The Human Person In God's World

Austin Farrer's important contribution to philosophical and theological anthropology is discussed here by the six main contributors to the Austin Farrer Centenary Conference held at Oriel College in 2004. After an Introductory survey by Basil Mitchell, Nancy Murphy provides an in-depth study of Farrer's defence of the freedom of the will, Edward Henderson brings out the key notion of double agency in Farrer's conception of the way God acts in and through the human person. Brian Hebblethwaite explores Farrer's writings for the light they throw on creation and evolution, with special reference to the problems of providence and evil. David Brown extends Farrer's insights on the role of images in biblical revelation to their role in natural religion, and Douglas Hedley shows how Farrer's ' and Mitchell's ' work on the imagination enriches our understanding of the relation between faith and reason. The Centenary Conference sermon by the Bishop of Oxford is also appended.