Ep. #44 – Divine Hiddenness Revisited with Dr. Rea
Summary
Dr. Michael C. Rea joins us to affirm the existence of God in light of the problem of divine hiddenness. In this episode, he recaps his main case and then provides further insights to make the case more palatable and meaningful. His full-length book on the subject should be of interested to anyone defending God’s existence.
Guest Bio
Michael Rea is Rev. John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught since 2001. He is also a Professorial Fellow at the Logos Institute for Analytic & Exegetical Theology at the University of St. Andrews. His research focuses primarily on topics in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and analytic theology. He has written or edited more than ten books and forty articles and has given numerous lectures in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Russia, China, and Iran, including the 2017 Gifford Lectures at the University of St. Andrews.
Show Outline
In the first segment, Dr. Rea recaps his case responding to Dr. John Schellenberg’s argument from divine hiddenness. He also answers whether his arguments fall into the camp of “skeptical theism.”
In the next segment, he explains how religious experience is more widely available and attested than many realize. He also discusses how people who have had terrible religious experiences (e.g. sexual abuse) can still relate to God.
In the final segment, I ask Dr. Rea what it means to be “seeking God” and how this could apply to people who don’t believe in God or don’t have a concept of God.
Resources Mentioned
The Hiddenness of God by Dr. Michael C. Rea
Dr. Rea’s Recent Paper on Atonement
Related Episodes
Part 1 on Hiddenness with Dr. Rea
Ep. #19– Problem of Evil (Part 1) with Dr. Taylor O’Neill [Interview]
A blog post of mine: 3 replies to the Problem of Hiddenness
