All in Faith vs Reason
Christians run reason through a sieve of faith, but that in no way cancels out reason. Faith welcomes reason! Even more, faith makes room for doubt! It is true, yes, that God is far greater than reason, but he comes to us in ways that reason welcomes and embraces. In this episode I tell the stories about the first college class I ever taught and about sharing my faith with my mom. I also explore a recent neuroscientist's book on Near Death Experiences.
Why do I believe? Well, by this world's standards Jesus' method was utterly crazy! His approach is shocking. So he is not your ordinary hero, even though you might not notice that upon first glance. I also have a movie review: 3 Billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri.
Why am I a Christian? Just why do I believe? This is the first half of a two-part delineation of why I embrace the Christian worldview. I speak variously to spiritual, existential, and philosophical issues that are profound for me. To that end I describe an automobile accident I was in, why and that beauty is so gripping to me, and what the Bible has to say about human nature.
If God is beyond and outside of reality how can we say the universe then mirrors him? How dare we say that there is reason woven into the universe? Another question, do all people reason the same way? Why or why not? You see, Christianity is a perspective we look through and into reality, not something we only look at.
We all live our lives based on a story. By which story are you living? God is a risky author-actor: he lets other subjects and beings have a role in his own very play. We can say “no,” we can somewhat alter the story. But if we're going to join God at recess, we'll be asked to play by the guidelines of his playground. Oh, and I also speak toward what all this means for me.
Which story influences your life? The Bible is a story, with God as the main actor and author, that is meant to influence all lives. But, just what is a narrative approach to theology or to life? (I also review the movie Wonder).
Amazingly, reason cannot stand on its own. An unbounded reason often turns into a bone-crushing monster. For example, in some cultures it is reasonable to euthanize the mentally handicapped, or treat women as less than fully human. So, reason needs faith. The problem is that our Post-Cartesian society has made us swallow the blue pill of blindness, of blind faith. Jesus Christ offers us the red pill of reality, reality filled with truth, meaning, and grace. Let me show you some ways that faith informs Christian reasoning.
Just thinking about reason submitting to faith sounds ominous! Does that mean we turn our brain off? Does that mean we only think "Christian" thoughts? Spiritual thoughts? I also discuss chronological snobbery, a weird experience I had a coffee shop, and a shopping trip to Home Depot. Come and think with me!
Christian culture assumes that all doubt is evil. Some might be. But what if there was doubt that was not only not evil but actually positively beneficial? The Lord would rather have your honest doubt than your fake faith. Doubt drove me to become a theologian, and for that I’m so grateful!
Perplexingly, the Bible's undergirding presupposition is Faith. But, just what is faith? How should we define it? And, how does the Bible prove faith? Or, to what did Jesus appeal in order to "prove" himself and his identity? Similarly, how do we explain or prove a miracle? How does faith manifest in everyday life? This episode also contains a movie review.
We are bombarded with daily instructions to doubt all of reality. Contrastingly, the Bible shows us that we simply must begin with faith. Jesus himself called for faith, faith in him and his message. But there can be no appeal greater than God himself, and in this episode I will explore the logic of why that is the case. In the end, believers are called to exhibit humble confidence or a confident humility. Oh, and I share some of my own faith-journey.
Scientists believe, passionately! To do their work they simply must be committed to their own discipline's knowledge. Michael Polanyi, himself a chemist, shows us that it is impossible to believe anything meaningful without commitment. I dare you to ask yourself, and others, questions. Jesus asked uncomfortable questions. All of this is because it is not healthy to be a sheeple!
Are Scientists only objective? Is religious faith unusual? Well, we are taught daily that science is based on pure reason. But in this episode, following Michael Polanyi as our guide, I will show that actually science involves great subjectivity. Moreover, the doing of science involves trust, that is faith, risk, and commitment; qualities that are normally relegated to the world of religious faith.
The standard mantra goes, “faith is for religion, facts are for science.” But the truth is huge chunks of our everyday lives are lived by faith. You don't know how electricity works, but you trust the people who do, and you trust who built your appliances, wired your house. It takes faith to learn how to play the guitar. Faith, then, is not so unusual as we think. This episode also contains a movie review.
