Reasoning from Faith

Justin Sands is a postdoctoral fellow at North West University, South Africa.

"Thorough and highly accessible, Reasoning from Faith is an excellent resource for those interested in philosophy of religion, theology, and/or Merold Westphal, novice and seasoned scholar alike."—Reading Religion"Justin Sands significantly engages the important work of Merold Westphal, a distinguished voice in current discussion of religion in contemporary Continental philosophy in the English-speaking world. Sands offers a wide-ranging exploration of Westphal's work as a whole, from early investigations to more mature articulations. In a helpfully informative and thoughtful manner he charts the diverse influences and dialogue partners of Westphal, from Hegel and Kierkegaard to Derrida and Nietzsche, and many more. Sands shows himself a deft interpreter of his subject, and offers a thoughtful and engaging map of Westphal's work, from both philosophical and theological perspectives. In the process he also lays out many of the major landmarks of recent discussion of religion in current Continental thought. Well informed and informative, it is an engaging and illuminating work which is to be recommended warmly."—William Desmond, author of, Desire, Dialectic and Otherness"Justin Sands's reading of Westphal's philosophy of religion shows how his crossings of philosophy and theology make for a compelling intellectual combustion. The author's exploration of comparative eschatological perspectives in Caputo, Ricoeur and other 'postmodern' writers brings the debate to the cutting edge of contemporary continental philosophy. This is a long overdue critical homage to one of the bravest religious thinkers of our generation."—Richard Kearney, editor (with Jens Zimmermann) of, Reimagining the Sacred: Richard Kearney Debates God"An excellent introduction to Merold Westphal's work directed at both a philosophical and a theological audience. Extensive and thorough, balanced and fair."—Christina M. Gschwandtner, author of Degrees of Givenness"Justin Sands has composed a text that both succeeds at several points as an enlightening commentary on Merold Westphal's intricate thought and provokes new questions concerning the original project of his diverse philosophy of religion and fundamental theology."—B. Keith Putt, editor of The Future of Continental Philosophy of Religion"Sand's book is the introduction to the work and intellectual histoy of Merold Westphal and should be read by anyone, who is dealing with this important author."—Louvian Studies

• AcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction 1. Of Hermeneutics and Style: How to Read Westphal2. Recontextualization: A Westphalian Aufhebung?3. Westphal and Hegel: Judging Religion Through Politics4. Hegelians in Heaven, but on Earth . . .: An "Unfounding," Kierkegaardian Faith5. Religiousness: The Expression of Faith6. Faith Seeking Understanding: Westphal's Postmodernism7. Intermediary Conclusions: The Believing Soul's Self-Transcendence8. Radical Eschatology: Westphal, Caputo, and Onto-Theology9. Comparative Eschatology: Westphal's Theology, Kearney's Philosophy, and Ricoeurian DetoursConclusion: Westphal as a Theologian and Why it Matters Merold Westphal's BibliographyIndex