By Carl Waidell
The topic of the integration of faith and learning makes you reflect on the necessity of such an endeavor in postmodernity. While reading different perspectives on the subject and the reason it is deemed an essential category begs the question of why it would be necessary.
Considering why it appears that this is more a Protestant question rather than an Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic one. Perhaps the reason is that many Protestant denominations, affiliations, independent churches, and schools of academia discount the value of philosophic disciplines during the study. Conceivably, there are many reasons, but these are outside the purview of this essay. Still, the argument is made that because of this lack of interest in philosophy; there is a significant disconnect in modernity regarding locating and employing stable Christian ideas, principles, and moral teachings within our current social environment. More could be said on the matter, but for brevity’s sake, it seems more appropriate to address the need to establish a dynamic Christian epistemology and methodology that addresses our postmodern world. This essay will address the categories of Christian philo/theological disciplines. Namely, logic and epistemology, reason and faith, proper reasoning as the preambles of faith, articles of faith and Divine revelation, Scripture as the Christians' stable source of truth and moral standards, Christian history, and tradition as the means to avoid doctrinal error, the governmental authority of the Christian church to provide fidelity and continuity and three rival versions of moral inquiry.
It is affirmed in the study of epistemology that the first principles valued by any system of knowledge will determine its outcome. Idealism is the view that all reality can only be synthesized as ideas within the subjectivity of the mind. Consequently, material reality, or what is real, is interpreted by the subjective mind; therefore, the objective material world cannot be comprehended as it is. Although idealism finds its roots in Neo-Platonism, the more modern version is the Cartesian expression and the modes thereof, which leaves one to believe that all reality is gone to the relativity of one’s mind.
A contrary philosophical view to idealism is naturalism. Naturalism, in its various forms, denies the existence of anything that cannot be verified in the natural order of the cosmos. The modern empirical sciences reject the philosophic metaphysical and theological modes of inquiry regarding what can be known concerning the nature of existence and reality.
While both epistemic views of reality and others mold postmodern culture, the result is that idealism’s subjective nature creates an environment for the relativity of truth, and naturalism, in turn, denies the existence of a divine being. Consequently, two primary philosophical schools of thought that are dominant in our society leave us with quite a dilemma. First, if the truth is a subjective state of mind, then all truth is relative; put another way, there is nothing that can be determined as absolute truth. If truth is relative, your perception of reality is as valid as mine; “that is your truth, and this is my truth.” Second, if naturalism (empirical science) is the final word on what can be known, there is no place in humanity for the existence of a divine being. The consequence of these two epistemologies is that there is no absolute truth to base moral conduct upon, and there is no reason for humanity to seek assistance from a higher being or God. Perhaps Nietzsche’s words were prophetic when he said, “God is dead, and he shall remain dead, for we have killed him.”
With idealism and naturalism as two significant theories of knowledge reigning supreme, the Christian question is, how should we respond? Is there a Christian epistemology that can present a stable worldview that denies the relativity of truth and affirms the existence of God? If so, how can Christianity rationally show a better way forward for society?
When dealing with logic and epistemology, it can be argued that Thomas Aquinas was and still is one of the most influential minds regarding Christian philo/theological constructs. What makes his epistemology a stable one is that his starting point concerning reality, metaphysics, and theology begins with that which is the most observable and easiest to understand. Regarding stable ideas, the initial starting point of a solid Christian epistemology begins with the first principles (self-evident truths) of logic, physics, mathematics, and metaphysics as entrance into a reliable epistemology. Although some may dismiss the notions as unnecessary, arguing the fact of their importance would prove to be counterproductive. The self-evident truths can be summed up as the principle of non-contradiction, the principle of identity, the principle of the excluded middle, and the principle of sufficient reason. To explain these principles would prove to be a profitable endeavor; however, it is outside the scope of this text. Perhaps, one could argue that a Christian perspective of faith and learning begins with faith rather than reason. Many would indeed ascribe to such an argument.
Nonetheless, such an argument may be an uphill battle because scripture seems to imply that God expects us to use reason when determining what is true. Consider the prophet Isaiah’s admonition to the people when speaking for the Divine he says, “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD,” or when looking at the ministry of the Apostle Paul in the Book of Acts where on several occasions’ Scripture cites that he employed reasoning as essential to his Christian witness when dealing with the Jews. Additionally, Paul says in Romans 1:19, 20, “For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.” In the text, the Apostle makes it clear that with reason, man can understand that God exists without the use of Divine revelation.
The statement that the existence of God can be demonstrated without Divine revelation may be debated amongst Christendom, and there are arguments on both sides of the aisle concerning the matter. Nonetheless, experience may dictate that a rational demonstration of a divine being can be made. For example, Paul’s statement above in Romans says that those without God can postulate His existence, showing that creation is a testimony of a divine being. In this instance, Paul presents the first rational cosmological argument for the existence of God. It is an argument from the effects to the cause. Another example of the human capacity to reason the existence of God can be found pre-Christ in Aristotle’s work, where he shows that if anything exists in whatever form whatsoever, then God must “necessarily” exist. This proof of the existence of a divine being is called Aristotle’s “unmoved mover.”
Still, the question could be posited: if God's existence can be reasoned, what is the purpose of faith in the Christian perspective? However, maybe there is a better question: how can reason lead us to believe in a divine being? Perhaps this is where the rubber meets the road. It may be inferred from a scriptural and experiential point of view that the existence of God is rational and accessible to all humanity. If that is true, what is faith's purpose if reason can determine the presence of such a being? Anselm, a contrarian to the position, takes the Neo-Platonism approach, compelled to believe that the proper epistemic principle to understanding the Divine is faith prior to reason, saying that the Christian perspective is “faith seeking understanding.”
Nonetheless, this approach seems to imply that the existence of God is a self-evident truth. However, that argument does not hold water when considering Scripture (as noted above) and the nature of the ontological argument that confuses essence with existence. Nonetheless, this discussion is outside consideration concerning this text; however, one that should be noted.
Returning to the above concern of how reason can lead us to faith is a valid argument. When studying Aristotle and his philosophical construct relating to the existence of a divine being as “the unmoved mover,” he did not stop there. By employing reason, he postulated that such a being would be necessary, simple (not a composite being), immaterial, eternal, and the like. Thomas, in like step, would agree. When considering his writing the Summa Contra Gentiles, he argues that God's existence and some of his attributes can be philosophically reasoned with logic, epistemology, physics, philosophical anthropology, and metaphysics. Nonetheless, his point is that these rational and logical thoughts can infer the existence of a divine being. However, they fall short of the Christian theistic and intersubjective understanding of God.
When considering the integration of human reasoning (learning) and faith from a Christian perspective, it takes a unique turn when human understanding is confronted with God’s existence. The crucial question is, what are his attributes if a person can reason that a divine being exists? Is God accessible to human understanding beyond what can be asserted? With these questions and many others, it seems that Christianity is a viable and coherent tradition for explaining the nature of the Divine. Thomas, in his work the Summa Contra Gentiles, asserts that the reasoned existence of God and his necessary attributes are only a partial glimpse into the nature of God. The natural understanding of God’s existence can lead one to the threshold of faith as “preambles to faith.” Still, as a preface to faith, it can only understand an out-of-focus image of the Divine, often with many errors.
With the preambles of faith in mind, if one is going to comprehend the Christian perspective, moving from reason to faith is a necessary condition concerning further knowledge of God. When studying Christian Scripture from the first book of the New Testament to the last, faith in God is the gateway to understanding and intersubjective divine being. According to Martin Buber’s (a Jewish philosopher) notion of an intrapersonal relationship, the Christian faith shifts a person from an I–it impersonal relationship with the Divine to an I-Thou personal relationship between two beings of existence when faith is employed.
Human reasoning as a preamble to faith and the exercise of faith as the gateway into an understanding of God as an intrapersonal being leaves several lingering questions. If a relationship with the Divine begins with faith, how can a person know whether they understand the divine being correct? How does one know if their belief in God accurately represents his nature? These are valid questions, and Christianity does provide cogent and coherent epistemic and methodological solutions for how a person can avoid deception or illusion regarding the Divine. To answer these questions, the Christian does not have to look any further than the church history and their historically established articles of faith as sound doctrines regarding the Divine’s nature.
Concerning Christian articles of faith, these doctrines are the bedrock of the Christian understanding of God. These articles provide established ideas for understanding the Divine for those entering the faith. Although a new person to Christianity does not have a mature knowledge of what Christians believe and why they do, these doctrines provide sound first principles to build their faith upon. Initially, the new believer accepts these articles by faith. As they study and progress, and with the assistance of Divine revelation, they come to a deeper understanding of these articles and the Divine nature. With the gift of Divine revelation, the new believer’s mode of learning shifts from “preamble reasoning seeking faith” to “faith seeking understanding.”
Regarding the nature of “faith seeking understanding,” the Christian faith looks to four things to provide foundational principles to build a proper understanding of the Divine nature and how one ought to conduct themselves morally. They are Sacred Scripture, church history, tradition, and the governing authority of the Christian Church. The Christian faith bases its articles of faith on two primary texts. The first is the Hebrew Testament, commonly referred to as the Old Testament by Christians, and the second is the Christian Testament, which is referred to as the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Hebrew testimony of their interactions and experience with God and those things that can be understood concerning the Divine’s nature and his expectation regarding social and moral conduct. Christianity accepts this collection of writings as Divine revelation as God’s interpersonal relationship with the ordinary people of Ancient Israel. The New Testament is the Christian Church’s primary collection of essays that witness the nature of the Divine as a tri-unity within the one being that has expressed himself to humanity through the medium of his son, Jesus Christ. The New Testament builds its theological constructs centering on Jesus Christ’s incarnation, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and assentation to the “right hand of the Father” within the spiritual realm. Additionally, with the return of the Christ to the Father, His promise to those who believe is the infusion of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God.
The Christian community's high value for their history accompanies the value of the Sacred Scriptures (The Christian Bible). However, it may be thought that such an endeavor as understanding the topic would be a straightforward enterprise, but that might not be the case. In a fundamental sense, it can be approached prima facia, but the vast resources available for studying Christian history can be a lifetime commitment. Nonetheless, Christian history provides several important considerations when discussing the matter of a proper understanding of the Divine. First, it introduces believers to the historical significance of the different evolutionary periods within the development of the Christian faith. Secondly, it provides a framework for the historical progress of theological principles and doctrines that have been debated within the church to provide articles of faith based on important church counsels. With constructive debate, early Christian ministers produced the Christian creeds, which provided a sound understanding of Christian doctrines and practices. These creeds become the fundamental doctrines that give Christianity a sound knowledge of God to assist Christian followers in avoiding theological and moral errors on their pilgrimage. Lastly, it allows disciples of Christ to reflect on past spiritual practices that enable their spiritual and moral progress. Such historical practices deal with the proper understanding of worship, prayer, Christian sacraments, and solid ethical practices, to name a few.
Complimentary to Scripture and church history are the rich Christian traditions that help the believer to understand their place and roll with the context of their modern period. The passing down of traditions can be demonstrated to be a suitable means to provide a solid basis for one’s understanding of the Divine both in the Old and New Testaments. These religious traditions take place within the framework of covenantal language, liturgical practices, the symbolic nature of the sacraments, and the like. Such normative practices within the Christian’s pursuit of a proper understanding of God become spiritual disciplines that bring higher degrees of spiritual maturity when practiced regularly.
The last association concerning the Christian understanding of a proper framework for understanding God is the authority of the Christian Church in its various governmental preferences. Although there are many governmental modes of operation, all legitimate ones find their basis of authority based upon Scripture, church history, and relevant Christian traditions as the primary basis for their governance. When Christian churches stay consistently faithful to the categories mentioned, they assist in safeguarding Christian error relating to individuals, divergent sects, and spiritual movements in postmodern society, Christian and otherwise.
One last thing is to be considered when considering the epistemic and methodological exemplar for a stable Christian learning environment. Although there is much to say on the topics mentioned in this writing and other nuanced thoughts, approaching such concerns is outside the intent of this text. Nonetheless, when engaging the subject of the integration of faith and learning, it seems advantageous to approach the enterprise with a clarity that provides the student of Christianity with the best way in which to proceed. If one is to give a proper framework for Christian disciples to engage in a learning environment, it seems evident that a focused and well-thought-out strategy is in order. Concerning such a strategic approach Alasdair MacIntyre presents a strong argument for a methodology based on a consistent epistemology and method to provide a foundational position to address postmodernism’s influence on our culture. In his book, Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry: Encyclopaedic, Geneology, and Tradition, he debates the assumption. In his narrative, he addresses the topic by juxtaposing encyclopaedical general relativism that blurs the lines of truth statements, thereby rendering itself to skepticism. Geneology, on the other hand, emphasizes a Hegelian dialectic tension model that denies the existence of anything as necessarily true while at the same time embracing philosophical deconstructionism designed to destroy historic metanarratives, the denial of the metaphysical category, and the existence of God. As mentioned in the introduction of this essay, these two philosophical influences are representations of secular idealism and atheistic naturalism.
Upon addressing these two philosophical positions, MacIntyre argues for a better Christian epistemology and methodology that he calls the traditional mode of enquiry. The traditional model is a theory that posits that when dealing with postmodern culture and its influences, there is a better model for integrating one’s faith tradition with learning. Rather than relying on general knowledge (encyclopaedic) or a synthetical dialectic (geneological) the Christian student should learn a traditional school of understanding that presents itself with continuity, cogency, and coherency regarding the disciplines of philosophy, science, and theology. As an analytical Thomist, he favors Thomism's philo/theological tradition. Nonetheless, he is not inferring that it is the best or only traditional mode of inquiry that is effective.
Rather than make an apology for the validity of Thomism, Alasdair argues that the best way to integrate faith and learning is to teach one coherent system of belief. Once a student has mastered the system, whether it be a mode of Thomism, Reformed philosophy and theology, or others, the way of inquiry provides the learner with a mature epistemology and methodology to present their positions against other methods of inquiry. When debating social, philosophical, theological, scientific, and ethical concerns, one uses the traditional inquiry model to decern what is true concerning the nature of reality. If the modal position is the most coherent, it should be considered viable. Where the modality fails or is weakened, the traditional school of thought revisits the epistemic and methodological positions and modifies them to present a cogent argument.
Maybe it seems that the traditional mode of inquiry is a self-evident truth, but that might not be the case as it has been the author’s experience that most Christian learning environments rely on an encyclopaedic mode of inquiry incorporating different schools of thought within the learning environment. This essay argues that a traditional method of inquiry, as outlined above, should be considered the most viable of the three. Secondly, this text has addressed the categories of Christian philo/theological disciplines. Namely, logic and epistemology, reason and faith, proper reasoning as the preambles of faith, articles of faith and Divine revelation, Scripture as the Christians' stable source of truth and moral standards, Christian history, and tradition as the means to avoid doctrinal error, the governmental authority of the Christian church to provide fidelity and continuity.