Swinburne on the Resurrection: Negative versus Christian Ramified Natural Theology
ABSTRACT: We consider the impact of negative natural theology on the prospects of Christian ramified natural theology with reference to Richard Swinburne’s argument for the Incarnation and Resurrection. We argue that Swinburne’s pivotal claim—that God would not allow deceptive evidence to exist for the Incarnation and Resurrection—is refuted by key evidence from negative natural theology. We argue, further, that Swinburne’s argument omits dominating items of evidence of negative natural theology which seem to critically weaken the probability of the Incarnation and Resurrection. Negative natural theology thus serves as a formidable obstacle to Christian ramified natural theology.
Robert Greg Cavin and Carlos Colombetti, “Swinburne on the Resurrection: Negative versus Christian Ramified Natural Theology,” Philosophia Christi, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2013