astronomy

J. P. Moreland

J. P. Moreland is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand J. P. Moreland rather than just read about it. In short: James Porter Moreland (born March 9, 1948) is an American philosopher, theologian, and Christian apologist. He is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

Key takeaways

J. P. Moreland belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect J. P. Moreland to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of J. P. Moreland from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Porter Moreland (born March 9, 1948) is an American philosopher, theologian, and Christian apologist. He is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California. Moreland specializes in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and Christian philosophy, having had his work published in journals such as Metaphilosophy and the American Philosophical Quarterly. He has also had his work published by presses such as Intervarsity Press, NavPress, Zondervan, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Rutgers University Press, and Prometheus. In 2018, he edited The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism.

Early life and education Moreland earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Arts in philosophy with highest honors from the University of California, Riverside. He received his Th.M. in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. In 1985, he received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern California. His dissertation was Universals and the Qualities of Things: A defense of Realism. His dissertation advisor was Dallas Willard. Moreland is married to Hope and together they have two children and four grandchildren. Moreland is a fellow of the Discovery Institute.

Career Moreland teaches at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center on Culture and Civil Society at the Independent Institute. He served for eight years as a bioethicist for Personal Care Nursing Homes, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. He has debated Clancy Martin over the existence of God as well as Canadian philosopher Kai Nielsen and Eddie Tabash on whether the supernatural exists. He has been a frequent guest on the PBS television series Closer to Truth.

Views Moreland has defended Thomistic substance dualism, libertarian free will, and life after death. Moreland has defended the existence of angels and demons, arguing that he knows they exist due to both Christian doctrine and personal experience. He is an old earth creationist who is a critic of fideism. In 1978, Moreland signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. In 2017, he signed the Nashville Statement. In 2022, Moreland co-authored a paper with American theologian Dr. Tim Stratton, entitled "An Explanation and Defense of the Free-Thinking Argument". The paper argued that determinism could not account for "epistemic responsibility", whereby people are held accountable for what they do or not believe, and further argued that God is a "deity of deception", if determinism is true. The paper has come under scrutiny, though it has also found some intellectual support.

Awards and honors

Works Moreland has authored or edited numerous publications, including:

Books Moreland, J. P. (1987). Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. ISBN 9780801062223. OCLC 16807427. ——— (1989). Christianity and the Nature of Science: A Philosophical Examination. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. ISBN 9780801062490. OCLC 19556070. ———; Geisler, Norman (1990). The Life and Death Debate: Moral Issues of Our Time. Contributions in Philosophy. Vol. 43. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313275562. OCLC 21592792. ———; Nielsen, Kai (1990). Does God Exist?: The Debate Between Atheists and Theists. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. ——— (1997). Love Your God With All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. ISBN 9781576830161. OCLC 36327354. ———; Rae, Scott B. (2000). Body and Soul: Human Nature and the Crisis of Ethics. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830815777. OCLC 43245896. ———; Craig, William Lane (2003). Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830826940. OCLC 51093246. ———; DeWeese, Garret J. (2005). Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner's Guide to Life's Biggest Questions. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830827664. OCLC 60188295. ——— (2007). Kingdom Triangle: Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit's Power. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310590002. OCLC 993636161. ——— (2009). Consciousness and the Existence of God. Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780203929339. OCLC 229867243. ——— (2009). The Recalcitrant Imago Dei: human persons and the failure of naturalism. London: SCM Press. ISBN 9780334042150. OCLC 695838789. ——— (2009). The God Question: An Invitation to a Life of Meaning. ConversantLife.com Series. Eugene, OR: Harvest House. ISBN 9780736924887.

Edited by ———, ed. (1994). The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for An Intelligent Designer. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830816989. OCLC 29478326. ———; Craig, William Lane, eds. (2000). Naturalism: A Critical Analysis. Routledge Studies in Twentieth Century Philosophy. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780203186138. OCLC 252705993. ———; Sweis, Khaldoun A.; Meister, Chad V., eds. (2013). Debating Christian Theism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199981434. OCLC 854973516.

Chapters ——— (1994). "Theistic science & methodological naturalism". In ——— (ed.). The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for An Intelligent Designer. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. pp. 41–66. ISBN 9780830816989. OCLC 29478326.

See also American philosophy List of American philosophers

References

External links Official Websites J. P. Moreland's personal website J. P. Moreland's official Facebook page Faculty page of J. P. Moreland J. P. Moreland (Theopedia) Debates Does the Christian God Exist? (vs. Clancy Martin, 2005) on YouTube Closer to Truth Is There a Judgment? on YouTube Do Angels and Demons Exist? on YouTube Is There Life After Death? on YouTube Do Humans Have Free Will? on YouTube Other Talks Doubting Darwinism on YouTube Love Your God With All Your Mind on YouTube Evidence For the Existence of the Soul on YouTube

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with J. P. Moreland

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what J. P. Moreland claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to J. P. Moreland before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about J. P. Moreland ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of J. P. Moreland

In research: J. P. Moreland appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses J. P. Moreland in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: J. P. Moreland is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1948 births, 21st-century American philosophers, American Christian creationists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for J. P. Moreland outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “J. P. Moreland” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study J. P. Moreland in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what J. P. Moreland means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain J. P. Moreland out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is J. P. Moreland in simple terms?

Why does J. P. Moreland matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study J. P. Moreland?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on J. P. Moreland.