Meyer authors Metaphysics and the Future of Theology

April 16, 2010
Contact: Karen B. Eldridge, Director of Communications
865.981.8207; karen.eldridge@maryvillecollege.edu

Dr. Bill Meyer knows well the irony.

In a post-9/11 world, where religion seems to be front and center of global strife and conflict, it seems that the modern world is unable to address religious claims seriously and publicly.

In his recently published book, Metaphysics and the Future of Theology , Meyer, professor of philosophy and the Ralph W. Beeson Professor of Religion at Maryville College, gives reasons why theology has lost its public voice in modern culture and argues that individuals can be both fully modern and fully religious in an integrated way.

And, he claims, issues such as social justice, democratic politics, the global environment and individual vocation will get the attention they deserve when people are able to discuss the religious connections.

Published by Wipf and Stock for the Princeton Theological Monograph Series earlier this year, Metaphysics and the Future of Theology is the result of more than a decade of research. Noted theologians who have read the 626-page book have praised it for its clear and convincing argument for process metaphysical theology. Schubert M. Ogden, distinguished professor emeritus of theology at Southern Methodist University and author of numerous scholarly works on theology, contributed the foreword.

“Metaphysics,” Meyer explained, “is a philosophical or rational attempt to understand and describe the nature of reality as such.” He says today's culture is anti- or post-metaphysical because modern thought operates from a perspective that humans can't seriously engage these ultimate questions. While science is discussed publicly, he added, religion is privatized – leaving faith questions largely up to individuals and not pursued in a public, rational way.

“ … theology's fundamental truth claims revolve around the central claim concerning the reality of God, which is itself ultimately a metaphysical claim about the nature of reality as such. Hence, if all metaphysical claims are beyond the scope of public knowledge and rationality, then so too are theology's central claims about God,” Meyer writes in the introduction. “Only by seeking to redeem such claims within the context of modern secularity will theology ever be able to regain its voice in the larger culture.”

Meyer, whose expertise is in philosophy, theology and ethics and society, said he has long thought about how the modern world “could genuinely address and civilly engage our deepest convictions and ultimate truth claims in public discourse.” The origin of his book dates back to his initial studies of Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1980s at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Niebuhr, an American theologian and philosopher, would again become a research focus when Meyer wrote his doctoral dissertation at the University of Chicago in the early 1990s.

In Metaphysics and the Future of Theology , Meyer references Niebuhr's theological views, as well as the views of James Gustafson, Stanely Hauerwas, Jean Porter, John Milbank and Franklin Gamwell.

The book also includes a typological study of six different approaches in modern and contemporary theology. Meyer addresses how theology is treated and taught in colleges and universities today, explaining that theology now exists, by and large, on the periphery of intellectual and university life. But he argues that educational institutions may be the best avenue for changing the way religion is perceived in society.

Meyer said his work at Maryville College – teaching religion and philosophy and chairing the College's Faith and Learning Committee – heavily influenced his last chapter, in which he recommends a liberal-metaphysical model for providing an education that presupposes that the question of God is a “rational public question.”

He said his students have helped him over the years “to clarify significant questions, to glean insights from relevant texts, and to refine [his] understanding of important thinkers.”

Dr. Peggy Cowan, professor of religion and head of the College's Humanities Division, said having professors who publish significant works of scholarship “enhances the mission of Maryville College as a community of learning in a number of ways.

“First, we are a teaching college, and professors who are active in their fields bring a lot of enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity, as well as the specifics of their scholarly contributions, to their work with students. Their research informs their work in the classroom,” she explained. “Second, publications by members of our faculty enhance the reputation of Maryville College. When professors are known in the academic community for their scholarly work, Maryville College becomes better known as an institution where professionals are contributing to the knowledge in their disciplines and nurturing intellectual creativity.

“Finally, giving faculty members the opportunity to pursue scholarship enables Maryville College to attract top scholars to our faculty,” she continued. “For a small teaching college, Maryville has a remarkable faculty with diverse talents and a range of scholarly interests and backgrounds. These attributes greatly enhance the educational experience of our students.”

The book is available for purchase through most online book retailers.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester was 1,078.