Charles Stephen Evans (born 1948) is an American philosopher. He is one of the United States' leading experts on Søren Kierkegaard and has also published extensively on subjects including

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

and the relationship of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

. He is University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

. Evans was born on May 26, 1948, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

. He holds a BA with high honors (philosophy) from

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

, an MPhil (philosophy) from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, and a PhD (philosophy) from

. Before coming to Baylor, he taught at Wheaton College,

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Ola ...

(where he also served as curator of the

Howard V. and Edna H. Hong Kierkegaard Library St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Ola ...

) and

Calvin College Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...

(where he was the inaugural holder of the William Spoelhof Teacher–Scholar Chair and Dean for Research and Scholarship). He serves on the editorial boards of multiple publications, including Kierkegaard Monographs and the International Kierkegaard Commentary Series, and is a past president of the

Society of Christian Philosophers The Society of Christian Philosophers (SCP) was founded in 1978. The society is open to anyone interested in philosophy who considers himself or herself a Christian. Membership is not restricted to any particular "school" of philosophy or to any b ...

(1998–2001) and the Søren Kierkegaard Society, USA (1991).

Awards and honors

Evans's numerous awards and fellowships include: * The

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

Book Prize, awarded by St. Thomas Philosophy of Religion Project at the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina * St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick * St ...

for the best recent book in philosophy of religion, 2012. Awarded for ''Natural Signs and the Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments.'' *

NEH The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

Fellowship for College Teachers, 1988–1989 and 2000–2001.

Bibliography

* ''Preserving the Person: A Look at the Human Sciences'' (InterVarsity Press, 1977; Baker Reprint, 1982) * ''Subjectivity and Religious Belief: An Historical, Critical Study'' (Eerdmans, 1978) * ''Kierkegaard's Fragments and Postscript: The Religious Philosophy of Johannes Climacus'' (Humanities Press, 1983; reprinted by Humanity Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books, 1999) * ''Existentialism: The Philosophy of Despair and the Quest for Hope'' (Zondervan, 1984; reprinted Probe Books, 1989). A revised edition of ''Despair: A Moment or a Way of Life?'' (InterVarsity Press, 1971) * ''Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith'' (InterVarsity Press, 1985). Spanish translation: Filosofía de la Religion (Editorial Mundo Hispano, 1990). Macedonian translation 2004. * ''Wisdom and Humanness in Psychology'' (Baker Books, 1989) * ''Søren Kierkegaard's Christian Psychology'' (Zondervan, 1990) * ''Passionate Reason: Making Sense of Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments'' (Indiana University Press, 1992) * ''Why Believe? Reason and Mystery as Pointers to God'' (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996). A revised version of ''The Quest for Faith: Reason and Mystery As Pointers to God'' (InterVarsity Press, 1986). Chinese edition of ''Why Believe?'' translated by Daniel Kwok-Tung Cheung (Hong Kong: FES Press, 2002). * ''The Historical Christ and the Jesus of Faith: The Incarnational Narrative as History'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996) * ''Faith Beyond Reason'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998; and Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1998) * ''Pocket Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion and Apologetics'' (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2002). Translated and published in Portuguese by Editora Vida, 2003. Translated and published in Macedonian, 2003. Spanish translation published by Editorial Unilit in 2007. * ''Kierkegaard's Ethic of Love: Divine Commands and Moral Requirements'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004) * ''Kierkegaard on Faith and the Self: Collected Essays'' (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2006) * ''Kierkegaard: An Introduction'' (Cambridge University Press, 2009) * ''Natural Signs and Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments'' (Oxford University Press, 2010) * ''God and Moral Obligation'' (Oxford University Press, 2014)

References

1948 births American theologians Arminian writers Baylor University faculty Critics of the Christ myth theory Kierkegaard scholars Living people Moral realists Philosophers of religion Presidents of the Society of Christian Philosophers Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni {{US-philosopher-stub