Knowing God as an Evangelical

In the present polyphony of evangelical theological epistemology, there are several authoritative approaches. Yet, the evangelical emphasis on sola scriptura demands that theological epistemology be subjected to the biblical canon. In this book, Dan-Adrian Petre argues for a canonically-derived theological epistemological framework that may foster a fuller understanding of theological knowledge formation within evangelicalism. Specifically, he explores some representative evangelical voices to identify the reasons for the contemporary epistemological variance. Petre then uses a canonical-epistemological methodology to outline a biblically-based framework. In exploring how the Scripture conceptualizes the formation of theological knowledge, the book uses cognitive linguistics to grasp the conceptual meaning of the theological knowledge formation in the Bible using prototypical case studies. The resulting epistemological implications outline a minimal epistemological model derived from the biblical canon. Using this vantage point, the author assesses the contemporary evangelical epistemological dissonance as a means of indicating a way forward for a canonical-epistemological attunement.

“A masterful and urgently needed study in the ongoing discussion about theological knowledge formation, Dan-Adrian Petre’s Knowing God as an Evangelical utilizes cognitive linguistics to discover and depict a minimal, sevenfold irreducible complexity of the biblical concept of knowing God. The book highlights the idea that Evangelical theology can and must overcome the gravitational pull of philosophical presuppositions and keep close to its essential Sola Scriptura ethos, especially in foundational matters such as theological epistemology.” 

– Gheorghe Răzmeriță, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines

“To be innovative in the field of theological epistemology is precisely what characterizes the current work authored by Adrian Petre. The book describes an integrative model of theological knowledge formation called the relational-participative model. According to this, the knowledge of God can be achieved in such a way as to be fully committed to the Protestant epistemological principle of sola Scriptura amidst the different epistemological tendencies of the evangelical pursuit of theological knowledge.”
– Zoltán Szallós-Farkas, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Adventus University, Romania

“How we derive knowledge from the Bible is one of the most important and contested questions within Judaism and Christianity. In this interdisciplinary work, Petre moves beyond an older 'mind-as-machine' foundationalism to propose an evangelical epistemology that honors the complex innerworkings of divine revelation, community, ritual, and the finite limits of human knowing. A valuable book for philosophers and biblical scholars.”
 – Ryan O’Dowd, Senior Fellow, Chesterton House, Cornell University, USA

“This stimulating work by Dan-Adrian Petre makes a significant contribution toward arriving at a canonically-based theological epistemology. Petre adeptly analyzes a number of prominent evangelical models of theological epistemology (evidential foundationalism, proper functionalism, and postfoundationalism), then lays out his own relational-participative model toward advancing the current discussion. The result is an illuminating, clear, and nuanced discussion of theological epistemology, firmly grounded in commitment to the uniquely normative authority of Scripture.” 
– John C. Peckham, Professor of Theology and Christian Philosophy, Andrews University, USA

“Various evangelical models of epistemology keep rational validation, cognitive justification, and tradition-based coherence in the foreground. In his monograph, Adrian Petre inquires into the issue of theological knowledge formation, while deploring the insufficient prominence given to the biblical canon. When such a drawback is properly retrieved, the knowledge of God receives abundant new tenors, which are extremely informative for systematicians as well as for biblical scholars in general. Although critical of other models, Petre's proposal integrates features from these models when they are validated by proper reading of the biblical text. I warmly recommend it as a substantial resource on theological epistemology.”
– Laurențiu Florentin Moț, Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Adventus University, Romania

Dan-Adrian Petre is a lecturer in theology at Adventus University of Cernica, Romania.