The Philosophy of Religious Language Sign, Symbol and Story [Paperback]

This text provides a lively introduction to the developments in philosophy of language in this century, and to the way these have impinged upon religious language. Included is the relevance of analytical philosophy of language, but the text also covers important historical debates about religious language that have had increasing impact upon biblical studies and theology.Preface.

1. Introduction.

2. Historical Approaches to Religious Language.

3. The Falsification Challenge.

4. Language Games.

5. Hermeneutical Philosophy.

6. Metaphor, Symbol, and Analogy.

7. Narrative Theology.

8. Structuralism and Poststructuralism.

9. Conclusion: A Changing Paradigm.

Bibliography.

Index.

This is an excellent critical survey of the modern philosophy of language in general, and of religious language in particular, deftly set against the background of its traditional forerunners. It is readable, colourful, and richly informative, without being simplistic or sweeping in its descriptions and judgements. Steven Kings, Reviews in Religion and Theology

Dan Stiver offers, for tose coming to these topics for the first time , a useful map to an academic (sub)discipline called philosophy of religious language. Brian Davies, Anglican Theological Review

Dan Stiver is Associate Professor of Religious Philosophy at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville.This new text provides a lively introduction to the remarkable developments in philosophy of language in this century, and to the way these developments have impinged upon religious language, particularly Christian discourse.

Most treatments of this subject focus on the relevance of analytical philosophy of language with its verificationallãB