20 Foundationalism : Dead or Alive ?

Millard J. Erickson is the Distinguished Professor of Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. In addition to teaching at a number of institutions during his career, Dr. Erickson also served as the Vice President and Dean at Bethel Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including the recently published Making Sense of the Trinity (Baker) and a forthcoming work titled Truth or Consequences: The Promise and Perils of Postmodernism (IVP). Introduction One of the most prominent terms in recent characterizations of the differences between modern and postmodern is foundationalism. Modernism made a strong appeal to foundationalism, but postmodernists are virtually unanimous in the opinion that foundationalism must be rejected. Indeed, James McClendon and Nancey Murphy regard holism rather than foundationalism as one of the criteria of postmodernism.1 The purpose of this article will be to examine the nature of this dispute to determine whether foundationalism is indeed untenable as a means of justifying theological doctrine.