Why Philosophy?

J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig put their case in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:

“For centuries, people have recognized the importance of philosophy. In particular, throughout the history of Christianity, philosophy has played an important role in the life of the church and the spread and defense of the gospel of Christ.”

…

“Unfortunately, today things are different. Theologian R.C. Sproul has called this the most anti-intellectual period in the history of the church, and former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Christian statesman Charles Malik warns that the greatest danger facing modern evangelicalism is a lack of cultivation of the mind, especially as it relates to philosophy.”

“But is philosophy really that important for the life, health and witness of the church? Are God’s people not warned in Scripture itself to avoid philosophy and worldly wisdom?”
…

“There is a general perception among many believers that philosophy is intrinsically hostile to the Christian faith and should not be of concern to believers. There are at least four reasons frequently cited for such an attitude:

The claim is made that human depravity has made the mind so darkened that the noetic effects of sin, that is, sin’s effect on the mind, render the human intellect incapable of knowing truth. However, this claim is an exaggeration. The Fall brought about the perversion of human faculties, but it did not destroy those faculties. Human reasoning abilities are affected but not eliminated.

It is sometimes claimed that faith and reason are hostile to each other, and whatever is of reason cannot be of faith. But this represents [a] misunderstanding of the biblical concept of faith. The biblical notion of faith includes three components: notitia (understanding the content of the Christian faith), fiducia (trust) and assensus (the assent of the intellect to the truth of some proposition). Trust is based on understanding, knowledge and the intellect’s assent to truth. Belief in rests on belief that. One is called to trust in what he or she has reason to give intellectual assent (assensus) to. In Scripture, faith involves placing trust in what you have reason to believe is true. Faith is not a blind, irrational leap into the dark. So faith and reason cooperate on a biblical view of faith. They are not intrinsically hostile.

Some cite Colossians 2:8 as evidence against philosophy: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (NIV). However, on an investigation of the structure of the verse, it becomes clear that philosophy in general was not the focus. Rather, the Greek grammar indicates that “hollow and deceptive” go together with “philosophy”, that is, vain and hostile philosophy is the subject of discussion, not philosophy per se. In the context of Colossians, Paul was warning the church not to form and base its doctrinal views according to a philosophical system hostile to orthodoxy. His remarks were a simple warning not to embrace heresy. They were not meant in context to represent the apostle’s views of philosophy as a discipline of study. Those views are not relevant to the context and do not square with the grammar of the passage.”