Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God: The Evidential Force of Divine Encounters - Paperback

by Harold A. Netland (Author)

For many Christians, personal experiences of God provide an important ground or justification for accepting the truth of the gospel. But we are sometimes mistaken about our experiences, and followers of other religions also provide impressive testimonies to support their religious beliefs. This book explores from a philosophical and theological perspective the viability of divine encounters as support for belief in God, arguing that some religious experiences can be accepted as genuine experiences of God and can provide evidence for Christian beliefs.

Back Jacket

An Exploration of the Relevance of Religious Experience

Harold Netland offers an introduction to the complex topic of religious experience and its viability as support for Christian belief.

"In this erudite and enlightening book, Netland explores the complexities of religious experience and skillfully guides the reader through the thickets of this topic. Whatever your own experience of the divine (or lack thereof), you will no doubt learn much about the ways religious encounters can inform our thoughts about God and support the soundness of our beliefs."
--Chad Meister, Bethel University, Indiana; coeditor of The Cambridge Companion to Religious Experience

"Netland provides a comprehensive and thoughtful analysis of key debates, figures, and questions concerning the evidentiary force and epistemic implications of religious experience. The 'critical-trust' approach Netland adopts is sure to generate robust discussion among philosophers, theologians, mystics, and religionists. For those interested in the philosophical debates concerning the epistemology of religious experience, this book is essential reading."
--Patrick T. Smith, Duke Divinity School

"A first-rate systematic defense of a theistic argument based on religious experience. It is fair-minded, balanced, and engages with historical and current objections. Highly recommended."
--Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College

"In a world that both elevates personal experiences to sacrosanct truth and denigrates or ignores the validity of contrary experiences, it is difficult to imagine a more timely, essential book. Netland charts a careful, clear path through the intricacies of the epistemology of religious experience. Cheers to a balanced, common-sense approach to this important issue!"
--James Beilby, Bethel University, Minnesota

"Netland provides a thorough and illuminating account of how religious experience can function as an important testimony for God. The book is conversant with the best of recent philosophical literature while also including important historic testimonies like those of Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley. A robust, balanced, and compelling treatment of an important topic."
--Gavin Ortlund, author of Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't

"Impressive in its range and judicious in its judgments, this book is now one of the first any student of the subject should consult."--John G. Stackhouse Jr., Crandall University