Obstacles to Divine Revelation: God and the Reorientation of Human Reason

Obstacles to Divine Revelation applies a philosophical approach to examining the concept of divine revelation and explores the notion that it may not be a simple matter for God, if there is a God, to give revelation to human beings. Rolfe King argues that there are obstacles to divine revelation and that exploring these leads to a significant clarification of the idea of evidence for God. These obstacles may also account for aspects of divine hiddenness which have not been adequately explored in philosophy of religion or theology. King contends that it is impossible for God to give human beings knowledge of God unless they also have some trust, or faith, in God, and that it is impossible to separate the concept of evidence of possible divine revelation from notions of divine plans. The idea of a necessary structure of revelation, should there be a God who chooses to give revelation, is explored, and it is argued that this leads to Hume’s famous argument about miracles being turned on its head. A unique explanation of the narrative power of the incarnation in Christian theology is given, seeing incarnation as part of the best divine plan to overcome obstacles to revelation. King highlights a new theory of religious truth as part of a suggested wider theory of knowledge which will be of interest to philosophers in both the Anglo-American and continental traditions of philosophy.

He is an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham, UK. He was formerly Senior Lecturer in the Department of Theology at Newman College (now Newman University College), Birmingham. He is currently engaged in research projects at both the University of Birmingham and the University of Aberdeen.