William Lane Craig (left) and J.P. Moreland (right)

Biola professors William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland were recognized this fall on the list of “The 50 Most Influential Living Philosophers” on the college-ranking website thebestschools.org.

The list highlights “50 of the most influential philosophers working, thinking, writing and teaching in the world today,” according to the website, which was founded by university professors and educators from across the nation to assist prospective students in finding the best university for them.

“Though usually not household names, contemporary philosophers have radically altered the way we think about all sorts of things — from the nature of God to the role of race in democracy,” reads the list description.

Craig, a research professor of philosophy for Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, is a renowned apologist who speaks on Christian apologetics around the world. He is well known for many of his books, including Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics and the corresponding website, reasonablefaith.org. According to The Best Schools, “Craig has been most influential as a major voice of contemporary theology.”

Moreland, a distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot, has authored, edited and contributed to nearly 100 books, including Scaling the Secular City, Love Your God With All Your Mind and Kingdom Triangle. According to The Best Schools, Moreland’s work “combines metaphysics, philosophy of mind, chemistry and theology, and he is known for his defense of the existence of God and the supernatural, as well as ‘Old-Earth Creationism.’” 

To create the list, The Best Schools used a wide variety of metrics, including academic citations and online followings, as well as conversations with other philosophers in order to identify those who have made the most significant impacts in the field.