The Long Shadow of Emile Cailliet

Book excerpt: This book aims to examine the importance of Christian philosophy in theological education through the prism of the life and teachings of Emile Cailliet. The book's primary focus is on his years of teaching at Princeton Theological Seminary, to which all the authors are connected. This work examines Cailliet as a believer, teacher, scholar, and philosopher. Although Cailliet wrote over twenty books, none of them articulated his formal position on the nature of theological education. However, it is clear from his teaching at seminary and his writings on philosophy, especially Pascal, that he saw philosophy as an integral part of seminary training. We want to preserve his work because he was a seminal but neglected thinker whose influence extends from science to literature and from philosophy to spirituality and theology. We believe that Emile Cailliet was one of the most influential Christians of the twentieth century. We invite the reader to stand in the long shadow of Cailliet and consider how his life and thought can help us tackle some of the knotty questions that face us today.