Garrett J. DeWeese

Garrett J. DeWeese's concentration is in metaphysics and epistemology, specifically as related to philosophical theology. He is deeply committed to helping the church articulate and defend the concept of objective truth in an age of postmodernism and growing relativism. With a background in the sciences, he also has a long-standing interest in the relationship of science and theology. DeWeese brings a strong practical orientation to the classroom, having served as a missionary and over 15 years as a pastor. He is a frequent speaker in churches and college groups. He authored God and the Nature of Time, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult (with J.P. Moreland) and Doing Philosophy as a Christian. He has contributed chapters to several books, and has published articles in journals such as Philosophia Christi and Discipleship Journal.

Affiliation Faculty
Position Professor at Large, Department of Philosophy

Author's books

Doing Philosophy As a Christian

What does it mean to be called to the profession of philosophy? What does it mean for the Christian in particular? And how should those called to the profession engage their tasks? Noting that philosophy literally is “the love of wisdom,” Garrett J. DeWeese begins with a discussion of wisdom from the Old and New Testaments before addressing the often misunderstood relation between faith and reason.

God and Evil: The Case for God in a World Filled with Pain

God and Evil comprises the best thinking on all angles on the question of evil, from some of the finest scholars in religion, philosophy and apologetics. With additional chapters addressing “issues in dialogue” such as hell and human origins, and a now-famous debate between evangelical philosopher William Lane Craig and atheist philosopher Michael Tooley, God and Evil provides critical engagement with recent arguments against faith and offers grounds for renewed confidence in the God who is “acquainted with grief.”

God and Evil: The Case for God in a World Filled with Pain – eBook

God and Evil comprises the best thinking on all angles on the question of evil, from some of the finest scholars in religion, philosophy and apologetics. With additional chapters addressing “issues in dialogue” such as hell and human origins, and a now-famous debate between evangelical philosopher William Lane Craig and atheist philosopher Michael Tooley, God and Evil provides critical engagement with recent arguments against faith and offers grounds for renewed confidence in the God who is “acquainted with grief.”

God and the Nature of Time

Is God temporal, ‘in time’, or atemporal, ‘outside of time’? Garrett DeWeese begins with contemporary metaphysics and physics, developing a causal account of dynamic time.  Drawing on biblical material as well as discussions of divine temporality in medieval and contemporary philosophical theology, DeWeese concludes that God is temporal but not in physical time as we measure it. Interacting with issues in the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of science, and philosophy of religion, this book offers students a thorough introduction to the key issues and key figures in historical and contemporary work on the philosophy of time and time in theology.

God and the Nature of Time – Hardcover

Is God temporal, ‘in time’, or atemporal, ‘outside of time’? Garrett DeWeese begins with contemporary metaphysics and physics, developing a causal account of dynamic time.  Drawing on biblical material as well as discussions of divine temporality in medieval and contemporary philosophical theology, DeWeese concludes that God is temporal but not in physical time as we measure it. Interacting with issues in the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of science, and philosophy of religion, this book offers students a thorough introduction to the key issues and key figures in historical and contemporary work on the philosophy of time and time in theology.

God and the Nature of Time – Hardcover – eBook

Is God temporal, ‘in time’, or atemporal, ‘outside of time’? Garrett DeWeese begins with contemporary metaphysics and physics, developing a causal account of dynamic time.  Drawing on biblical material as well as discussions of divine temporality in medieval and contemporary philosophical theology, DeWeese concludes that God is temporal but not in physical time as we measure it. Interacting with issues in the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of science, and philosophy of religion, this book offers students a thorough introduction to the key issues and key figures in historical and contemporary work on the philosophy of time and time in theology.

In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-Humean Assessment

The shadow of David Hume, the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher, has loomed large against all efforts to prove the existence of God from evidence in the natural world. Indeed from Hume’s day to ours, the vast majority of philosophical attacks against the rationality of theism have borne an unmistakable Humean aroma. The last forty years, however, have been marked by a resurgence in Christian theism among philosophers, and the time has come for a thorough reassessment of the case for natural theology. James F. Sennett and Douglas Groothuis have assembled a distinguished team of philosophers to engage the task: Terence Penelhum, Todd M. Furman, Keith Yandell, Garrett J. DeWeese, Joshua Rasmussen, James D. Madden, Robin Collins, Paul Copan, Victor Reppert, J. P. Moreland and R. Douglas Geivett.

In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-Humean Assessment – eBook

The shadow of David Hume, the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher, has loomed large against all efforts to prove the existence of God from evidence in the natural world. Indeed from Hume’s day to ours, the vast majority of philosophical attacks against the rationality of theism have borne an unmistakable Humean aroma. The last forty years, however, have been marked by a resurgence in Christian theism among philosophers, and the time has come for a thorough reassessment of the case for natural theology. James F. Sennett and Douglas Groothuis have assembled a distinguished team of philosophers to engage the task: Terence Penelhum, Todd M. Furman, Keith Yandell, Garrett J. DeWeese, Joshua Rasmussen, James D. Madden, Robin Collins, Paul Copan, Victor Reppert, J. P. Moreland and R. Douglas Geivett.

Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective: An Intermediate Christology

Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective features six highly respected scholars from schools such as Erskine Theological Seminary, Talbot School of Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. These scholars address an issue that has a significant impact on the way Christians should approach everyday evangelism but is often ignored: the fundamental fact that the Savior who died on the cross and rose from the dead is the eternal second person of the Trinity. This introductory Christology book is written for advanced undergraduates and entry-level seminary students.

Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective: An Intermediate Christology – eBook

Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective features six highly respected scholars from schools such as Erskine Theological Seminary, Talbot School of Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. These scholars address an issue that has a significant impact on the way Christians should approach everyday evangelism but is often ignored: the fundamental fact that the Savior who died on the cross and rose from the dead is the eternal second person of the Trinity. This introductory Christology book is written for advanced undergraduates and entry-level seminary students.

Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions

Philosophy is thinking critically about questions that matter. But many people find philosophy intimidating, so they never discover how invaluable it can be in engaging ideas, culture, and even their faith. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand these challenges, and in this book they apply their decades of teaching experience to help to make philosophy a little less difficult. Using straightforward language with plenty of everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts—including logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of science.

Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions – eBook

Philosophy is thinking critically about questions that matter. But many people find philosophy intimidating, so they never discover how invaluable it can be in engaging ideas, culture, and even their faith. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand these challenges, and in this book they apply their decades of teaching experience to help to make philosophy a little less difficult. Using straightforward language with plenty of everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts—including logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of science.

Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions – Unabridged Audiobook on CD

Philosophy is thinking critically about questions that matter. But many people find philosophy intimidating, so they never discover how invaluable it can be in engaging ideas, culture, and even their faith. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand these challenges, and in this book they apply their decades of teaching experience to help to make philosophy a little less difficult. Using straightforward language with plenty of everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts—including logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of science.

The Apologetics Study Bible – Hardcover

The Apologetics Study Bible helps today’s Christians better understand, defend, and proclaim their beliefs in this age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. More than one-hundred key questions and articles placed throughout the volume about faith and science prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading. Highlights of this thinking person’s edition of God’s Word include the full text of the popular HCSB translation, an introduction to each Bible book focusing on its inherent elements of apologetics, and profiles of historic Christian apologists from Justin Martyr to C.S. Lewis.