Douglas Groothuis. IVP Academic, specialized article at $24 (218p) ISBN 978-1-5140-0178-3
In this flattering revision from 2003 On Pascal, Groot House (World religions in seven sentences), professor of philosophy at the Denver seminary, presents Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) as a mathematician of Christian intellectual excellence. By adding four chapters that address, among other topics, Pascal’s critique of “culture and politics” and the miracles of Jesus, Groothius exploits the Thoughts— posthumously published fragments of the philosopher’s Christian apologia — for Pascal’s reflections on the “character” of Jesus, the simultaneous “greatness and misery” of humanity and the links between faith and reason. Groothuis’ approach has its moments, such as an intriguing discussion of how Pascal viewed the natural world from both scientific and spiritual perspectives. Unfortunately, the portrait that emerges is more hagiographic than complete, and frequent and off-putting tangents undermine the analysis; in discussing Pascal’s views on the Quran, for example, Groothuis concludes that “not everything is bad in the Quran, because some of it is in agreement with the Bible.” Despite some edifying points, this remains insufficient. (Apr.)
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Reviewed on: 12/20/2023
Gender: Religion