problems, in arguments and theories, and I depend on other people for finding out facts.
I am, by nature and conviction, an Idealist philosopher, somebody who believes in the supremacy of Spirit or Mind, and who thinks that the material universe is an expression or creation of a Supreme Mind. I see religions as very ambiguous but probably necessary ways of giving humans some awareness of this Supreme Mind. And I adopted one liberal version of Christianity, and became a priest of the Church of England in 1972. What ‘liberal’ means is a good question, but for me it means, negatively, that I do not accept the inerrancy of the Bible or of any system of dogmas, and positively, that I welcome constructive disagreement and diversity of belief, and also that I believe in a ‘liberal’ God, one who desires the flourishing of all sentient life so far as is possible, and who will not condemn anyone who shares that desire.
That gives an idea of who I am, and explains why my books fall into three main classes – philosophy, religion, and Christian theology. Virtually all my books have been, rather selfishly, ways of working out what I believe, but they have also responded to particular situations which have in my view shown misunderstandings of the sort of philosophy and religion I adhere to – and those misunderstandings are legion, and growing (which is why I have written so many books)!
Recommended starting places
If you would like to read something by me, may I suggest the following:
If you are interested in philosophical questions about God,
‘God: a Guide for the Perplexed’ is my favourite.
If you are interested in the relationship between religion and modern science, then ‘The Big Questions in Science and Religion’ does what it says on the tin. ‘Pascal’s Fire’ is more of a defence of a religious view in a scientific context, focusing on Pascal’s question: is the God of the scientists the same as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? ‘God, Chance and Necessity’ is about the role of chance in a created world.
If you are interested in a philosopher’s take on the nature and place of religion, ‘The Case for Religion’ is the one to go for.
If you like a good fight, especially with Professor Richard Dawkins, then ‘Why There is Almost Certainly a God’ provides one, taking on the ‘New Atheists’.
If you want an Idealist take on the history of Western philosophy, try ‘The God Conclusion’.
For a philosophical analysis of minds, brains, persons, and souls, and a defence of what I call ‘dual-aspect idealism’, wait for ‘More Than Matter’, to be published in September, 2010.
If you are interested in comparative religion, ‘Concepts of God’ is the one. The five volume series (4 from OUP and the fifth from Darton, Longman, Todd), with all volumes called ‘Religion and...’ something, is pretty academic in tone, but it is really the fullest exposition of my views on religion in general.
If I reject inerrancy, what do I think about the Bible? ‘What the Bible Really Teaches’ and ‘The Word of God?’ will tell.
And what do I actually make of the Christian faith? Try ‘Christianity; a Guide for the Perplexed’ or ‘Re-Thinking Christianity’ – you get the idea, a continually perplexed re-thinking is what I advocate – but the latter book also provides my take on the developing history of Christianity, and where I think it should go next.
That’s enough to be going on with; it would be quite a marathon to read all my books, even for me. These are just suggestions about what you might read, depending on your interests.