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Introduction
The idea that persons are or contain a nonphysical soul that is capable of existing after the destruction of the human body is customarily called "dualism." Dualism is denigrated routinely in contemporary philosophy of mind, which may be characterized as broadly materialistic or physicalistic (in this essay we will treat these terms interchangeably). A growing number of Christian philosophers espouse a materialist view of human nature. Lynne Baker, Kevin Corcoran, Trenton Merricks, and Peter van Inwagen (among others) retain the traditional belief that God is a nonphysical (incorporeal or immaterial) reality, while denying that human persons either are or have a nonphysical soul. The advent of Christian materialism has been heralded as a way for Christians to share the fundamental convictions of mainstream philosophy and science. Moreover, Christian materialists have argued that dualism is at odds with scripture and core Christian convictions about death and the resurrection of the body. Adopting a form of physicalism allows Christian philosophers not just to rid themselves of an unpopular and religiously suspect form of dualism, but also to advance specifically Christian reasons for adopting materialism. Trenton Merricks writes: "We shall see that the fact that physicalism links everlasting life to resurrection in the most direct way possible is a powerful reason to think physicalism is true."1 This new movement in Christian philosophy is important and calls for constructive and critical evaluation.
We first present a positive case for Christian materialism, drawing on some of its most prominent advocates. In the second section, we argue that despite the considerable strengths and resources of Christian materialism, its critique of dualism is unsuccessful and its positive interpretation of Christian teaching is far less plausible than that of the dualist. Our third section contains a brief positive Christian argument against materialism.
Some Reasons for Going Materialistic
There are four key arguments advanced on behalf of Christian materialism. Some of these are philosophical while others combine philosophy and theology; some form the basis for a positive case for the truth of materialism, while others advance materialism as a default position by undermining dualism. We consider: (1) a combined argument from simplicity and self-awareness; (2) an objection to dualism based on the problem of causation and interaction; (3) a case for the necessary...