Col 2:8 (ESV) See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
The word philosophy appears just once in the English Bible, in the verse above, and the verse is a warning against worldly philosophy. The concept of philosophy appears often in Scripture, though. When I was in school, I was often asked who my favorite philosopher was. My answer was always “Jesus of Nazareth.” Who can read the Beatitudes and not see the philosophical beauty in them? Philosophy, pure philosophy, is the search for wisdom. Where are we more likely to find it than in Scripture?
Most people misunderstand exactly what philosophy is. The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament gives a pretty good definition:
“a philosopher, friend of wisdom. Love of wisdom, philosophy, which came to mean the doctrine or tenets of the heathen or Gentile philosophers (Col. 2:8 [cf. 2:16]; 1 Tim. 6:20). The modern definition of the word must not be read into its use in the Bible. Philosophy, as the study of reality, knowledge, and values, is a profitable and biblically supported endeavor.”
A lot of Christians and even non-believers consider philosophy our enemy. They picture a bunch of wide-eyed radial thinkers coming up with a lot of really foolish ideas being taken seriously by academia, and this is a correct interpretation to some degree. Some of the most foolish ideas I’ve ever heard were in philosophy class but also some of the greatest. To lump us all together with these extremists, though, would be an error, the fallacy of generalization to be specific.
The early church depended much on the Christian philosophers of its day: Justin (100 – 165 a.d.), Irenaeus (130 – 202 a.d.), Clement of Alexandria (150-215 a.d.), and Tertulian (150 – 200 a.d.) among others because many of the arguments posed against the church were best handled philosophically. The 21st century has brought us full circle.
In the 1970s philosophy was indeed the enemy of theists, believers in a personal living God currently active in His creation. Philosophy departments strove to expunge theology from university curriculum in the Ivy League. But then something wonderful happened: many academic Christians embraced philosophy and began to use philosophical argumentation to support the Christian worldview.
A good example of this is Alvin Plantinga and his little book God, Freedom, and Evil published in 1974 gave a good Christian answer to the problem of evil, how a good God could allow evil in the world. This is a problem which had haunted Christians since the first century and those who believed in benevolent god since before that. Plantinga answered it so fully it is no longer presented by honest professors as problematic to Christians.
Does God exist? Why does evil exist if God is good? How do we know the Bible is reliable, accurate, or true? Which religion is true? Was the universe created? What can we learn about that Creator by looking at His creation? If it was created, has the Creator attempted to communicate with His creation? All these questions and more are philosophical questions and must be addressed philosophically.
For the most part, the major apologists of the 1960s and 70s were theologians. Today the big names in Christian Apologetics, defenses for the Christian faith, are philosophers: William Lane Craig, Frank Turek, Greg Koukl, Francis Beckwith, Sean McDowell, Bret Kunkle, Norm Geisler, even C. S. Lewis took a first in philosophy and mathematician Dr. John Lennox has an earned PhD in philosophy.
Why is this important?
When we are told philosophy is an empty discipline or simply a useless exercise, we need to remember the largest portion of the American Philosophical Association is now theists and the largest portion of theists are Christians. Christian philosophers are having an impact on academics and have earned a prominent place in the marketplace of ideas.
While theologians and pastors were at the forefront of Christian apologetics, it is once again the Christian philosophers who are the torchbearers for defending the faith in this modern world.
The philosophers aren’t just looking into strictly religious questions but things like abortion (Beckwith), science and mathematics (Lennox), moral and social relativism (Koukl). We’ve come a long way in just a few decades. God has used his philosopher soldiers to equip His church in many ways as they teach the answers to the world’s questions to us.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 