Meaning, truth and doctrine : George Lindbeck's The Nature of Doctrine

Abstract

When The Nature of Doctrine came out in 1984, its importance was instantly recognized. Underlying Lindbeck's fascination with doctrine, there is the more fundamental matter of thought and language as models of reality. In the context of religious language, Lindbeck investigates the meaning and truth of religious statements. He is concerned about whether the metaphysical is sayable, whether God can be referred to and spoken of, whether a religious utterance makes sense if detached from its context, and most particularly, what it is that endows religious utterances with truth or falsity.