Lament for a Son

them, Reformed epistemologists argue that faith in God can be a similarly fundamental belief.

This approach was developed in the 1980s by a group of philosophers including Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, and Nicholas Wolterstorff himself. It draws inspiration from the Reformed tradition of Protestant Christianity, which emphasizes God’s sovereignty and the limitations of human reason.

Reformed epistemology is particularly relevant to Lament for a Son because it helps explain how Wolterstorff approaches questions of faith in the face of profound grief and suffering. Rather than attempting to prove God’s existence or goodness through philosophical arguments, Wolterstorff’s work often reflects a deep-seated faith that persists even in the midst of heart-wrenching loss. This may explain why Wolterstorff doesn’t engage in extensive logical proofs about God’s nature or existence in the book. Instead, his faith serves as a starting point from which he wrestles with the reality of suffering and loss, reflecting the Reformed epistemological view that belief in God can be a basic, rationally- justified stance.