Who I Am



Department of Philosophy
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Parkway
Box 455028
Las Vegas, NV  89154-5028

Vocational Posts:

Education:

Doctoral Thesis:

A New Metaphysics for Christian Demonology: Psychodynamic Immaterialism
Director:  Dr. Lloyd Strickland


Research Interests/Specialties:

    • Philosophy of Religion
    • Philosophy of Christian Demonology
    • The Coherence of Theism
    • Existentialism
    • Biblical Studies
    • Protestant Theology/History
    • Ethics

Papers and Publications:

  • Books
  • The Conqueror's Tread: A Reasoned Approach to Spiritual Warfare (forthcoming).
    • Gods of this World (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2018).
  • Book Chapters
    • Forthcoming: “Angels, Early Theories,” Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion, ed. by Charles Taliaferro and Stewart Goetz (Wiley-Blackwell; 2021).
    • “Christian Demonology: A New Philosophical Perspective,” in Philosophical Perspectives of Demonology, ed. by Robert Arp and Benjamin McGraw (Routledge, 2017).
  • Conference Papers
    • "The Apologetic Value of Christian Demonology" (2019; paper read at the annual Evangelical Philosophical Society in San Diego, CA).
    • “An Ever-lacking Punishment? A Response to the Ethical Argument from Justice against Eschatological Annihilationism” (2018; paper to be read at the annual Evangelical Philosophical Society).
    • “A Reply to David Kyle Johnson: On Justified Belief” (2018; paper to be read at the southwest division of the Evangelical Philosophical Society).
    • “Can Demons Do the Extraordinary, Or Is It All In Your Head?” (2016; paper read at the pacific regional division of the Society of Christian Philosophers).
    • “The Implausibility of a Diabolical Theodicy” (2015; paper read at the mid-western regional division of the Evangelical Philosophical Association).
  • Journal Articles
    • “A New Challenge to a Warfare Theodicy,” International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 5.2 (December, 2017).
    • "Rationalism and the Historical Mind-Body Controversy," Quodlibet, 4 (2002).

 Other Professional Talks/Speeches:

  • Panel Debate on “Lust: How to Own our Sexuality” at the Center for Science and Wonder (April 28, 2018; forthcoming).
  • “What Hath Philosophy to do with Me?” speech for Phi Theta Kappa, the College of Southern Nevada’s local Honor Society (April 22, 2016).
  • “The Meaning of Life as a Tool for Evangelism” speech for the UNLV Christian Graduates Organization (April 25, 2014).
  • “Reasoning the Resurrection: Where Athens Meets Jerusalem” presentation in UNLV’s Phil: Reason & Religion course (Fall 2012).
  • Public debate with Dr. William Ramsey: “Which is More Reasonable: Christianity or Atheism?” at UNLV (April, 2011).

Membership in Professional Organizations:

  • Society of Christian Philosophers
  • Evangelical Theological Society
  • American Philosophical Association

Awards Received:

  • 1997:  The International Honour Society’s Certificate of Outstanding Scholastic Achievement

Courses Taught:

  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Logic & Critical Thinking
  • Ethics
  • American Philosophy
  • The Meaning of Life
  • Introduction to Philosophy

January 12, 2021

Well, it's a new year but ongoing challenges continue to plague both the United States and the church. The ongoing pandemic is continuing to stunt various ministry activities as well as academic conferences, as philosophers around the world are on "hold" until communities reach some sufficient level of herd immunity. Until then, most are meeting by teleconference.

I am currently preparing for the new semester which, as of this posting, is scheduled to occur in person. We'll see how long that lasts! I am also involved in some upcoming speaking engagements that will be posted here once made available. Exciting stuff!

Some videos that were recorded in promotion of The Oasis Vegas church will be added to my Media collection here when they become available. Therein I talk about, ironically, the coronavirus (as I was hit by it in October) and the problem of evil (among some other issues).

Still seeking publication for my next book but it has allowed me to add to and polish the current manuscript. God has his timing!

Publications

Professional Publications:

Review of Hearing Voices, Demonic and Divine: Scientific and Theological Perspectives by Christopher C. H. Cook (Routledge, 2018) for the American Academy of Religion

Gods of this World (Eugence, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2018)

"Assessing the Extra-Dimensional Hypothesis as a Christian Explanation of Paranormal Activity" (forthcoming)

"Angels: Early Theories," entry in The Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion, ed. by Charles Taliaferro and Stewart Goetz (forthcoming)

“A New Challenge to a Warfare Theodicy,” International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 5.2 (December, 2017).

"Christian Demonology: A New Philosophical Perspective," Philosophical Approaches to Demonology, ed. by Robert Arp and Benjamin McCraw (London: Routledge, 2017), chapter 3.

"The Implausibility of a Diabolical Theodicy" (paper read at the mid-western region of the EPS; 2015)

"A New Metaphysics for Christian Demonology: Psychodynamic Immaterialism" (Ph.D dissertation; 2015)

"Rationalism and the Historical Mind-Body Controversy," Quodlibet (Volume IV, Number 2-3; 2002).

“Concerning Theodore Drange’s Argument from Evil for the Non-Existence of God,” The Examined Life Online Philosophy Journal (Volume III, Issue 10; 2002).

On Gillespie’s Misapplication of the A-Theory of Time to the Impossibility of an Actual Infinite in the Kalam Cosmological Argument” The Examined Life Online Philosophy Journal (Volume I, Issue 3; 2000).

Popular-Level Articles:

"Do You Mean That You Believe in Devils Too?": A Reply to Hitchens and Barker (2016)

Can Satan Read Your Mind? (2011)

The Epistemic Argument Against Abortion (2008)

A Molinist Perspective on the Homiletical "Divine Appointment" (2005)

A Swift Response to Dan Barker's "Cosmological Kalamity" (2004)

Atheism and the Argumentum ad Ignorantiam: Why Atheists Cannot Avert the Burden of Proof (2003)

Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus (2000 - section IV reviewed by Dr. Ed Nelson)

"They Shall Never Perish": Possible Worlds and the Problem of Eternal Security (1998; 2010)

A New Discussion on Mormonism (1989; 2008)

Media

Podcast interview on "Master's Crib" with Pastor Jason Burger (January 12, 2021) discussing "Judges 6 and God's Authority to interrupt."

Interview on my book, Gods of this World with Eric Chabot (with Ratio Christi) (December 8, 2020)

Interview on Capturing Christianity: "Why Demons Probably Exist" (October 29, 2020)

Debate on "Arguments For/Against the Existence of God": Daniel Schalit vs. Shandon L. Guthrie (2014)

The Big 5 Series, Part 1: Did God Gommand Moral Atrocities in the Old Testament?

The Big 5 Series, Part 2:: How Can God Exist When There is Evil in the World?

The Big 5 Series, Part 3: How Can God Exist When There is Evil in the World? continued

The Big 5 Series, Part 4: Where Did God Come From? ... And Other Questions on Cosmology

The Big 5 Series, Part 5: Why Does God Seem so Hidden?

The Big 5 Series, Part 6:

[Questions about] God and the Coherence of the Divine Attributes

Debate on "Pride: What Should we See in the Mirror?" (Sept. 29, 2018) that occurred at the Center for Science and Wonder.

Opening Statement in Debate on "Lust: How Should we Best Own our Sexuality?" (April 2018) that occurred at the Center for Science and Wonder.

What Is Apologetics? (2014)

Debate: William Ramsey & Michael Gobaud vs. Shandon L. Guthrie & Jordan Fishel: Which is More Reasonable: Christianity or Atheism? (April, 2011)

"Mormonism pt. 1" and "Mormonism pt. 2" (2011)

Q & A Panel at UNLV on "How Do You Know God Exists?" (2011)

Q & A Panel at UNLV on "How Can You Decide Which Religion is the 'Right Religion'?" (2011)

Q & A Panel at UNLV on "If God exists, why would he allow his creation to experience pain, hurt, and sorrow?" (2011)

Q & A Panel at UNLV on "If God is loving, then why did he give word to those in the old testament to kill every man, woman, and child?" (2011)

Q & A Panel at UNLV on "What is the Trinity, and how can one God be three separate entities?" (2011)

Debate: Shandon Guthrie vs. Doug Krueger: Atheism vs. Theism: Which View is More Rational? (May 9, 2005)

Book

Gods of this World

“Philosophers of religion have focused almost exclusively on the existence and nature of God and the nature and destiny of human beings. But these philosophers have been remiss in engaging discussions about the possibility of there being adverse gods of this world (demonic beings) despite being a doctrine that comprises a significant part of the Christian confession. This drought in the literature has left a number of questions unaddressed including:

Hasn’t science buried the demonic?
Are there any successful philosophical arguments for the existence of Satan?
What kind of being is Satan? Is he the fallen angel of lore?
Is it reasonable for Christians to say that demons are purely immaterial spirits?
Can demons causally interact with the physical world and its inhabitants?

Can demons perform diabolical miracles? Shandon Guthrie broaches new territory beginning with a rigorous defense for the existence of Satan and his cohorts. He then advances and defends a model for how to understand their nature in terms of their ontology and causal powers. No other book has attempted a full-fledged natural diabology on behalf of Christian orthodoxy. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the dark side of Christian theology and metaphysics.”

 

"A large part of the world population believes in demons, angels, ghosts, and other supernatural forces, and yet very few philosophers have dared to develop a serious account of such beings. Guthrie’s Gods of this World is a brilliant, unique work offering a serious philosophical account of the demonic with analytical skill and excellent research."
        -Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College

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