# Kingdom Triangle (Moreland)



## RamistThomist (Feb 25, 2015)

This is Moreland's follow-up to his watershed-work "Love your God with all your Mind." The triangle is knowledge/virtue/power, and the book is thus organized. This is a shorter review. I've given an analytical outline here.

*The Crisis:
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Western world, under the influence over Evolutionary Naturalism (whatever exists can only be known by scientific means), has seen the loss of a real, non-empirical yet accessible body of knowledge. As a result, this world has no objective value. Moreland then runs a brutal critique of naturalism: naturalism cannot account for consciousness, human willing, responsibility, and intrinsic value. Naturalism is a demonic stronghold and Moreland has cast it down (2 Corinthians 10)

Postmodernism is naturalism's shadow. Both deny the reality of objective, non-empirical knowledge. This section is tricky. What is postmodernism? Moreland tends to assume it is relativism, but the French school by and large rejected relativism. Moreland then links it with the Emergent Church. That's one school, perhaps a large one. We will assume that is what postmodernism means at the moment. 

Moreland quickly disposes of postmodernism, mainly the EC variety. 

*The Solution.
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_1. The recovery of knowledge._ Moreland defines knowledge as justified, true belief. This seems to place him in the classical foundationalist, internalist school. There are difficulties with such an approach, yet when Moreland furthers explains his position, it seems like he is defining knowledge as Warranted belief. He notes that certainty is not always necessary and that knowledge can grow by degrees. He further responds to skepticism by adhering to Thomas Reid's particularism. Throughout this section are excellent technical discussions.

_2. Virtue Ethics._ He examines the "Empty Self" concept (e.g., the Kardashians) and contrasts it with the ancient understanding of happiness as virtue. This was Christianized into "Eternal Life." 

_3. Kingdom Power_. Here Moreland defends continuationism. He doesn't so much argue the case as present an overwhelming amount of anecdotal evidence. He does point to where both cessationists and continuationists have overreacted to each other. While this chapter is probably weaker on the logical arguments, he does offer an interesting exegetical insight concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom. : the reign and rule of God available in Jesus Christ. God has power over demons, darkness, and disease.

Interestingly, this is why hard-line dispensationalists will not sing the praise hymn, "Majesty." One of the lines is "Kingdom Authority." But dispensationalists note that Jesus isn't seated on David's throne. If he were, then the Kingdom has indeed come in power and believers would have access to that power.

*Conclusion*:

This book was as exciting as his prequel. Moreland has effectively destroyed naturalism, which is the worldview of CNN, Oprah, and the Beltway Alliance. I hope he doesn't end up in a FEMA camp. Until then, if you master Moreland's arguments, you too can stand in the gap and put the CNN anchors to route.


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## RamistThomist (Feb 25, 2015)

I've given an analytical outline of it here.
Realdialektik: Outline of Moreland's Kingdom Triangle


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