Faith and Reason: Three Views (Spectrum Multiview Books)

by Steve Wilkens

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2014

Overview

Life confronts us with an endless stream of questions. Some are trivial. But some draw us into the deepest dimensions of human inquiry, a place where our decisions have profound implications for life and faith. Is there a God, and if so, how can I know anything about who or what God is? Is the quest for truth an elusive dream? How should I live and what should I value? What happens at the end of my biological existence? These questions lead people of every creed and belief to consider important existential concepts. But many people wrestle with the relationship between faith and reason as they dig into the roots of this theological and philosophical pursuit. Does a shared interest in a common set of questions indicate that philosophy and theology are close kin and allies, or are they competitors vying for our souls, each requiring a loyalty that excludes the other? In Faith and Reason, Steve Wilkens edits a debate between three different understandings of the relationship between faith and reason, between theology and philosophy. The first viewpoint, Faith and Philosophy in Tension, proposes faith and reason as hostile, exclusive opposites, each dangerous to the integrity of the other. The second, Faith Seeking Understanding, suggests that faithful Christians are called to make full use of their rational faculties to aid in the understanding and interpretation of what they believe by faith. In the third stance, Thomistic Synthesis, natural reason acts as a handmaiden to theology by actively pointing people toward salvation and deeper knowledge of spiritual truths. Bringing together multiple views on the relationship between faith, philosophy and reason, this introduction to a timeless quandary will help you navigate, with rigor and joy, one of the most significant discussions of the Christian community.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Therefore we ought to affirm as Christian believers that a robust trust in the Lord is lived out (in part) by a quest for truth, understanding and knowledge. Both the Bible and much of the Christian tradition value reason and are critical of the pretensions of the human heart and mind. So faithful Christians should not fear reason and hard thinking, while at the same time human thinking needs the purification of the Living Word and the Spirit of God, if we are to achieve the goal of worshiping God with our whole being: heart, soul, mind and strength.” (Pages 86–87)

“Theology, as opposed to religious studies,¹ starts from an attitude of trust or faith. In other words, the Christian theologian is committed to beliefs (perhaps as a result of prior philosophical investigations) that are central to the Christian faith.” (Page 8)

“Thus Paul’s appeal to faith over philosophy is connected essentially with preserving peace within the church.^{5” (Page 39)}

“Yet, if we understand reason in the third way that I offer—that is, as the capacity to take into account real relationships and to apprehend truths beyond our own intellect’s natural capacity—we see that Raschke’s claim falters. In order to ‘apprehend’ Christ we must employ our reason. In order to see the distance between God’s wisdom and our own human wisdom we must employ reason. In order to see that a crucified criminal overcomes our sin we must employ reason. In fact, in order to understand whether reason can or cannot ‘reconcile’ two ideas is to employ reason itself! This is not reason in the fallen and corrupted form of the logical positivists who set out to dismantle theology, but it is the rich tradition of reason found in the work of Augustine, Aquinas, Hooker, Wesley and Lewis.” (Pages 77–78)

Product Details

• Title: Faith and Reason: Three Views
• Author: Steve Wilkens
• Series: Spectrum Multiview Books
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Logos Release Date: 2016
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Faith and reason › Christianity
• ISBNs: 9780830880232, 9780830840403, 0830880232, 0830840400
• Resource ID: LLS:FTHRSNTHRVWS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:08:38Z

About Steve Wilkens

Steve Wilkens, Ph.D. is professor of theology and ethics in the School of Theology. In the past, he has been involved in APU’s Great Works Option program, a living-learning environment that teaches liberal arts academics in the High Sierras, which has allowed him to teach outside of the traditional class setting. He has authored several books including, Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics and Good Ideas from Questionable Christians and Outright Pagans and co-authored Christianity and Western Thought: Faith and Reason in the Nineteenth Century, Vol. II.