Saving Natural Theology from Thomas Aquinas

In this much-anticipated follow-up to The Failure of Natural Theology, Jeffrey D. Johnson seeks to separate the reality of natural theology from the Greek philosophy-laden counterfeit advanced by Thomas Aquinas and others. Johnson endeavors to show how classical apologetics became tainted with the introduction of Greek philosophy. Though Aquinas was not the first to seek to syncretize the pantheistic notions flowing out of Athens with the ontologically distinct and self-contained God who personally revealed himself in Jerusalem, he is one of the most influential and well-known perpetrators of this school of thought. He and pagan philosophers throughout the ages have suppressed, twisted, and perverted what has been communicated in natural revelation. They rejected what they knew in their hearts by attempting to formulate their own explanation of God and instead created an abstract being that is not the personal caretaker and judge of the universe. Such a god is not the God of natural revelation, and in fact, is no God at all. Thus, in this short treatise, Johnson presents the problems in Aquinas's version of natural theology. He not only explains why Greek philosophy is unsavable but also points to the apostle Paul's rejection of it. Finally, he discusses various Reformers who have rejected Aquinas's natural theology. Ultimately, Johnson shows in Saving Natural Theology from Thomas Aquinas that if natural theology can be saved (and he believes it can be), it must be saved from Thomas Aquinas.

Publisher: Free Grace Press
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781952599460

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Jeffrey D. Johnson is the founding pastor of Grace Bible Church and President of Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway Arkansas, where he resides with his wife, Letha, and their four children. He is the author of several books including The Church, The Kingdom of God, The Absurdity of Unbelief, The Pursuit of Glory, and The Sovereignty of God.

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‘Natural theology has been a highly discussed topic as of late, and this book couldn’t have come at a better time. I was very impressed with how the author dealt with the topic at hand. This book was hard to put down and it was hard not to constantly highlight things that I was reading. The author in this book deals with the problems of natural theology through its foundation, scripture, and church history and he presents a very well-thought-out case. Now, this isn’t to say that he full outright rejects natural theology but the author shows that if natural theology is argued from a Thomas Aquinas perspective then it's ultimately a failure. I think this book will open a lot of eyes and I think this book is necessary to understand the debate that is taking place today in regards to natural theology.’ Jesus Archuleta