Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the work of John Macmurray as a philosophical resource for Christianswhose theological framework presumes an epistemological shift, toward a new starting point in the way we understand our knowledge of God. After a brief introduction to both contextual theology and John Macmurray, the paper will concern itself with an exploration of Macmurray’s critique of idealist epistemology and the relationship this critique has to the assumptions of contextual theology. Next we will consider the implications of this shift for both philosophy and theology. Thirdly, we will offer support for the claim that Macmurray’s work represents a positive future resource for those who are struggling to make sense of the practical demands of a living faith. In closing, some criticisms of Macmurray from the perspective of contextual theology will be anticipated.