J. P. Moreland
James Porter Moreland is an American philosopher, theologian, and Christian apologist. He is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California.
Moreland specializes in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and Christian philosophy, having had his work published in journals such as Metaphilosophy and the American Philosophical Quarterly. He has also had his work published by presses such as Intervarsity Press, NavPress, Zondervan, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Rutgers University Press, and Prometheus.
In 2018, he edited The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism.
Early life and education
Moreland earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Arts in philosophy with highest honors from the University of California, Riverside. He received his Th.M. in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. In 1985, he received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern California. His dissertation was Universals and the Qualities of Things: A defense of Realism. His dissertation advisor was Dallas Willard. Moreland is married to Hope and together they have two children and four grandchildren. Moreland is a fellow of the Discovery Institute.Career
Moreland teaches at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center on Culture and Civil Society at the Independent Institute. He served for eight years as a bioethicist for Personal Care Nursing Homes, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland.He has debated Clancy Martin over the existence of God as well as Canadian philosopher Kai Nielsen and Eddie Tabash on whether the supernatural exists. He has been a frequent guest on the PBS television series Closer to Truth.
Views
Moreland has defended Thomistic substance dualism, libertarian free will, and life after death. Moreland has defended the existence of angels and demons, arguing that he knows they exist due to both Christian doctrine and personal experience. He is an old earth creationist who is a critic of fideism.In 1978, Moreland signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. In 2017, he signed the Nashville Statement.
In 2022, Moreland co-authored a paper with American theologian Dr. Tim Stratton, entitled "An Explanation and Defense of the Free-Thinking Argument". The paper argued that determinism could not account for "epistemic responsibility", whereby people are held accountable for what they do or not believe, and further argued that God is a "deity of deception", if determinism is true. The paper has come under scrutiny, though it has also found some intellectual support.
Awards and honors
- Awarded fellowship for Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry, University of Colorado.
- Rollin Thomas Chafer Award in Christian Apologetics, Dallas Seminary.
- Academic Excellence Award, International School of Theology.
- Winner of the Outstanding Professor of the Year Award, Lakin School of Religion, Liberty University,.
- Elected as a Member of the executive committee for the Society of Christian Philosophers,.
- Fellow of the Center for the Renewal of Science & Culture, Discovery Institute.
- Winner of the Robert Fischer Faculty Member of the Year Award, Biola University,.
- Member of the advisory board for Philosophia Christi,.
- Member of the executive committee for the Evangelical Philosophical Society.
- Fellow of the Wilberforce Forum, 2001 to present.