Academic Essays
The following essays were written by Steven during his postgraduate studies at Heythrop College, University of London. Steven holds the copyright to these essays and they are not to be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the author’s permission. You are welcome to download these PDFs for the purpose of private reading or group discussion.
God and Suffering: Approaches and Issues
This essay looks at the problem of whether or not God suffers. I present four principle ways that God could be said to suffer, and discuss each of these in depth, and I try to discern which argument is the most realistic. I finish by presenting possible objections to my favoured argument, and describe how these can be overcome. Complete with footnotes and full bibliography.
The Human Soul in Plato and Christianity
This essay looks at the dialogues composed by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, and attempts to discern what they say about the human soul. Plato’s views are contrasted with a Christian perspective as I explore what the Bible and key theologians have said about the soul. The composition of the soul, the pre-existence of the soul (before birth), and reincarnation are also discussed. Complete with footnotes and a full bibliography.
