Paul Moser
Moser's New Book Explores Faith and Philosophy
Paul Moser, PhD, professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, will have his book, God on Trial: Testing for the Divine, published with Fortress Press in September 2025.
The book challenges readers to consider whether God invites scrutiny and how such a trial should be conducted.
“Professor Moser’s work challenges us to think deeply about faith, reason, and the nature of belief,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His scholarship inspires readers and students to ask thoughtful questions and seek meaningful answers, fostering critical engagement with philosophy and religion.”
In God on Trial, Moser argues that humans are not only allowed, but encouraged, to test God—so long as the standards used align with God’s moral character. He contends that questioning God’s trustworthiness is essential to understanding the nature of divine goodness and belief.
“I wrote the book to confront common questions about the rationality and the irrationality of belief in God,” Moser stated. He credits his students for inspiring many of these questions, emphasizing that they deserve clear and well-reasoned answers.
“I hope readers will be aided in formulating their questions about God more clearly and in proceeding toward reasonable answers, that is, answers based on good evidence,” Moser said.
He encourages readers to consider what kind of evidence would be appropriate for a God who is morally perfect and worthy of worship.
Moser joined Loyola University Chicago in 1983 and served as Faculty Director of the University Core Curriculum from 2004 until 2009. His research interests include epistemology, theories of rationality, philosophy of religion, and New Testament studies.
Reflecting on his time at Loyola, Moser highlighted the university’s role in shaping his scholarship.
“Loyola has been a wonderful place to have my research in the areas of the theory of knowledge and the philosophy of religion contribute to my teaching undergraduate and graduate students,” Moser reflected. “My students and colleagues have also been helpful in advancing my research with extensive and wide-ranging discussions over many years.”
In his classes, Moser encouraged his students to critically engage with questions of faith, morality, and existence. He stresses the importance of defining key terms to ensure clarity in philosophical and theological inquiry.
“Theological beliefs without evidence are little better than wishful thinking,” Moser stated. “As truth-seekers, we should not settle for wishful thinking in areas important to life and death.”
An accomplished scholar, Moser has authored and edited numerous books and published over 100 articles and chapters in various academic journals. He also serves as an editor for the Cambridge University Press Series, Elements: Religion and Monotheism, and the Routledge series Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy.
Looking ahead, Moser is drafting his next book, What Jesus and Paul Saw: Renewal by Divine Love, which explores how individuals can experience moral and spiritual renewal through encounters with God.
Learn more about Moser, and preorder God on Trial.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 13 schools and colleges. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments, 31 interdisciplinary programs, and 7 interdisciplinary centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of university-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the university’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”
Paul Moser, PhD, professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, will have his book, God on Trial: Testing for the Divine, published with Fortress Press in September 2025.
The book challenges readers to consider whether God invites scrutiny and how such a trial should be conducted.
“Professor Moser’s work challenges us to think deeply about faith, reason, and the nature of belief,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His scholarship inspires readers and students to ask thoughtful questions and seek meaningful answers, fostering critical engagement with philosophy and religion.”
In God on Trial, Moser argues that humans are not only allowed, but encouraged, to test God—so long as the standards used align with God’s moral character. He contends that questioning God’s trustworthiness is essential to understanding the nature of divine goodness and belief.
“I wrote the book to confront common questions about the rationality and the irrationality of belief in God,” Moser stated. He credits his students for inspiring many of these questions, emphasizing that they deserve clear and well-reasoned answers.
“I hope readers will be aided in formulating their questions about God more clearly and in proceeding toward reasonable answers, that is, answers based on good evidence,” Moser said.
He encourages readers to consider what kind of evidence would be appropriate for a God who is morally perfect and worthy of worship.
Moser joined Loyola University Chicago in 1983 and served as Faculty Director of the University Core Curriculum from 2004 until 2009. His research interests include epistemology, theories of rationality, philosophy of religion, and New Testament studies.
Reflecting on his time at Loyola, Moser highlighted the university’s role in shaping his scholarship.
“Loyola has been a wonderful place to have my research in the areas of the theory of knowledge and the philosophy of religion contribute to my teaching undergraduate and graduate students,” Moser reflected. “My students and colleagues have also been helpful in advancing my research with extensive and wide-ranging discussions over many years.”
In his classes, Moser encouraged his students to critically engage with questions of faith, morality, and existence. He stresses the importance of defining key terms to ensure clarity in philosophical and theological inquiry.
“Theological beliefs without evidence are little better than wishful thinking,” Moser stated. “As truth-seekers, we should not settle for wishful thinking in areas important to life and death.”
An accomplished scholar, Moser has authored and edited numerous books and published over 100 articles and chapters in various academic journals. He also serves as an editor for the Cambridge University Press Series, Elements: Religion and Monotheism, and the Routledge series Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy.
Looking ahead, Moser is drafting his next book, What Jesus and Paul Saw: Renewal by Divine Love, which explores how individuals can experience moral and spiritual renewal through encounters with God.
Learn more about Moser, and preorder God on Trial.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 13 schools and colleges. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments, 31 interdisciplinary programs, and 7 interdisciplinary centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of university-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the university’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”