Finally! I almost thought this day would never get here! The past eight weeks have been emotionally and spiritually volatile to say the least. Now, after what seemed would be a near eternity, school has started and I feel like the journey has officially begun. Not everything has worked out as I had hoped - at least, not yet, anyway. Our house still hasn't sold, and I was only able to enroll in two classes for the summer. Still, it's a relief to finally get started.
Philosophy 215: Philosophical Issues is where I began today. A month from now I'll dive into World Civilizations, but mostly I'm looking forward to ten weeks of learning about and debating some of the issues that have not yet become sciences. Of course, I'm certain we'll spend a good portion of time on God and religion, especially since every current issue covered in the textbook can be answered from the Bible. Unfortunately, though, the Bible will not serve as an answering authority for the class. Apparently, the goal of philosophy, I found out by reading ahead in the text book a month ago when I bought my copy, is "intellectual independence", a.k.a., "enlightenment." If philosophy is to be practiced appropriately and effectively, it must be approached completely apart from any predisposition to beliefs, faiths, or values. If we believe something, we are to arrive at our conclusion because of logic alone.
This is where, as a Christian, things may get a little tricky. See, I believe the Bible is God's complete and perfect word to us, at least in its original form, and that even our modern translations have been completed in trustworthy integrity. What this means is that I believe what it tells me about God, about us, and how we relate. So, when I read David's declaration in Psalm 119, which includes, "I've even become smarter than my teachers since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel. I've become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me." (The Message), I have to believe that is God's nature and He will be the same source of wisdom for anyone who seeks Him just as much as I have to believe the words of John 3:16.
This does not mean that it is pointless to learn the art of philosophizing, though. I believe one of the great hindrances and ultimate flaws of biblical Christianity is the old "just believe the Bible" type of answer. Don't get me wrong. The Bible is to be trusted - or, better, the God of the Bible is to be trusted - before anything else. When it comes to sharing and defending our faith, though, "just trust the Bible" doesn't work in the twenty-first century mind. If we as Christians are going to stop and prevent the turning away trend we continue to see, especially among young people, we have got to be reasonable in our arguments for God. We are all given different gifts and callings to use within the body of Christ, but we all need to be able to legitimately defend our faith to some extent. We have got to stop running away from issues and questions that arise and start speaking to the needs and questions and misconceptions of our culture, which means we have to have some general knowledge of how the Bible speaks to us today. I am confident there are sufficient responses to every question posed of Christianity, even though the scientific method cannot reproduce the phenomenon of salvation.
While this may sound a little uncomfortable, and maybe even foreign to some of us, it is the same message most of us have grown up with Sunday after Sunday - the message of giving our lives to God. This is not about reducing God to some debatable subject. This is about fulfilling the mission of Jesus that has been passed on to us - the ministry of reconciliation (1 Corinthians 15). This is about giving the "reason" for our hope to anyone who ask. This is about truly and wholly bowing down to God as His servants. "Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." (Proverbs 1:7, The Message).
That's all I have for now. It's not exactly where I intended to go when I started a few minutes ago, and the ending is a little abrupt, but it feels good to get it out. I have several issues I want to write about and class hasn't even gotten going good yet. Maybe this will be the end of my "blogger's block" anyway.
Philosophy 215: Philosophical Issues is where I began today. A month from now I'll dive into World Civilizations, but mostly I'm looking forward to ten weeks of learning about and debating some of the issues that have not yet become sciences. Of course, I'm certain we'll spend a good portion of time on God and religion, especially since every current issue covered in the textbook can be answered from the Bible. Unfortunately, though, the Bible will not serve as an answering authority for the class. Apparently, the goal of philosophy, I found out by reading ahead in the text book a month ago when I bought my copy, is "intellectual independence", a.k.a., "enlightenment." If philosophy is to be practiced appropriately and effectively, it must be approached completely apart from any predisposition to beliefs, faiths, or values. If we believe something, we are to arrive at our conclusion because of logic alone.
This is where, as a Christian, things may get a little tricky. See, I believe the Bible is God's complete and perfect word to us, at least in its original form, and that even our modern translations have been completed in trustworthy integrity. What this means is that I believe what it tells me about God, about us, and how we relate. So, when I read David's declaration in Psalm 119, which includes, "I've even become smarter than my teachers since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel. I've become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me." (The Message), I have to believe that is God's nature and He will be the same source of wisdom for anyone who seeks Him just as much as I have to believe the words of John 3:16.
This does not mean that it is pointless to learn the art of philosophizing, though. I believe one of the great hindrances and ultimate flaws of biblical Christianity is the old "just believe the Bible" type of answer. Don't get me wrong. The Bible is to be trusted - or, better, the God of the Bible is to be trusted - before anything else. When it comes to sharing and defending our faith, though, "just trust the Bible" doesn't work in the twenty-first century mind. If we as Christians are going to stop and prevent the turning away trend we continue to see, especially among young people, we have got to be reasonable in our arguments for God. We are all given different gifts and callings to use within the body of Christ, but we all need to be able to legitimately defend our faith to some extent. We have got to stop running away from issues and questions that arise and start speaking to the needs and questions and misconceptions of our culture, which means we have to have some general knowledge of how the Bible speaks to us today. I am confident there are sufficient responses to every question posed of Christianity, even though the scientific method cannot reproduce the phenomenon of salvation.
While this may sound a little uncomfortable, and maybe even foreign to some of us, it is the same message most of us have grown up with Sunday after Sunday - the message of giving our lives to God. This is not about reducing God to some debatable subject. This is about fulfilling the mission of Jesus that has been passed on to us - the ministry of reconciliation (1 Corinthians 15). This is about giving the "reason" for our hope to anyone who ask. This is about truly and wholly bowing down to God as His servants. "Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." (Proverbs 1:7, The Message).
That's all I have for now. It's not exactly where I intended to go when I started a few minutes ago, and the ending is a little abrupt, but it feels good to get it out. I have several issues I want to write about and class hasn't even gotten going good yet. Maybe this will be the end of my "blogger's block" anyway.
posted by Jonathan Branch at 6:49 PM
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