James Herman Olthuis (born 1938)
is an interdisciplinary scholar in
ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
,
hermeneutics
Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication.
...
,
philosophical theology
Philosophical theology is both a branch and form of theology in which philosophical methods are used in developing or analyzing theological concepts. It therefore includes natural theology as well as philosophical treatments of orthodox and het ...
, as well as a theorist and practitioner of
psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
of a kind he calls "relational psychotherapy".
Life
Olthuis studied under H. Evan Runner in philosophy at
Calvin College
Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reforme ...
, Grand Rapids, Michigan;
then in theology at
Calvin Theological Seminary
Calvin Theological Seminary is a private Christian Reformed Church seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is closely tied to Calvin University, though each institution has its own board.
History
The seminary was founded in 1876 with the purpose ...
;
and finally in philosophical ethics at VU University, Amsterdam, where he received his
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
degree under in 1968. Olthuis analyzed and critiqued the works of
G. E. Moore, his dissertation being entitled ''Facts, Values, and Ethics: A Confrontation with 20th Century British Moral Philosophy''.
Positions held
Olthuis was a senior member at the
Institute for Christian Studies
The Institute for Christian Studies (ICS or ICS Toronto) is a private, graduate-level Reformed philosophical and theological school in Toronto, Ontario. At ICS, students and faculty take part in shared learning through participatory seminars, me ...
in Toronto from 1968 to 2004 and continues to hold an emeritus position there.
Bibliography
*(1968) ''Facts, Values and Ethics''
*(1975) ''I Pledge You My Troth''
*(1986) ''Keeping our Troth: Staying in Love During the Five Stages of Marriage''
*(1987) ''A Hermeneutics of Ultimacy''
*(1997) ''Knowing Other-wise: Philosophy on the Threshold of Spirituality'', ed.
*(2000) ''Towards an Ethics of Community'', ed.
*(2002) ''Religion With/out Religion: The Prayers and Tears of John D. Caputo'', ed.
*(2003) ''The Beautiful Risk: A New Psychology of Loving and Being Loved''
*(2005) ''Radical Orthodoxy and the Reformed Tradition: Creation, Covenant, and Participation'', ed. with
James K.A. Smith
James Kenneth Alexander Smith (born 1970) is a Canadian-American philosopher who is currently Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University, holding the Gary & Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology & Worldview. He is the current edit ...
Works about Olthuis
*(2006) ''The Hermeneutics of Charity: Interpretation, Selfhood, and Postmodern Faith''
See also
*
Deconstruction
In philosophy, deconstruction is a loosely-defined set of approaches to understand the relationship between text and meaning. The concept of deconstruction was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who described it as a turn away from ...
*
List of thinkers influenced by deconstruction
This is a list of thinkers who have been dealt with deconstruction, a term developed by French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930–2004).
__NOTOC__
The thinkers included in this list ''have Wikipedia pages'' and satisfy at least one of the thre ...
*
Postmodern theology
Postmodern theology, also known as the continental philosophy of religion, is a philosophical and theological movement that interprets Christian theology
Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religio ...
*
Radical orthodoxy
Radical orthodoxy is a Christian theological and philosophical school of thought which makes use of postmodern philosophy to reject the paradigm of modernity. The movement was founded by John Milbank and others and takes its name from the title o ...
*
Christian psychology
References
Living people
American Christian theologians
Canadian Christian theologians
21st-century Canadian theologians
Calvin University alumni
Postmodernists
Hermeneutists
1938 births
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