Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity

Moreland's Scaling the Secular City presents a comprehensive philosophical defense of Christian theism against the prevailing secular worldview of late twentieth-century Western culture. The work systematically addresses major intellectual challenges to Christianity through rigorous philosophical argumentation, positioning itself as a response to the dominance of naturalistic materialism in academic discourse.

The monograph employs a multi-pronged approach, examining classical philosophical arguments for God's existence while engaging contemporary objections. Moreland begins with cosmological arguments, particularly the kalam cosmological argument, defending the premise that the universe had a beginning and requires a transcendent cause. He supplements this with teleological considerations, arguing that the fine-tuning of physical constants and the emergence of consciousness point toward intelligent design rather than chance or necessity.

A significant portion of the work addresses the problem of miracles and historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Moreland challenges Humean skepticism about miracles, arguing that philosophical naturalism inappropriately excludes supernatural explanations a priori. He examines the New Testament documents as historical sources, defending their reliability through standard historiographical methods while critiquing the presuppositions that lead scholars to dismiss supernatural elements.

The text engages directly with scientific materialism, arguing that consciousness, intentionality, and moral values cannot be adequately explained through purely physical processes. Moreland contends that the existence of objective moral values and duties requires a transcendent ground, which naturalistic evolution cannot provide. He addresses the mind-body problem, defending substance dualism against physicalist reductionism.

Moreland's methodology combines analytic philosophy with evidentialist apologetics, drawing on contemporary work in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and moral philosophy. He engages prominent critics including Mackie, Flew, and Nielsen, while building on Christian philosophers like Plantinga and Swinburne. The work represents a significant contribution to the resurgence of Christian philosophy in secular academia during the 1980s.

The monograph's importance lies in its comprehensive scope and philosophical rigor. Rather than retreating to fideism or compartmentalizing faith and reason, Moreland argues that Christian theism provides the most coherent explanation for fundamental features of reality including the universe's existence, its rational intelligibility, consciousness, morality, and religious experience. The work demonstrates that theistic belief can be defended through the same rational methods employed in secular philosophy, challenging the assumption that religious commitment requires intellectual sacrifice.