Douglas Groothuis
Encyclopedia
Douglas R. Groothuis is currently Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary
.
Groothuis was a campus pastor for twelve years prior to obtaining a position as an associate professor of philosophy of religion and ethics at Denver Seminary in 1993. He was educated at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and the University of Oregon
. He is married to Rebecca Merrill Groothuis.
During the mid-1980s Groothuis emerged as a younger voice in Christian evangelicalism with two books that described and analyzed New Age
spirituality: Unmasking the New Age and Confronting the New Age. These texts catapulted him to some prominence in the Christian countercult movement
as an authority on New Age. In subsequent books he pursued specific topics in New Age spirituality such as claims that Jesus spent his adolescent years studying among Hindu and Buddhist teachers in India and Tibet in Revealing the New Age Jesus. The phenomena of near-death experiences and the claims of Betty Eadie
about the afterlife were the subject of his analysis in Deceived by the Light.
In the 1990s Groothuis also began to write about the cultural shifts associated with postmodern philosophy in his book Truth Decay and Christian apologetics
responses to those shifts. He was also interested in human behavior and belief associated with the use of the Internet, and wrote of his theological concerns in The Soul in Cyberspace. His interests in philosophy have also led him to write essays on Immanuel Kant
's epistemology, the rationality of theism
, and books about Pascal
, Jesus
as a teacher of philosophy, and a comprehensive approach to Christian Apologetics.
In his teaching career at Denver Seminary, he has taught graduate courses in Christian Apologetics, Problems in Apologetics, Issues in Philosophy of Religion, Christian Ethics and Modern Culture, Religious Pluralism, among many others. He is a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers
, the Evangelical Philosophical Society
, and has published eleven books and contributed to many others, and has written numerous articles, book reviews, and editorials. Articles have appeared in periodicals such as Christianity Today, Moody Monthly, Philosophia Christi, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
Professor Groothuis' areas of specialization include:
He is also knowledgeable in the areas of the philosophy of technology, epistemology, contemporary religious movements, and world religions. He is a staunch adherent of Biblical Christianity.
His website has articles under the following subjects:
Groothuis counts the following as influential authors:
Denver Seminary
Denver Seminary is an accredited, graduate-level institution in Littleton, Colorado. It offers a wide range of degrees not typically associated with other accredited seminaries. It is also known for its emphasis on training and mentoring as integral to seminary education...
.
Groothuis was a campus pastor for twelve years prior to obtaining a position as an associate professor of philosophy of religion and ethics at Denver Seminary in 1993. He was educated at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. He is married to Rebecca Merrill Groothuis.
During the mid-1980s Groothuis emerged as a younger voice in Christian evangelicalism with two books that described and analyzed New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
spirituality: Unmasking the New Age and Confronting the New Age. These texts catapulted him to some prominence in the Christian countercult movement
Christian countercult movement
The Christian countercult movement is a social movement of Christian ministries and individual Christian countercult activists who oppose religious sects thought to either partially abide or do not at all abide by the teachings that are written within the Bible. These religious sects are also known...
as an authority on New Age. In subsequent books he pursued specific topics in New Age spirituality such as claims that Jesus spent his adolescent years studying among Hindu and Buddhist teachers in India and Tibet in Revealing the New Age Jesus. The phenomena of near-death experiences and the claims of Betty Eadie
Betty Eadie
Betty Eadie is a prominent American author of several books on near-death experiences . Her best-known book is the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Embraced by the Light . It describes her near-death experience. It is arguably the most detailed near-death account on record...
about the afterlife were the subject of his analysis in Deceived by the Light.
In the 1990s Groothuis also began to write about the cultural shifts associated with postmodern philosophy in his book Truth Decay and Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
responses to those shifts. He was also interested in human behavior and belief associated with the use of the Internet, and wrote of his theological concerns in The Soul in Cyberspace. His interests in philosophy have also led him to write essays on Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
's epistemology, the rationality of theism
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
, and books about Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
as a teacher of philosophy, and a comprehensive approach to Christian Apologetics.
In his teaching career at Denver Seminary, he has taught graduate courses in Christian Apologetics, Problems in Apologetics, Issues in Philosophy of Religion, Christian Ethics and Modern Culture, Religious Pluralism, among many others. He is a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers
Society of Christian Philosophers
The Society of Christian Philosophers is a society associated with the American Philosophical Association. The society was founded in 1978. Past Presidents include William Alston, Robert Merrihew Adams, Alvin Plantinga, Marilyn McCord Adams, George I. Mavrodes, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Eleonore...
, the Evangelical Philosophical Society
Evangelical Philosophical Society
Evangelical Philosophical Society is an organization devoted to the study of ethics, theology, and religion from an evangelical perspective. The organization is open to professional scholars with associate membership available to laypersons and students...
, and has published eleven books and contributed to many others, and has written numerous articles, book reviews, and editorials. Articles have appeared in periodicals such as Christianity Today, Moody Monthly, Philosophia Christi, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
Professor Groothuis' areas of specialization include:
- Ethics and Contemporary Culture
- History of Modern Philosophy
- Pascal
- Philosophy of Religion
He is also knowledgeable in the areas of the philosophy of technology, epistemology, contemporary religious movements, and world religions. He is a staunch adherent of Biblical Christianity.
His website has articles under the following subjects:
- Apologetics
- Articles on Other Websites
- Bibliographies and Outlines
- Book Reviews
- Ethics
- Interviews
- Philosophy
- Poetry & Music
- Social Commentary
Groothuis counts the following as influential authors:
- Francis Schaeffer
- Carl Henry
- Soren Kierkegaard
- Os Guinness
- James Sire
- Rousas John Rushdoony
- Bernard Ramm
- Blaise Pascal
- John Stott
- John Calvin
- C.S. Lewis
- Arthur Holmes
- G.K. Chesterton
External links
- Doug Groothuis.com Groothuis's homepage
- The Constructive Curmudgeon Groothuis' blog
- http://www.arn.org/authors/groothuis.html Author's page at Access Research Network
- Apologetic Lectures Groothuis' lectures on apologetics (mp3 format)