Beware of philosophers and scholars

In the darkness of night on November 23^rd, 1654, Blaise Pascal reached a turning point he experienced as a revelation of biblical truth. The record of this experience — known as The Memorial — begins as follows:

«Dieu d'Abraham, Dieu d'Isaac, Dieu de Jacob, non pas des philosophes et des savants. Certitude. Sentiment. Joie. Paix. [...] Renonciation totale et douce.»

“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of philosophers and scholars. Certainty. Desire. Joy. Peace . . . Total, sweet surrender.”

In a harsh but effective critique of Richard Swinburne’s Was Jesus God?, Thomas Weinandy points out the dangers of well-meaning apologetics for the faith. Apologists rather often do not defend the faith delivered once and forever to the saints, but rather, a wax nose of their own design.

Comments

[Esteban Vázquez]

Apologists rather often do not defend the faith delivered once and forever to the saints, but rather, a wax nose of their own design.

Amen, amen, amen!

[scott gray]

john, that is one sexy metaphor.

sort of.

scott

[JohnFH]

Estaban,

Remember, that crown you will wear on that day has two meanings: king and martyr.

Scott,

How come, when you read me, I feel as if you are rummaging around in my subconscious?

Thanks for commenting.

[David Ker]

I had fun tracking down that wax nose reference last night.

Something similar at Gentle Wisdom: http://www.qaya.org/blog/?p=1072

I'm sure Pascal did not begin his list accidentally with "certitude."

[Ranger]

John,
I'm with you totally on this one. At the same time, I struggle ministering to people who are doubting their faith intensely and appear to be passionately seeking after anything from God...and get nothing while I get something.

Step out of your scholarly self and into your pastoral self and let me know how you respond to this type of struggle for believers.

[JohnFH]

Hi Ranger,

I think it helps to get doubting adult believers in a room together with a bunch of teenagers and ask everyone the question:

name one or two examples from your life in which God's help or presence made all the difference.

I do this in the context of teaching confirmation. The stories the adults end up telling! Even someone whose faith has gone cold cannot help but remember some time and some place in which they knew certitude and joy, perhaps after many tears. It seems to help people to hear other completely ordinary people talk about moments of clarity and faith. It gets them going again on the high points in their own spiritual biography.

[Blake Reas]

John,

I just finished reading Swinburne's "The Coherence of Theism", and made it through the first few chapters of his "The Existence Of God". I almost through "Coherence" away because it tickled my Calvinist bone when he started advocating univocal predicates, and limited foreknowledge to God. It was hard to read. :)

Thanks for the Weinandy article, I always enjoy his work.

Blake Reas

[JohnFH]

Blake,

I continue to be impressed by your wide reading. It would be fun to have longer conversations about these things.