The Problem of Pragmatism: A Critique of Alister <scp>McGrath</scp>'s <i>The Nature of Christian Doctrine</i>

Abstract McGrath wants to replace Lindbeck's model with a model developed in analogy with natural science, which respects the value of different approaches and where pragmatism according to Peirce and James should be relevant for both theology and natural science. However, Peirce and James disagree in their understanding of pragmatism. The article explores which position McGrath defends, and whether this position is inherently consistent. Is his approach grounded in a theory of ultimate truth, or does it have a more utilitarian orientation? And is the way McGrath approaches this question relevant for the understanding of Christian doctrine? The article maintains that the original criteria for evaluating Christian doctrine were less flexible than McGrath suggests and that McGrath's version of pragmatism therefore seems to be at variance with the metaphysics that originally informed the development of Christian doctrine.