Rasi FaithReasonOrigins

Loving God With All Our Mind:Faith, Reason, and the Study of Origins: 

Loving God With All Our Mind: Faith, Reason, and the Study of Origins Humberto M. Rasi Special Projects – Education Department General Conference

Slide2: 

“Lord, help me never to use my reason against the truth” -- Jewish prayer

A memorable conversation: 

A memorable conversation A scholar-lawyer once asked Jesus to define the most important commandment in God’s law In His reply, Jesus said that it has two parts The first is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30 NIV) How are we to understand this famous commandment?

Three factors seem clear…: 

Three factors seem clear… We love God with all our heart when we choose to live according to His will We love Him with all our soul when we remain in daily spiritual connection with Him through prayer, Bible study, and meditation We love God with all our strength when we keep our bodies clean and healthy But, how do we love God with all our mind (Gr. diánoia), the core of our rationality and understanding? Significantly, in quoting Himself (Deut. 6:4-5), Jesus added the word mind to the passage

A topic of intense interest: 

A topic of intense interest Through the centuries, the proper relationship between faith and reason has been a topic of intense interest for thoughtful Christians This subject has been of particular concern to those involved in advanced studies and to those active in intellectual professions and research Can we integrate our trust in God with our rational endeavors---our faith with our reason? Or are we expected reject one in favor of the other?

A quick historical review -- 1: 

A quick historical review -- 1 During the first 14 centuries of our era, the relationship between thinking and believing was frequently discussed in intellectual circles But since the Christian Church held a position of privilege in the West, its teachings and traditions were generally accepted as normative The first major challenge to this hegemony occurred in the 1500s during the Protestant Reformation, when Luther and others sought to restore the authority of the Bible in Christian belief and practice, and stressed the direct relationship between the believer and God

A quick historical review – 2: 

A quick historical review – 2 One century later Descartes stated that he would consider true only what his reason accepted; others followed During the 1700s the European Enlightenment began to examine critically the role of traditional institutions and accepted beliefs, challenging Christian dogmas and the authority of the church Slowly, human rationality, apart from faith in God or religion, started to gain authority and prestige in intellectual circles

The balance has shifted: 

The balance has shifted Today, many educated people take for granted the supreme value of human reason and question the validity of religious faith, labeling it ignorance, credulity, or even superstition In most academic circles it is assumed that intelligent people are not religious or, if they are, they will keep such beliefs private

A dilemma for Christians: 

A dilemma for Christians Christians who pursue advanced studies or practice a profession are constantly confronted with the dilemma of how to integrate faith and reason in their daily life Is that integration possible? Can we speak of a biblical epistemology?

In this presentation: 

In this presentation How have educated Christians sought to connect faith and reason in the past? What does the Bible teach on the relationship between rationality and belief? How do we deal with doubt while nurturing an intelligent faith? What factors should Bible-believing Christians take into account in the study of origins?

In the beginning: 

God created Adam and Eve and endowed them with “the power to think and to do” While exercising those abilities they disobeyed God and, as a result, lost their perfect status and home The world and its inhabitants have suffered the consequences Although we have inherited the fallen condition of our first parents, God has preserved our capacity to think and to believe, to trust and to choose Because of the fall, our rational powers are like cracked reading glasses---they allow us to see and read, but with difficulty, imperfectly and, at times, incorrectly In the beginning

Consider this: 

Consider this “Reason itself is a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all.” – G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, (1909), chapter 3

Some definitions - 1: 

Some definitions - 1 Faith in Christian perspective: An act of the will that chooses to place its trust in God in response to His self-disclosure and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit “Faith is trusting God, believing that He loves us and knows what is best for our good” (E. G. White, Education, p. 253) Religious faith is stronger than belief--it includes the willingness to live and even die for one’s convictions

Some definitions - 2: 

Some definitions - 2 Reason: The exercise of the mental capacity for rational thought, understanding, discernment, and the acceptance of a concept or an idea Reason looks for clarity, consistency, coherence, and proper evidence

Some definitions - 3: 

Some definitions - 3 Belief: The mental act of accepting as true, factual, or real a statement or a person Of course, it is also possible to hold a belief in something that is not true “Faith without reason leads to superstition. Reason without faith leads to cynicism.”

Some definitions - 4: 

Some definitions - 4 Will: The ability and power to elect a particular idea or course of action in preference to others Choice: The free exercise of such ability

The role of the will: 

The role of the will “Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise….You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ…. Your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.” (E. G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 47)

An asymmetrical relationship: 

An asymmetrical relationship It is possible to believe that God exists (reason) without trusting in Him (faith). “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that---and shudder” (James 2:19) But it is not possible to believe and trust in God (faith) without believing that He exists (reason) “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6)

A reminder to Christians involved in intellectual endeavors: 

A reminder to Christians involved in intellectual endeavors We passionately pursue knowledge, but what is life’s highest goal, according to the Scriptures? To establish a personal, loving relationship with God that leads us to obey Him and to serve others “This is what the Lord says:… ‘Let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:25) “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3)

Four major approaches: 

Four major approaches Through the centuries, Christians have assumed different attitudes toward the relation of faith and reason in their lives Let’s review four major approaches…

1. Fideism: 

1. Fideism Faith minimizes or ignores the role of reason in acquiring true knowledge and arriving at ultimate truth Faith in God is the ultimate criterion of truth and all that a Christian needs for certitude and salvation For the fideist, God reveals Himself through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and personal experience, which are sufficient to know all important truths Some have extolled the value of “blind faith.” In our time, many fellow Christians declare, “God says it. I believe it. That settles it!”

2. Rationalism: 

2. Rationalism Rationalists trust completely in their mental capacity to understand, know, and explain reality Thus human reason challenges, undermines, and eventually destroys religious faith Rationalists are not ready to believe in God unless all doubts are removed to their satisfaction Rationalism rejects religious authority and supernatural revelation as sources of reliable knowledge

3. Dualism: 

3. Dualism Faith and reason operate in separate spheres, neither confirming nor contradicting each another This position has been advocated by some agnostics and even by some Christian thinkers Dualists maintain that science deals with objective “facts,” while religion addresses moral issues from a personal, subjective perspective The spheres of reason and faith, knowledge and values are unrelated

Stephen Jay Gould: 

Stephen Jay Gould “The conflict between science and religion exists only in people’s minds, not in the logic or proper utility of these entirely different, and equally vital subjects…. Science tries to document the factual character of the natural world, and to develop theories that coordinate and explain these facts. Religion, on the other hand, operates in the equally important, but utterly different, realm of human purposes, meanings, and values.”

4. Synergy: 

4. Synergy Faith and reason collaborate and strengthen each other in the human quest for and commitment to truth Synergists believe that biblical Christianity is an integrated and internally consistent system of belief and practice that deserves both our faith commitment and our rational assent

Realms of faith and reason overlap: 

Realms of faith and reason overlap Truths of faith alone are those revealed by God and not discoverable by human reason (For example, the Trinity or salvation by God’s grace through faith) Truths to which we may arrive through both faith and reason are revealed by God, but also reachable by human reason (For example, God’s existence or the moral law) Truths of reason but not of faith are not directly revealed by God but discovered by human reason (For example, physical laws and mathematical formulas)

Reason helps, faith is a choice: 

Reason helps, faith is a choice Reason can help us move from understanding to acceptance and, ideally, to belief and faith But faith is a choice of the will that goes beyond reason and is foundational to wisdom Careful thinking, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, may remove obstacles on the way to faith Once faith is present, reason may strengthen religious commitment

Three classical statements: 

Three classical statements I accept the primacy of intelligent faith in the Christian intellectual and spiritual life, as expressed in three classical statements: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10) Fides quaerens intellectum = “Faith seeks understanding” Credo ut intelligam = “I believe in order that I may understand”

Faith and reason in biblical perspective: 

Faith and reason in biblical perspective 1.The Holy Spirit both awakens faith and illumines reason Were it not for the persistent influence of the Holy Spirit, no one would ever become a Christian. In our natural condition we do not seek God, acknowledge our need of His grace, or understand spiritual things. It’s the Spirit that guides us “into all truth” (John 16:13).

Continued…: 

Continued… 2. Faith must be exercised and developed through life Each human being has been given “a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3) and is encouraged to grow in faith (2 Thess. 1:3) “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6) The disciples’ repeated plea to Jesus was, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5)

Continued…: 

Continued… 3. God values and appeals to human reason He wants to “reason together” with us (Isaiah 1:18) and has chosen to communicate intelligibly with us, revealing Himself personally in Jesus Christ, through the Scriptures, through the natural world, and through the Holy Spirit speaking to our mind Jesus provided rational and physical evidences to those who really wanted to know (for example, the disciples on the way to Emmaus and to Thomas after His resurrection)

Continued…: 

Continued… 4. God provides sufficient evidence to believe and trust in Him The entire universe displays God’s creative and sustaining power (Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 40:26; Romans 1:19, 20) However, “by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3)

Quotable: 

Quotable “God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.” – Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 105.

Continued…: 

Continued… 5. God offers clear guidance for life, but accepts the choices we make “I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction…. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19) “Here I am! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me” (Revelation 3:20)

Continued…: 

Continued… 6. Faith and reason work together in the believer’s life and witness Paul urges us to present our bodies “as living sacrifices” to God, which is our “spiritual [Gr. logikós = logical, rational] act of worship” (Romans 12:1). Peter encourages us to be “always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15)

How shall we deal with questions and doubts?: 

How shall we deal with questions and doubts? 1. Remember that God and truth are synonymous He is honored when we exercise our mental abilities to explore, discover, learn, and invent as we interact with the universe that He created and sustains Discrepancies between “God’s truth” and “human truth” are due to our misunderstanding of one or both Ultimately, “all truth is God’s truth”

Continued…: 

Continued… 2. Accept that the Bible does not tell us everything there is to know God condescends to our level to communicate to us essential truths, within our ability to comprehend Christ told His disciples, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear” (John 16:12) Our fallen condition impairs and limits our understanding: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Continued…: 

Continued… 3. Distinguish between God’s Word and human interpretations Human traditions and preconceived ideas frequently make us read things into the Bible things that are not there. Examples: The case of Copernicus and his heliocentric proposal. It was later confirmed by Galileo and Kepler. The discovery did not destroy God nor Christianity. The case of Darwin and his rejection of the fixity of species. This was assumed by the theologians of his time, but not taught or required by the Bible.

Continued…: 

Continued… 4. Keep in mind that the scientific enterprise is an ongoing exploration of one part of reality Experimental science deals only with natural phenomena that can be observed, measured, manipulated, repeated, and falsified; this excludes, by method, the supernatural Although many of the basic laws are universally accepted, explanations are frequently replaced by other interpretations For the open-minded researcher, the micro- and macro-cosmos provide abundant evidence of an Intelligent Designer

Continued…: 

Continued… 5. Create a mental file for unresolved issues in studies and in life Some questions don’t have satisfactory answers. At times we find an explanation later; but other questions remain unresolved. Be willing to suspend judgment and be patient; keep praying for understanding; and continue to trust in a wise, powerful, and loving God Some day we will gain a new insight or God will make apparent contradictions clear to us Our mental limitations and our faith demand that we learn to live with uncertainties and mysteries

Adventists and the scientific enterprise: 

Adventists and the scientific enterprise The Seventh-day Adventist Church is numerically small, but its members highly value education. Many Adventists around the world pursue advanced degrees and practice in scientific fields, both applied and theoretical. Adventists are increasingly recognized as pioneers in the health sciences As a Christian movement, we have embraced the mission of proclaiming the Creator God in the context of our scientific age (Revelation 14:6-7) Adventist thought has had a major impact in the revival of Creation studies

Filters in the study of origins - 1 : 

Filters in the study of origins - 1 1. Adventists should remember the difference between empirical science and historical science Empirical science involves experiments and observations of nature that can be repeated anywhere in the world, thus it is generally self-correcting Historical science seeks to reconstruct events of the past (frequently unrepeatable and unobserved) on the basis of current observable phenomena and measurements Since the latter demands assumptions, projections, and speculations back into the remotest time, extreme caution and tentativeness are required

Filters in the study of origins - 2: 

Filters in the study of origins - 2 2. Since scientific data is always interpreted on the basis of a worldview, Adventists should use the Great Controversy theme as the interpretive framework This Bible-based meta-narrative includes seven cosmic events that impact human existence: (1) Creation in heaven, (2) Rebellion in heaven, (3) Creation of the earth’s biosphere and life, (4) Man’s fall through disobedience to God’s law, (5) Redemption through Christ’s sacrifice, (6) Christ’s Second Coming, and (7) Consummation and restoration Does our interpretation of data bearing on origins fit this framework?

Filters in the study of origins - 3: 

Filters in the study of origins - 3 3. As Bible-believing Christians seeking in nature (general revelation) clues about the beginning of the universe and life, we should align those evidences with two fundamental factors: Jesus Christ --God the Creator, Sustainer and Savior (supreme revelation)– who spoke plainly about the first human pair and the catastrophic Flood (Matt. 19:4-6; 24:37-39; Mark 10:6-9; Luke 17:26-27) How did He know? (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-19; Heb. 1:2) The Scriptures (special revelation) speak repeatedly of the Creation of life on this planet, completed in 7 consecutive days, and imply that this event occurred in a relatively recent past

In summary: 

In summary We are called to love God with both our mind and our will, integrating in our life the demands of faith and intellect But faith is always an individual choice, prompted by the Holy Spirit, and a personal commitment For the educated believer, there is “no incompatibility between vital faith and deep, disciplined, wide-ranging learning, between piety and hard thinking, between the life of faith and the life of the mind.” –Arthur Holmes

Then, how do we love God with all our mind?: 

Then, how do we love God with all our mind? By being Thankful to Him for our life, abilities, opportunities, and blessings Humble and teachable on how to use our imagination, reason, discoveries, and influence Responsible on how we apply our findings and skills, treat other people, and relate to the natural world that God has entrusted to us Available to help others, communicate the Good News, and honor Him in everything we do J. S. Bach’s motto: S.D.G. = Soli Deo Gloria

A surprise at the mountain’s peak : 

A surprise at the mountain’s peak As astrophysicist Robert Jastrow comes to the end of his best-selling book on the Big Bang, God and the Astronomers (1978), he writes: “Consider the enormity of the problem. Science has proven that the Universe exploded into being at a certain moment. It asks, What cause produced this effect?

Slide48: 

Who or what put the matter and energy into the Universe? Was the Universe created out of nothing, or was it gathered together out of pre-existing materials? And science cannot answer these questions…. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” (pp. 114-116)