I was recently thumbing through an overview book of philosophy, and the writers made passing mention of how theism is a viable intellectual option, simply by virtue of the defense of theism that has been mounted by the great Christian thinkers. The author's three examples were Descartes, Reid, and Plantinga. Alvin Plantinga's philosophical work has spanned half a century and has influenced the whole of the philosophical world, among theistic and non-theistic thinkers alike. Books like God and Other Minds, The Nature of Necessity, and God, Freedom, and Evil have not only stood the test of time, but their influence continues to be felt across a variety of disciplines. In The Analytic Theist (hereafter TAT), editor James Sennett has collected the most forceful and significant of his writings.

One of the benefits of such an anthology is that it shows the development of a philopher's thought over time. Here are the roots of the movement now known as Reformed Epistemology, from Plantinga's argument that belief in God is no more unjustified than belief in other minds to his monumental essay, "Reason and Belief in God," where he begins laying the groundwork for his later work on why theistic belief has legitimate epistemic warrant.

But there is more to Plantinga than epistemology. Sennett includes his "free will defense" on the problem of evil, his modal version of the ontological argument for God's existence, a few chapters on philosophical theology, and even a review of a book of New Testament criticism. In all of these selections Plantinga's trademarks are evident: his sharp wit, his use of humor, his lucid writing style and, most importantly, a weighty clear-headedness that is the mark of any good analytic philosopher. For those unfamiliar with analytic philosophy or the type of meticulous logical argumentation that Plantinga utilizes, there will be some chapters that will seem difficult, if not downright opaque. As is the case in any highly specialized academic field, this is to be expected, but the general reader - and especially the general Christian reader - should not be turned off by Plantinga's rigor. There are other selections in TAT that are much easier going for the casual reader but are as equally important as some of the more technical chapters.

The only potential complaint I have about TAT is that it contains no chapters on Plantinga's work in the area of epistemic warrant, either from Warrant: The Current Debate or Warrant and Proper Function, both of which were published five years prior to TAT. No study of Plantinga is complete if it ignores his notion of warrant, but that is a minor quibble. TAT is essential reading for any Christian who endeavors to be an intellectual of faith. There is something here for not only Christians in academia but for every believer. Most Christian scholars and writers - if they are worth their weight in paper - are already familiar with Plantinga, but it's a shame that many Christian leaders and teachers seem not to have discovered his inestimable value. Pastors, knuckle down and pick up anything by Alvin Plantinga. Begin either with The Analytic Theist or Warranted Christian Belief. It's time to move into the big leagues.

[Update: Jeremy Pierce points out in the comments that TAT doesn't include anything from the first two Warrant books because Plantinga isn't dealing specifically with philosophy of religion in those works. This would make sense since Sennett's anthology focuses primarily on Plantinga's theistic writing.]