Historical Apologist: Joseph Butler

Joseph Butler (1692-1752) was an Anglican Bishop who made important contributions to both theology and philosophy. Butler’s Analogy of Religion was well known in the eighteenth century for its defense of orthodox Christianity over against deism. Butler made many acute contributions to moral philosophy, including a celebrated critique of hedonism, in which he argued that pleasure is not generally the direct object of desire but rather is a byproduct of other things that humans desire.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 19.

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Brian Auten is the founder emeritus of Apologetics315. He is also director of Reasonable Faith Belfast. Brian holds a Masters degree in Christian Apologetics and has interviewed over 150 Christian apologists. His background is in missions, media direction, graphic design, and administration. Brian started Apologetics315 in 2007 to be an apologetics hub to equip Christians to defend the faith.

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