Sort of running concurrently with the Reformation I guess, was the Enlightenment which tried to throw off the shackles of some Middle Ages Church dogmas - not by asserting an alternative religious dogma (as some perceived the Reformers to be doing), but by claiming that religious assertions were nothing more than merely subjective and that they could and should therefore be separated from objective facts.
The aim was to push 'religious' dogma out of the public arena - leave it a private thing, if an individual wants it - and let 'science' reign as the only objective public truth.
Some Church dogmas of the day, maybe people had good reason to want to throw off: others, not. And it is true of course that truth needs to have a basis in fact - historical fact, and scientific fact.
But as it's turned out, it isn't as easy to get to know facts (historical and scientific) as objectively as the Enlightenment may have wished. There's often still a lot of hypothesis and subjectivity going on, in the way information is interpreted and concluded and re-asserted.
Some people, realising that, have gone so far into the airy-fairy in Post-Modernism as to think that nothing at all can ever be called a 'fact', everything is only as it seems in the eyes of the beholder, or as he wishes it to be. But that isn't adequate - it is possible for some conclusions to be better than others, because some conclusions really work, while other ideas don't.
Another thing is that it's a almost a category mistake to call the gospel a mere 'religion'. By its own claim, it's also history: it claims that the crucifixion of Jesus, and His burial, and His resurrection on the third day really happened. The significance claimed for that event is such that it's meant to make an impact for good not only in individuals but through them to all public spheres - family & national. So that makes the gospel more than just a 'religion' separated in the Enlightenment sense from the rest of public life: it's personal and spiritual, yes; but it's also history; it's educational; philosophical; theological; contractual (covenantal), legal; societal; philanthropic - and can even advise politics! In fact all of the above are in a sense inseparable. In fact, it was the gospel which instilled 'empirical knowledge' as a value into previously largely-superstitious and mythical pagan ancient European and Asian society.
God is Truth. Truth is a Person - Jesus Christ. He is also the Way; and the Life. Jesus Christ is being revealed to hearts not by flesh and blood but by the Father in heaven. We can also be as sure as anything of the historical truth of the gospel. The Bible-story fits perfectly with all observable science correctly interpreted. Experimentation in any other field - e.g., sociology, or public policy - also shows the gospel works, and works best.
The GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.
The aim was to push 'religious' dogma out of the public arena - leave it a private thing, if an individual wants it - and let 'science' reign as the only objective public truth.
Some Church dogmas of the day, maybe people had good reason to want to throw off: others, not. And it is true of course that truth needs to have a basis in fact - historical fact, and scientific fact.
But as it's turned out, it isn't as easy to get to know facts (historical and scientific) as objectively as the Enlightenment may have wished. There's often still a lot of hypothesis and subjectivity going on, in the way information is interpreted and concluded and re-asserted.
Some people, realising that, have gone so far into the airy-fairy in Post-Modernism as to think that nothing at all can ever be called a 'fact', everything is only as it seems in the eyes of the beholder, or as he wishes it to be. But that isn't adequate - it is possible for some conclusions to be better than others, because some conclusions really work, while other ideas don't.
Another thing is that it's a almost a category mistake to call the gospel a mere 'religion'. By its own claim, it's also history: it claims that the crucifixion of Jesus, and His burial, and His resurrection on the third day really happened. The significance claimed for that event is such that it's meant to make an impact for good not only in individuals but through them to all public spheres - family & national. So that makes the gospel more than just a 'religion' separated in the Enlightenment sense from the rest of public life: it's personal and spiritual, yes; but it's also history; it's educational; philosophical; theological; contractual (covenantal), legal; societal; philanthropic - and can even advise politics! In fact all of the above are in a sense inseparable. In fact, it was the gospel which instilled 'empirical knowledge' as a value into previously largely-superstitious and mythical pagan ancient European and Asian society.
God is Truth. Truth is a Person - Jesus Christ. He is also the Way; and the Life. Jesus Christ is being revealed to hearts not by flesh and blood but by the Father in heaven. We can also be as sure as anything of the historical truth of the gospel. The Bible-story fits perfectly with all observable science correctly interpreted. Experimentation in any other field - e.g., sociology, or public policy - also shows the gospel works, and works best.
The GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.
No comments:
Post a Comment